Second hand van purchase. Broke down

milkyboy

Hello all, just looking for some advice regarding a van I recently purchased. I’ve had various bits of advice from various people but not from any that’s been through the whole experience I’m going through so I thought I’d throw it out to the magic MSE crowd.

Just over 2 weeks ago I bought a van I found on Autotrader for 4.5k via a dealer based in Chingford. The dealer is based on the same plot of land as a car garage with good reviews, the director of both companies is listed as the same person on companies house although the dealer keeps saying they are separate businesses. I drove it for around 100miles on the first two days after which the van broke down on an A road, the engine was overheating and I called my friend who is a mechanic to come out and have a look for me. There was very little coolant left in the engine, we managed to fill it back up and I got back home again, the coolant level had gone down again although not as severely as it had done before. It seems the coolant only really leaks once the engine gets hot and the pipes expand. The break down occurred on a Saturday afternoon so I had to wait until Monday to speak to the garage/dealer.

I spoke to the dealer on the Monday who instantly started saying it was sold without warranty and that it was a trade sale but also said they are a reputable company and would not just leave me like this.

This conversation was two weeks ago, the garage have agreed for a pressure test to try and locate the leak ( I have had this done but they haven’t paid me anything yet). Since then I would say it feels like he has just been using delaying tactics but not really offered any solutions and every time he said he will get back to me he never has. I have had to call him almost every time.

My mechanic has also spoken to him a couple of times and has also been told he would get back to him. I thought this would be easier to deal with without me as the middle man. Due to the difficulty of getting to parts of the engine where it may be leaking my mechanic has quoted it’s going to be around£450 plus VAT if the leak is coming from one place, if it’s another place it may be up to around £900.

Since quoting these prices I was told by the dealer he would call me back on Thursday and then failed to do so.

So I’ve had the van sat on my drive without being used for two weeks now and I’ve started to consider more serious options. I live in south east London and the dealer is in north east London which is also making me wonder how I might even return the vehicle if I need to do so in the fear that a more severe coolant leak may damage the engine.

I have hinted to the dealer that I would look into court proceedings if he didn’t give me a solid timeline of resolution, however he went back to saying the stuff about “trade sale/no warranty” and I was welcome to take it to court if I wanted.

I’ve drafted a rejection letter which I’ve done some research over regarding my consumer rights (I’ve also explained these to the dealer over the phone, which he doesn’t seem to think are applicable in this case. He even stated there were “loopholes” when my mechanic spoke to him.)

I was kind of prepared to reject the van and take him to court however my wife’s family have stated this may take up to 8months and won’t be worth the stress, especially if I don’t win or he doesn’t pay up, which has sent me into a lot of confusion as to what I should do.

I will wait to speak to the dealer Tuesday to see if he comes up with an offer to pay for all or part of the costs and take it from there.

When I paid for the van it cost all of my savings basically and I’m not really I’m the position to be spending lots more on it at this stage except for the tax and insurance which I’ve already shelled out for. But was looking forward to having a vehicle that me and my wife could at least get out to the countryside from London for day trips for now.

Also for more context, I bought the van for a project to convert into a small camper as I’m a surfer and climber, having a van like this has been a life goal of mine for over 20years so it’s all been pretty downheartening experience. The van is 10 years old and has 130k on the clock. When I insured the van on admiral it valued the van at 1.3k more than I paid for it, which I’m also trying to keep in mind.

I haven’t had much in the way of written correspondence with the dealer except a few text messages. I have however recorded all the phone calls I have had with him.

any advice welcome be much appreciated

Many thanks

Ayr_Rage

Did you see coolant leaking onto the ground when it broke down?

If not then it's an internal leak or the head gasket has failed.

Driving in that condition will damage the engine further in either case.

What exact vehicle have you purchased and what engine is fitted?

Is it classed as a passenger vehicle?

Was it a business or private sale?

milkyboy

thanks so much for your response.

Difficult to see a significant leak when I broke down, but after pressure test could see a pool of coolant near the engine and also some dried coolant on one of the pipes inside.

it’s a Peugeot expert MWB 66 plate. 1.6 diesel.

I think it’s classed as a panel van, there’s no rear seats.

It’s a private sale I believe I have a receipt from the dealer

I wondered about head gasket although under the oil cap seems to be fine (not gunky or creamy)

Mildly_Miffed

Probably just the oil cooler, relatively cheap fix.

Your legal comeback on a 10yo £4.5k van is minimal, even as a consumer buying it for personal use.
If it was a business purchase, you'd have none at all.

Your family are right. To reject, you return the vehicle and all the keys, paperwork, etc - then, if the vendor doesn't immediately return your money, you take him to court for the money. If it's judged in your favour, or you win by default, you can then hire bailiffs to confiscate his goods to the value of the debt. If the company still exists.