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Advice on a car Dealer


countryman
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Hi

I brought a Range Rover 6 months ago for 20 grand from a dealer. It has good history and 6 months MOT on it. To Day i put it in for its Mot and it has failed miserably to the tune of over £1500 mainly suspension and rusty brake pipes that will have to be re placed. I have only done just over 3000 miles with it as i use another Vehicle for work and this is just for pleasure use. I called the dealer to ask if he would contribute some money towards the cost and he has pretty much said get lost. Whats your thoughts on this, i think i will have to just suck it up but its very bitter.

Thanks

Chris

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I would get a second opinion on the MOT work needed before anything else as it does sound a bit OTT but unfortunately any work needed would be outside the warranty aspect of the dealers responsibility as nothing appears to have mechanically failed. It would have been a good idea to get a new MOT put on the car at the point of sale but even that wouldn't have guaranteed the problems showing up, remember they hadn't showed up only 6 months prior to that !?

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In law, any fault that happens within 6 months of purchase is usually viewed as 'present or developing' at the time of sale. So the real question is the EXACT date of sale.

 

If less than 6 months, then you'd be entirely correct to write to the dealer, informing him of the above (which he already knows, undoubtedly), and saying that if he refuses to carry out the work, then you'll get it done elsewhere and take him to Small Claims Court to recover the cost of the work.

 

Do note that if he does agree to carry out the work, then you cannot insist on another garage doing the work and him contributing to the costs, like you have invited him to do.

 

All communications by registered post, obviously.

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Hi

I brought a Range Rover 6 months ago for 20 grand from a dealer. It has good history and 6 months MOT on it. To Day i put it in for its Mot and it has failed miserably to the tune of over £1500 mainly suspension and rusty brake pipes that will have to be re placed. I have only done just over 3000 miles with it as i use another Vehicle for work and this is just for pleasure use. I called the dealer to ask if he would contribute some money towards the cost and he has pretty much said get lost. Whats your thoughts on this, i think i will have to just suck it up but its very bitter.

Thanks

Chris

Check your car's previous mot's online and see if there was any advisories for any of the jobs it failed its mot on, brake pipes don't get that bad within a year, presuming your current mot tester isn't being too strict.

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Its just past 6 months by a few days. The Garage who failed it do have a good reputation and have said the brake pipe issues were there well before i brought it. They all so said they see this sort of thing a lot and i would not have much chance of making them pay as more than 6 months have passed since i brought it..

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suspension items are wear and tear, and on a 3 ton vehicle they can deteriorate quickly. assuming there were no knocks or bangs coming from it and as you have had the car 6 months, I would say that you don't really have much of a case.

 

corrosion on brake pipes is just that, corrosion. it may have been that they were advised on the last mot, but are now past the point of no return so are now a fail.

check for advisories on previous MOT.

 

on the face of it, I wouldn't be holding the supplying dealer responsible for either of the above.

 

just my opinion of course.

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I'm afraid even advisories on the previous MOT mean very little, it is perfectly legal to sell vehicles with advisories and the onus is on the buyer to check whether they feel some items ought to be addressed prior to sealing the deal. Suspension parts, brake pipes and tyres etc, are subject to wear, you can't go back to a dealer asking for new tyres for instance even if they were on an advisory.

 

No Advisories in the last 5 MOTS other than a low Tyre tread on the last one. Looks like i have taken all the wear and tear bill for the last owner.

Chris

 

Actually it looks more like the tester is looking for business.

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I did not doubt the tester or the dealer i brought it from. I just have one hell of a bill for very little use. When you spend 20 grand is to much to expect it to not cost you an arm an a leg in 6 months time with very little use.

Chris.

Yes, so either the previous tester is lax (or in cahoots with the dealer) or this tester is over the top. Time for vosa perhaps ??

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No Advisories in the last 5 MOTS other than a low Tyre tread on the last one. Looks like i have taken all the wear and tear bill for the last owner.

Chris

 

I'm afraid you have. I would not expect the seller to be keen to pay towards the work either.

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Thanks for all the comments. I am going to send an email to the dealer and ask again for some contribution to the Bill. I know he may be legally able to say get lost as in the phone call to him earlier to day but most of this repair bill was there before i brought the Car off him.Just Once would it not be nice to see a dealer do a decent thing after you have spent your hard earned with them.

Chris.

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How old is the RR and how many miles. IMO most mot testing stations are totally ott, usually those offering mots for discounted rates. I would ask the testing station to show me the offending pipes and suspension issues. I would however say that buying a RR is going to give you some hefty maintenance bills, it goes with the territory I'm afraid!

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Had a situation witha Dealer some years back.

Brand new mot...

Only done 12 miles and the steering rack was jumping all over the place,rubbers had all perished.

Left it at the MOT Station it was tested at,.They said it is only when its on the rolling road.?.

Told him I would inform trading standards and have his two New shiny rolling roads ripped out for Fiddling MOT's, said he didn't know the bloke, when I threatened him with TSDs, He picked the phone up and never even looked in the book,it does work...

Dealer picked me up and had New Rack on by the end of the day.. Amazeing Result.

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Hi

I brought a Range Rover 6 months ago for 20 grand from a dealer. It has good history and 6 months MOT on it. To Day i put it in for its Mot and it has failed miserably to the tune of over £1500 mainly suspension and rusty brake pipes that will have to be re placed. I have only done just over 3000 miles with it as i use another Vehicle for work and this is just for pleasure use. I called the dealer to ask if he would contribute some money towards the cost and he has pretty much said get lost. Whats your thoughts on this, i think i will have to just suck it up but its very bitter.

Thanks

Chris

3 months limit on his liability unfortunately unless there was a warranty sold

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