What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Grasping for air

I bought a T reg Citroen Xsara West Coast 1.4 on May 21st this year for £1,200 from a dealer who gives a 3 month warranty. It was advertised as having A/C, but as I'm not a fan I only tried it once during the hot weather and it didn't make any difference. Last Friday I went back to the garage to check that I had done all that was necessary to turn the A/C on (no handbook came with the car), and they suggested that it had probably run out of gas, so I would need to have that topped up. This will cost me £49 + VAT, plus any work that may be necessary if any of the pipes are leaking. They say this is not included in the warranty, but there is nothing in writing to define what this covers. Although I may rarely use the A/C in normal circumstances, the fact that it was advertised as having this facility and the fact that it may well affect the resale value, makes me wish to have the work done, but at their expense. Would you feel justified in pressing them on this or am I being unfair? Knowing very little about cars, and not being a very forceful person, I'd like to know where I stand before going back to them. I'd appreciate any advice you can give me.

Asked on 26 September 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
It's a £1,200 banger. Expecting the dealer to cover relatively trivial failures is unlikely to be upheld in court whether under sale and supply of goods acts, or under the insured warranty he provided.
Dear Honest John,

Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:
    Select a few terms below
Similar questions
On the 16th of March I went to see and test drive a Nissan at the West-Way Garage Stourbridge. My daughter test drove a Nissan Micra Visia. As it did not have air conditioning we were keen to buy a Micra...
My Land Rover Discovery, bought 11 weeks and 2000 miles ago from a main Land Rover dealer, now has badly worn front lower arm rear bushes. This has caused uneven tyre wear. I still have the 'personal...
I bought a Megane at a Renault dealer as it was marked as a *Star Buy*, but has a few problems like: .Driver seatbelt has stopped retracting .Dented door sill .Broken AC radiator .Handbrake handle getting...