Just my luck

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Just my luck

ronnieronson

Bring On The Trumpets!
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
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Hull
:(

Took the Sei into Woodcocks Fiat specialists today for it's service.
Bearing in mind that I will have only owned the car for three weeks this thursday, I did not expect to hear bad things.... I did.

Head gasket is blown.
Only one of the brake lines is functional as the rest have corroded.

The car is basically a hazard.

Got Alan, at Woodcocks, to ring Centurion - the company providing the "three month, up to £500, warranty"... who refuse to pay up.
Rang the trader that I bought it from, Carrington Cars in Stockport... Their boss is conveniently on Holiday right now.

Total repairs comes to approximately £565.

I am not a happy man.

Got on to trading standards, and came up with this:
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/calitem.cgi?file=ADV0003-1011.txt

Have given the dealer 4 options to resolve the matter:

1> I sit here like a spineless simp, and pay for the whole costs myself - which is not going to happen.
2>The warranty company pulls their finger out, and pays £500 towards the costs.
3>The dealership pays out the £500.
4>The dealer arranges transportation of the Sei, back to Stockport - at their expense, gives me a full refund, plus the cost of the service, plus the wages I will miss out on this week through not being able to get to work.

:(
I am rather irritated by all of this...
:bang:
 
Huge shame Ronnie and shame on the dealer. I am not sure u have any rights to reject under any sale of goods act or fit for purpose scheme? Maybe someone on here can clarify, but I am fairly sure the dealer has a responsibility under law for the car to be safe to use?

If not, there goes a major reason for buying from a dealer!

I think you should contact Trading Standards, even if you just clarify the situation so you have full and accurate knowledge of your rights as a Customer.

Hope you get it sorted satisfactorily and soon.
 
Very unlucky ronnie, however i feel with your pretty decent car knowledge i would have expected you to spot a HG problem with it, same with the brakes

Perhaps not at the time but maybe a few days later

I dont think it is a hazrdous car, but sadly a car that has been neglected by previous owners, the service history shoudlve shown when it had a good fettling, sounds like its not had one since it left the showroom

A sad day
 
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What age is this car?

2001

Huge shame Ronnie and shame on the dealer. I am not sure u have any rights to reject under any sale of goods act or fit for purpose scheme? Maybe someone on here can clarify, but I am fairly sure the dealer has a responsibility under law for the car to be safe to use?

If not, there goes a major reason for buying from a dealer!

I think you should contact Trading Standards, even if you just clarify the situation so you have full and accurate knowledge of your rights as a Customer.

Hope you get it sorted satisfactorily and soon.

You should play the 'You sold me a car that is potentiall lethal to me and other road users - I should take this further' card and watch them pull their fingers out :)

Just been in touch with trading standards - I do have rights, and can expect the trader or their warranty company (or a combination of the two), to pay for the repairs.
Because I have had the car such a short space of time, I also have the option to reject the vehicle... which of course I do not want to do unless it's a last option.
But threats of small claims court are about to get drafted up and flung off recorded delivery ;)


Very unlucky ronnie, however i feel with your pretty decent car knowledge i would have expected you to spot a HG problem with it, same with the brakes

Perhaps not at the time but maybe a few days later

I dont think it is a hazrdous car, but sadly a car that has been neglected by previous owners, the service history shoudlve shown when it had a good fettling, sounds like its not had one since it left the showroom

A sad day

I know - suprised even myself!
I knew there was something wierd going on with the cooling, and initially presumed it was the rad, as she's not been using water or oil... shame on me for not noticing earlier :(
As for the brakes - to be honest they seem fine to me, they don't pull to one side, and apart from the usual handbrake issue I thought nothing more about them, until I saw the state of the brake lines! scary to think I've been bombing down the M18 at considerable speed in the little death trap!


Fingers crossed it will all get sorted pretty rapidly, before I lose anymore time off work!
*sigh*

...And I'd just finished my speaker panels too :p
 
Make sure you push this as far as you can mate because it seems to me that the dealership doesn't really care about the situation. what dealer is this ? just so i dont throw my good money at such a crap company in the future. If you push it far enough they will settle outside court because they have no way out of this one.
 
All sounds much healthier Ronnie, what a lucky boy it didnt bite ur a** on the Mway! Imagine how it would have felt and looked? The bu**ers need sueing! (is that how its spelt)? Glad there is some light at the end mate. :)
 
also did you sign a receipt that said sold as seen because if you did they might get out of it using that card on you.

Sold as Seen does not apply to professional (sic) dealers.
 
does the car not show signs of the head gasket? you sure the garage you took it to arnt having you on? lol unlikely but you never know
Nah - I trust them completely - they've been nothing but good to me in the past, and when I had Bertie (my Cinq), did wonders with him.

All sounds much healthier Ronnie, what a lucky boy it didnt bite ur a** on the Mway! Imagine how it would have felt and looked? The bu**ers need sueing! (is that how its spelt)? Glad there is some light at the end mate. :)
I know - it's scary to even think about it, especially as I do about 100 miles a week!

As for the comments about sold as seen - means nothing really in this case, and certainly would not provide them with any kind of leg to stand on... rest assured I will take them to the cleaners!
:slayer:
 
Bad luck Matt but did you know bad luck always follow you when you abandon a Cinq didn't you? ;)

I would have thought that the warranty company should cover the HG if nothing else the brake pipes could be seen as normal wear and tear although it is suprising given the age of your car.

If i were you I'd get a second opinion from an independant garage (well actually i'd just fix it myself but that's another thing)
 
Got in touch with Jordans Fiat (who highly recommend woodcocks), and they have actually quoted me much more - £640 in vat.

The dealer in stockport has offered me £200 towards costs, which I am concidering accepting as "part payment".

Having spoken to trading standards again, they suggest that I put the other £356 to the job myself, and attempt to claim that back post repair (by as I say calling the initial £200 a "part payment"), and if niether the warranty company or the dealer is prepared to cough up any more cash, simply take them to small claims court - perhaps merely by receiving the court summons, it will prompt them in to some sort of action...

Not really sure what more I can do, I need the car for getting to work (I only live 5 mins walk from my current store but I'm transferring to a store 5 miles away soon - and I refuse to get my old BMX out of the shed :p though given the amount of traffic between my house and my new work location it would probably be quicker to bike it :p ).

I'm willing to accept that the cambelt is my responsibility - I knew this would be required when I bought the car.
So in essence I guess I just have to try and get about another £200 out of the b******s :p
 
Sold as Seen does not apply to professional (sic) dealers.

Professional dealers can sell a car as "sold as seen"

but its called somthing else, i cant remember now :confused:

basicaly it come with no warranty at all

they use this to get rid of the old and tired p/x no one buys

they just want them off their forecourt



as for the car

keep fighting

you will always win

it does sound like they should pay up, at least 75%

my house fell down 5 years ago due to subsidence

took my dad 4 years of fighting them

but finnally after loosing all our moeney in court costs we won :D

and it will take them 500 years to earn their money back on our premiums

XD
 
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Oh I intend to keep fighting :)

I'm planning on spreading the costs - £200 from the dealer as "part payment", £250 on my credit card, £150 from one bank account and the payment for the service from the other :p

It's gonna be tight for a month moneywise, but if by 30 days time from when I get the cheque off them I haven't recieved any more money, I'le contact them again and then the next step is court.
I believe small claims court only costs 10% in fees of what you are trying to claim back, so it's a small price to pay - and then they will probably cack their pants when the summons turns up hehe - I would love to be a fly on the wall when that happens :p

I've attempted to sue a prior landlord before - and they settled out of court to the tune of a 3rd of a years rent! So I'm not afraid of trying lol

Meanwhile - the head has been removed and sent away to be reprofiled while they clean all the crap outta the block, and with any luck i should be back on the road by this time next week :D
 
IME if you pay the rest, you'll never see any £ back.

Liam

Yeah that's what I started thinking.

Gonna reject the cheque for £200 when it comes, pay for the whole lot out of my own pocket so I can get the car back on the road, and then sue the pants off the A******......

:slayer:
 
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