Bought a faulty car from dealer, what are my rights?

mel94

Hi All,
Just wondering if anyone has experience in buying a car from a dealer that's faulty.

I had been stung in the past buying a Cat D write off so this time choose a dealer.

Got the car home and in less than an hour discovered the Air Con & Blowers weren't working, the power steering was faultly.... working on and off when car was running.... say trying to lock the wheel to get out of a parking spot, 12V charging points weren't working and passenger electric mirror wasn't working.

I had also asked the sales guy had it had any damage or repair to the body because of my previous experience and the answer was no, yet it's had a dodgy spray job paint all around the petrol cap and wheel arch.

I explained when I bought the car why it was important for me to have A/C and a reliable car because of what I was using it for etc
Phoned the garage first thing this morning and someone was to phone back which they never did, tried again at lunch time and rang out so I brought the car over and sales guy knew about what was going on and got defensive.


I feel badly let down and have no faith in the car after having so many problems within a few hours of buying it and would just like my money back at this stage
Has anyone had similar experience & what was their outcome?

Toyotafanboi

To be fair, you probably should have spotted a lot of this pre-purchase. That's neither here nor there now though as you've bought it.

Your options now very much boil down the the type of dealer they bought from and the warranty they offer.

That said, the A/C not blowing cold and 12v sockets not working sound like possibly very simple fixes and things the dealer may not have checked before letting the car out.

I'd let them have a look at it before I jump to huge conclusions and demanding your money back etc.

colm_mcm

To be fair though, what kind of garage lets a car out like that?

Gorgeousgeorge

colm_mcm wrote: »

To be fair though, what kind of garage lets a car out like that?

A mickey mouse one by the sounds of things. Go back and threaten them with a solicitor etc etc. Promise you will get your own way

Toyotafanboi

The steering is inexcusable but would many garages actually check the air con temperature and functionality of the 12v socket during prep for sale? Not many I'd say.

MissShihTzu

Why didn't you take a mechanic with you? Or pay for an AA inspection??

Toyotafanboi

MissShihTzu wrote: »

Why didn't you take a mechanic with you? Or pay for an AA inspection??

There needs to be a bigger awareness around this for consumers.

mel94 wrote: »

I had been stung in the past buying a Cat D write off so this time choose a dealer.

Got the car home and in less than an hour discovered ... it's had a dodgy spray job paint all around the petrol cap and wheel arch.

I had also asked the sales guy had it had any damage or repair to the body ... the answer was no,

I feel badly let down and have no faith in the car ... and would just like my money back

Like... this is just utter pain.

colm_mcm

Don't want to be captain obvious but getting someone who knows about cars to give it a once over is always a good idea. As is a test drive.

MissShihTzu

Not being funny, but why take the salesman's word for ANYTHING? I know nothing about cars, am suspicious by nature but have always had either a mechanic or the AA/RAC check the car over before buying it.

Hope you get it sorted, but I take it this is a second-hand car? What sort of warranty did the dealer offer and what does it cover?

bazz26

Not trying to excuse the garage for selling a car in that condition or sound like Captain Obvious here but it does sound like the OP isn't too car savvy especially when things like this pop up an hour after buying it. Now I know you don't have to be car savvy to buy and own a car but buying a used car is a minefield whether it be privately or from motor traders. Always best to have someone look over a car before buying it especially if you don't know what your looking at yourself. It can save you a lot of pain and heartache afterwards trying to get the garage to fix them.

road_high

Why do some people just walk into used car buying with their eyes shut? Always pays to do a quick run around all the electrics, controls and bodywork.
If there was a whole load of stuff (like you list), I'd probably walk as the car is likely an unloved lemon

Reati

road_high wrote: »

Why do some people just walk into used car buying with their eyes shut? Always pays to do a quick run around all the electrics, controls and bodywork.
If there was a whole load of stuff (like you list), I'd probably walk as the car is likely an unloved lemon

While I agree that everything should be checked before buying, this cowboy thing of dealers can sell Sh*te to people and it's buyer beware is such non-sense. It's simply bad business and should be dealt with. (How I don't know...)

road_high

Reati wrote: »

While I agree that everything should be checked before buying, this cowboy thing of dealers can sell Sh*te to people and it's buyer beware is such non-sense. It's simply bad business and should be dealt with. (How I don't know...)

True enough but unfortunately used car sales is a minefield and traditionally it's always been a place where you need your eyes wide open and your whits about you- I think we all have had bad experiences directly ourselves or family members- it really pays to buy on pedigree, history and from a reputable dealer (even it costs a few bob more, worth it in my experience).

beauf

Reati wrote: »

While I agree that everything should be checked before buying, this cowboy thing of dealers can sell Sh*te to people and it's buyer beware is such non-sense. It's simply bad business and should be dealt with. (How I don't know...)

Consumer protection isn't high on our government priorities. Considering all the other more important stuff they turn a blind eye to.

That dodgy car selling is as old as the hills. The op has had previous experience of it.

MissShihTzu

beauf wrote: »

Consumer protection isn't high on our government priorities. Considering all the other more important stuff they turn a blind eye to.

That dodgy car selling is as old as the hills. The op has had previous experience of it.

Sadly, yes. That's why he should have been much more wary, this time round. It's an expensive lesson to learn. Couple of hundred quid to have the car inspected, could save money/pain in the long run. Let's hope the dealer will be fair with him...

Muckie

Similar thing happened to the sister in law last year.

Bought a lemon, 07 Opel Corsa.

The Dealer took the car to repair a few times, it was beyond their abilities to repair.(they kept fobbing her off, saying its fixed, act up again a few days later)

Once the 3 month warranty ran out,she was left with a dodgy Opel Corsa.

Ended up costing her about €900 to finally fix the car herself.
She put in a claim with the Small Claims Court, the Dealers didnt even turn up.

Case and fees award in her favour.

Conall Cernach

My understanding is that if you buy something that does not work from the outset you are entitled to cancel the sale and get your money back. If you had it a while and it did work but now something has gone wrong with it that shouldn't then the seller can offer to repair it. I would tell the dealer that the car was obviously not fit for sale from the outset and demand my money back.

From a garage or car dealer

In this situation you, as a consumer, are protected by the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act 1980 as you are buying a car for your personal use from a person whose normal business it is to sell cars. As a consumer you have the same rights if you buy an item second hand as if it is new. In this case if you find a fault with the car after you have bought it the dealer is the person who must set matters right. If you buy a commercial vehicle or a tractor from a dealer you may not have the same protection under the law. If you are offered an extended warranty on a used car think about the cost of the warranty versus the cost of repairs that the car is likely to need.

Sellers have responsibilities such as giving accurate and truthful answers to the questions you ask. Information on a seller's responsibilities in car deals is available on the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission's website.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer_affairs/motoring/advice_on_buying_a_used_car_in_ireland.html

Jobs OXO

Muckie wrote: »

Similar thing happened to the sister in law last year.

Bought a lemon, 07 Opel Corsa.

The Dealer took the car to repair a few times, it was beyond their abilities to repair.(they kept fobbing her off, saying its fixed, act up again a few days later)

Once the 3 month warranty ran out,she was left with a dodgy Opel Corsa.

Ended up costing her about €900 to finally fix the car herself.
She put in a claim with the Small Claims Court, the Dealers didnt even turn up.

Case and fees award in her favour.

Did she get paid though?

Muckie

Last heard, the Sheriff is dealing with it.

So they will chase him/dealer for the €900.

This happened about a month ago, i'll chat to her tomorrow, see if theres any update.

Del2005

Reati wrote: »

While I agree that everything should be checked before buying, this cowboy thing of dealers can sell Sh*te to people and it's buyer beware is such non-sense. It's simply bad business and should be dealt with. (How I don't know...)

If people did proper inspections before handing over their money it would stop fairly quickly. Why should the garage bother fixing problems when people will buy regardless. I was looking at a car a few years ago with barely legal mismatched tyres. Asked about a discount for new tyres and was told that they were legal, I walked but someone else bought it eventually and the dealer didn't have to do anything with the tyres.

I'm all for consumer protection but sometimes people need to take personal responsibility before handing over substantial amounts of money.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I can understand the air con and 12v outlet being missed but surely the power steering problem was evident on the test drive?

You asked about previous damage yet never actually looked around the car yourself yet spotted poorly painted panels when you got the car home?

1st thing to do is to drive to the dealer tomorrow morning (99% are open on Saturday mornings) If it were me I'd ring from 100yds away first and tell them your on your way and then land 5 minutes later. Go into the office and demand a full refund, make sure you take all personal belongings out of the car first and refuse to leave the office until you have your money back. Bring sandwiches and be prepared to stay, tell them you will inform every single person coming to look at cars that they sell dodgy cars and you are not going up accept anything but a full refund.

Del2005

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

I can understand the air con and 12v outlet being missed but surely the power steering problem was evident on the test drive?

You asked about previous damage yet never actually looked around the car yourself yet spotted poorly painted panels when you got the car home?

1st thing to do is to drive to the dealer tomorrow morning (99% are open on Saturday mornings) If it were me I'd ring from 100yds away first and tell them your on your way and then land 5 minutes later. Go into the office and demand a full refund, make sure you take all personal belongings out of the car first and refuse to leave the office until you have your money back. Bring sandwiches and be prepared to stay, tell them you will inform every single person coming to look at cars that they sell dodgy cars and you are not going up accept anything but a full refund.

Do you think that a garage that knowingly sells a car with that many issues is going to be worried about someone coming back to complain, the company has most likely changed name by now.