Faulty car

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82135795#Comment_82135795

Search site before signing up to their membership….

Perhaps get her friends dad to show how to do the regular checks that are required on a car Or pay him👍

GDB2222

You can check everything in a very very few minutes. That’s less time than it would take to drive somewhere else to get it done.

Someone must have done a YouTube video on how to do this.

I know it’s tiresome and maybe not the sort of thing that interests you, but it’s really not worth subcontracting.

Soarfree

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82135800#Comment_82135800

thank you- I get it regarding the tyre - good to keep an eye on them.

I hope the car lasts as long as she’s paying it off at least - she said the mechanic said it would only last her a year- I want to ask him about that!

Soarfree

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82135804#Comment_82135804

Thank you that’s a great idea- his son is even more into cars and would probably appreciate the money.

QrizB

I know it’s tiresome and maybe not the sort of thing that interests you, but it’s really not worth subcontracting.

While I generally agree with you, sometimes "having an appointment for a thing that you've already paid for" can be more motivating than "having time in your diary to do a thing yourself".

It's also reassuring to novices to have a task performed by a professional.

And it's not a forever commitment; if the OP (and their daughters) pay for the first few of these, they might in the meantime learn how to do it themselves.

Soarfree

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82135811#Comment_82135811

I guess it’s just another thing in an already busy life. And more to do with headspace than time. It would be helpful to be shown what to look for by someone who knows. Checking tyres, coolant, brake fluid, brake discs etc

sheenas

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82135727#Comment_82135727

Arrr that is another service replaceable item. I suspect you will have no joy here either.

photome

I dont think you have any comeback

The oil and tyre are down to your daughter as they are easily checked

If you can prove the clutch was an issue when it was purchased you may have some comeback but it was most likely ok otherwise your daughter would have said something before now

if it is the pure tech engine and it has done 80000 the belt needs changing now unless you have evidence of it being done recently

oil level takes seconds to check and looking at the tyres regularly takes minutes

eskbanker

If you can prove the clutch was an issue when it was purchased you may have some comeback but it was most likely ok otherwise your daughter would have said something before now

The burden of proof is the other way round for the first six months, i.e. the onus is on the trader to prove it was OK, not the purchaser to prove it wasn't, per CRA s19(14).

GDB2222

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82136308#Comment_82136308

Indeed, that's right, but the problem is described in the very first post of this thread:

"It broke down on the motorway last week - the AA who rescued her said it had no oil at all in the engine- but after refilling checked the car and said there were cracks in the timing belt. And she should only drive it home or the garage."

There's no indication that the car is spewing oil all over the road. After all, the AA refilled it and said it could be driven for a bit, so it must have been retaining the oil. So, it's a bit of a mystery how it came to have 'no oil at all'.

A car with 80k miles on the clock might be burning a bit of oil. The piston rings would have worn a bit, etc. That's kind of okay, as it's not a new car. It's one with a fairly hefty mileage. The solution is to keep an eye on the oil level and top it up.

So, an independent engineer's report might say that there is nothing wrong with the car, but advise that the oil should be kept topped up. It depends how much oil is being burned and the effect on emissions.

Or there's some other explanation of why there was no oil.