Second hand Saab failure - whats best option?
Discussion
Right, I ordered an Alpine A290 which was supposed to be delivered in Feb - it got pushed back to April.
So thought Id get a cheap runaround for a couple of months, Ove had various Saabs and theyve always seen me well, bought a 2006 9-3 convertible (petrol) from a local trader for £1900 - it’s lasted just over a month and the fuel pump is dead which isn’t a straight forward job in these Saabs.
I know within 30 days I could have rejected it but its just gone over that?
I take it i still have rights after that? Should I just get it recovered to their place and ask them to fix it? Or can I get my Saab specialist to sort and see of theyll pay/contribute?
Its annoying as Ots a cracking low mileage car and was considering keeping it for the summer.
So thought Id get a cheap runaround for a couple of months, Ove had various Saabs and theyve always seen me well, bought a 2006 9-3 convertible (petrol) from a local trader for £1900 - it’s lasted just over a month and the fuel pump is dead which isn’t a straight forward job in these Saabs.
I know within 30 days I could have rejected it but its just gone over that?
I take it i still have rights after that? Should I just get it recovered to their place and ask them to fix it? Or can I get my Saab specialist to sort and see of theyll pay/contribute?
Its annoying as Ots a cracking low mileage car and was considering keeping it for the summer.
Having rights is one thing. Getting them honoured can be quite another.
Will depend on what sort of dealer you’re dealing with. The car’s value is low so If it’s an established dealer with a good rep then definitely approach. If it’s a bomb site dealer who churns out low cost, low value cars then it may be far easier just to sort it out yourself and if the car is otherwise a good one, just out it down to experience.
Will depend on what sort of dealer you’re dealing with. The car’s value is low so If it’s an established dealer with a good rep then definitely approach. If it’s a bomb site dealer who churns out low cost, low value cars then it may be far easier just to sort it out yourself and if the car is otherwise a good one, just out it down to experience.
I would contact the seller rather than getting it fixed and trying to get costs back that way. Even then, it's potentially a 20 year old fuel pump, so don't think it's unreasonable to fail. Maybe there's some in between solution.
Not sure I'd bother paying a specialist to change the fuel pump though.
To be honest, a 20 year old 9-3 is going to have issues like this that come up. Mine is similar age, and is starting to have electrical issues that I'm fixing every couple of years. Normally spending weeks finding the issue, then replacing the affected wire for pennies.
Do you know it's the fuel pump that's the issue, or could it be the relay, or wiring to the relay? I'm about to install a manual switch on mine for exactly the same issue.
Not sure I'd bother paying a specialist to change the fuel pump though.
To be honest, a 20 year old 9-3 is going to have issues like this that come up. Mine is similar age, and is starting to have electrical issues that I'm fixing every couple of years. Normally spending weeks finding the issue, then replacing the affected wire for pennies.
Do you know it's the fuel pump that's the issue, or could it be the relay, or wiring to the relay? I'm about to install a manual switch on mine for exactly the same issue.
Edited by johnsmith222 on Saturday 21st March 12:02
johnsmith222 said:
I would contact the seller rather than getting it fixed and trying to get costs back that way. Even then, it's potentially a 20 year old fuel pump, so don't think it's unreasonable to fail. Maybe there's some in between solution.
Not sure I'd bother paying a specialist to change the fuel pump though.
To be honest, a 20 year old 9-3 is going to have issues like this that come up. Mine is similar age, and is starting to have electrical issues that I'm fixing every couple of years. Normally spending weeks finding the issue, then replacing the affected wire for pennies.
Do you know it's the fuel pump that's the issue, or could it be the relay, or wiring to the relay? I'm about to install a manual switch on mine for exactly the same issue.
It’s definitely the fuel pump, had the AA out and a few whals on the fuel tank got it going, but then wouldn’t restart.Not sure I'd bother paying a specialist to change the fuel pump though.
To be honest, a 20 year old 9-3 is going to have issues like this that come up. Mine is similar age, and is starting to have electrical issues that I'm fixing every couple of years. Normally spending weeks finding the issue, then replacing the affected wire for pennies.
Do you know it's the fuel pump that's the issue, or could it be the relay, or wiring to the relay? I'm about to install a manual switch on mine for exactly the same issue.
Edited by johnsmith222 on Saturday 21st March 12:02
I realise old cars have issues but just a tad disappointed it’s happened so soon after buying it and with me only really needing it for a couple of months
To be fair the Saab specialist is just down the road from me and is reasonable in price - plus I trust them to actually fix it.
As for the dealer its your typical small dealer selling cheap cars, I don’t reckon they’ll be much use in either fixing it or playing ball.
I’m thinking I will just bite the bullet and get it repaired and keep it for the summer, despite this issue it’s in really good nick with FSH and ‘only’ 80,000 miles
did it not have a warranty? If so you should be contacting the warranty company, this is the way it has always worked when i have bought cheap older cars from dealers.
in my experience dealers tend to only sell cars like that with a 3 month warranty. not that it worth the paper it is written on
in my experience dealers tend to only sell cars like that with a 3 month warranty. not that it worth the paper it is written on
ARH said:
did it not have a warranty? If so you should be contacting the warranty company, this is the way it has always worked when i have bought cheap older cars from dealers.
in my experience dealers tend to only sell cars like that with a 3 month warranty. not that it worth the paper it is written on
Nope no Warranty.in my experience dealers tend to only sell cars like that with a 3 month warranty. not that it worth the paper it is written on
Surely your rights would be CRA - if a fault occurs in the first 6 months it's assumed that it was present at the point of sale unless the dealer can prove otherwise.
Which they can - you drove the car for a little over a month so the fuel pump was clearly working.
I don't think the dealer is obliged to fix this (and if I'd bought the car, I wouldn't be expecting them to).
Fuel pumps do fail and it's simply bad luck that it's happened so soon after you bought the car.
Which they can - you drove the car for a little over a month so the fuel pump was clearly working.
I don't think the dealer is obliged to fix this (and if I'd bought the car, I wouldn't be expecting them to).
Fuel pumps do fail and it's simply bad luck that it's happened so soon after you bought the car.
davek_964 said:
Surely your rights would be CRA - if a fault occurs in the first 6 months it's assumed that it was present at the point of sale unless the dealer can prove otherwise.
Which they can - you drove the car for a little over a month so the fuel pump was clearly working.
I don't think the dealer is obliged to fix this (and if I'd bought the car, I wouldn't be expecting them to).
Fuel pumps do fail and it's simply bad luck that it's happened so soon after you bought the car.
Spot onWhich they can - you drove the car for a little over a month so the fuel pump was clearly working.
I don't think the dealer is obliged to fix this (and if I'd bought the car, I wouldn't be expecting them to).
Fuel pumps do fail and it's simply bad luck that it's happened so soon after you bought the car.
To buy a car and something to fail on it, age or otherwise I'd have thought would come down to it being, "fit for purpose". If they're selling it for nearly £2k it should be capable of lasting longer than a month or two without a failure. Ok, so a 20 year old car is just that but if a trader is willing to sell a car you still have rights as a buyer.
Personally I'd speak to the dealership and see what they say, they may offer to get it sorted and you can go from there. Age of the car doesn't affect your rights.
Personally I'd speak to the dealership and see what they say, they may offer to get it sorted and you can go from there. Age of the car doesn't affect your rights.
OldGermanHeaps said:
Why is the fuel pump hard to change?
Can you not just lift the back seats and cut an access hatch in the floor then make a cover and seal it? Less than an hours work, and fuel pumps are usually under a hundred quid now.
Im not mechanically adept at all so it will have to go to a garage, as. Say I m lucky to have a Saab specialist down the road who's very reasonable.Can you not just lift the back seats and cut an access hatch in the floor then make a cover and seal it? Less than an hours work, and fuel pumps are usually under a hundred quid now.
I’ll speak to them on Monday and get the cost and take it from there.
Edited by chrispmartha on Saturday 21st March 17:00
Alex_225 said:
To buy a car and something to fail on it, age or otherwise I'd have thought would come down to it being, "fit for purpose". If they're selling it for nearly £2k it should be capable of lasting longer than a month or two without a failure. Ok, so a 20 year old car is just that but if a trader is willing to sell a car you still have rights as a buyer.
Personally I'd speak to the dealership and see what they say, they may offer to get it sorted and you can go from there. Age of the car doesn't affect your rights.
This is why so many traders dont sell cheap cars anymore.Personally I'd speak to the dealership and see what they say, they may offer to get it sorted and you can go from there. Age of the car doesn't affect your rights.
Alex_225 said:
To buy a car and something to fail on it, age or otherwise I'd have thought would come down to it being, "fit for purpose".
Why do people always wave the ‘fit for purpose’ flag? For a new car, yes, but a 20 year old one? I’d say if the fuel pump has lasted 20 years, then it was definitely fit for purpose. stressd said:
Alex_225 said:
To buy a car and something to fail on it, age or otherwise I'd have thought would come down to it being, "fit for purpose".
Why do people always wave the fit for purpose flag? For a new car, yes, but a 20 year old one? I d say if the fuel pump has lasted 20 years, then it was definitely fit for purpose. Alex_225 said:
To buy a car and something to fail on it, age or otherwise I'd have thought would come down to it being, "fit for purpose". If they're selling it for nearly £2k it should be capable of lasting longer than a month or two without a failure. Ok, so a 20 year old car is just that but if a trader is willing to sell a car you still have rights as a buyer.
Personally I'd speak to the dealership and see what they say, they may offer to get it sorted and you can go from there. Age of the car doesn't affect your rights.
Clearly the fuel pump was working when the car left the dealer.Personally I'd speak to the dealership and see what they say, they may offer to get it sorted and you can go from there. Age of the car doesn't affect your rights.
The OP might have the right to reject the car if the dealer declines to repair it,, but the dealer would have a right to charge for miles covered.
The CRA is really meant to cover serious faults like engine or gearbox failure. A fuel pump is arguably a wear and tear item that could reasonably be expected to fail at any time on an older car.
It's down to the buyer to return the car, which could cost more than getting a new fuel pump fitted.
Generic EFI fuel pumps are twenty quid or so.
A problem to be aware of is that on a car of this age, all the hoses and rubber bits in the fuel system are probably turned to bakelite by age and fuel with ethanol in it. I've had to replace a lot of hose on similar age FI bikes.
Does the handbook say it's OK to use E-whatever fuel?
OutInTheShed said:
Clearly the fuel pump was working when the car left the dealer.
The OP might have the right to reject the car if the dealer declines to repair it,, but the dealer would have a right to charge for miles covered.
The CRA is really meant to cover serious faults like engine or gearbox failure. A fuel pump is arguably a wear and tear item that could reasonably be expected to fail at any time on an older car.
It's down to the buyer to return the car, which could cost more than getting a new fuel pump fitted.
Generic EFI fuel pumps are twenty quid or so.
A problem to be aware of is that on a car of this age, all the hoses and rubber bits in the fuel system are probably turned to bakelite by age and fuel with ethanol in it. I've had to replace a lot of hose on similar age FI bikes.
Does the handbook say it's OK to use E-whatever fuel?
I can get the car recovered for free through the AA.The OP might have the right to reject the car if the dealer declines to repair it,, but the dealer would have a right to charge for miles covered.
The CRA is really meant to cover serious faults like engine or gearbox failure. A fuel pump is arguably a wear and tear item that could reasonably be expected to fail at any time on an older car.
It's down to the buyer to return the car, which could cost more than getting a new fuel pump fitted.
Generic EFI fuel pumps are twenty quid or so.
A problem to be aware of is that on a car of this age, all the hoses and rubber bits in the fuel system are probably turned to bakelite by age and fuel with ethanol in it. I've had to replace a lot of hose on similar age FI bikes.
Does the handbook say it's OK to use E-whatever fuel?
As I say I think im just going to get it repaired at a garage I trust and put it down to experience, I am going to sell the car in a few months and want it to be right for the next owner.
I know that done properly its a fuel tank out job on these Saabs but will see what they say
It was more a point of discussion to get opinions/ experiences.
Its worth a polite phone call, and try for goodwill from the dealer but its probably not worth trying to go legal if you meet too much resistance. The cra I believe works on proving there was a latent defect present but not showing at the point of purchase. The fact the car ran perfectly for over a month demonstrates that it likely wasnt faulty at that point, and fuel pumps just fail, they are a common thing to fail suddenly due to age or mileage often without showing symptoms
Mine just packed in shortly after purchase on a 9 year old car at bang on 100k miles, but when i had one of these as a company car the exact same thing happened at 2.5 years old 110k miles, no symptoms , just died.
Its hardly something the dealer can predict, or try to hide before purchase, its just part and parcel of running an old car, particularly one that is beyond its expected working life.
Mine just packed in shortly after purchase on a 9 year old car at bang on 100k miles, but when i had one of these as a company car the exact same thing happened at 2.5 years old 110k miles, no symptoms , just died.
Its hardly something the dealer can predict, or try to hide before purchase, its just part and parcel of running an old car, particularly one that is beyond its expected working life.
With the two experiences I’ve had with fuel pump failures, I doubt the dealer knew about it when selling.
As I had a general engine warning light during a track day in my Alfa, car felt fine and near the end of the afternoon so just drove home, 40miles and no problem.
Took the car out a few days later, warning was gone but after a few minutes, lost all power and I needed to be recovered.
Previously with the mk1 ford focus blew the fuse on the fuel pump, garage replaced it and it did at few short journeys before needing the AA.
As I had a general engine warning light during a track day in my Alfa, car felt fine and near the end of the afternoon so just drove home, 40miles and no problem.
Took the car out a few days later, warning was gone but after a few minutes, lost all power and I needed to be recovered.
Previously with the mk1 ford focus blew the fuse on the fuel pump, garage replaced it and it did at few short journeys before needing the AA.
ARH said:
did it not have a warranty? If so you should be contacting the warranty company, this is the way it has always worked when i have bought cheap older cars from dealers.
in my experience dealers tend to only sell cars like that with a 3 month warranty. not that it worth the paper it is written on
Who in the name of god does a warranty for a 20 year old Saab worth the paper it's written on?!in my experience dealers tend to only sell cars like that with a 3 month warranty. not that it worth the paper it is written on
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff