If you'd bought a second hand car

[SendARavenToRiverRun]

.. on finance from a well known and huge car dealership and said car was found to have multiple problems with the brakes/ handbrake. (Approx £600 of work). I've had to take two days off of work unpaid and spend money on taxis and buses to sort it.
The dealership are fixing it (within the 28 days guarantee). They're fixing it free of charge but I would really appreciate some compensation for loss of earnings. A curtesy car hasn't been offered and it's generally made life really awkward.
Am I unreasonable? Or would you just accept it being fixed.
Just for added info we traded our old car in and did a part- ex. New car didn't have any for sale signs in it. Nor was it displayed with the other cars. It was magically found upon discussion of finance. I believe it had just come in and hadn't been checked properly. We only found out about the brakes when we took it to our local garage for a brakes for life swap over.
What would you do? Tia :)

I’d want to know what the exact issues were first. Why were you straight away taking it somewhere else for new brakes?

We do 'brakes for life' from Halfords. Years ago we had new discs/brakes etc and they offered us this scheme. They needed to see the car before they could swap our cars over. Brakes were at a dangerous level and the handbrake was on the verge of conking out (which we'd noticed).

If the car is faulty then yes they need to fix it. I am not aware that they have any obligation to reimburse any resultant loss of earnings or alternative travel expenses.

Somebody else might suggest otherwise though.

So they wouldn’t replace worn out brakes under the brakes for life scheme but would’ve happily replaced ones with plenty of life remaining? I wouldn’t trust a word that comes out of Halfords’ mouth. I’d like to know exactly what they were quoting £600 for.

Yes, YABVU expecting compensation for "loss of earnings".

I've been driving over 4 decades, and have never taken time off work to take a car into the garage. I can actually walk home from my garage quite easily, but have been quite happy over the years to give other people lifts back from dropping car off or to pick their car up.

I would expect them to put right anything that was not right with the car and would be a bit annoyed they hadn't got it all sorted before releasing the car to me, but you are being a bit daft expecting them to do anything more than put it right.

I don't really have any issue with Halfords tbh. More the dealership. I've got the diagnostic sheet from Halfords which was given to the dealership. The dealership then did their own examination. Which has taken 2 days. The car will then have to go back another day for the issues fixing.
The brakes are definitely damaged. The dealership have confirmed it today on the phone. I'm just wondering if I'm unreasonable to want some kind of compensation for loss of earnings.
The hours the after care team are open are short. Our work hours are longer and neither of us have holiday days to use up (not their problem but annoying nonetheless).

I just took a look at Halfords’ scheme. It only covers pads so the joy is that they can say “your discs need replacing as well” and you then pay over the odds for those plus whatever else they can upsell you.

Thanks. The issue is we both work 8-4.30. The dealership after sales dept is only open 9-4 Monday-Friday. It's approx 10 miles from work. In the opposite direction.
Maybe I am unreasonable. I'm just so annoyed with it all.
We don't have family near by for lifts. Friends all work similar hours to us. Our local garage is local. Only a walk or bus ride away. Dealership isn't. It's 3 buses or a combination of buses/tram-train.
Obviously it's not their issue. I'm happy to be told I am unreasonable. Just wanted to gauge it. Thanks again.

Oh yeah definitely. But it's not cost us anything to get it looked at and tbh we've never had any bad experience there. I know what you mean. But at the moment I'm happy with Halfords and annoyed at the dealership.

Check your legal position. Sub par brakes are a big issue that the dealership should have corrected.

You're definitely not unreasonable to be pissed off.

Any clue how? I'm just so annoyed to be sold something so dangerous. Then the loss of days wages on top. Thank you.

The guarantee is to provide a working car not a working car that will get you to work. They're rectifying the issue but I agree its a bit sloppy but you didn't have to agree to the magically found car. You could've got one that was displayed with the others and assured of its condition.

Very true! Like I say I'm just quite happy to be told I'm
Being unreasonable. I know I can be hot headed and sometimes need a second (or third or fourth !) opinion.
The car is gorgeous. Aside from the dodgy brakes. It was the make/model we wanted. Just fitted better with payments. Thank you.

I’d want to see actual photos of the worn brakes before declaring them dangerous. Brakes 90% worn will still work properly and so are not dangerous in that respect but obviously need changing urgently.

Just to add. We assumed the car would have been checked somewhere along the line. Didn't expect it to be sold with such a dangerous issue. They never mentioned it hadn't been checked (they wouldn't though would they). We'd not even seen the car on our walk around I don't think.

@Shade17 ahh ok. I never knew that. Both garages have said they're below the legal minimum limit which is worrying. Too late to ask for pics. I'm not questioning the need to for new brakes. Halfords knew we'd not be paying ourselves so that was never an issue. Just the annoyance and inconvenience. Not to mention how dangerous it is. Thanks.

What is stopping you politely but firmly asking the garage how they propose to compensate you for the inconvenience and loss of earnings incurred due to their error?

If they say no you're no worse off, I can't see why you need to ask if you should do that

I'd contact the MOT inspector
as a car with faulty brakes isn't roadworthy and shouldn't have been sold to you in that dangerous condition. (The handbrake is a different matter as a handbrake can go at any time.)

Gold star for you, your garage in walking distance and you friends on standby. You must know that not everyone has those options and has to take time off work.

Nothing is stopping me. Sometimes I'd just like a second opinion. And this is one of those times. Thank uou.

I don't know if an MOT test inspector is a thing but there's no suggestion from the OP that the car was tested on the day the brake problem was found, what would that person do?

It was MOT-ed in June. No clue how to even begin to do this or what difference it would make. Thank you.

The legal minimum is a funny thing with brake pads. The rule is that pads with less than 1.5mm of pad material remaining are an MOT fail BUT the tester has no way to actually measure them and quite often a visual inspection is difficult so it’s a guesstimate based on the little they can see.

Not being snarky but why? In what circumstance would a polite statement of your case ever be the wrong thing to do?

No one is going to say absolutely do not in a neutral tone of voice ask a reasonable question.

I'm sure you weren't planning to go in shouting the odds or picketing outside the garage with a placard 😁

I wonder if they actually are sub par or Halfords who, like Kwik Fit and indeed all the chains, love to sell pads / discs because they are quick and easy to fit, and high margin for them. I think I’d trust a dealer, which isn’t saying that much, over Halfords tbh.