So I viewed a car today

TestTransmission

A mate of mine was interested in viewing a car and I thought I'd pop along with him.The car has a year NCT,was in pretty good nick however on the test drive he felt that the brakes were a bit non existent.We pulled over at a shop to have a better look while the seller wasn't there.

It was only when it turned it on before we left we noticed that the ABS warning light was taped over (we checked it in the user manual)

We got back to the seller and confronted him and asked him all about,needless to say he denied all knowledge of it.To be honest, I got the impression he was some sort of part time trader, there were one or two other pretty knackered looking cars parked at his house. We weren't going to buy it with this pretty obvious cover up.He said he'd look into the "brakes" issue and get back to us.

I'm a bit afraid he might sell on this piece of **** to some unsuspecting buyer.Is there anything I can do?I don't want to necessarily **** him over but he came across as a right obnoxious muppet :pac:

I'd rather not comment on the make/model of the car or post the add.

EPM

How would it have a valid nct with that taped over? Sounds like one to avoid I'd say. Yer man sounds like a right chancer.

cadaliac

EPM wrote: »

How would it have a valid nct with that taped over? Sounds like one to avoid I'd say. Yer man sounds like a right chancer.

Issue could have arisen after the NCT. You are right though. Avoid.

Atlantic Dawn

EPM wrote: »

How would it have a valid nct with that taped over? Sounds like one to avoid I'd say. Yer man sounds like a right chancer.

Could have been fine a year ago at time of NCT or else his friend Bill might have been there for the test



Best way to check for warning lights is when you turn the ignition on they should all be visible whether there is a fault or not, then when you start the car all should disappear.

vectra

TestTransmission wrote: »

I'm a bit afraid he might sell on this piece of **** to some unsuspecting buyer.Is there anything I can do?I don't want to necessarily **** him over but he came across as a right obnoxious muppet :pac:

I'd rather not comment on the make/model of the car or post the add.

I could see no problem in you posting something lik e

Red 02-D Corolla hatch.

At least this way IF someone was going looking at a particular car they could watch for this issue.

TestTransmission

I'd still rather not,can I report him anywhere?He's obviously a total chancer

Berty

Test,

You had to check the cars manual to figure out why the ABS light was taped over.

TestTransmission

Beer Baron wrote: »

Test,

You had to check the cars manual to figure out why the ABS light was taped over.

Nope,there was a light taped over.We didn't know which one until we checked the manual as we looked at the diagrams..I'm not a mind reader :pac:

EPM

What type of car was it? Could be handy to judge the possible repair costs.

Solnskaya

You should report this at once to the "Scally's got a banger" Helpline.-Tel 555-1 4 2000 2 5417. Sadly, they are inundated at the moment and have been for the last 110 years as funnily enough, a lot of used cars are somwhat dodgy. A "recent" buyers guide coined a phrase that might be of use in these situations, it was a quote from "The Chariot Buyers Guide, issue 4, AD28" and it was somthing like "Caveat Emptor", and it's good advice. I know a guy selling a Ford Fiesta with a knackered head gasket stuffed with radweld-he could be your next "case" and you and your pal could be the "famous two", stamping out dodgy trading, one car at a time.

EPM

Same guy selling that Fiesta I'd say:D

norrie rugger

Solnskaya wrote: »

You should report this at once to the "Scally's got a banger" Helpline.-Tel 555-1 4 2000 2 5417. Sadly, they are inundated at the moment and have been for the last 110 years as funnily enough, a lot of used cars are somwhat dodgy. A "recent" buyers guide coined a phrase that might be of use in these situations, it was a quote from "The Chariot Buyers Guide, issue 4, AD28" and it was somthing like "Caveat Emptor", and it's good advice. I know a guy selling a Ford Fiesta with a knackered head gasket stuffed with radweld-he could be your next "case" and you and your pal could be the "famous two", stamping out dodgy trading, one car at a time.

Most idiotic post that I have seen today.
This is not a banger that MAY break down, this is someone knowingly tampering with a safety warning and risking several lives in the process

EPM

EPM wrote: »

What type of car was it? Could be handy to judge the possible repair costs.

If the light comes on and doesn't go off when the car is stationary that's generally a fairly solid sign that there is more than an ABS sensor at fault. If thelight goes off and them comes on once moving Its usually a sensor.

Solnskaya

norrie rugger wrote: »

Most idiotic post that I have seen today.
This is not a banger that MAY break down, this is someone knowingly tampering with a safety warning and risking several lives in the process

Most Idiotic post that I have seen in some time. The sheer amount of clocked, cut and shut, badly repaired, bodged, covered up and stolen secondhand cars for sale out there since they started selling cars is just vast. To single out one car and launch a crusade is rediculous. If you are buying a secondhand car, take it that the seller is hiding somthing and don't be one bit surprised if the car has a defect. A rather large amount of cars are sold on just because they have developed an expensive or dangerous fault that the owner can't be bothered to fix, so he palms it off on some unsuspecting buyer, To believe otherwise is naive and please have a bit of bl00dy manners and dont call me idiotic again, I didnt call you any names whenever you have posted somthing I didn't agree with. My post was a lighthearted way of saying "so whats new?"

unkel

Solnskaya wrote: »

A rather large amount of cars are sold on just because they have developed an expensive or dangerous fault that the owner can't be bothered to fix, so he palms it off on some unsuspecting buyer

+1

And most of these faults won't be spotted by the average Joe buyer unless he brings it to his mechanic (which the average Joe tends not to do)

coylemj

Solnskaya wrote: »

A rather large amount of cars are sold on just because they have developed an expensive or dangerous fault that the owner can't be bothered to fix, so he palms it off on some unsuspecting buyer

Or he offloads it to an indie dealer.

norrie rugger

I called your post idiotic not you.

just because something happens alot does not make it ok, especially when it puts people at risk. The OP is right in that there should be a way to prevent such a car being sold. I think that he was wishing that there were a procedure for this in general and not JUST this case.
The attitude of buyer beware should not be a get out of jail card that allows.everyone to do as they please

stimpson

Easiest way to check if he's an amateur dealer is to google his mobile number. I've done it before when looking at a car and I was amazed to find the guy had dozens of ads. Easiest way to shut him down is report him to the revenue. If he's knowingly selling a potential death trap he deserves all he gets.

Solnskaya

It's not just traders, many private sellers do the very same-the mazda that I bought 2 weeks ago had: Major Abs fault-undeclared by seller, knackered passenger window motor on rear, again undeclared, timing belt advisd as changed, upon inspection, not done, plug leads taped with insulation tape at plug holder to stop ht leakage from knackered rubber, traction control light bulbs pulled, and I could go on. Doesn't really bother me as my mates a mechanic and fixed the above straight away at mates rates, but if a normal buyer had got it, they would have had a big bill and a dangerous car. It's rampant-sellers have a car they wouldn't be comfortable driving or their family driving, but they sell it on regardless. With the mazda, the price I paid reflected the faults present, but still......