Car purchase

[Somebodyimportant1]

Good morning, I hope some can help with some advice, please.
I bought an old 16year old Volvo xc90 from a very small dealer. It had a very recent receipt for brake pads done & I requested that MOT be done and it was.
The very 1st my partner drove the car, dashboard light saying no oil pressure stop safely. We immediately drove the car back home and parked it and I contacted the dealer a few days later on the 30th of October and he said he will get back time and I have called him twice since then but hasn't said anything concrete only saying he will get back to me etc. What do I do? I mean, I knew the risk I was taking but I wasn't expecting this. What do I do? I paid £2400 for the car. WHAT DO I DO?

@CliffordMouse hello, I sent you a private message could please kindly check

So I have posted a letter on the 1st of Dec. to the dealer (recorded delivery). I will be texting the letter to the dealer’s mobile phone today and might also hand deliver it too. I have written in the letter that I give them 14 days to refund me in full or I will take legal action 🙄.

OP you have been given some good advice by pp’s about your consumer rights. I’d also add if you paid in part or in full using a credit card you can also make a section 75 claim from the card provider.

@Yesbutisittouching thanks for your message. I made payments via bank transfer- can I claim from my bank?

Hi OP, sadly no. It only applies to CC.

@Yesbutisittouching yes thanks, just as I thought

Did you pay the deposit by credit card though? I know hindsight is a wonderful thing but when goods or services total less than £30k always pay a portion (even £50) by CC as the credit card company is liable for the entire cost of things go wonky. Sadly I know this from bitter experience - took over a year to get the CC to cough up but eventually they did.

Ps also contact local trading standards about the dealer. They like to pursue businesses with a fixed address and the ability to pay up

@Yesbutisittouching thanks for that tip. I shall google to get the contact details for local trading standards.

Out of interest OP, what’s the age/mileage and how much did you pay for it?

@Elai1978 paid £2400 for a 2004 model with over 100k mileage

I hope they roll over for you OP but having read many similar tales don’t be surprised if you have to go via the small claims court.

@Elai1978 I am ready to go to a small claim court if they do not respond after 14 days that I have stated in the letter.

From the kind of car you describe I’m guessing that the dealer sells mainly cars down the lower end of the market? Quite often these guys will just “pheonix” the company when someone takes them to court so even though there’s a judgment it’s unenforceable. Just something to be aware of. It might also be worth seeing what a local trusted mechanic would charge to fit a good used engine, then you have a backup plan.

@Elai1978 I have no plane to fix the car. All I want to do is return the car to them and have my money back. Apart from the fact that the car is faulty, I no longer need the car anyway -it was bought solely for the nanny to do the school runs & I now have other alternatives. although I won't be returning the car if not for the fault.

Best to have a plan B though! If all else fails, a well written eBay add with the faults fully described will normally yield a surprisingly high result.

@Elai1978 it hasn't even occurred to me that it can be listed on eBay but would it generate what I have paid for it?

No it won’t, however if it starts getting painful with court, enforcement etc then think about what that pain is worth to you. It’s a last resort but something to know. Stick a reserve on it and see what happens.

Quick update

I finally got my full refund today. I was planning to go to a small claim court but decided to contact them one more time this morning using my partner's phone and he picked up the call and I got my money within 2 hours. Thank God. I prayed about it thos morning and bingo, it all fell into place.
Thank you all for your suggestions and advice

Great result OP! I was really expecting them to be a pain in arse as per so many of these stories I read.

@Elai1978 thanks, I was expecting a battle too & I was not expecting such a quick swift resolution. I am happy and thankful to people who advised and to God for answering my very simple prayer this morning