Hi! I bought a used car last month with 3 months warranty. The other day the head gasket was blown. The dealer said it will cost £320 to sort BUT wants me to put up £100 of the cost. Any advice welcome, why am I expected to pay?

4 months ago in my Citroen Berlingo multispace petrol 1.6 (2009) the temperature gauge shot to the top and car warned me to stop, I was in slow traffic and had to continue for 10 minutes as on a dual carriageway. In this time the dial would go back to normal and then a couple of minutes later would shoot to the top. I was by a kwik fit so took it there for advice and was told it sounded like the sensor. They rang at work to say cracked radiator and replaced for £300. Yesterday creeping in very slow traffic and temperature gauge shoots up, car overheated, radiator water very low. Took back to kwik fit who now say nothing to do with radiator but need a new head gasket. No oil in radiator water, no **** in oil. Car losing water and overheating. Is this a case of I have just been very unlucky???

Hi, I'm having a headache with my car and would appreciate any good advice. Last August (2013) I bought a 54 plate Seat Ibiza which had done 62500 miles for £2,250. I was told I wouldn't need to do anything to the car which I understood as until MOT - this is due in May 2014. Within the first week I returned to the garage/dealer as the starter motor made a noise (sounds like a squeal from the inside but my parents say it's like a grinding from the outside) but after a 2nd visit, the garage said there was nothing wrong with it, that it was common for this car and that even if I had a new starter motor, the same thing would happen. away I went, a bit unsure but I tried to trust them. It doesn't happen every time and they now say that it didn't happen when they sold the car to me. I took the car back in early December because the engine maintenance light showed amber. When I collected the car, they said they had cleared the light, which sometimes happens when the weather gets cold. This came back on after a couple of drives. They also said they had flushed the water coolant system which was foreign to me really, I had no idea that the two things (the light and the coolant system) weren't linked. This change was done without my permission but as there was no charge, I have no paperwork. Not long after, the water temperature gauge started fluctuating and so I took it to a local garage who checked it for leaks and said they couldn't see any drive it and then check the water levels when the engine was cool. I went to my volunteer placement the following week and on the way home, the temperature gauge showed it was overheating, steam came from under the bonnet and there was no water in the tank. I put some water in just to get me home and bought some coolant the next day. Topped up the tank and took it for a short drive. Steam again. So I called recovery the next day. Had it recovered to the garage I bought it from, which they now say was not agreed. However, 2 phone conversations took place and they did not refuse. I went to the garage and said that under SOGA, the car was not sold in satisfactory condition they ought to repair the car. The man said I needed to speak to another member of staff about this. He then said they were very busy but he had a "friend" who could do it for £350-400. I was suspicious and at this point, I was hoping for a free repair, did not agree. I decided to see what the director's reply would be. after waiting 2 days to get a response, he turned around and said they are not specialist enough to repair it. I suspect this is not true as they serviced and MOT'd the car, and advertise head gasket work on their website. not knowing what else to do, I paid £77 to have the car re-towed so that I wouldn't incur parking fees if they chose to move my car to the street. I have since asked them to repair the car or to put me in touch with a garage who will repair at no cost to me, but they have not acknowledged these subsequent invitations. They argue that they offered to repair the car, but as I said, this was before I had spoken to the director. I also asked verbally for replacement or refund but refused. The current garage had it 6 weeks and have done nothing and my 6 months was up in Feb. (The gasket went at 4 months 3 weeks). And I'd only driven it 2500 miles. Do I risk taking the garage I bought it from to court under SOGA? Can I take them to court before repairs are done? Or should I sell it for repairs/breaking? I'm not sure. But one thing I do know I'll get the bus in future!!! Thanks for you help guys.

Hi All, Am trying to get opinions from members on the car issue am currently having. On 14th December 2013, I bought 2003 reg Peugeot 307 1.6L with 101,200 miles on the clock for £1,000 from a car dealer. I saw the car on Autotrader. It fitted what I wanted in terms of look and price. I test drove the car and was satisfied with the drive. I paid with my credit card and took car home. The car came with 3 months warranty for maximum repair worth £200 with Halfords. For me this was only an extra, as I would still have bought the car even if it didn't come with any warranty. On the 28th of December, on a very cold morning I started the car but it didn't start as smoothly as it used to. It then gave me Catalyst converter and anti-pollution fault. When it started it was misfiring, but everything returned to normal when the car was warm enough. I googled the issue and found it was a common issue with Peugeot cars. I had planned fixing the problem myself as soon as I had the time to do so. On 3rd January 2014, another cold morning, I started the car but it won't start. I called AA, and the rep examined the car and concluded that the head gasket was probably the issue and advised I take it back to the trader, as it had warranty on it. I decided not to take it to the trader, but to take it to Halfords who are the authorised auto centre for the dealer. The guys diagnosed the issue and called me to say it was bad news. They confirmed the head gasket was gone, and that it would cost me £900 to repair. They said that it wasn't worth the effort, seeing that I only just bought the car (done 336 miles as at now), and for only £1000, and advised I go back to the car dealer to let them aware. I have now written to the car dealer informing them of the incident, stating that under the Sale of Goods Act and in line with Reverse Burden of Proof, have asked them to either repair or replace the vehicle. The letter was sent today by Special Delivery. I believe the dealer was aware of the problem before the car was sold to me. They told me at the time of purchase that car only arrived as part ex. From my experience, before car traders P/X cars, they thoroughly examine cars to ascertain if any underlying issues exist, and based on that arrive at a figure they are willing to P/X the car for. Anyway, that's by the way. Considering the fact that it is still 3 weeks since car was purchased, I feel I have a case for the trader to repair or replace the car. I am not really interested in a refund unless it is absolutely the last resort. I just want the head gasket replaced. Any advise from members? Adojay

Dear all, My first post here I will try and make this as simple as I can. Car in question is a 12 year old vehicle (rover 75) which are prone to head gasket failure the vehicle had done 99000 miles when we had our first failure in August of last year, the vehicle in otherwise excellent condition and maintained regardless of cost. The vehicle did hit high on the temp gauge and was stopped immediately, the vehicle was recovered by the AA to our local garage The garage: the garage in question is a local out of town garage that we have used for servicing and mot work since moving into the area 3 years ago. We had been happy with the work carried out and the cost but not always with their organisation skills or communication but on the whole a good service The garage, initially said they would look at the car within 48 hours, this didn't happen it took close to four days of me calling them to eventually be told it needed further investigation. I asked them to go ahead and strip the head to see what damage was done it then took a further two days to hear the result( I called them) the head was sent to be checked and skimmed and returned I asked that parts such as cambelt, water pump, thermostat etc were replaced at the same time Three to Four days later I was able to pick the car up after paying the almost agreed rice of £1924 (actually £60 higher than expected) The car ran fine up until just before Christmas when it get hot again, it cooled I checked water levels, all seemed OK the following Monday I took it into the garage for them to check (along with an MOT) I was told a small pipe from the radiator had perished and would need replacing (replaced) and I had a pin sized hole in my radiator but it was not urgent and I should keep an eye on the coolant levels.As this was on top of Christmas, and £364 MOT bill i was happy to hear the radiator was not urgent, 4 days later steam high temp gauge and a recovery back to the garage It took almost a week of constant calling before they could tell me they had looked at the vehicle but would need further investigation, I received several rather "scripted" reply's about how I had been told about my radiator and checking my levels, which I found rather suspect. I then started to visit the garage after work in search of the manager, but he always seemed to be out. I eventually caught up with him on a Saturday morning, where he told me it was indeed head gasket failure again but his work or parts were not at fault. He claims the vehicle would not have traveled 6000 miles if there was a problem with his work or parts. I am lucky enough to know a mechanic who works for a main dealer and has 20 years experience who has told me the reasons why it cannot be the fault of the radiator and that water under pressure was merely looking for a weak spot, how there was a possible issue with the block itself or any number of faulty parts, or dodgy work may have caused this. Still the garage owner is adamant that he is not at fault and I have left my vehicle in his yard for close to 6 weeks with no contact from him, after he agreed to find out the price for a recon engine. The garage contacted me this Saturday and asked what I was doing with the car, and I simply reminded them I was waiting on a price for another engine I know this is a lot of information but I needed to tell the full story, Something isn't right here and maybe i'm wrongly suspicious. Communication with the garage is difficult because they do not return calls or give vague answers and I feel i've gone as far as I can speaking direct to the garage. It is part of the autocare group, I have been in contact with a body they are affiliated with but they don't answer the phone! Any suggestions please