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Can I reject my used car?

I bought a 2010 Audi A8 last year, but have always felt that something was not quite right with it. The problems started under light acceleration, with a lag in power then a sudden surge. I initially put it down to my getting used to the car, but eventually had it checked by the dealer who reported no fault.

However, the problems continued and, after visits to the dealer, I decided to go elsewhere and have it checked at a local garage. The next day the garage reported that the car surged twice under a test run and the computer showed a number of faults:

U111300 Functional Impairment due to received fault value
P034100 Camshaft position sender G40 Implausible signal
P049100 Secondary Air system bank 1 Flow too low

The car is now back with the dealer (where it has been for three weeks) and my question is: can I reject the car?

Asked on 17 October 2013 by Doid

Answered by Honest John
It's a bit late to reject the car under Clegg v Olle Andersson, House of Lords, 2003. And if the dealer contests it, taking the case to the County Court, you could face costs of £15,000 with no guarantee of a favourable result. However, you can demand that the dealer who sold you the car either repairs it or pays for it to be repaired, and you can sue for that in small claims for up to £10,000.

I think the dealer knows there is something wrong and that it could be expensive to fix, and that's why he is stalling. Audi has been known to play about with the mapping of this engine for various reasons and that might be the root of the problem. Law: www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/consumer-rights/

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