Heating fault reason to refuse/return car?

Flipjango · 17 November 2019 at 4:09PM

I bought a relatively new 2nd hand car yesterday (only 2 years old) from a dealer. I've realised in the hour's drive home that there is a fault with the heating (too cold and barely blowing in the footwell, but won't turn off on the dash). I'm wondering if this heating fault alone is reason to refuse the car and get a refund? It seems to be a bit of a legal grey area and whist the CAB say you can refuse for any fault, Honest John says only major faults. I'm not sure what would constitute major faults in this circumstance. I have a warranty and I'm sure the dealer would rather repair it than take it back but I’ve had issues in the past with letting dealers repair a car and it going on to have multiple future faults so would rather part company and find another.

lincroft1710 · 17 November 2019 at 5:28PM

Knowing that some cars have idiosyncrasies in the way certain functions operate, are you sure you followed the instruction manual when using the heater

neilmcl · 17 November 2019 at 5:30PM

Sounds simply like buyer's remorse to me. You've already decided you don't like it and now trying to find any reason to return it. If there is a fault and you want to reject the car then you're going to have to prove that the fault exists.

Can we ask what car is it?

Flipjango · 17 November 2019 at 5:52PM

Oh no, there's definitely a fault. The foot heater is only trickling heat. One of the dashboard vents isn't letting out any heat at all, and the centre dashboard vent won't switch off. The heating system is very simple to follow (I'm also an engineer so generally not a particularly baffled by stuff like this) and I have also gone through the manual with a fine tooth comb. The fault is pretty clear. Even when you only have the heating on 'feet' its letting out heat from the dash and clearly not enough from the foot vent as my feet are freezing. Its a Peugeot 3008 SUV.

I get easily spooked by issues in new cars to be honest. My last car was bought at only 3 years old and in a very similar situation, we found it had a fault the day we brought it home. That time we let the dealer fix the initial fault but it seemed symptomatic of it just being a very poor car in the end as it had had repeated extremely expensive faults and we eventually had to get rid of it as it'd cost us £3k over the first 2 years we owned it. I really wish we'd just refused it when we found the initial fault. I really don't want another lemon and I'm worried the first owners have got rid of it thought its only 2 years old because maybe its had too many problems already. Theres no way of knowing, but if there's a chance to return it now, then I'm going to take it, buyers remorse or not.

lincroft1710 · 17 November 2019 at 6:58PM

Would suggest you have look and see if there is a Peugeot owner's forum and if so ask if this is a known problem

Flipjango · 17 November 2019 at 7:16PM

Have already done that. Nobody has replied that its a known fault but also others say their heating works differently from mine- ie this isn’t the way it’s supposed to work. So back to the original question- is faulty heating a sufficient reason to refuse a car?

Aylesbury_Duck · 17 November 2019 at 7:20PM

Check the pollen filter. In my car (not the same make as yours), I had a similar problem with a weak heating fan and misted up windows not clearing quickly. I checked the pollen filter (which was as easily accessed via the glovebox) and it had a hollow gnawed out of the fabric and was stuffed with dried leaves, so packed in that they were almost completely blocking the airflow. Mice. Replaced the pollen filter, cleared the aperture of debris and it's been fine since, unlike the unfortunate mice who are attracted to peanut butter on traps.

I wonder if the filter and/or the airways are blocked with leaves. Is that a reason to reject the car? No, in my opinion. You may have to find a 'better' fault to justify rejection.

Flipjango · 17 November 2019 at 7:46PM

Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think it sounds like the problem here. There is heating coming out where it shouldn't and not where it should. Where it does come out its strong and hot, its just not coming out of where it should be for the setting on the screen. The windows are clearing fine too. According to the manual I don't appear to have a pollen filter that is user serviceable either. Thanks though.

Aylesbury_Duck · 17 November 2019 at 7:50PM

I wonder if a tube has become detached, meaning some of the airflow is being misdirected then?

It does sound like the cause might be relatively trivial, so I wouldn't get your hopes up that it's a justifiable reason for rejection.

deanos · 17 November 2019 at 8:28PM

2 years old will still have a manufacturers warranty

born_again · 17 November 2019 at 8:41PM

Auto air con by any chance?

Heating fault reason to refuse/return car?

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