VW Passat Fuel gauge

splashthecash

I sold a 06 WV Passat privately last week, and have received word from the buyer that since they have had it, the fuel gauge has not gone down (neither the needle or the digital km's left) - on the evening they collected, the tank was low and i put €20 into it, and it went up - then they had topped it up a couple of days later and although it has been driven, the indicators have not gone down.

They got a couple of quotes and its looking like 150-200 quid to fix if a second hand part can be sourced.

Is this something anyone has heard of before, and if so does the price sound right for a second hand part? Any ideas on how to approach this - I did NOT sell the car with this problem, I have never had any problems with the fuel gauge or anything related to it before - it is hard for them to hear but this has ONLY come about in the time they have had the car - unfortunate, but thats the truth.

I do feel bad about it though, they were nice lads throughout the process

Bpmull

Sure tell them if they wanted a warranty they should of bought of a garage. Buyer beware not your problem. It's an 8 year old car if that's the only thing that's wrong with it they got a good car it's up to them to get it fix. I've never heard of that issue with the passat before myself.

James Bond Junior

You have no obligation to give anything but are they looking for cash for it or you to get the part?

splashthecash

James Bond Junior wrote: »

You have no obligation to give anything but are they looking for cash for it or you to get the part?

What was mentioned to me is me being reasonable and going halves on the cost to fix the issue - which would be approx. €100 from me IF the part can be sourced second hand. I don't know what this would cost for a new part. To keep the cost down, it would be done by a "family friend" apparently

James Bond Junior

Sounds rather suspect.. Maybe a scam to relieve you of a few bob? That said it seems to be a lot of hassle to go to just for the price of a night out.

Is there a possibility they are swapping a broken part out from another passat and trying to pass the bill on to you?

Ask can you have your mechanic look at it, providing you are willing to fork out of the issue is genuine. There reaction may tell a lot but said earlier, you are under no obligation to give them a cent.

Ps tell them the car was always a miser on daysul and this just proves it!

bazz26

splashthecash wrote: »

What was mentioned to me is me being reasonable and going halves on the cost to fix the issue - which would be approx. €100 from me IF the part can be sourced second hand. I don't know what this would cost for a new part. To keep the cost down, it would be done by a "family friend" apparently

While this seems a fair and honest approach, the problem that may arise here is that they may come back expecting you to pay for other things too. Unfortunately some people want to buy private to save money over a dealer but still expect the same level of comeback.

mossy50

SCAM
and then in a weeks time something else will be wrong
car is bought as seen
should have got a temp phone

MuppetCheck

It's a hundred quid, if it was a big bill I'd tell them to feck off. The problem is small, you could tell them to go hop without worry as they have no come back as you sold it in good faith but if it was me and I thought they were being straight up I'd consider giving a small donation. It's up to yourself really.

_Brian

MuppetCheck wrote: »

It's a hundred quid, if it was a big bill I'd tell them to feck off. The problem is small, you could tell them to go hop without worry as they have no come back as you sold it in good faith but if it was me and I thought they were being straight up I'd consider giving a small donation. It's up to yourself really.

I think the idea is to start small, but by you accepting liability you are leaving yourself open for these people to hassle you for further repairs.

There is no warranty with a sale like this. Even If the gauge was broken when you sold it you're not liable.

Be nice and say no.

MuppetCheck

_Brian wrote: »

I think the idea is to start small, but by you accepting liability you are leaving yourself open for these people to hassle you for further repairs.

There is no warranty with a sale like this. Even If the gauge was broken when you sold it you're not liable.

Be nice and say no.

You're leaving yourself open to nothing. You can tell them to p1ss off at anytime.

9935452

splashthecash wrote: »

I sold a 06 WV Passat privately last week, and have received word from the buyer that since they have had it, the fuel gauge has not gone down (neither the needle or the digital km's left) - on the evening they collected, the tank was low and i put €20 into it, and it went up - then they had topped it up a couple of days later and although it has been driven, the indicators have not gone down.

They got a couple of quotes and its looking like 150-200 quid to fix if a second hand part can be sourced.

Is this something anyone has heard of before, and if so does the price sound right for a second hand part? Any ideas on how to approach this - I did NOT sell the car with this problem, I have never had any problems with the fuel gauge or anything related to it before - it is hard for them to hear but this has ONLY come about in the time they have had the car - unfortunate, but thats the truth.

I do feel bad about it though, they were nice lads throughout the process

Sounds like a scam to me. selling a car privately means no warranty unless you implied there was one. If you pay for this , the next thing will be the timing belt will break and their family friend will only charge 1000 euro to fix.
Though if you are going to entertain them, look at it yourself and make sure its genuine, but i still believe its a scam, most likely a wire taken off a sensor