Faulty Used Car Query
Discussion
In February 2015 I paid £3400 for a a 2006 VW Passat 2.0TDI SE Estate with 118k from a local family run used car dealer.
Car was in great condition, just what I need, with full VWSH etc. Since then I've had it serviced twice, cambelt done and all other required bits and bobs.
On Wednesday the gearbox went, the car is now undrivable, and I'm looking at quite a big bill to get it on the road. I'm self employed, and need a car, so I've hired one for 2 weeks so I can continue earning.
Questions is, do I have a case for the car dying a bit prematurely? It's now done 142k, I know that's fairly high, but these cars do run on if looked after (and I've looked after it).
Has anyone else on PH had a similar experience? The car had 3 months warranty on it when I boughtit, obviously this has run out now. However something doesn't sit right with me that this car has only lasted me 14 months.
Car was in great condition, just what I need, with full VWSH etc. Since then I've had it serviced twice, cambelt done and all other required bits and bobs.
On Wednesday the gearbox went, the car is now undrivable, and I'm looking at quite a big bill to get it on the road. I'm self employed, and need a car, so I've hired one for 2 weeks so I can continue earning.
Questions is, do I have a case for the car dying a bit prematurely? It's now done 142k, I know that's fairly high, but these cars do run on if looked after (and I've looked after it).
Has anyone else on PH had a similar experience? The car had 3 months warranty on it when I boughtit, obviously this has run out now. However something doesn't sit right with me that this car has only lasted me 14 months.
ging84 said:
I feel a lot more sorry for the guy on this thread, than the other similar thread running right now where the guying getting al worked up that the break pads on his 6 year old car only had 3k miles left on them.
I don't think the OP is taking piss by simply asking does he have any comeback here, it just happens to be that unfortunately he doesn't really.
That is not to say it's not worth going back to the dealer and being honest saying. You bought it just over a year ago, you've done 20k miles so you know that you can't expect them to pay for the repair but you had expected a well maintained car to have lasted a little longer without a major fault like this, and see if they are willing to do anything.
The worst that can happen is they say no, but they you never know they might actually turn around and say they agree and are prepared to stump up for some of the bill. This is fairly unlikely, unless you are really good at telling a sob story, but they might be able to offer another solution, like putting you in touch with a garage who will do the job at a discount, or offer you a part ex where they buy it back for a bit more than it's really worth in it's current state, or give really big discount on the car replacing it.
Thanks for all of the replies.I don't think the OP is taking piss by simply asking does he have any comeback here, it just happens to be that unfortunately he doesn't really.
That is not to say it's not worth going back to the dealer and being honest saying. You bought it just over a year ago, you've done 20k miles so you know that you can't expect them to pay for the repair but you had expected a well maintained car to have lasted a little longer without a major fault like this, and see if they are willing to do anything.
The worst that can happen is they say no, but they you never know they might actually turn around and say they agree and are prepared to stump up for some of the bill. This is fairly unlikely, unless you are really good at telling a sob story, but they might be able to offer another solution, like putting you in touch with a garage who will do the job at a discount, or offer you a part ex where they buy it back for a bit more than it's really worth in it's current state, or give really big discount on the car replacing it.
I'm not stupid, and the car was not a 500 quid shed. 2 owners, full vw service history, which I have kept up to date.
Hiring a car for two weeks is my only option, I have a huge amount of work on at the moment, not having a car would mean losing a substantial amount of money to me. I'm looking for a recon box for the Passat and have a vw technician mate who can fit it for me. The other option is to sell for spares and buy something newer, however I did want this thing to last me a couple of years, not unreasonable given that a well maintained car can go for far more miles than this one has.
CRA1G said:
Just out of interest OP says he's self employed i wonder what business he provides.?
I'm a (very busy) freelance drummer and drum teacher. Hence the Passat Estate being an ideal car for me, and also why I didn't go down the route of buying something very very cheap, as I have to make sure I'm able to be at the places I say I will be.As an update, the car is now with a local garage and I've sourced a secondhand gearbox with 3 months warranty which is being fitted this week.
I have a feeling I'll be part exchanging the Passat asap.
Gearbox cost £400, fitting will be £250-300, hire car will be £250ish. Cancelled work will have lost me around £800.
You live and learn, next time I will buy a new car, as they never go wrong.
As a little side note, this all happened at exactly the same time my relationship completely broke down - women and cars are pretty much programmed to muck me about.
Really appreciate the helpful posts, obviously I knew that I would not be getting this done for nothng, the car is 10 years old! However I am aware that when you buy something you do have certain rights, which is why I thought I'd ask on here. I don't post much (and probably won't now), but I am a big fan of the forum, and always enjoy reading through the posts.
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