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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Car battery flat and dealer wont refund

19 replies

LizzySkelding · 09/09/2020 00:36

I bought a 9 year old used car from Evans Halshaw dealership just over a week ago. On Sunday the car wouldn't start so I thought, its my car now so I better pay for replacement battery and arranged a home car battery installation with Halfords for £105.

The Halfords gent who replaced the battery said that the battery already in the car wasn't appropriate for the vehicle according to his Haynes manual (something to do with not enough cranking amps) and he's not surprised it went flat and to go back to the dealer and get them to reimburse me.

The dealers are now saying that I should have contacted them first as they would have sorted it. And that it is not policy for them to reimburse for something that another company installed and therefore their account director wouldn't authorise the reimburse.

Am I being unreasonable expecting the dealership to refund £105 for the battery? Or was I silly for arranging the replacement myself?

OP posts:

Original poster

LizzySkelding · 09/09/2020 00:37

I can stomach the £105 cost but I feel its about the principle of the matter that they shouldn't have sold a car with an inappropriate battery, even if I did sort the issue myself.

OP posts:

HilaryBriss · 09/09/2020 00:42

I think you should have given Evans Halshaw the option to do something about it before paying Halfords for a replacement.

I'm not surprised that they won't refund you tbh and £105 does sound a bit expensive to me.

BashfulClam · 09/09/2020 00:45

Used cars are ‘sold as seen’, you took the car without checking it over fully so you are not entitled to a revive. Caveat emptor.

ChickenwingChickenwing · 09/09/2020 00:45

I would be cautious of a Halfords staff member using a Haynes manual for reference

They won't refund it and it's odd if you to buy a new battery rather then contacting the dealer since it has only been just over a week since you got the car. I would chalk this one up to experience as the chance for them to out it right wasn't given.

ChickenwingChickenwing · 09/09/2020 00:46

Also you didn't consult a mechanic to find out what the faint was and if it was indeed the battery? How did you get the car to Halfords?

PercyKirke · 09/09/2020 00:48

Sorry, OP if you wanted the dealers to sort it you should have gone to them in the first place.

Mumdiva99 · 09/09/2020 00:50

@ChickenwingChickenwing halfords come to your house to change it....

As.others have said as you didn't call EH first about the issue they won't help.now unfortunately. Chalk it up to experience.

ChickenwingChickenwing · 09/09/2020 00:53

halfords come to your house to change it....

Thanks. I had no idea. A Halfords guy with a Haynes Manual!

OP did you call and ask them to fit a battery because the car didn't start? Nobody checked the car over first?

alexdgr8 · 09/09/2020 00:56

@BashfulClam

Used cars are ‘sold as seen’, you took the car without checking it over fully so you are not entitled to a revive. Caveat emptor.

not when buying from a dealer. sold as seen only applies to private sales, ie from someone whose business is not selling vehicles. the car should be of satisfactory quality, that is an implied term, having regard to the age, price etc. OP see if you can negotiate some kind of recompense, but you may have to chalk this one down to experience.

Original poster

LizzySkelding · 09/09/2020 00:59

@ChickenwingChickenwing

halfords come to your house to change it....

Thanks. I had no idea. A Halfords guy with a Haynes Manual!

OP did you call and ask them to fit a battery because the car didn't start? Nobody checked the car over first?

Had a neighbour jump start it and that worked. I didn't want any future issues so I was happy to pay for a new battery.

Except I've since learned that the original battery wasn't the correct one in the first place.

OP posts:

ChickenwingChickenwing · 09/09/2020 01:02

Had a neighbour jump start it and that worked.

That doesn't mean your issue was the battery though.

I didn't want any future issues so I was happy to pay for a new battery.

Except you are not.

ChickenwingChickenwing · 09/09/2020 01:03

Except I've since learned that the original battery wasn't the correct one in the first place

Like I said. I would take Halfords man and his Haynes manual with a pinch of salt. Did you keep the incorrect battery?

ChickenwingChickenwing · 09/09/2020 01:05

What I mean OP is you should have fine back to dealer or at the very least had a mechanic look over your car. Halfords man with manual isn't a mechanic and it's his job to sell you a new battery, so him saying the one you have is incorrect helps his sale. There are many reasons for the battery not performing as it should it isn't always the battery at fault.

ZombieFan · 09/09/2020 01:06

You should have taken the car back to where you bought it. They do not have to reimburse you for unauthorised 3rd party repairs. How do they know you are not scamming them? £105 for a new battery sounds like a lot.

ForrestTrump · 09/09/2020 01:33

I've just bought a nine year old pick up truck. High spec and lowish mileage so cost a good £15k. I paid for a mechanic's inspection and he said that you can almost always return a car shortly after purchase if there's an issue. Sounded like he knew his stuff - apprenticeship at Land Rover and five years as a tech at BMW.

ForrestTrump · 09/09/2020 01:37

You have a right to reject something faulty and you are entitled to a full refund within 30 days of purchase in most cases.

www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/your-rights-if-something-is-wrong-with-your-car/amp#problems-with-cars-bought-from-dealers

I'd wager most dealers don't want the hassle of getting involved in the above over the cost of a battery.

KimMarie34 · 09/09/2020 01:47

Used cars aren't 'sold as seen' (unless you're buying from a private seller. It's covered under the consumer Rights Act 2015, and although you're right that the garage should not have sold it with this battery, they're legally entitled to attempt to fix the problem first.

Murmurur · 09/09/2020 01:58

You should have given them the opportunity to inspect and put it right. I'm not saying you're lying, but I think it is unreasonable of you to expect them to reimburse after you have effectively removed any evidence of the problem.

Anordinarymum · 09/09/2020 02:06

Having been bitten hard by Evans Halshaw when my daughter bought a car from them, I would say to anyone to walk away from this outfit.

I was screamed at by the manager of the garage and called a liar. There were so many things wrong with the car which we kept finding out every time something went wrong, I can honestly say they never serviced it or did the whatever it was check before they handed my daughter the keys to a potential death trap.

Don't pursue them now. Get your car fixed and never return.

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