Denzel at Zenith Motor Company/CA Autobank car finance

justmeland

Hello, I’m looking for some advice, please.

My nephew entered into a 4-year PCP agreement on a car from Zenith Motor Company after seeing an ad on Instagram and communicating via WhatsApp. Just three months into the contract, the car required £750 of repairs to be roadworthy, which the dealership agreed to cover.

At 10 months, the car suddenly broke down on his way to work. He had to have it towed twice—first to the nearest garage to get it off the road and then to a Mercedes garage for further inspection. We have written to both the dealership and the finance company. The dealership has not responded, and the finance company has only said they will "investigate."

The garage has stated that diagnosing the issue requires stripping down the car, which could cost up to £3,000, with potential repairs reaching £5,000. We simply cannot afford this. Meanwhile, my nephew is still making finance payments on a car that is undrivable, in addition to covering daily travel costs. The stress of this situation is overwhelming.

Surely, this vehicle was never roadworthy from the start and was not fit for a 4-year finance agreement. What are our options in this situation? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Ayr_Rage

Any secondhand car that is out of warranty is going to be a liability, even more so when on finance.

What exactly is the vehicle, how old was it when purchased, what mileage has it done?

Has it been serviced according to the required schedule?

If the first repairs have no bearing on the second failure then you will have to prove that there was an inherent fault at the time of purchase that has caused the catastrophic failure.

That is going to be difficult unless the strip down is completed, so someone will have to pay for that, time to ask Mercedes for some goodwill if it is a reasonably young vehicle.

Questioning whether it was roadworthy is quite frankly clutching at straws unless you can prove otherwise.

sheramber

What make and year is the  car?

How many miles had it done when bought?

justmeland

Its a mercedes 68 plate, mileage we are unsure of, my nephew can't remember as its been sitting at a garage since mid Jan

Ayr_Rage

As the vehicle is over 6 years old proving an inherent defect on a secondhand purchase requires that strip down.

Have you researched that model for any history of catastrophic failure?

Hopefully the garage has given an indication of what may have failed.

You haven't said whether it has a service history, that will be crucial if you get Mercedes involved.

born_again

Ouch.
4 year PCP deal on a 6 year old car....

Next scandal for FCA to get involved in.. PCP on 2nd hand cars.

Aylesbury_Duck

justmeland said:

Its a mercedes 68 plate, mileage we are unsure of, my nephew can't remember as its been sitting at a garage since mid Jan

A quick check of its MOT status will tell you the mileage at the last test, or check the last service record.  We don't need to know the precise mileage, a rough idea will do.

justmeland

the mileage was 66k when we got it, and 76k now. CA Autobank told me this morning they will send me their final decision today but suggested that poor driving by us may have caused the dual mass flywheel to fail. But surely they can't prove the person who drove the 66K didn't cause it. I'll go and get the log book out the car which is in the garage to check its service history. 

Thanks for all your help and suggestions.

eskbanker

justmeland said:

the mileage was 66k when we got it, and 76k now. CA Autobank told me this morning they will send me their final decision today but suggested that poor driving by us may have caused the dual mass flywheel to fail. But surely they can't prove the person who drove the 66K didn't cause it. I'll go and get the log book out the car which is in the garage to check its service history. 

After six months from purchase, the onus is on the buyer to demonstrate that the problem would have been present at the time of sale, whereas within the first six months, the burden of proof is on the seller to show that it wasn't.

justmeland

we cant afford the strip down or the repairs, we will soon not be able to afford to pay for an undriveable car and public transport/taxis, we haven't paid half the value, I just don't know what to do. Could the finance company make the dealership replace the car and we stay in the contract? I did a vehicle check and it shows two previous owners prior to us.

justmeland

I've emailed the delaership who is basically ignoring me to ask for a breakdown of the first repairs, I believe it was the drive shafts, which might show a correlation to the now dual mass flywheel failure