Correct way to approach a dealer about 2nd hand car faults
Discussion
I bought a Seat Altea 1 month ago from a 2nd hand car dealer (look pretty reputable) for £4000. The car has now developed two faults.
The nearside rear door intermittently not open from the outside. Once opened from the inside it will work for a while then stop again. That's why I didn't spot it on a test drive. It's a known VW group fault with the door lock motor I believe.
An hour or so ago though the drivers door window has gone down and now won't go back up again. Again I think its a known VW group issue with the window regulator.
I've phoned the dealer and they have pointed me at the AA warranty with the car. Fair enough. I've got to take it to a garage near me for diagnosis (at my expense) on friday to see if they will authorise the work.
If they won't, what laws or regulations should I point the dealer at to get them to fix the car instead? I'd like to ensure I am on a firm legal footing before starting any conversation with them about it.
Or, do I have to suck it up and get the parts replaced myself? I'd hope not as whilst its not an expensive car, i do think these faults are likely to have been present when i bought the car.
It may all be for nothing, as the warranty company may sort it. However, my experience of such things does not fill me with confidence that they will.
The nearside rear door intermittently not open from the outside. Once opened from the inside it will work for a while then stop again. That's why I didn't spot it on a test drive. It's a known VW group fault with the door lock motor I believe.
An hour or so ago though the drivers door window has gone down and now won't go back up again. Again I think its a known VW group issue with the window regulator.
I've phoned the dealer and they have pointed me at the AA warranty with the car. Fair enough. I've got to take it to a garage near me for diagnosis (at my expense) on friday to see if they will authorise the work.
If they won't, what laws or regulations should I point the dealer at to get them to fix the car instead? I'd like to ensure I am on a firm legal footing before starting any conversation with them about it.
Or, do I have to suck it up and get the parts replaced myself? I'd hope not as whilst its not an expensive car, i do think these faults are likely to have been present when i bought the car.
It may all be for nothing, as the warranty company may sort it. However, my experience of such things does not fill me with confidence that they will.
TooMany2cvs said:
It's a £4k car, probably somewhere around 8yo. Would it be reasonable to expect a door handle and a window regulator to have a problem after eight years from new?
The window fault clearly wasn't there when purchased. The handle - well, maybe, maybe not.
The dealer's being absolutely fair with the warranty, and your chances of legal redress are iffy at best - are you willing to put the time, money and blood pressure into a claim?
6 years old.The window fault clearly wasn't there when purchased. The handle - well, maybe, maybe not.
The dealer's being absolutely fair with the warranty, and your chances of legal redress are iffy at best - are you willing to put the time, money and blood pressure into a claim?
Window Fault was there when purchased as its a known issue that fails over time as the cable frays. You can't spot it until it starts to make a noise then fails. In my case, it made a noise, then failed straight away.
I doubt I'd take it to any court as the regulator is around £110 and the door lock around £50 for the parts and I can probably do them myself. I just wanted to see what redress I really have so I can at least try to push them on it to begin with. I'll only push it so far though.
Well it's certainly a minefield isn't it 
As I say, the bits are not so expensive that I'm willing to spend time and effort on any legal redress.
However, I am willing to exert some pressure over the next few days if it might get me somewhere. I was just wondering what buttons to press really.
My experience of such warranties is that they will say these are not items that are covered. You never know, I might be pleasantly surprised but i doubt it.
My impression from the dealer is that they have my money and just want me gone. That's fair enough I guess but if they are supposed to have some responsibility to me then I'd like them to honour it.
After all, it may only be a £4k car, but its only 6 and a half years old with a FSH and 79k on the clock. Not a snotter and I'd really expect a car to have doors that can be opened by the handle and windows that don't let the rain in.
As I say, the bits are not so expensive that I'm willing to spend time and effort on any legal redress.
However, I am willing to exert some pressure over the next few days if it might get me somewhere. I was just wondering what buttons to press really.
My experience of such warranties is that they will say these are not items that are covered. You never know, I might be pleasantly surprised but i doubt it.
My impression from the dealer is that they have my money and just want me gone. That's fair enough I guess but if they are supposed to have some responsibility to me then I'd like them to honour it.
After all, it may only be a £4k car, but its only 6 and a half years old with a FSH and 79k on the clock. Not a snotter and I'd really expect a car to have doors that can be opened by the handle and windows that don't let the rain in.
Edited by JonnyO on Wednesday 4th May 10:58
Roo said:
How do you know the window fault was present when you bought the car if it worked fine for a month and has only just packed up?
You are right, I don't know for sure. However, the odds are very much in favour of this looking at VW forums saying this is a common fault, and that it happens over a period of a couple of months (depending on how much the window is used). Of course, the garage diagnostic work may yet show that this is caused by something else. Its not likely though as there are only a couple of things that can go wrong with it.So, I'm not as cast iron sure as I indicated before, thats true.
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