Any redress on a private car sale?

mrsyardbroom

Just under two weeks ago I bought a car from a private seller. I paid the top price for it. The seller assured me the car was in good mechanical condition. I asked if it had ad a new battery and the seller said it hadn't but he'd never had any problem with the battery. This morning the car won't start as the battery is flat. I suspect it had been fully charged when the car was sold to me and it has been running down ever since. I don't think it's been charging. I think it's most likely a fault with the alternator or it could be something else. I will have to get my mechanic out to look at it. I'm an elderly lady living in a rural area and I really need a reliable car. I don't have much money coming in and now I feel as if I've been conned. Do I have any redress at all?

Penguin_

No redress as far as I know sadly.

mrsyardbroom

I have messaged the seller as I believe even a private sale has to be accurately described. I don't know if anyone else had had any experience of this.

GrumpyDil

You're correct that even a private seller is not allowed to mislead you but proving something when it sounds like this was a case of a conversation rather than the advert?

For the amount involved unfortunately I think you will have to deal with it yourself. 

mrsyardbroom

Thank you. I don;t know how much the repair is going to cost. My mechanic is coming out later today to have a look at the car.

Ebe_Scrooge

You have very little come-back against a private sale, unless they tell you a deliberate lie about the condition.  Batteries do have a finite lifespan - it's generally reckoned that after about 5 - 7 years or thereabouts then it'll begin to struggle to hold a charge (though it can vary a lot depending on many factors).  If it's just the battery that's given up the ghost, that'll not be an expensive fix.  On most cars (especially older ones) it's a very simple DIY replacement job - but if you're not confident about tackling it yourself, hopefully the mechanic you're using is trustworthy and will be able to source and fit a suitable battery without overcharging (sorry for the pun!!).

Yes, it's possible that there's a fault on the charging circuit.  However, you'd expect to get a warning light on the dashboard if that's the case.  And again, it's very simple for any half-decent mechanic to run a quick test of the charging circuit.

Odds on it'll just be a case of new battery - which shouldn't be a fortune - and you'll be on your way.

Actually, I've just had another thought - it's not something as simple as an interior light being left on, is it?  I've had that before - it's particularly annoying if there's a light in the boot, you don't quite close the boot lid fully, the light stays on but you can't see it from outside.  Just a thought.

maxmycardagain

1. Get a battery tester on it (load test)

2. Put a meter across the battery, engine off 11volts, running 14.4volts, in days gone by removing the positive (red lead) whilst running would prove the alternator condition....if the engine stops, the alt is goosed (apologies for using goosed to any geese reading this) (have to be PC these days)

maxmycardagain

Ebe_Scrooge said:

You have very little come-back against a private sale, unless they tell you a deliberate lie about the condition.  Batteries do have a finite lifespan - it's generally reckoned that after about 5 - 7 years or thereabouts then it'll begin to struggle to hold a charge (though it can vary a lot depending on many factors).  If it's just the battery that's given up the ghost, that'll not be an expensive fix.  On most cars (especially older ones) it's a very simple DIY replacement job - but if you're not confident about tackling it yourself, hopefully the mechanic you're using is trustworthy and will be able to source and fit a suitable battery without overcharging (sorry for the pun!!).

Yes, it's possible that there's a fault on the charging circuit.  However, you'd expect to get a warning light on the dashboard if that's the case.  And again, it's very simple for any half-decent mechanic to run a quick test of the charging circuit.

Odds on it'll just be a case of new battery - which shouldn't be a fortune - and you'll be on your way.

Actually, I've just had another thought - it's not something as simple as an interior light being left on, is it?  I've had that before - it's particularly annoying if there's a light in the boot, you don't quite close the boot lid fully, the light stays on but you can't see it from outside.  Just a thought.

Dont spend £100 on a battery till you know if the alternator is good

mrsyardbroom

My mechanic has been out and he says it's just the battery. The seller assured me that the battery was fine and he'd never had any problems. 

Just a word of caution, there are a lot of unscrupulous sellers out there. I sold my car to someone who posed as a lady wanting a car for her car boot business. I was careful to point out the many faults. I reckoned it would need a minimum of £500 in repairs. That included new tyres which the buyer could see would need replacing in a few months. I sold it at a cheap price because of this and a few days later they're selling it as a wonderful car in tip top condition and they want £1350 more than I sold it for. I only asked £900 for it! Due to the rise in car prices recently, everyone is coming out of the woodwork buying and selling cars to make a quick buck on the side.  I wonder if any are registering as a business or are they just selling cars on the side and pretending to be private sellers? They need to be careful. As an ex HMRC employee I'm duty bound to report anything I think is suspicious. I had considerable training in this so in my case it's not just buyer beware but seller beware as well. 

Ebe_Scrooge

mrsyardbroom said:

My mechanic has been out and he says it's just the battery. The seller assured me that the battery was fine and he'd never had any problems.

To be fair, you've had the car a couple of weeks now.  Has it always started OK in the time you've had it?  If so, the seller was probably telling the truth, and you're just unfortunate in that the battery has only just decided that it's had enough.  Batteries do go, as I said earlier.  Once they've decided that they don't want to hold a charge any more, very often you'll get little warning.  Depending on what car it is, a new battery won't break the bank.

mrsyardbroom

To be fair the battery has been deteriorating in the last couple of weeks. The engine started turning over sluggishly in the last ten days or so. Yesterday I had to drive 35 miles and I was praying it would actually start again when I needed to go home.