What's wrong with my car?
I bought a 3-series BMW estate from a car supermarket about 18 months ago. It was high mileage (80,000) but was only four years old with a couple of previous owners. However, since buying the car, I have had a series of problems.
One tyre ran flat on a trip to France - we had to get two tyres to replace it because they didn't have the model in stock. We came back to England, had it serviced and was told the French garage hadn’t put run flat tyres on and replaced both of them again. Then, on another trip to France, we got punctures again and had to pay for them to be replaced.
Next, I had the car MoT’d and some body repairs done, but just two weeks later the car was making a dodgy noise and three wheel nuts were found to be loose. They were duly tightened by a recovery company, but now the tyre light is on again.
I'm pretty sure someone is ripping me off here, or there is something structurally wrong with the car, but I can't work out which. I have to take it to the garage (not least to have some sharp words about the wheel nuts), but am not sure how to frame my argument. Also, after I get these repairs done, should I sell the car as a bad lot?
One tyre ran flat on a trip to France - we had to get two tyres to replace it because they didn't have the model in stock. We came back to England, had it serviced and was told the French garage hadn’t put run flat tyres on and replaced both of them again. Then, on another trip to France, we got punctures again and had to pay for them to be replaced.
Next, I had the car MoT’d and some body repairs done, but just two weeks later the car was making a dodgy noise and three wheel nuts were found to be loose. They were duly tightened by a recovery company, but now the tyre light is on again.
I'm pretty sure someone is ripping me off here, or there is something structurally wrong with the car, but I can't work out which. I have to take it to the garage (not least to have some sharp words about the wheel nuts), but am not sure how to frame my argument. Also, after I get these repairs done, should I sell the car as a bad lot?
Asked on 3 December 2013 by Cherry R
Answered by
Honest John
BME TPMS measures variations in the rotation of the tyre, so if the wheel nuts were loose and the wheel was moving slightly on the hub, that would show up as a TPMS alert.
But your story is you had a puncture in France. The tyre was a write off so they replaced it and the other tyre on the same axle, but they replaced them with ordinary tyres.
You came back, found out that the tyres were not runflats and had them replaced with runflats.
Then you went to France again, had another puncture, and they replaced the tyres again. This may not have been a puncture. It may have been a failed rimseal or failed valve.
Now you say you had body repairs done, but you don't say why. This may have affected the TPMS sensors.
But your story is you had a puncture in France. The tyre was a write off so they replaced it and the other tyre on the same axle, but they replaced them with ordinary tyres.
You came back, found out that the tyres were not runflats and had them replaced with runflats.
Then you went to France again, had another puncture, and they replaced the tyres again. This may not have been a puncture. It may have been a failed rimseal or failed valve.
Now you say you had body repairs done, but you don't say why. This may have affected the TPMS sensors.
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