Dealer sold me a car that was crashed

ssmith6287

I had my car on adverts there for a little while but took it down because I brought it to a garage for a check and he asked me was it crashed. When I bought it i asked the dealer (a very reputable dundalk dealer) if it had been crashed, his reply was "ah it mightve had a lil scrape but nothing major" I taught nothing of it. Bought it and after putting 15k miles on it I wanted somehting new.

So the mechanic pointed out that the bonnet, front doors and boot had been resprayed and not very well. Then he went on to show me some very bad welding and some dodgy door hinges. Aswell as bumpers that wernt completely flush. Now these were minor. and until it was pointed out I wouldn't have seen it. I did all the normal checks incl the coin test when buying it, but was that concentrated on them things that i didnt kop the little things. My biggest horrer was when the mechanic showed me where the roof had been resprayed. Now this could be nothing but alarm bells in my head are the car had flipped.

I dont want to sell this car now as i dont believe itd be safe, but if i was to mention that we discovered these things then id prob get nothing for it. €6000 down the drain.

I guess what im getting at and it might seem obvious but always bring a mechanic when yer buying a car, even if you think you know evrything. Emotions run high when your looking at something you want.

listermint

ssmith6287 wrote: »

I had my car on adverts there for a little while but took it down because I brought it to a garage for a check and he asked me was it crashed. When I bought it i asked the dealer (a very reputable dundalk dealer) if it had been crashed, his reply was "ah it mightve had a lil scrape but nothing major" I taught nothing of it. Bought it and after putting 15k miles on it I wanted somehting new.

So the mechanic pointed out that the bonnet, front doors and boot had been resprayed and not very well. Then he went on to show me some very bad welding and some dodgy door hinges. Aswell as bumpers that wernt completely flush. Now these were minor. and until it was pointed out I wouldn't have seen it. I did all the normal checks incl the coin test when buying it, but was that concentrated on them things that i didnt kop the little things. My biggest horrer was when the mechanic showed me where the roof had been resprayed. Now this could be nothing but alarm bells in my head are the car had flipped.

I dont want to sell this car now as i dont believe itd be safe, but if i was to mention that we discovered these things then id prob get nothing for it. €6000 down the drain.

I guess what im getting at and it might seem obvious but always bring a mechanic when yer buying a car, even if you think you know evrything. Emotions run high when your looking at something you want.

Well hindsight is a great thing. Never accept a vehicle at face value or on someones word. Always have it checked over and do additional checks yourself. People are left with Pups everyday of the week.

Atomic Pineapple

What has the garage said about it?

ssmith6287

the one i bought it from or the 1 I got to check it out?

Atomic Pineapple

The one you bought it from.

ssmith6287

Havent bothered with them, I bought it 9 months ago like. Mechanically its ok like, the engine and electrics are perfect

Cuddlesworth

ssmith6287 wrote: »

Havent bothered with them, I bought it 9 months ago like. Mechanically its ok like, the engine and electrics are perfect

You could go back to them like.

olewy

Sorry to hear that. Probably well out of warranty now but I'd recommend following this up with the dealer and report the issue to them or to "the authorities". Wondering if you're entitled to compensation...Sale of Goods Act....item not as advertised...item not fit for purpose etc. Could be worth looking into. At the very least report it....wonder how many other dodgy cars have they sold to other people? :eek:

ssmith6287

Well nothing is confirmed but all the evidence suggests it was on its roof. Cartell said it was clean, I got that when i bought it. Ah I had a 3 month warrenty so its out of that. Sale of Goods act is to general, It drives fine and passed an NCT like. I wouldnt be able to prove that he didnt tell me it was crashed. Its just a pain

WildOscar

depending on when you bought it he may have been obliged to tell it was crashed cannot recall when that law came in. check consumer sites

listermint

ssmith6287 wrote: »

Well nothing is confirmed but all the evidence suggests it was on its roof. Cartell said it was clean, I got that when i bought it. Ah I had a 3 month warrenty so its out of that. Sale of Goods act is to general, It drives fine and passed an NCT like. I wouldnt be able to prove that he didnt tell me it was crashed. Its just a pain

On its roof :eek:

Surely it was more obvious when you bought it.

thats a dam difficult one to resolve on the cheap.

ssmith6287

Well im not a mechanic, But the mechanics assesment (a trusted friend of mine) was it was on its roof. I couldn't tell of the respray but he spotted it and when he showed it to me it became crystal. Now I could go down the route of pleading ignorant as there was interest but I dont think id have the heart to

EPM

ssmith6287 wrote: »

Well im not a mechanic, But the mechanics assesment (a trusted friend of mine) was it was on its roof. I couldn't tell of the respray but he spotted it and when he showed it to me it became crystal. Now I could go down the route of pleading ignorant as there was interest but I dont think id have the heart to

I can't understand why you haven't gotten onto the garage you bought it off about this. You have had a mechanic take a look at it and he reckons it's crashed. You should call the supplying garage and inform them of this and see what they say.

If they spin you a yarn tell them you will get an independent inspecion on the car and report back with the findings. They were asked out straight if the car had been damaged and lied to you. That is illegal...

ssmith6287

But its 9 months on, when yer buying second hand do I not have 3 months to make a case. Like I said cartell didnt show up any crashes or write offs, all he has to say is i dint know? I just couldn't be arsed with hassle of it all. Its my own tough luck, I'll know in future. Im a bad reference if anyone asks about him

OldGuysRule

They were asked out straight if the car had been damaged and lied to you. That is illegal...

Back to the posters first note;

When I bought it i asked the dealer (a very reputable dundalk dealer) if it had been crashed, his reply was "ah it mightve had a lil scrape but nothing major"

The dealer will have wriggle room . . . .

Black and white, the dealer did admit it was crashed, but the severity should probably have been checked, so the responsibility is blurred to say the least.

Cuddlesworth

OldGuysRule wrote: »

Back to the posters first note;


The dealer will have wriggle room . . . .

Black and white, the dealer did admit it was crashed, but the severity should probably have been checked, so the responsibility is blurred to say the least.

He was asked directly and he didn't provide a clear answer. If it ever ended up in court he would be better off lying and saying the question was never asked then admitting to the above.

ssmith6287

that what my mechanic said, the fact he didnt say no itwasnt in a crash means he technically didn't do anything wrong. If I had have questioned deeper and he didnt give me true info then Id have a leg to stand on

EPM

You won't know until you go back to them. If they are reputable like you say they may well do a deal with you to buy it back rather than ruining their reputation. It would be my first port of call but a vehicle inspection by a third party may be required.

Shannonsider

I reckon go back to the dealer you bought it from - from the sounds of it you want to and are looking for a push to go back to him.

He may decide that he was wrong and may try and compensate you somehow. You could always mention legal action if he does not - I'm sure he won't want the possibility of it and he will not want the negative publicity - unless he is a real ****.

Nothing to lose by going back to where you bought it.

mickdw

In my opinion, given that the car is not recorded as write off & given that they told you 'It may have had a scrape', I dont think you have a leg to stand on.
The car may still be perfectly safe. I would get an inspection by an Engineer to verify the true condition.
It might have had a light roll but was repairable. Still, there should be no dodgy welding to be seen if all is well. Engineers report is first thing to get.

poker--addict

did you go back no?