Hello all, new to all this but i need some advice big time!
Apologize if it is long winded but i have to explain the situation thoroughly - hope i have posted it in the correct section.
My wife purchased a Picanto in February after her previous one was stolen (PVC double glazing for you)
She bought a 2000 mile 2005 example from a local Skoda dealer and like a fool i did not go with her.
As part of the deal a 12 month warranty was offered and the car would be serviced for her also.
The car is very pretty but i was troubled by the lack of a service history book and no alarm/key plippers.
The dealer was the first owner of the vehicle incidentally and fobbed her off with "it has no alarm plipper and you lock/unlock with the key" (funny the previous one didn't!)
She began complaining about erratic idling of the engine a day or two after purchase and also that she kept stalling the car when she reversed - i put it down to imagination but blow me she was right.
I let a friend of mine who is a mechanic look at the car and he concluded just from a quick examination that its antifreeze was very rusty - which he showed me, you could see the rust staining on the radiator cap, also that the engine was not running smoothly and seemed to be down on one cylinder resulting in the bad idle.
Also he thought the engine was very grubby for such low mileage especially the cooling system.
His advice was to take it back under warranty and get them to sort it out, which she did last week.
Garage in question said they would service it under warranty (funny they were supposed to have done this on purchase) and flush the cooling system so the car was duly left with them.
The running problem persisted after collection, the oil light started flickering and sometimes the engine struggled to start when hot so this time i asked my friend to check it out thoroughly and give me a "health report"
Bad News is an understatement!
1. First off the filthy rusty stuff is still in the radiator.
2. Flickering of the oil light was because the oil level was so low it did not register on the dipstick - took over a liter to get it back to correct level - he reckons it was beginning to seize up.
3. Oil filter had not been changed - same grubby dirty thing is still fitted.
4. The oil has not been changed.
5. The sump plug was loose!!! that's how he noticed the oil was old as it was all over the bottom of the sump.
6. Spark plugs are worn, look like they have done 12000 miles not 2000.
7. Only service part that was new was the air filter and even that was a few months old.
Now here comes the best bit - compression at best is 175psi (should be between 200 to 250 according to Autodata) and the worst cylinder is 135 psi.
It puffs like a steam engine with the with the oil cap removed, which he reckons is excessive back pressure from the damaged cylinders/piston rings.
Best of all the engine now smokes from the exhaust with the engine hot after a run when you rev it - further proof the cylinders/rings are damaged he claims because it now burns oil.
I took the list of faults to my friendly dealer - manager went red in the face and got very, very angry " who is this mechanic?" he demanded to know and tried to tell me the antifreeze is supposed to be rusty in colour.
Have to admit he was so nasty it scared me .... now its booked in for this Wednesday and he will personally check it out.
Now what do i do? reading the FAQ's about duff cars i have to give them three chances to sort it or else - i am afraid a fight is going to break out!
Any advice short of taking a "minder" with me?
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First off,2000 miles on a 4 year old car?You having a laugh?
I would take the car back and hand in the keys with a full letter rejecting the car as not fit for its purpose.I would also tell the dealer that you'll be informing trading standards.I would demand my money back within 7 days or else you'll take them to small claims court.
The garage sounds like a right cowboy outfit.Don't bother trying to let them fix it...it sounds terminal if cylinders are not up to full compression.
Reject the car now..
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Well thanks for the advice Videodoctor.
Just to let you know that the cars engine "expired" on Saturday when she took it to a local garage to get verified confirmation from a trading garage - who incidentally told her you have little to no chance "trust me" of getting your money back....... let them fix it, its the best your going to get from them.
Dealer was called, manager (Mr Angry) turned up "Tout De Suite" and was demonstrated the car- a large plume of smoke engulfed the whole garage she said.
The dealer now reckons its a duff head gasket and has recovered the car to investigate the problem.
Incidentally i told my Mechanic friend about the latest development and he reckons its now "knackered" more like severe bore/piston damage than a head gasket as the amount of smoke she described means its now pretty terminal as you said it would be Videodoctor.
Also he reckons the oil may have an effect on the performance of the catalyst, so enjoy next years MOT test.
I definitely don't want it now!
But i have a few questions that are not clear to me in the "rejecting a duff car" sale of goods act.
1. Does this act apply to a low mileage (alleged) car such as this Picanto which lasted 8 weeks that was sold to my wife - dealer supplying it being registered as the first owner - its technically secondhand? It was however a retail sale not a trade sale.
2.The guide also says i have to give them three chances to make amends - this is just the second time.
3. Can i just march into the dealership and demand my money back as i have been told - they have the car and keys already and i need only deliver the rejection letter and logbook to finish off.
Anymore input would be much appreciated
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There are so many dubious elements to this car. It's especially worrying to me that it was supplied by a franchised dealer, albeit one supplying a different marque.
I feel that you should involve trading standards in this case. Any repairs to this vehicle will be unsatisfactory to you, you have lost confidence in the car, rightly so.
Sadly, for most of us, the legal process has become too complex and expensive in such cases.
I wish you the best of luck.
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Thanks for your honesty doctorchris, next step i think has to be Trading standards.
Thank you again.
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Bought from a Skoda dealer? Seems some of them are intent on losing that make's good reputation.
Yet they are the first registered keeper, which makes no sense.
It's done 2,000 miles, yet has signs of having done 60,000.
M'thinks this car has got more history than the Tower of London.
It's very easy for us on here to say: 'Reject it', but march harder to do.
However, in this case I think there are so many problems and unanswered questions, rejecting it is the only sensible course.
The Skoda garage should be ashamed of themselves, they must have known this car is not right and they've clearly tried to palm it off onto the first mug - in their eyes - who comes along.
I'd expect better than that from Arthur Daley.
Edited by ifithelps on 13/04/2009 at 11:47
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I'd expect better than that from Arthur Daley.
Some sales guys have little or no conscience, many years ago i delivered a particularly dreadful used small hatch with a duff auto gearbox, ISTR it was ex driving school rubbish.
I told the chap at the large dealership just how bad the box was, his reply being that he'd palm it off onto some old lady....i just hope the lady turned out to be Geoff Capes' mum.
This car sounds a rum do, i too hope the Op can get rid, he'll never be happy with it.
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Not only the sales guys;many on these fora recommend trading-in as soon as you see the slightest trouble-could be you've bought one of their cars.
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I know it's a secondhand car and not made by the franchise, but I wonder if the OP might get some leverage via Skoda?
They might try to distance themselves, but any car leaving a Skoda dealer in this condition reflects badly on the garage, and by association, on Skoda.
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Something smells extremely fishy here.Why would a Skoda dealer register a Kia in their name?Do they have a Kia dealership as well? Are they registered as the original keeper or the second?
I was in the trade for many years and could fill a book with 'dodgy dealing' practices.There are two scenario's which seem to fit the bill though.
The car was used by a staff member who did a very high milage and the speedo has been changed, possibly more than once,and never serviced.
The car has been used by ,for example, the sales director's grandmother,the milage is genuine, and has never been serviced.They probably intended to stamp the book(fraudulently) but forgot to.
If they have genuinely owned this car from new someone knows the history of it and I think the threat of involving trading standards/Skoda will soon see you minus a Kia and plus a cheque.
Further, a solicitors letter always had the customers desired effect in every situation like this in my experience.
Best of luck!
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In this part of the UK some of the Skoda dealers are multi-franchise.
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So much of this doesn't add up. In addition to what others have said:
Can I ask have you the registration doc showing that the !st registered keeper was the dealer? And if so, is he the only keeper?
If he did have the service book he would stamp it himself to assist the sale, surely!
As per videodoctor. I would take them a letter rejecting the car & demanding your money back; & it never does any harm taking a minder with you!
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Coming to this rather late in the day but, if the car is 4 years old it will have had at least one MOT? Who did it and what was the recorded mileage on the date of the test? If the supplying garage/first owner did the test this may not be a foolproof indication of the true mileage.
Edited by Armitage Shanks {p} on 17/04/2009 at 20:14
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