Is taping airbag control module illegal??! Help needed!!

wally101

I recently brought my 2006 Suzuki Liana for its second NCT.
It failed on a visual as the airbag light was not on display when the car is started. The car is going perfectly otherwise.
Here's where my problem starts.... Whan I brought it to my local garage to rectify the problem they inform me that somebody had put electrical tape over the circuit in the control module electric circuit to effectively disable the warning light. ( The airbags wouldnt have worked in the event of a crash either!!).
My mechanic informed me that at the time of its last NCT it wasnt necessary for the warning lights to function correctly.i.e. it wasnt a reason to fail the test and he suspects the last owner did it to pass the NCT and I tend to agree with him.
I bought the car in Oct 2010 off a panel beater who deals in second hand cars and he put the car through the NCT just before I took ownership.
The cost to fix the problem is 700euro including vat.
I am definitely going to have a word with the guy I bought it off but am wondering if there is any point in contacting a solicitor about the matter? Any advise on this is really apreciated guys.

colm_mcm

Price a unit second hand

fl4pj4ck

a first year electrician student will sort it out in no time and charge pennies

farrellniall

its not his fault about the nct changing the rules.

suck it up and forget about it.

Thoie

farrellniall wrote: »

its not his fault about the nct changing the rules.

suck it up and forget about it.

I'd disagree - the dealer may have knowingly sold the car with a bit of safety kit deliberately switched off.

OP, if you have the money and energy to get a solicitor onto it, do, but bear in mind you don't really have any proof that it was the dealer did it. It's possible that he unknowingly bought the car with it already done. Unlikely, but possible.

If he's the kind of person to knowingly sell you the car in that state, then without proof I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for him to admit it.

wally101

I am in the process of looking for a second hand unit.
I think it should be his problem!! If he selling a car with an airbag system that he has tampered with it seems pretty serious to me!! I dont agree with everything about the NCT but a faulty airbag problem I take pretty seriously.
Total cowboy in my opinion so wil definitely not be "sucking it up" but thanks for your words of wisdom!!

colm_mcm

Buying a car from a panel beater is always going to be risky.

AltAccount

Two years later, how would you ever prove he did it?
Pursuing the legal route is a pointless expense imho.

L-M

Don't waste your time trying to prove it.

Just get one second hand and get an indy garage to fit it.

wally101

Thanks Thoie,
ya I think the same myself and would be pretty sure it would be a waste of time and money going down the legal route. It is hard to prove it was him and that is all that is stopping me.... Still you would have to wonder if someone was unlucky enough to have a crash with the airbags disabled in this way. After all we buy cars with safety features presuming they will work if needed!!

George Dalton

Is he an actual car dealer or just a private individual who sells the odd car?

L-M

wally101 wrote: »

Thanks Thoie,
ya I think the same myself and would be pretty sure it would be a waste of time and money going down the legal route. It is hard to prove it was him and that is all that is stopping me.... Still you would have to wonder if someone was unlucky enough to have a crash with the airbags disabled in this way. After all we buy cars with safety features presuming they will work if needed!!

it's just messing. i've never been caught with an Airbag light, was caught with an ABS light alright, and all it was was a poxy 25 euro sensor! Why bother.

Thoie

wally101 wrote: »

Thanks Thoie,
ya I think the same myself and would be pretty sure it would be a waste of time and money going down the legal route. It is hard to prove it was him and that is all that is stopping me.... Still you would have to wonder if someone was unlucky enough to have a crash with the airbags disabled in this way. After all we buy cars with safety features presuming they will work if needed!!

I think you're probably better off leaving the legal route, however I would send the dealer a letter yourself (by registered mail), outlining that you unhappily discovered the airbags had been tampered with, and that your current mechanic suggested it may have been done to pass the old NCT rules. Don't make any accusations, just say that, and suggest that this is something he may want to watch out for when selling cars in future.

fl4pj4ck

fl4pj4ck wrote: »

a first year electrician student will sort it out in no time and charge pennies

... they might sort the light, they won't sort the airbag. Doubt a first year spark would be able to tackle the light either in most cases.

L-M

RoverJames wrote: »

... they might sort the light, they won't sort the airbag. Doubt a first year spark would be able to tackle the light either in most cases.

i've sorted the Airbag light on my Golfs, twice. And i'm far from a spark!

Limerick man

Limerick man wrote: »

i've sorted the Airbag light on my Golfs, twice. And i'm far from a spark!

Did not sort the problem or fudge the light to come on and off as required at start up?

L-M

RoverJames wrote: »

Did not sort the problem or fudge the light to come on and off as required at start up?

What? God no, i sorted the problem.

Why would i sort the airbags to not work? Lol

Well I believe the suggestion here was to get a first year apprentice spark to fudge the light to make it seem all is hunky dorey with the airbag, considering a panel beater sold the car I wouldn't be expecting an easy fix for the airbag.

L-M

RoverJames wrote: »

Well I believe the suggestion here was to get a first year apprentice spark to fudge the light to make it seem all is hunky dorey with the airbag, considering a panel beater sold the car I wouldn't be expecting an easy fix for the airbag.

i don't see where someone recommended to repair it incorrectly?

Well that's my understanding of the suggestion.