Question - advice required on behalf of a female aquantance of mine

[theorganist]

I have a question regarding redress on a car purchased from a dealer. I haven't purchased a car from a dealer since 2003 and any cars I purchased from dealers were cheap trade in's.

 

A lady/girl/female (I don't know how to describe 23 year old's nowadays) I know has a 05 plate Ford Focus. She purchased it six months ago from a car dealer. It now has a "sick engine" she is a bit vague but apparently it is something to do with the cambelt and oil issues! She has complained but was told it was her problem.

 

I was just wondering is there a limit to what constitutes a time scale for being "fit for purpose"? 

 

I presume he would argue that after six months she it is down to her to maintain the vehicle but she is facing an £700 bill which she can't afford.

 

I expect he is right but I was wondering if anyone here has any particular knowledge as to the in's and out's of dealing with car dealers?

 

Many thanks,

[spike60]

I think as you said it has to fit for purpose when supplied, I think 6 months later with a 10 year old car you're on your own unless had been clocked or supplied with false service history etc.

A friend bought a 5 year old Skoda with 83k miles on from a dealer and in 12 months it had an injector, a turbo, cam and followers. It turned out it had 129k at first MOT, when this was explained to the dealer he caught the train up the next day and refunded the full selling price, £5500, a year after he sold it.

[Luckythirteen]

Straight to Trading Standards. They'll have the definitive answer, and if the shit hits the fan it's better they're in at ground level.

 

Sounds like she's been given the brush off to me. Is it a TDCi?

[Cavcraft]

I hope this isn't the case, but....I wouldn't be surprised if they said a cam belt is a consumable (like tyres, clutch, exhaust) so they won't cover it. If it was a main dealer she may have some redress just by kicking up a huge fuss over it, and also (as I reckon most people would believe, if they bought it) you'd think the cam belt would have been changed prior to service.

[gordonbennet]

SOGA is supposed to cover for 6 months, but as far as i'm informed, the price paid for the car in question is relevant to what a reasonable person might expect.

 

05 plate Focus, 6 months later, she's probably not going to get any help from the supplying dealer unless it's been shit since day one.

 

Only my opinion, don't shoot.

[theorganist]

Hi,

 

Thanks all.

 

I must confess when she first told me she said she "had recently bought it" and me trying to be a Knight in Shining Armour thought I would ride to the rescue  ! It was only since that she told me she had had it for six months. I did then think that she probably didn't have a leg to stand on but thought I would enquire here as there is a wide range of experience.

 

I will find out what engine it is and see if she wants to try trading standards she didn't appear to want to pursue it but I may have inadvertently given her a glimmer of false hope! 

 

I suppose she could sell it will the knackered engine although it would fetch very little I was next going to investigate the possibility of finding a replacement engine.

 

She is saving up for a laptop to study and is saying she will save up for a small car when she has done that so I don't think she has the money to repair the car or maybe much inclination!

[nottinghamphil]

Jeezus Christ, get F**king real, she's had a 'Banger ' for six months, ( Being used constantly I assume... Lets also assume its NEVER been serviced in that time too ) and she expects the dealer to sort things out for her...  She's living in Cloud Cuckoo land mate !   

[sierraman]

You would have no recourse really, the timing belt is a service item.

[theorganist]

Well I guessed that was the case I thought I'd make sure and now it's been made clear! Thanks.

 

It hard to believe that 05 plated Focii are now bangers where has the time gone etc!

[Jim Bell]

 I was wondering if anyone here has any particular knowledge as to the in's and out's of dealing with car dealers?

 

Many thanks,

 

 

Don't.

 

That's the best advice.

[Jim Bell]

Jeezus Christ, get F**king real, she's had a 'Banger ' for six months, ( Being used constantly I assume... Lets also assume its NEVER been serviced in that time too ) and she expects the dealer to sort things out for her...  She's living in Cloud Cuckoo land mate !   

 

Man period?

[Mr Lobster]

As above, it's a ten year old car. if she's been using it without issue for the last six months then you can't really state it was defective when purchased so unfortunately it's just one of those things and she'll have to suck it up and fix it. Not the dealers problem, if you buy bangers you can't expect a copper bottomed warranty to cover everything on it too.

[HH-R]

[fairkens]

As has been said above it all boils down to what is reasonable. Afaik there is no time limit in soga, what is reasonable is construed on the facts so it is difficult to advise further without knowing what the defects are, oil and cam belt sound like service issues - difficult to pin on the garage after 6 months.

 

Notwithstanding the above I hope you get your end away

[theorganist]

As above, it's a ten year old car. if she's been using it without issue for the last six months then you can't really state it was defective when purchased so unfortunately it's just one of those things and she'll have to suck it up and fix it. Not the dealers problem, if you buy bangers you can't expect a copper bottomed warranty to cover everything on it too.

Fair enough when I started trying to help she missed out the six month bit!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Lets see a picture of her, based on that we can decide if she has a case or not.

 

 

(joke)

[MrDuke]

(or is it?)

[theorganist]

As has been said above it all boils down to what is reasonable. Afaik there is no time limit in soga, what is reasonable is construed on the facts so it is difficult to advise further without knowing what the defects are, oil and cam belt sound like service issues - difficult to pin on the garage after 6 months.

 

Notwithstanding the above I hope you get your end away

 

Lol as if that even entered my thought process I had (mainly) pure intentions, well partly....well there were some good intentions in there also  !

[theorganist]

Lets see a picture of her, based on that we can decide if she has a case or not.

 

 

(joke)

 

Well sadly I don't have one. But she is very cute, Ethiopian with lovely long black hair.

 

She is a friend of a friend I don't really know her that well but I am working on it, there may be a date in the offing!

[NorfolkNWeigh]

There are too many unknowns here.

How many miles has she done ?

What's actually wrong with it?

£700 doesn't sound much to be honest if the belt had snapped or something major.

In fact it sounds like a service quote- oil change and cambelt wouldn't be far off that especially for a clueless bird.

Please note that's not my 70's sexism but the likely garage attitude.

 

Whatever, getting involved will end up causing you grief, so she'd better be worth it.

[garethj]

Whatever, getting involved will end up causing you grief, so she'd better be worth it.

This.

 

You could maybe look around for a cheaper engine repair or whatever it needs?  However some people see this as a sign that if the rear brakes fail a year later that will then be your fault.

[Junkman]

I don't know how to describe 23 year old's nowadays

Escapist.

[New POD]

SOGA is supposed to cover for 6 months, but as far as i'm informed, the price paid for the car in question is relevant to what a reasonable person might expect.

 

05 plate Focus, 6 months later, she's probably not going to get any help from the supplying dealer unless it's been shit since day one.

 

Only my opinion, don't shoot.

 

SOGA is Vaguer than that. It's all about the understandable expectations. Typically Trading standards would translate this to 3 months on a 10 year old car, bought from a dealer.

 

But look at it from the dealers point of view.

 

The owner might not have followed the service requirements, who knows if she EVER checked the 7I0 level, could have ragged it from cold, ignored the noises it was making from the cambelt area, and generally acted as a stereotypical 'girly'.  Ask her what tyres pressures she would set them to before a long journey, ask her what oil it takes, when the next service is due, and when the last one was done.

 

I know I'm being harsh, but I bet you she's no idea.

 

And I bet the issues and price she's been dealt/quoted by the garage she took it to, is based on them screwing her lack of knowledge further.

[theorganist]

Well from what I can gather she doesn't really want to bother with it, as I said it was partly me saying you may have a case (before knowing it was six months) and getting her hopes up. I am very clumsy around women I must confess. Plus thinking cars are a man's domain I will sort it out, she is extremely scatty I have realised, I have only seen her a couple of times and she loses everything and got lost in the next street to where she lives!

 

She has been very reticent with details like mileage so it is clearly me taking it more seriously so I don't think I am going to bother now. I have offered my help and she knows where I am!

 

I am not sure it is a prelude to anything serious happening either lol but we may be going for a drink!

[theorganist]

SOGA is Vaguer than that. It's all about the understandable expectations. Typically Trading standards would translate this to 3 months on a 10 year old car, bought from a dealer.

 

But look at it from the dealers point of view.

 

The owner might not have followed the service requirements, who knows if she EVER checked the 7I0 level, could have ragged it from cold, ignored the noises it was making from the cambelt area, and generally acted as a stereotypical 'girly'.  Ask her what tyres pressures she would set them to before a long journey, ask her what oil it takes, when the next service is due, and when the last one was done.

 

I know I'm being harsh, but I bet you she's no idea.

 

And I bet the issues and price she's been dealt/quoted by the garage she took it to, is based on them screwing her lack of knowledge further.

 

I suspect a lot of that is true to be honest.

[billyboy406v6]

Can you fix the car for her, mega brownie points in the dating stakes ? 

[theorganist]

Can you fix the car for her, mega brownie points in the dating stakes ? 

 

I wish unfortunately its well past my skill set I wouldn't know where to start. Especially with a car of that age. If it doesn't have points and a carburettor I am baffled! The Horizon has electronic ignition and that is too much lol!

 

I've offered to try and help her get it fixed cheaper although maybe £700 is okay. I have offered to help her find a replacement car but she can't really afford it at the moment and I think can get away without one.

 

By the way although it is academic it is a petrol model I have got that much out of her! 

[Stanky]

Petrol model? or she put petrol in it?

 

probably worth a look yourself, checking for the existence of oil and/or a cambelt isn't difficult. If either one isn't present then its probably not worth even bothering a garage for a second opinion. If both are present, then it might be worth further investigation.

 

Just my 2p worth...

[theorganist]

I have offered but it's worth trying again just to satisfy my own curiosity!

 

 

 

Petrol model? or she put petrol in it?

Lol I think that is one thing she has got right.

 

As an aside I have a friend (Male) who when he first started driving was very dozy about cars. He was checking the engine oil of his Allegro and asked me where abouts in the carburettor the oil had to go. I thought he meant the oil for the damper on the SU but he meant to top up the engine oil. When I showed him the oil filler he had somehow assumed that that was where the coolant went. Luckily he hadn't actually got round to doing that.

 

Twenty five years later he has helped to rebuild his fathers Triumph Spitfire and Dolomite!