Urgent advice needed

Soph1988 · 15 September 2019 at 9:11PM

Hi,

Brought a 2015 Peugeot 108 22 days ago for 4K from a trader (they have a proper car sales garage). Had an MOT the week I brought it with no faults found. I’ve done about 100-150 miles in it since purchase.

Initially had issues with the battery being flat after I got home, but after the garage came out to look at it, jumped the battery with a jump machine and told me to drive it to charge it and all has been alright.

Today, I got in my car and half way home (approx 3 miles) the engine management light, tyre deflating light and the light for the light with a car with little swerves around it has come on. I limped it home another half a mile, pulled onto my drive and it won’t start.

I want to return the car and have my money back, not a repair, no messing around, this shouldn't happen. I’ve lost trust in the car and the dealer, especially with this now being the second issue in less that 25 days. My 30 days expires thursday!

It’s within the 30 days after sale and as far as I’m aware, I’m within my rights to return it as faulty. But I would hugely appreciate someone in the know who can confirm for me that this is correct.

Before I call the garage at 9am tomorrow to explain this, could I have some guidance, what my rights are and how about I should go with this?

Please be kind.

z1a · 15 September 2019 at 9:15PM

If it's anything like my Peugeot, a failing battery causes any number of errors to appear on computer, and various warning lights to come on.

Soph1988 · 15 September 2019 at 9:16PM

Thanks. I don’t feel I want to continue owning the car given the amount of warning lights and problems in less than 30 days. What if the problem isn’t rectified and then I lose my rights and end up with a huge bill?

oddjobbpb · 15 September 2019 at 9:34PM

Its the battery

missile · 15 September 2019 at 9:42PM

Change the battery

Soph1988 · 15 September 2019 at 9:55PM

I appreciate that it may be the battery....

But let’s say I give the car to them to ‘fix’ the problem and they effectively ‘hide’ whatever other problem it has / may have, what do I do then? Should this even be an issue less than 30 days after owning it!?

Ectophile · 15 September 2019 at 10:32PM

oddjobbpb wrote: »

Its the battery

Unless it's the alternator failing to charge the battery properly.

Soph1988 · 15 September 2019 at 10:37PM

This is exactly what I worry about. If they shove a new battery in it, it’ll be alright for a few days, taking me past the 30 days after purchase making it harder to return the car and leaving me with the hassle and cost of the alternator being a potential issue....

tberry6686 · 16 September 2019 at 1:38PM

It's almost certain to be one of three things. Bad battery, Bad alternator or a poor earth connection (in that order).

All three are trivial and easily checked/fixed.

a four year old battery is close to it's life expectancy so any car that age may well have the same issue (modern cars are very reliant on a good battery, I've had batteries fail at 3 years old and others at 10 so it can be a bit of a lottery). If it is the alternator then that will show up pretty quickly (certainly within 100 miles using lights air con, stereo etc) an I would be shocked if the dealer didn't check for this with a new battery. It's a simple check of the voltage going to the battery with the engine running.

If you like the car then let the dealer fix it. It is almost certainly a minor fault.

IF this sort of fault means you lose all faith in a car then return it (I'd be surprised if the dealer would accept a return for this though) and think carefully about buying any car. Even brand new cars can have faults.

Ectophile · 16 September 2019 at 11:08PM

tberry6686 wrote: »

IF this sort of fault means you lose all faith in a car then return it (I'd be surprised if the dealer would accept a return for this though) and think carefully about buying any car. Even brand new cars can have faults.

But any consumer purchase, even a second-hand one, must be fit for purpose. A car that simply stops while you are driving it along clearly isn't fit for purpose.

A rattly window would be a minor niggle. A car that doesn't go is a major problem, however simple the cause is.

lopsyfa · 16 September 2019 at 11:32PM

Don’t worry about the 30 days lapsing. The clock stops from the moment you inform the dealer about the problem. I will give the dealer the opportunity to repair the car one time and if the issue is still there, then try to reject it.

As others have pointed out, it is likely a problem with the battery and/or alternator. It may well turned out to be a good purchase for you if you give the trader the opportunity to fix this one issue.

Urgent advice needed

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free