To want some money back for my car

[Wilkarotin]

I bought a used car on November 2nd last year so I have had it less than 3 months. It's a 20 plate with about 47000 on the clock if it's relevant. When I purchased it, it had a few advisories from the previous MOT which were fixed by the garage and then it was serviced and MOT'd.
One of the advisories was the front suspension arm being partly worn so these were replaced prior to purchase.
As I drove to work this morning, I nearly lost control of the car. The steering wheel started moving from side to side. I was thankfully able to pull over safely and didn't crash but it was very scary and I rang my husband crying (very much not like me!).
After getting the car to the garage (one we trust and have used for years) the mechanic discovered that the issue was the bolt holding the suspension arm was gone, as in not there!! It was being held on by just a few mm. He was very surprised I'd managed not to crash. He suspects that when they were changed prior to my purchase the bolt hadn't been tightened properly and it was worked itself loose (or they didn't put it on although he said this is highly unlikely).
I don't know how much it is going to cost but a few hundred pounds is likely. (I paid £10000) I am going to contact the original place I purchased it from asking for them to cover the bill as it was massively dangerous to drive when they sold it to me. Anyone know if I am likely to get anywhere with this? Thanks

That’s scary. What they sold you was not fit for purpose, I would want a refund. I would threaten to sue them for this, you could have had a serious accident.

maybe speak to trading standards?

if the bolt needs replaced surely it won’t cost much? or does it only come as part of a unit?

Any warranty with the car?

I haven't contacted them yet. I'm waiting to get a report from our mechanic tomorrow once he's fixed it. As stupid as it sounds I liked the car before this and am hoping to not get anxious driving it again once our mechanic has declared it fit to drive. I just wanted opinions on where I stand legally if they decide to get a bit arsey

It needs a new bolt (around £30 as it's a particular type that's really strange) and a new arm (guessing £100 or so) as its been moving due to lack of bolt and has been damaged. Then to be able to access it he needs to remove the drive shaft as they're so close which is obviously going to add time and therefore labour costs

My husband and myself genuinely can't remember for sure but we thought 3 months. However I've checked through my emails and can't find any confirmation of that 😬

i wonder if you need to give the garage the opportunity to put right their wrong. im not sure if that’s a thing. but as well as that if they are liable thwy should also be liable for any other costs ypu incurred between them and when you get the repaired car back. like taxis or trains etc. thats maybe why you need expert advice. let’s hope someone on here can help :-)

ps check their website for a sign saying “all cars come with three month warranty” or whatever and screenshot it so they cannot now remove it to wheedle out of doing repairs. if you’re not sure you could phone and pretend to be a potential buyer and ask. but you won’t have proof of their reply if you take it further.

I think this is probably correct. If they haven't had chance to see the problem, they could challenge whether you are being legit. It's worth a shot but I suspect because you didn't take it back for them to see and repair, they may be within their rights to refuse.

Id personally rather pay a few hundred myself than have more work done on it by someone who had made such a dangerous error before. I dont think id feel safe driving it if worked on by the same ones again!
If its an unusual expensive bolt I wonder if they cut corners by using a cheaper substitute.

Yes I am going to give them a chance first. I'm going to contact them once I have the report from our mechanic and ask for them to cover the cost of the repair as its their garage that made the fault and sold me a dangerous car. I'm just worried in case they try to say no!
I couldn't have taken it to them to repair as it's about 30 miles away and there was no way after what happened we were attempting to drive it that far

Thank you for this advice! I have just been on their website and it states that they come with a 'comprehensive 3 month warranty'.

I can't see you getting anywhere with the seller of the car but it's always worth a polite email / phone call explaining what has happened and how unhappy this has made you because you thought you could trust them to sell you a car in good order to drive. Ombudsman might be able to advice you further.

i think if you get the repair done and then ask them to pay that they will refuse saying that the terms and conditions of the warranty state that you must let them know prior in order for them to approve works etc yada yada.

so i honestly think you need to speak to them.

you also need to find out where the warranty is from. it could be a national company who will approve the repairs at your local chap, or it could be that one wee garage itself.

If it doesn’t have a recovery vehicle i don’t see how they could insist on them doing it when the car has no way to get to them. it’s not safe to tow.

if it were me id phone them first if i wanted them to fix it for free.

if your guy does it you need to be prepared to pay him.

the other option is get that wee garage to do it and take it to your guy after to check the work has been done correctly and give him £20 to thank him.

Warranty or lack thereof is irrelevant. You are covered by the sale of goods act, which states that goods must be fit for purpose. A car that nearly crashes because of
of a mising bolt clearly isn’t fit for purpose. Under the SOGA any faults that occur within 6 months are presumed to have been there at time of purchase.

Sorry it’s actually the Consumer Rights Act now rather than SOGA, but my comments above still apply.