Used faulty car - advice

[emfabbie]

Hi all,

I purchased a user car 2 weeks ago from a garage (2012 peugeot - 28,000 miles). When I viewed the car 3 weeks prior, it had no MOT and the engine light came on - I was told this was due to the engine needing a service.

I went to collect the car and it had been MOT'd, was told it had been serviced and everything looked good (no engine light etc). I drove it 3 times to and from work and on the Tuesday, the engine light came back on. I took it back to the garage and after the mechanic took it for a test drive, was told it was the lambda sensor that needed replacing due to the car sitting on the forecourt for a while and condensation building up. I was told it was safe to drive and brought it back on the Thursday for the repair. I then didn't drive it until the following Monday as I was away for the weekend. On the Monday, I felt the brakes grinding slightly but thought I would just keep an eye on it. On Tuesday morning, the engine light came back on. I took it straight back that day and described the problems I was having. After another test drive, I was told that the mechanic had possibly misdiagnosed the lambda sensor OR in addition to this, the whole catalytic converter needed to be replaced. With regards to the brakes, they said the brake pads had both worn completely and needed replacing. I was told these parts would take about a week to arrive and I would get a courtesy car. A few days later, when I chased to see when exactly the parts would be in, I was told they would be in on the following Monday and I could have a courtesy car put would need to cover the costs myself, e.g insuring myself.

I took the car to an independent garage at the weekend as I was concerned about the wheels. They felt bumpy as I turned (not the best way of describing it, and didn't know if i was just overthinking it at this stage). They took a quick look for free and found that both the drop links had worn completely, the flexi pipe had split and the wheel arm was badly bent. At this stage, I was extremely concerned as the garage I purchased the car from had not picked up on this and things like the catalytic converter, I feel should not be a problem of a car that is only 4/5 years old.

I was made aware of other people that had purchased cars from the garage who had the exact same issues with faults occuring after purchase and I was made aware that whilst they offered repairs, they weren't repairing the issues properly or they stopped offering repairs after a month, meaning the customer was paying the costs.

I felt that the car was not of a satisfactory quality and that it was not as described to me, none of these issues were brought to my attention. Under my short time right to reject, I asked for a refund and they refused, telling me to take them to court and assuring me I would lose the case. I have sent a letter to them so I have the refund request in writing and giving them 14 days to respond, as per advice from Citizens Advice/Trading standards but any more advice / opinions on whether I stand a chance in court would be great

Thanks

[HustleRussell]

Often these threads are started by people with unreasonable expectations but you OP are right to be peeved and I wish you the best of luck with getting your money back. To my untrained eye I'd say you have gone about this the right way so far- don't give up.

[emfabbie]

HustleRussell said:

Often these threads are started by people with unreasonable expectations but you OP are right to be peeved and I wish you the best of luck with getting your money back. To my untrained eye I'd say you have gone about this the right way so far- don't give up.

Definitely don't have unreasonable expectations, I just want the car that I thought I was getting when I paid £4850! Thanks for the reassurance. Sadly VOSA won't re MOT as it's 4 days outside of the 28 day limit so I'm not sure whether to pay for another MOT or pay for something like a AA/RAC inspection to get everything in writing, any recommendations?