Ford Focus 1.8 TCDI - Head Gasket - return the car to dealer?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Mon 7 Jan 2013 19:07
Ford Focus 1.8 TCDI - Head Gasket - return the car to dealer? - Nikki Donaldson

Evening All,

I have a predicament.

I bought the above vehicle 10 days ago on a 52 plate. On 15minute 'in traffic' test drive all seemed ok apart from the heating. The heating came out cold. i was assured this was just a thermostat switch that needed replacing and i agreed the reduced rate of £1450 from £1800 with the dealer.

I drove it to do a few errands and noticed on my way home that the thermostat was almost at 100%, rung my Dad to get him to book it in at the garage to get it sorted. He called my recovery firm instead and asked their advice and was told stop driving it and call us to recover the vehicle. Each time i stopped and turned the engine off, left it for 10 minutes the temperature would return to normal when i switched it on again.

I did as was asked by the recovery team and waited for the mechanic to arrive.

The mechanic looked under the car and noticed a radiator pipe was not in its retaining clip, corrected it. Ran further checks and couldnt decide whether to allow me to drive home or to recover the vehicle as this had not solved the problem. He finally settled on it being the oil collant seal and not the head gasket. Whilst it was very late in the day and i was unaware of my rights i opted to recover it to a garage.

The mechanic noted that my water tank was black which indicated this being a problem for a long time and not something that i could have done in 3 hours. Does the dealer have a duty of care and should he have known about this? Should he have told me?

The garage have run checks on my vehicle and still cant get to the bottom of the fault and i am told it has had the engine flushed through and they cant look at it until next tuesday. This will mean it is past my 14 day 'cooling of period' within my statutory rights so do i cut my losses and make the garage take it back? Hoiwever they are hinting at it being the head gasket.

I have got a receipt saying 'sold as seen' but i know this means nothing when it comes to dealer sales.

Im aware of the 'fit for purpose' claim within Trading Standards which i can return my car under as it is not fit for the purpose it was bought for..................driving!!!! im fully aware that the dealer will argue with me in as much as 'you were aware of the heating problem'

However.........................

Is the cold air heating issue linked to the overheating of the car? If it isnt linked i can make them take the car back as they reduced the price of the vehicle based on the interior heating issue and not this further problem which has been discovered within 3 hours of having the car.

Any help would be appreciated on both a mechanical and a returning front.

Thank you for reading.

Nikki

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 7 Jan 2013 19:11
Ford Focus 1.8 TCDI - Head Gasket - return the car to dealer? - sandy56

I wouldnt drive the car as you may damage it but inform the dealer the car is faulty and you want your money back. COuld be a number of possible problems.

Any problems then tell him you will be in touch with trading standards.

see your legal rights on this website.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 7 Jan 2013 19:20
Ford Focus 1.8 TCDI - Head Gasket - return the car to dealer? - Nikki Donaldson

Thanks Sandy56

I spoke with him today, and informed him of the problems and he all but politely told me to go away, there was nothing he could do as he had written sold as seen and i refused a warranty he offerred, which must have been in a whisper or sign languauge as i have no recollection of that. I havent driven the car since it was recovered.

I told him i would be in touvch with Trading Standards and he said do what you want...............helpful chap! He did have a bit of a moan about not having any money to correct the problem and that he'd made a loss. Neither of which are my problem or concern. I was very calm with him on the phone.

Do i write a letter to them maybe?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 7 Jan 2013 19:29
Ford Focus 1.8 TCDI - Head Gasket - return the car to dealer? - focussed

A motor dealer writing "sold as seen" on a sales invoice has no effect whatsoever on the rights of the purchaser.

It merely higlights the fact that said dealer hasn't got a clue about current consumer rights

Get round to trading standards or get a solicitor asap.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 7 Jan 2013 19:41
Ford Focus 1.8 TCDI - Head Gasket - return the car to dealer? - Nikki Donaldson

Thank you for your advice.

Do you know whether the interior heating not working could be linked to the head gasket?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 7 Jan 2013 20:14
Ford Focus 1.8 TCDI - Head Gasket - return the car to dealer? - Happy Blue!

Classic failure mode I think for a failed head gasket is no heat in the car. It implies that the coolant is going elsewhere other than into the heater matrix.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 7 Jan 2013 20:31
Ford Focus 1.8 TCDI - Head Gasket - return the car to dealer? - Nikki Donaldson

Thank you. I wouldnt have known that, would you expect your average dealer have known this?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 7 Jan 2013 20:38
Ford Focus 1.8 TCDI - Head Gasket - return the car to dealer? - tony g
Hi nikki,
You have an absolute right to return the car and get your money back.
Don't bother with trading standards ,they are ineffective .

You don't need a solicitor ,write to the dealer and tell the him if he doesn't return your money you will pursue him in the small claims court .

It will cost you about £200 to issue a claim in the SCC ,the process is simple and you will definitely succeed .

The first thing you need is a written confirmation of the fault and an estimate of the cost to repair ,any competent mechanic will be able to confirm the fault .

Download the blank forms you need from the net .The dealer will also have to refund your court costs .Plus bailiff costs if he doesn't attend court or pay within 14 days .

The only issue is ,does the dealer have the funds to pay you ,does he operate from premises ,does he have other cars for sale .Bailiffs will seize his goods if he doesn't pay .

Good luck

Tony g
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 7 Jan 2013 21:19
Ford Focus 1.8 TCDI - Head Gasket - return the car to dealer? - Nikki Donaldson

Thank you Tony g

The dealer operates from a small section of a portacabin on a busy garage (mechanical)forcourt and does have other cars for sale.

Nikki

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 13 Jan 2013 20:17
Ford Focus 1.8 TCDI - Head Gasket - return the car to dealer? - geordielad47

Hi Nikki .. it takes exactly 1 minuite to do a pressure test on the car .. which will indicate wether the head has gone or not ... the normal classic cases are water mixing with oil and vice versa ... And if either the recovey bloke .. or garage dealer had taken the cap off the oil filler and it looked like coffee on the lid then it would be a sure sign the head was gone .. and this normally means the water is going through the exhaust and out the rear of the car .. the other way is . the oil is going through the waterways and the header tank is normally gunged up .. so three simple ways for the dealer to know the head was gone before you bought it ... or is gone now . and in fact now that i have told you of two of them .. you could do them yourself .. and let him think you are not an idiot .... I say this because i have my own car repair garage/sales/recovery ... and it boils me when i hear of these back street cowboys giving all us good natured ones a bad name and ripping Females off .. just for a few quid .. which you have probably spent a while saving ... just aswell you can't swear on these sites as i would throw my real feeling out towards theese guys ... also Nikki .. pull the dipstick out and see what colour that is .. if it is the same coffee sort of colour then it is a 100% dead cert ... and don't let him fob you off with anything else

All my cars go out with 12 months mot .. a full service ... i don't put warranties on mine .. because they are a con .. and not worth the paper they are written on ... but i will honour any deal i make with any of my customers ... even if cars have written in the windoe ...SOLD AS SEEN ...

Reply | Report as offensive | Link