Car engine problem

alanwjones

May I seek advice on how to handle this situation please.

A friend's 16 year old daughter bought her first car a 2003 reg £4000 Renault Clio in September 2007 in preparation for her 17th birthday in December, The vehicle was kept garaged for the 4 months and was started and given a short run weekly, On 22 December the car was taxed, and taken out of storage for her driving lessons which were about 3 hour a week, At the end of February she passed her test and used the car daily from then to travel to work etc. so far the car has done around 3200miles from the date of purchase.
Last week the engine started misfiring, and on taking it to a Renault dealer she has been told that the cost of repair will be approximately £1800, Is there any part of the sale of goods act that she could reasonably quote to the original seller to seek any help towards this bill? Any advice on this matter will be gratefully received.
Thanks, Alan

unrich

I always thought that short runs were more likely to harm a car then a long run.

What was the mileage of the car and what was the condition the car was sold in?
Was it a private sale or a company?
Was any warranty given?
Was anything said at the time that you feel formed part of the contract of sale? i.e. "Its done 50k and its good for another 50k at least?", "Any problems let me know and we'll sort something out".

Does the garage say where the damage is and how (possibly) the damage was caused? i.e. Ask them could this have been caused by garaging the car for 4 months?

You may have some kind of come back if the car is significantly different
from how you were told it is.

I'm guessing breach of contract in small claims would be the best bet but you have to be sure that the contract you made with the vendor has been breached and that when you bought the car you relied on what they told you as a main reason for deciding to buy the car.

I.e. garage say the engine has been thrashed and the car looks clocked. At the time of sale you asked the seller, "has the car been thrashed? is the mileage genuine?". OK I'll buy but on the basis of what you've told me.

They can always say. "Well I thought was I told you was true, it must have been the last owner that did that, and I never had it serviced so how was I to know the engine was done in".

You matbe on sticky ground. Let the buyer beware.

Raggie

Sorry but I think discovering a fault or the car car developing a fault 6 months after purchase may leave them on sticky ground.. unless it was purchaased from a dealer with a warranty.??

the only advice i can give is why take it to a Renault dealer, I am sure with a bit of checking you may find a local indpendant that will quote a fraction of the cost that Renault are quoting, to do the same repair.

alanwjones

The car was bought from a reputable indipendant garage with 3 months warranty and was in very good condition, It has been in to 2 local garages and they have been unable to discover the problem, taking it to Renault was a last resort decision, and they seem to think that a piston has gone, Alan.

Brooker_Dave

alanwjones wrote: »

The car was bought from a reputable indipendant garage with 3 months warranty and was in very good condition, It has been in to 2 local garages and they have been unable to discover the problem, taking it to Renault was a last resort decision, and they seem to think that a piston has gone, Alan.

It's a used car, well out of any warranty that it had and it's developed a fault after 6 months of use.

Cars do break down from time to time, assuming that you can find someone competent enough to diagnose the fault, and assuming that it is a big problem with the engine, your best bet might be a good used engine from the breakers and an independant garage to fit it.

Sooler

alanwjones wrote: »

The car was bought from a reputable indipendant garage with 3 months warranty and was in very good condition, It has been in to 2 local garages and they have been unable to discover the problem, taking it to Renault was a last resort decision, and they seem to think that a piston has gone, Alan.

take it back to the local garages and tell them Renault think that a piston has gone

bap98189

It's a used car, which has developed a fault 6 months and over 3,000 miles after you bought it. You haven't a hope of any contribution to repairs. Cars develop faults, it's just bad luck this has happened to yours.

As for the £1800 repair bill, you will get a lot cheaper quote from any independent garage. All official car dealerships charge through the nose for repairs/services etc. If the engine needs to be rebuilt, then a small garage will either be able to do it cheaper, or will be able to fit a second hand engine fitted for a lot less than that.

johncmcloy

My girlfriends car had trouble with misfiring. The garage we went to, the 'posh' bosch guarantee place "seemed to think" that it needed loads of tests running to discover the problem. The bloke had it for days running endless tests (supposedly) he told us he had basically taken the engine apart and put it back together again and that it was in excellent working order and that the misfiring was caused by dodgy fuel. We went to a local garage and it turned out it was the distributor and on a 98 micra cost £50 from a scrap yard and the garage we went to kindly fitted it for free. Problem solved. Dont believe the good looking garage.

golddustmedia

After 6 months and 3200 miles I'd say no chance, unless the car was purchased with a warranty?

If she learnt to drive on the car there's a more than likely chance that she caused the fault herself as we all know learners are more than a little prone to stalling the engine, which doesn't really do it any good.

Likewise no mention if she's had the car serviced at all?

Optimist

Since the car has been owned by your friends daughters for more than six months and she put 3200 miles on it you would have to be able to show that the engine failure wasn't because of something you had or hadn't done (such as getting the car serviced or changing the oil)

In short she would more than likely have a fight on her hands with little hope of success .

Take the car to a local garage for a second opinion the cost is likely to be far less than the franchised Renault garage