Car bought at Auction - blown up on way home
Discussion
Hello, first time posting in this section and its on behalf of a friend so will try and fill in any gaps later if I can with any more info as required.
On saturday a friend of mine has bought a car and collected it from a large auction company which i understand sells off cars on behalf of another well known commercial organisation.
The car got approx 10 miles from collection on the motorway and then broke down. It was then recovered back to the auction place and then I went and picked him up to take him home (The auction house looked more like a car supermarket to be honest)
The auctioneers have contacted him today to say a coolant hose has failed, dumped the coolant and it now needs a new head gasket. Apparently the hose wasnt inspected as part of their special quality check things they do. They said they can repair this at his cost if he wants which he wasnt too happy about bearing in mind the car only covered a few miles before going pop.
If not, they have said that they can trailer the vehicle back to him unfixed otherwise he will be liable for storage costs. Understandably he just wants his money back from them - they have said for this he will need to raise a "claim" but I dont really understand that bit yet.
Is he covered by the sale of goods act here and should be refunded or is it a bit more complex when the auction is a proxy for the previous owner even if they are a commercla seller?
Thank you
On saturday a friend of mine has bought a car and collected it from a large auction company which i understand sells off cars on behalf of another well known commercial organisation.
The car got approx 10 miles from collection on the motorway and then broke down. It was then recovered back to the auction place and then I went and picked him up to take him home (The auction house looked more like a car supermarket to be honest)
The auctioneers have contacted him today to say a coolant hose has failed, dumped the coolant and it now needs a new head gasket. Apparently the hose wasnt inspected as part of their special quality check things they do. They said they can repair this at his cost if he wants which he wasnt too happy about bearing in mind the car only covered a few miles before going pop.
If not, they have said that they can trailer the vehicle back to him unfixed otherwise he will be liable for storage costs. Understandably he just wants his money back from them - they have said for this he will need to raise a "claim" but I dont really understand that bit yet.
Is he covered by the sale of goods act here and should be refunded or is it a bit more complex when the auction is a proxy for the previous owner even if they are a commercla seller?
Thank you
alabbasi said:
Did the head gasket fail because the hose blew or did the hose blow because the head gasket failed? We will never know
I'm not sure - is that pontentially relevant?He told me that they had said the hose had failed and they dont check the condition of hoses on their million point mechanical inspection.
This is why auctions are cheap - a lot of stuff passing through has underlying issues.
Your friend needs to check the terms of the sale to see what he’s entitled to, but car auctions don’t have the usual level of protection a B2C sale does.
Your friend would be better buying from a dealer if he wanted a warranty (there, I said it)
Your friend needs to check the terms of the sale to see what he’s entitled to, but car auctions don’t have the usual level of protection a B2C sale does.
Your friend would be better buying from a dealer if he wanted a warranty (there, I said it)
ShredderXLE said:
I'm not sure - is that pontentially relevant?
For a hose to split naturally, it would have to be in pretty dire condition. If a head gasket lets go, it will push combustion gases into the cooling system which could cause the hoses to pressurize and blow. I suspect that your car had a blown head gasket before it was sold. I think the fact he bought from auction means he has next to zero chance of getting his money back.
At the very least he should get the car moved to avoid further storage costs while he makes a claim if that's what he wants to do but if it was me I'd be getting it recovered to a garage I know to have it repaired at my own cost because that's the risk of an auction.
At the very least he should get the car moved to avoid further storage costs while he makes a claim if that's what he wants to do but if it was me I'd be getting it recovered to a garage I know to have it repaired at my own cost because that's the risk of an auction.
280E said:
Even cars offered 'with warranty' at auction are only covered to a basic extent, and the 'inspection period' post-sale is usually very short.
I dont think it lasted more than about 15 minutes!!!!Will see if he can forward over the original advert or what wording and conditions it was sold under. The outfit he got it from didnt look like what I was expecting a traditional car auction to look like, it looked essentially exactly like a dearlership with a forecourt full of stock or a car supermarket type of thing.
Otherwise if he hasnt got a leg to stand on I will break that news to him
First thing is for him to read the T&Cs of the auction house - which he will be deemed to have read & accepted as part of being allowed to take part in the auctions.
ETA Without knowing which auction seller it was so we can view their T&Cs it's going t be very difficult for anyone to give accurate advice.
Buying from auctions (I'm not talking about ebay) can get you some excellent stuff at low price BUT they're also used by the trade to get rid of lemons & stock that has sat on their pitches for a long period without any interest so does carry a large risk element.
ETA Without knowing which auction seller it was so we can view their T&Cs it's going t be very difficult for anyone to give accurate advice.
Buying from auctions (I'm not talking about ebay) can get you some excellent stuff at low price BUT they're also used by the trade to get rid of lemons & stock that has sat on their pitches for a long period without any interest so does carry a large risk element.
Edited by paintman on Wednesday 15th June 09:57
Auctioneers will argue that the savings you can make my buying at auction are the benefit of the risk you take that you're buying a nail. I've noticed that a few places locally that previously sold fairly humdrum stuff in the usual fashion have started doing auctions on occasion, perhaps because it let's them punt cars out with less comeback.
If you go to a performance and classics type auction you can see some really interesting cars but on close inspection many of them have significant cosmetic flaws. Who knows what else may lie hidden, you'll probably have a chance to see the car running when it's under the hammer but is it any wonder that these places often say you should trailer the car away and get your own mechanical inspection done before seriously driving it?
If you go to a performance and classics type auction you can see some really interesting cars but on close inspection many of them have significant cosmetic flaws. Who knows what else may lie hidden, you'll probably have a chance to see the car running when it's under the hammer but is it any wonder that these places often say you should trailer the car away and get your own mechanical inspection done before seriously driving it?
Thank you, it wasnt ebay but I do believe that you had to bid in some fashion using their website.
Not sure if im allowed to name where it came from but googling it shows that they are a chain and have several branches throughout the UK.
Will get him to have a read through any bidding terms and conditions there might have been.
Cheers,
Not sure if im allowed to name where it came from but googling it shows that they are a chain and have several branches throughout the UK.
Will get him to have a read through any bidding terms and conditions there might have been.
Cheers,
I'm disappointed that "blown up" meant a hose popped off.
Was it an "expensive" car bought dirt cheap so even doing the head gasket might still mean your mate is quids in? Or was a few hundred quid banger which is now effectively written off as a head gasket is going to cost more than the car did?
Was it an "expensive" car bought dirt cheap so even doing the head gasket might still mean your mate is quids in? Or was a few hundred quid banger which is now effectively written off as a head gasket is going to cost more than the car did?
I can embellish the report with some tales of flames / shrapnel / explosions etc if it will make it a more exciting read?
But he did say there was some smoke and steam when it lost power.
I think it was about 4k he paid. No idea of what market value would be for it as its not a type of car ive ever looked into but I cant imagine it was massively undercut.
But he did say there was some smoke and steam when it lost power.
I think it was about 4k he paid. No idea of what market value would be for it as its not a type of car ive ever looked into but I cant imagine it was massively undercut.
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