Returning a used car within 30 days - Long distance.

Hi All,


Hoping someone can offer some advice. I paid 18k for a 3 year old car just under two weeks ago from a dealer. I had to travel quite a distance (about 3.5 hours) to view and collect the car. Over the course of a couple of days after collecting the car (including the day driving it back) I noticed a vibration at 70mph. It seems to be there at lower speeds too but you could easily mistake it for an uneven road surface, especially when you are in an unfamiliar new car. At first I wasn't sure if it was just me but after considering other peoples opinions I decided it wasn't normal and notified the dealer (this was the 4th day after collecting the car). They advised it was probably just a wheel not balanced properly since they had fitted 3 new tyres before collection so I had it checked out at a local tyre garage. They checked the tracking, all fine, went to check the wheels for balancing - both driver side alloys are buckled, the rear being described as "quite bad" by the garage. I've also taken it to a wheel repair specialist and they have advised new alloys instead of trying to repair them.


I've notified the dealership where I originally purchased the car and they are dragging their feet, implying that I've buckled the alloys as the company that fitted and balanced the tyres a few days before I collected didn't report that they were buckled. Whilst the car was up on the ramps at the tyre garage I used they also spotted a gearbox oil leak and another oil leak coming from the sump. I've also noticed there's some kind of noise coming from the wheel or steering rack when turning it at low speeds, a metallic creaking noise (keep in mind this car has a variable speed rack). The dealer is aware of these other issues too but hasn't responded yet.


The car is a performance BMW but I purchased it from a non BMW dealership. I'm probably going to get my local BMW dealership to carry out a vehicle check for me and depending on what comes back, I may reject the car since we are only at less than 14 days ( understand there's a 30 day limit initially).


My main question is this - assuming I have good grounds to reject the vehicle (unless they allow my local BMW to rectify any issues found, including replacing the buckled alloys) What is the legal standpoint on actually returning the car? Would I need to drive it all the way back to the dealership (3.5 hours) or can I just leave it on my driveway here and cancel the insurance / declare sorn? I've been using the vehicle on a daily basis (the dealership haven't advised me not to) and have put around 80 miles a day on it with my commute. Is my understanding correct that the dealer can't charge me anything for use if its less than 30 days?