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A used car I bought three months ago broke down. Is the dealer responsible?
I brought Jaguar XE secondhand from a dealer in December 2019. After three months, the car suddenly stopped while driving and failed to start. A local garage diagnosed that the engine and turbo need to be replaced due to internal damage. I wrote to the the dealer and asked them to repair or refund the cost of car and they wrote back saying that they are not responsible, but as a goodwill gesture, they will pay for the repair of the turbo. What should I do, take this further (legal action) or accept the offer?
Asked on 18 May 2020 by Mohammed Ali
Answered by
Dan Powell
The answer will very much depend on the cause of the failure.
If it's a fault with the car then the dealer can be held liable for any problems that develop within the first six months of ownership. This is because the fault is deemed to be legally present of developing at the time of sale. That means the dealer will have to fix the car or give you your money back (minus a fee for the usage you've already had): www.honestjohn.co.uk/how-to-reject-a-car-your-cons.../
However, if the car ran out of oil or water then you will have no comeback against the dealer because this will be classed as (lack of) general maintenance.
If it's a fault with the car then the dealer can be held liable for any problems that develop within the first six months of ownership. This is because the fault is deemed to be legally present of developing at the time of sale. That means the dealer will have to fix the car or give you your money back (minus a fee for the usage you've already had): www.honestjohn.co.uk/how-to-reject-a-car-your-cons.../
However, if the car ran out of oil or water then you will have no comeback against the dealer because this will be classed as (lack of) general maintenance.
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