Issues with new (Used vehicle) Garage playing up.

bikingbarney

Hi all,

I bought a used car in May this year (collected 17th May). The car then sat until the middle of June as I still had my company car at this point. 

When I started using the car in July it seemed ok to start with but I started noticing a bit of smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle after being stationary for a while and it also started using a fair bit of oil. 

Car in question is a 2019 Seat Leon 2.0tsi petrol with 47000 miles on the clock.

There were two other issues I noticed to:

The passenger side headlight levelling motor isn't working and leaves the headlights uneven. Headlights are LED sealed units and quite expensive.

There is also a knocking from the front of the vehicle.

I tried to phone the garage a number of tie but it just rang out and so I emailed the address provided on their website, listing all the issues I had found.

The manager replied to this and asked me to bring the vehicle back to them for repair. 

I duly dropped the vehicle off on the 26th July. I was met by the manager who had replied and I explained the issue to him and he told me it would get sent to his preferred garage for repair. 

As part of dropping the car off I also printed out the list of issues and left that on the centre console for the garage to use.

After  just under two weeks I hadn't heard anything and so tried to phone and got told that the local mobile mechanic was looking at the car and had diagnosed the turbo needed repair so he was taking it off and getting it sent away (What happened to using the preferred garage?)

It had been another few days and I hadn't heard anything so contacted citizens advice and they informed me that the time it was taking was unreasonable and an inconvenience to me as I had to essentially take my wife's car to use to get to work. So I sent the garage a recorded letter saying I would like to reject the car and the reasons why. The day after it was signed for the manager replied at 18:20 on Friday evening saying he couldn't allow me to reject the car as it was ready for collection and I needed to collect it after 3pm on Monday (yesterday 18/08)

Now, as the garage is 2.5 hours from me I gave them a call yesterday morning just to confirm and the manager says its all sorted come and get it. I ask about the other issues and he said "what other issues?" I then explain thew contents of my original email to him listing the issues and the fact I had left the note in the car. He claims to not know about these and says they haven't been touched. 

He then said he would get the car back from the garage (Its switched back to a garage not a local mechanic again??) and then get it sent to another local garage.

I am at my wits end now. On Saturday it will be 4 weeks that they have the car and I'm still none the wiser when it will be ready.

I have lost all faith in the garage as the story about the repair has changed so much I just don't trust them.

What are my options here now? The car was bought cash with a deposit paid by credit card?

Mark_d

You have plenty of evidence in the form of your recorded delivery letter  and the notes you've kept.  if Citizens Advice are confident that you're due a refund for the car then a Section 75 claim via your credit card company might be the earliest route to take.

bikingbarney

Mark_d said:

You have plenty of evidence in the form of your recorded delivery letter  and the notes you've kept.  if Citizens Advice are confident that you're due a refund for the car then a Section 75 claim via your credit card company might be the earliest route to take.

I did send a rejection email but the dealer refused it saying the car was ready. In reality though it isnt?

bikingbarney

Please advise as not sure what to do now.

Garage has replied to my latest rejection email saying they wont agree to the rejection as the car is fixed and ready to collect.
They wont however despite me asking numerous times confirm that all 3 issues have been rectified.

Its a 6 hour round trip to collect the car and don't want to waste my time if it isn't done. Or would collecting it be the right thing to do even if it isn't repaired?

I have raised a chargeback with my credit card provider under the section 75

jimjames

bikingbarney said:

Its a 6 hour round trip to collect the car and don't want to waste my time if it isn't done. Or would collecting it be the right thing to do even if it isn't repaired?

Unfortunately it's not the garage's issue that it's a 6 hour round trip. If they're saying the car is fixed then you'll need to go to collect it even if that means checking it once you arrive and telling them it isn't. Some oil use is normal on TFSI engines though, how much was your car using?

born_again

bikingbarney said:

Please advise as not sure what to do now.

Garage has replied to my latest rejection email saying they wont agree to the rejection as the car is fixed and ready to collect.
They wont however despite me asking numerous times confirm that all 3 issues have been rectified.

Its a 6 hour round trip to collect the car and don't want to waste my time if it isn't done. Or would collecting it be the right thing to do even if it isn't repaired?

I have raised a chargeback with my credit card provider under the section 75

Chargeback & S75 are totally different.

Given they have said they have repaired the car, which they have one chance to do. You may find a S75 as they have complied.

bikingbarney

So, just to update.

Made the trip to the dealer today after a phone call and email conversation yesterday where he said the car was fixed and that it had a new turbo fitted and headlight fixed too.

 

Went in and got the keys and started having a look at the car. Straight away I can see its filthy and covered in oil marks.

Popped the bonnet and indeed there is what looks like a new turbo. Then I spot the air intake hose into the turbo hasn’t been fitted correctly and the bolt is missing. Dealer manager says he trusts that the garage he used has done a proper job and basically says Im wrong. I persist and tell I have had four cars with the same engine and know that the intake isn’t fitted correctly and should have a bolt in it to keep it secure. Low and behold the intake pops out and then wont go back in as it wont locate in its keyway. 

So then he gets the mechanic on the phone who then admits it was one of his understudies that did the work and that he cant check all work before cars go back out. The manager then asks us to go and have a coffee at the Marks and Spencer next door and he will get another mechanic to sort it out. Which he duly did. It is now fitted correctly and bolted in place.

However, whilst the drive home was uneventful and returned good mpg, anytime the car goes onto boost you can hear the whistle of the turbo. It never did that before, and so I’m worried he has fitted a cheap reconditioned turbo to it.

When I got the car home a got a good light and started having a look about and spotted another missing bolt on something bolted to the turbo with an electrical connector. It only has two out of three bolts fitted.

 

Finally whilst at the garage I checked the headlight to see if that was working correctly and low and behold it isn’t. The levelling motor still doesn’t work and leaves the headlights out of alignment. When queried he says he sent the car off and they have fixed it. What they have actually done is done a headlight alignment using a mot light checker and not actually fixed the problem. He says as far as he is concerned the headlight is fit for purpose. I then point out that headlight levelling not working on LED headlights is an MOT fail.

 

I said I wanted to reject the car there and then but he was adamant I couldn’t as it was “fixed”. He then asked me to take the car home and get it booked into a local garage for them to diagnose the headlight and then speak to the warranty and he would authorise it.

 

As it stands I have the car at home and still have issues. I want to push ahead with the Section 75 as they have failed to repair correctly and then refused my rejection.