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Land Rover Discovery engine failure - who is liable for the repair costs?
Our daughter purchased a 3.5-year-old Land Rover Discovery with 40,000 miles on the clock six months ago, for which she paid £45,000. The car broke down last Friday, the RAC Recovery Technician could not get it started and suggested that it be towed to a local, highly reputable, garage which has investigated and has advised that the engine is not fit for purpose and needs to be replaced. The sum of £9000 plus labour has been quoted for a new engine
We are waiting to hear what the dealer who sold her the car has to say on the matter. If they reject any liability for the cost of replacing the engine can you advise us please on what steps we could take to recover the costs?
We are waiting to hear what the dealer who sold her the car has to say on the matter. If they reject any liability for the cost of replacing the engine can you advise us please on what steps we could take to recover the costs?
Asked on 14 October 2021 by Robin Allan
Answered by
Dan Powell
It's difficult to advise without knowing the exact cause of the engine failure.
If the engine failed due to a manufacturing fault or some other hidden problem then I would expect the dealer to pay for the repair or replace the vehicle, as the problem would have been present or developing at the time of sale. But, if the issue is due to general maintenance (low oil or water, for example), the dealer may argue your daughter is to blame for the failure.
Either way, the car will probably need to be transported to the dealer that sold the car for inspection. Only then can the seller confirm the fault and accept/argue liability.
For your consumer rights, see: www.honestjohn.co.uk/how-to-reject-a-car-your-cons.../
If the engine failed due to a manufacturing fault or some other hidden problem then I would expect the dealer to pay for the repair or replace the vehicle, as the problem would have been present or developing at the time of sale. But, if the issue is due to general maintenance (low oil or water, for example), the dealer may argue your daughter is to blame for the failure.
Either way, the car will probably need to be transported to the dealer that sold the car for inspection. Only then can the seller confirm the fault and accept/argue liability.
For your consumer rights, see: www.honestjohn.co.uk/how-to-reject-a-car-your-cons.../
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