Any comeback from car dealer ?

Mgman1965

Bought a 2015 diesel car with average mileage (72k) from an independent dealer in April 2024 for £8,300.

Last week, an injector  failed,  caused cylinder No'1 to run lean and hot, and without warning has damaged the bore, piston and valves.

My garage say the engine is totalled and needs a replacement engine.

Would I have any comeback on the selling dealer still to make a contribution to the repair costs under consumer rights ?

Mildly_Miffed

Outside six months of ownership, the onus is on you to prove the fault was present at the time of purchase.
How do you plan to do that, given the injector failed after 14 months of ownership?

That aside, it's now a 10yo car.
Would such a failure be unreasonable to expect in a car of that age and mileage? I'd suggest it was not.

Mgman1965

Mildly_Miffed said:

Outside six months of ownership, the onus is on you to prove the fault was present at the time of purchase.
How do you plan to do that, given the injector failed after 14 months of ownership?

That aside, it's now a 10yo car.
Would such a failure be unreasonable to expect in a car of that age and mileage? I'd suggest it was not.

I ask as I listen to a local radio consumers programme and the mantra of the presenter is the consumer rights act that a product must be 

Fit for purpose. 

Of reasonable quality 

And

Last a reasonable amount of time.

And I wondered if 14 months for £8,300 was a reasonable amount of time (even for a secondhand car).

cw8825

Mgman1965 said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

Outside six months of ownership, the onus is on you to prove the fault was present at the time of purchase.
How do you plan to do that, given the injector failed after 14 months of ownership?

That aside, it's now a 10yo car.
Would such a failure be unreasonable to expect in a car of that age and mileage? I'd suggest it was not.

I ask as I listen to a local radio consumers programme and the mantra of the presenter is the consumer rights act that a product must be 

Fit for purpose. 

Of reasonable quality 

And

Last a reasonable amount of time.

And I wondered if 14 months for £8,300 was a reasonable amount of time (even for a secondhand car).

but it has lasted 10 years
the price you paid is slightly irrelevant 

Grumpy_chap

Mgman1965 said:

Bought a 2015 diesel car with average mileage (72k) from an independent dealer in April 2024 for £8,300.

Last week, an injector  failed,  caused cylinder No'1 to run lean and hot, and without warning has damaged the bore, piston and valves.

My garage say the engine is totalled and needs a replacement engine.

Would I have any comeback on the selling dealer still to make a contribution to the repair costs under consumer rights ?

How many miles have you covered in the year+ of ownership?

What servicing have you undertaken in the year+ of ownership?

What warranty was the car purchased with?

Ayr_Rage

Not knowing the mileage and service history it is impossible to say whether such a failure is unusual at that age.

If the fault wasn't apparent early on in your ownership or at a service then you've no chance of any recourse with the dealer.

Mildly_Miffed

Mgman1965 said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

Outside six months of ownership, the onus is on you to prove the fault was present at the time of purchase.
How do you plan to do that, given the injector failed after 14 months of ownership?

That aside, it's now a 10yo car.
Would such a failure be unreasonable to expect in a car of that age and mileage? I'd suggest it was not.

I ask as I listen to a local radio consumers programme and the mantra of the presenter is the consumer rights act that a product must be 

Fit for purpose. 

Of reasonable quality 

And

Last a reasonable amount of time.

And I wondered if 14 months for £8,300 was a reasonable amount of time (even for a secondhand car).

Yes, but for USED GOODS, the full lifespan is taken into account.

It's a 10yo car. Is it reasonable for that fault to develop on a 10yo car? 
It would be clearly unreasonable to expect the same longevity and reliability from a 10yo car as a 1yo one, wouldn't it?

Mgman1965

Grumpy_chap said:

Mgman1965 said:

Bought a 2015 diesel car with average mileage (72k) from an independent dealer in April 2024 for £8,300.

Last week, an injector  failed,  caused cylinder No'1 to run lean and hot, and without warning has damaged the bore, piston and valves.

My garage say the engine is totalled and needs a replacement engine.

Would I have any comeback on the selling dealer still to make a contribution to the repair costs under consumer rights ?

How many miles have you covered in the year+ of ownership?

What servicing have you undertaken in the year+ of ownership?

What warranty was the car purchased with?

I've covered just under 10,000 miles in it.

Car was serviced by the dealer before purchase (even though now 14 months since service, the Ford service interval is 24 months).

Warranty was 3 months but that is trumped by consumer legislation (see my earlier post about that).

Mgman1965

Ayr_Rage said:

Not knowing the mileage and service history it is impossible to say whether such a failure is unusual at that age.

If the fault wasn't apparent early on in your ownership or at a service then you've no chance of any recourse with the dealer.

Mileage is 82,000 and full service history. 

My garage says injectors should last a lot longer than 82k (My last diesel was on 179,000 on its original untouched injectors.).

Mildly_Miffed

Mgman1965 said:

Grumpy_chap said:

How many miles have you covered in the year+ of ownership?

What servicing have you undertaken in the year+ of ownership?

What warranty was the car purchased with?

I've covered just under 10,000 miles in it.

Car was serviced by the dealer before purchase (even though now 14 months since service, the manufacturer service interval is 24 months).

Warranty was 3 months but that is trumped by consumer legislation (see my earlier post about that).

After 10k miles and 14 months, it's very safe to say that you have zero hope of proving the injector fault was present at the time  of purchase.

With no extant warranty, this is entirely on you.

Even if you the warranty had not expired, I suspect you'd have a job proving it didn't fall under wear and tear exemptions.

Two year service intervals are not good for long vehicle life. They are intended to prioritise reduced ownership cost for the first owners. I find myself wondering how old the fuel filter in the car is...

QrizB

Mgman1965 said:

My garage says injectors should last a lot longer than 82k (My last diesel was on 179,000 on its original untouched injectors.).

Will your garage put that into a legal statement, including an declaration that the fault existed at the time you purchased the car?

And would they be prepared to be challenged on that in court?