Can I, should I reject car?
Discussion
Bought a 17 plate Seat Ibiza from a dealer 5 months ago. After a few weeks I noticed something hanging loose below the front bumper, radiator area. Turned out to be part of a broken front undertray ( i didn't know the car had undertrays).
The dealer replaced the tray ( with a second hand one, which i thought was fair enough on a 9 year old car) and off i went.
The car seemed noisier than it had previously,which I wasn't expecting,in fact I thought It might have got a bit quieter.
Long story short, it turns out that the 'mechanic' had simply bolted the 'new' tray to the remains of the old one.I had expected the job to be done properly, old tray removed, replacement fitted with a proper kit. Shoddy to say the least.
I'd appreciate some opinions on whether i have grounds to reject the car over this, as i have had a couple of other niggly problems and,truthfully, i'd like to get rid of it.
The dealer replaced the tray ( with a second hand one, which i thought was fair enough on a 9 year old car) and off i went.
The car seemed noisier than it had previously,which I wasn't expecting,in fact I thought It might have got a bit quieter.
Long story short, it turns out that the 'mechanic' had simply bolted the 'new' tray to the remains of the old one.I had expected the job to be done properly, old tray removed, replacement fitted with a proper kit. Shoddy to say the least.
I'd appreciate some opinions on whether i have grounds to reject the car over this, as i have had a couple of other niggly problems and,truthfully, i'd like to get rid of it.
kerroway said:
Bought a 17 plate Seat Ibiza from a dealer 5 months ago. After a few weeks I noticed something hanging loose below the front bumper, radiator area. Turned out to be part of a broken front undertray ( i didn't know the car had undertrays).
The dealer replaced the tray ( with a second hand one, which i thought was fair enough on a 9 year old car) and off i went.
The car seemed noisier than it had previously,which I wasn't expecting,in fact I thought It might have got a bit quieter.
Long story short, it turns out that the 'mechanic' had simply bolted the 'new' tray to the remains of the old one.I had expected the job to be done properly, old tray removed, replacement fitted with a proper kit. Shoddy to say the least.
I'd appreciate some opinions on whether i have grounds to reject the car over this, as i have had a couple of other niggly problems and,truthfully, i'd like to get rid of it.
The thing is, the Seat is now 9 years old. You could simply be swapping one set of problems ( or niggles) for another at that sort of age. Have it done properly elsewhere if it s annoying you.The dealer replaced the tray ( with a second hand one, which i thought was fair enough on a 9 year old car) and off i went.
The car seemed noisier than it had previously,which I wasn't expecting,in fact I thought It might have got a bit quieter.
Long story short, it turns out that the 'mechanic' had simply bolted the 'new' tray to the remains of the old one.I had expected the job to be done properly, old tray removed, replacement fitted with a proper kit. Shoddy to say the least.
I'd appreciate some opinions on whether i have grounds to reject the car over this, as i have had a couple of other niggly problems and,truthfully, i'd like to get rid of it.
Very unlikely to get anywhere trying to return a 9 year old car that you bought 5 months ago, especially for niggling things. Major engine or suspension failures maybe, but even then, extremely difficult to prove that you didnt cause them yourself after 5 months.
If the undertray bothers you that much take it to a better garage and get them to fix it properly.
If the undertray bothers you that much take it to a better garage and get them to fix it properly.
kerroway said:
Bought a 17 plate Seat Ibiza from a dealer 5 months ago. After a few weeks I noticed something hanging loose below the front bumper, radiator area. Turned out to be part of a broken front undertray ( i didn't know the car had undertrays).
The dealer replaced the tray ( with a second hand one, which i thought was fair enough on a 9 year old car) and off i went.
The car seemed noisier than it had previously,which I wasn't expecting,in fact I thought It might have got a bit quieter.
Long story short, it turns out that the 'mechanic' had simply bolted the 'new' tray to the remains of the old one.I had expected the job to be done properly, old tray removed, replacement fitted with a proper kit. Shoddy to say the least.
I'd appreciate some opinions on whether i have grounds to reject the car over this, as i have had a couple of other niggly problems and,truthfully, i'd like to get rid of it.
Niggly problems like what?The dealer replaced the tray ( with a second hand one, which i thought was fair enough on a 9 year old car) and off i went.
The car seemed noisier than it had previously,which I wasn't expecting,in fact I thought It might have got a bit quieter.
Long story short, it turns out that the 'mechanic' had simply bolted the 'new' tray to the remains of the old one.I had expected the job to be done properly, old tray removed, replacement fitted with a proper kit. Shoddy to say the least.
I'd appreciate some opinions on whether i have grounds to reject the car over this, as i have had a couple of other niggly problems and,truthfully, i'd like to get rid of it.
An undertray alone, which has been replaced (albeit not to your standards) does not make it unfit for purpose.
TBH, your post makes it sound like buyer's remorse.
Few things to consider here and this is speaking from someone in the process of rejecting a car and getting no where fast.
You're 5 months in and I assume they, "fixed" the car early on into your ownership. If you reject it now they could argue that it's been fine to drive all this time so why are you rejecting now. It could also be argued that you should give them a chance to repair it properly, as it doesn't sound like the fix has been done to a great standard.
The other side is that the moment you reject the car, you have to stop using it. You can't keep driving it round as that would be you admitting that it's drivable and is a form of accepting the car. So reject, you park it up and wait. If they reject your rejection, you have to follow that up with the small Claims Court that costs up to ~£450 at a guess given the likely value of the car. In this instance, the trader will likely argue it out as you should let them try to fix it given how long you've had it. Under 31 days you can reject it regardless, over that and you need to let them fix it.
So for the sake of a flappy undertray (for want of a better term), I'd say you'll be onto a loss trying to reject it as I don't think you're in a strong position. Appreciate perhaps the car hasn't been what you expected. Worse case is you speak to the Citizens Advice who are excellent and will tell you if you have a case or not.
You're 5 months in and I assume they, "fixed" the car early on into your ownership. If you reject it now they could argue that it's been fine to drive all this time so why are you rejecting now. It could also be argued that you should give them a chance to repair it properly, as it doesn't sound like the fix has been done to a great standard.
The other side is that the moment you reject the car, you have to stop using it. You can't keep driving it round as that would be you admitting that it's drivable and is a form of accepting the car. So reject, you park it up and wait. If they reject your rejection, you have to follow that up with the small Claims Court that costs up to ~£450 at a guess given the likely value of the car. In this instance, the trader will likely argue it out as you should let them try to fix it given how long you've had it. Under 31 days you can reject it regardless, over that and you need to let them fix it.
So for the sake of a flappy undertray (for want of a better term), I'd say you'll be onto a loss trying to reject it as I don't think you're in a strong position. Appreciate perhaps the car hasn't been what you expected. Worse case is you speak to the Citizens Advice who are excellent and will tell you if you have a case or not.
No, you can't reject a car under the circumstances in the OP. If you didn't like the car, in theory you could have exercised your "short term right to reject" in the first 30 days, with the minor fault of the undertray issue. But its too late now, 5 months on. They have the option to repair (which they did), replace (the car), refund (the car). Also faults are not clearly defined in the relevant law - they take into account price, age, mileage, make, model, etc of the car. Also anything you could/should have found when you looked at the car before purchase, won't be covered - cosmetic defects aren't covered.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff