Return a second hand car with major fault

[TankFlyBoss]

I wondered if anyone has successfully returned a second hand car bought from a dealer. According to the consumer credit act and which website, a car that develops a fault within 6 months of purchase is deemed to have had the fault at the point of sale and should be repaired / replaced or refunded.

The car was purchased just under 5 months ago, the car has developed a fault needing major repairs costing around £1500 and worse, on examination has a major oil leak that has evidently been there for quite some time. Quoted maybe a further £1500 to repair.

Have reported this to the second hand garage that we purchased from, they are aware of the problem and we will initially invite them to come and inspect the car (we can't take it to them as it's not really a feasible drive).

Any experience / thoughts / suggestions?

I got a replacement engine in a similar scenario. The law is in your favour and there are model letters online.

Thank you so much @OutDamnedSpot I really appreciate your reply. May I ask a bit more - how long had you owned the car, did you get much pushback from the dealer?

It was years ago, but very similar to you: about 4/5 months, couldn’t get the car to them (as it was conked out) and the dealership were (understandably?) awful to me. They repeatedly pushed back, blamed me, told me it wasn’t their responsibility, etc. I can’t remember the details, but I know I used template emails and got it all sorted.

Thanks so much. I'm glad you got sorted.

Yes I am expecting a long tricky drawn out saga... no doubt stressful.

But good to know the law is on our side.

I would speak to the Citizens Advice and have a look at their website. The website can give you tailored advice for second hand vehicles and your rights. Excellent template letters and you are also able to speak to trained consumer advisors for free if you need more help.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/

The advice and your rights may vary depending on how much you've paid, how you have paid, the age of the vehicle, how long you have had the vehicle for and the type of fault so you are best getting some specialist advice so that you are on the best footing to argue your corner if needed.

We had an issue with a vehicle a year ago, it was within the first 8 weeks they offered to repair but the process dragged on and another fault appeared in month 5. We had used finance so the vehicle was rejected through the finance company in the end. We were advised the rejection had to be before 6 months and an independent garage had to do a report on it. We even got all our finance payments back due to the limited mileage it had done.

So if you have finance on the vehicle speak to your finance company