Issue with used car bought from dealer. Advice appreciated.

[Andy_616]

Hi everyone.

 

I'd really appreciate your input on this issue.

 

My parents recently bought an 06 plate Vectra Estate for £4k from a local dealer. The car drove well on the test drive so a deposit was paid on the condition that some paintwork was sorted before picking the car up and it would be serviced and MOT'd. However, after driving the car home a week later, the gearbox has developed a pronounced whining noise. On investigation this appears to be a shortcoming of the M32 gearbox used in these and plenty of other cars. The car itself has only done 57,000 miles.

 

We've now had our trusted mechanic (a Vauxhall Technician) drive the car to his garage and he's confirmed that at least one bearing needs replacing as it's a fault that will eventually break the gearbox (as confirmed by the huge thread on the VXR owners forum). He's also said that there were some brand new screws/bolts on the gearbox casing and it looks like someone has already had a look to see what's wrong. My suspicion is that they've decided it's an expensive fix and shifted the car on. It was probably the previous owner but either way the fault was there at the point of sale.

 

The dealer has already replaced the crank oil seal that left a puddle on the garage floor but he was initially unwilling to fix the bearings in the gearbox as it will come to £500-£600, suggesting an additive to quieten it down. This was put in (without our say so) when the oil seal was replaced in an effort to mask the noise but if anything it is now even worse.

 

The 3 month warranty that the car was sold with explicitly states that "All internal (gearbox) components including - Bearings" are covered. This warranty not 3rd party but in the name of the dealership so I assume it is basically an extension to statutory rights under the sales of good act.

 

The dealer has said that all he needs to do is offer a 2nd hand gearbox regarless of the mileage it has covered. I'd say that a 2nd hand gearbox would be ok but as my parents paid for a car that's only done 57K miles, they shouldn't have to accept a higher mileage replacement.

 

The dealer doesn't have the facilities to fix/replace cars on site so it would be sent to another garage anyway. Ideally we would like our mechanic to fix it and for the dealer to reimburse the cost. The dealer hasn't been good at doing basic things that have been asked of him. The paintwork wasn't sorted on time so the car had to be taken back and even then it wasn't done as agreed. He hasn't provided documentation of the work carried out (oil seal and additive) despite multiple requests and saying he would.

 

The dealer is currently offering either a 2nd hand replacement gearbox (any mileage) or for my parents to pay £250 and get the bearings replaced (with him covering the difference). I don't think either of these is acceptable for a fault that was present at sale, on a part that should last the life of the car.

 

Any advice on our rights or the next step to take would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks for reading!

[Conniff]

What is the actual date of purchase ??

 

Can you name the dealer please ?

[Andy_616]

Oops, sorry I should have been more specific. I haven't got the invoice to hand but it was purchased at the beginning of May, probably the 2nd. The car has covered about 500 miles since then.

 

I've pm'd you the name of the dealer and their website address. I'd rather not name them publicly at this stage.

 

Thanks.