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The cambelt in my Citroen has deteriorated despite only owning the car for seven months, what are my options?
I have a Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer. It was registered in March 2019, and I bought it second hand in April 2021. A few months ago, the car cut out and a fault came up "Oil Pressure Fault" (it cut out on a motorway). It has since been diagnosed that the cambelt has deteriorated. Citroen has refused to contribute as apparently the car does not meet their criteria (as has done over 60,000 miles) - even though they acknowledged this as a common fault with this car. Where do we stand legally on this issue?
Asked on 29 November 2023 by James Christopher Hall
Answered by
David Ross
We would have hoped for better service than you have received, especially as you have only owned the car since April. If you have not done so already, we would suggest writing a letter of complaint to Citroen UK by recorded post, explaining the situation and outlining your dissatisfaction with the response, especially as it has been acknowledged that this is a known fault.
If this is unsuccessful you could try to reject the vehicle on the grounds that it is not of sufficient quality. Although you have owned the vehicle for seven months, which is outside the initial six months where your rights are at their strongest, you have up to 12 months to reject the vehicle. We would think it is reasonable to expect a four year old vehicle to last for more than seven months before experiencing a significant mechanical issue. You can read more about this process here: www.honestjohn.co.uk/how-to-reject-a-car-your-cons.../
If this is unsuccessful you could try to reject the vehicle on the grounds that it is not of sufficient quality. Although you have owned the vehicle for seven months, which is outside the initial six months where your rights are at their strongest, you have up to 12 months to reject the vehicle. We would think it is reasonable to expect a four year old vehicle to last for more than seven months before experiencing a significant mechanical issue. You can read more about this process here: www.honestjohn.co.uk/how-to-reject-a-car-your-cons.../
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