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I've discovered my car was in a serious accident before I bought it - what can I do?
I bought a vehicle from a dealer two and a half years ago. It has had the same mechanical issue four times and I have now discovered this is due to it being in a serious accident I am not aware of. What are my rights?
Asked on 8 December 2018 by Callum Gomes
Answered by
Honest John
Even at this late stage the supplying dealer is probably liable because he was obliged to inform you of the car's history. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations May 2008 (CPRs) incorporate The Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002 and contain a general prohibition against unfair commercial practices and, in particular prohibitions against misleading actions, misleading omissions and aggressive commercial practices. The Regulations are enforceable through the civil and criminal courts. The CPRs create an offence of misleading omissions which would not previously have been an offence if the consumer had not asked the right questions. So if a salesman knows a car has, for example, been badly damaged and repaired and does not tell the customer, he could later be held liable if the customer subsequently discovered that the car had been damaged and repaired. More: www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/consumer-rights/
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