Fault with car after purchase

[Tom8]

Hi,

I bought a second hand car from a dealer 6 weeks ago and before buying noticed water in the spare wheel well. Highlighted this to the dealer who said would sort before sale. Since all the rain we've had recently the wheel well has water again. Had main dealer service done and told me it is a fault with clips on seals and will cost a couple of hundred quid to put right.

Car has warranty but should this not be the responsibility of the seller?

Where do you stand on buying a second hand car and finding a fault? Do you do everything through the warranty or is it the dealer's responsibility?

Thanks

[trickywoo]

Tom8 said:

before buying noticed water in the spare wheel well. Highlighted this to the dealer who said would sort before sale.

Sounds like it was part of the contract on sale so the dealer should sort it.

[Tom8]

I've sent a polite request asking them if they will cover the cost so I will see if and how they reply.

Does anyone know what responsibility the dealer has for a car is there a period where they are legally responsible for any short falls?

[trickywoo]

Tom8 said:

Does anyone know what responsibility the dealer has for a car is there a period where they are legally responsible for any short falls?

Bit of a grey area depending on purchase price etc.

From the way you've described it this sounds 100% down to them to fix.

[balls-out]

option 1- claim under warranty. All depends what the small print of the contract says, which you signed and therefore are assumed to have read, understood and agreed to. Probably an excess and given what I've heard probably not covered either. If I were the warranty company, I would probably not pay out as the fault was present and clearly identified that the time of sale and when the insurance policy was taken out. Insurance isn't there to taken out to fix known and pre-existant faults. But a car with a totally f*cked engine, few quid on a used car warranty, claim for a rebuilt engine - suspect thats not allowed either.

Option 2- Go to the garage and tell them they clearly failed to fulfil a condition of the contract and so under law are liable. Did you get it written down on the receipt/invoice something that they were to fix it? if not lesson learnt...

how do a few clips come to a couple of hundred pounds - even for a main dealer that sounds silly.

Edited by balls-out on Thursday 8th November 15:09

[Tom8]

Thanks for this. Luckily I am a bit of an e-mail junky so always record everything through e-mails and I have the ones covering the fault prior to sale so yes, full record.