Problems with a used car purchased through a dealership

Figen76

I bought a car (Nissan Qashqai-Dec 18 registration) on 15th Aug 2021 from a local used car dealership on HP finance. 4 weeks later, it broke down, stopped suddenly fuel pouring out of it under the bonnet. Called a breakdown company and took it back to the dealer where it’s been repaired, even though I said I I didn’t want it repaired and wanted to return it as it went wrong within 30 days of purchase. Unfortunately the finance company said I couldn’t return it as it was repaired. Anyway I picked it up and hoped for the best. 

Another 5 weeks on and the car broke down again but this time, it is a total power loss. Luckily I was at home this time and the car was in the car park. It happened 4 days before due to go on holiday where I needed the car. I contacted the finance company straight away and told them that I won’t be taking it back to the dealership as I don’t want it repaired. I am waiting for them to allocate a complaint handler. I have no idea how long it will take or whether I can reject the car. It came with 3 months warranty but I have no confidence in the car as it stranded me twice within 2 months of purchase leaving me quite vulnerable and costing me a fortune as I had to hire a car. 

Has anyone else experienced similar issues and how did you get it resolved? 

Thanks

Grumpy_chap

Have you lodged a claim against the warranty company?

Exactly how old is the car?  It may still have some Nissan warranty, which is likely to be more comprehensive than the after-market warranty from the used car dealer.

What was the root cause of the two failures?  They may be two separate failures and unconnected.

Not every failure is an automatic right to reject, but from what has been shared so far it does seem likely that the rights to reject are potentially available to you.  

For a 2018 (3 yo) car, you'd reasonably expect a high level of reliability. 
This may depend on how the car was described (condition and mileage) at purchase and also how much was paid - if you paid "market rate" or "too good to be true" can have an influence on expectations.
Does the car have full service history?  Is that at Nissan dealerships?
I assume the car was purchased from a smaller dealer, not Nissan franchise and not a car supermarket / national brand.

Figen76

Grumpy_chap said:

Have you lodged a claim against the warranty company?

Exactly how old is the car?  It may still have some Nissan warranty, which is likely to be more comprehensive than the after-market warranty from the used car dealer.

What was the root cause of the two failures?  They may be two separate failures and unconnected.

Not every failure is an automatic right to reject, but from what has been shared so far it does seem likely that the rights to reject are potentially available to you.  

For a 2018 (3 yo) car, you'd reasonably expect a high level of reliability. 
This may depend on how the car was described (condition and mileage) at purchase and also how much was paid - if you paid "market rate" or "too good to be true" can have an influence on expectations.
Does the car have full service history?  Is that at Nissan dealerships?
I assume the car was purchased from a smaller dealer, not Nissan franchise and not a car supermarket / national brand.

It is a 68 reg (Dec 18) so still under 3yo. 

It was a local dealership but not a Nissan franchise. They’re well established in the area, featured on national tv so I am hoping they’ll do the right thing and sort it out but I want to know what my rights are so I can push in the right direction. 

I did log a complaint against the dealership via the finance company as, when it went wrong the first time, I contacted citizens advice bureau and they advised me to get the finance company involved as until it’s paid in full, the car belongs to them they said, so they should deal with the dealership directly. 

I don’t have the service book, which I will request. The car was sold as being in great condition and it was sold at market rate, approximately 46k mileage on it. 

Grumpy_chap

Irrespective of what your consumer rights are, as they can be hard to enforce, from a practical perspective it is worth lodging a warranty claim under the Nissan warranty if you can.  That may be a route to resolution, though Nissan may be less receptive as this car has made its way outside their network.

Get the service record as that will help, especially if seeking to claim under the Nissan new vehicle warranty (assuming that remains valid).  Standard Nissan warranty is 3 year, 60k miles and includes Nissan Assist if you break down.

The caution on this is, the dealer that supplied the vehicle may use that as a reason to reject any claim against them if they say the damage was done by Nissan.  So, try the supplying dealership first and then consider the Nissan route (you still have time).

Figen76

Grumpy_chap said:

Irrespective of what your consumer rights are, as they can be hard to enforce, from a practical perspective it is worth lodging a warranty claim under the Nissan warranty if you can.  That may be a route to resolution, though Nissan may be less receptive as this car has made its way outside their network.

Get the service record as that will help, especially if seeking to claim under the Nissan new vehicle warranty (assuming that remains valid).  Standard Nissan warranty is 3 year, 60k miles and includes Nissan Assist if you break down.

The caution on this is, the dealer that supplied the vehicle may use that as a reason to reject any claim against them if they say the damage was done by Nissan.  So, try the supplying dealership first and then consider the Nissan route (you still have time).

That’s great thank you so much!