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We found fault with our car 5 days outside of the warranty - can we do anything?

We bought a 2013 Audi A4 from a dealer in July. The car was intended to be used by my daughter and family for the duration of her home visit from Australia (3 months) and for me to sell it when she flew back. The car appeared fine, when it was purchased, it came with a ‘ticked’ checklist and 3 month warranty. For the past month it’s been advertised for sale and sat on our drive. But after taking it for a car wash prior to a possible sale, I noticed the heating wasn’t working. As heating wasn’t required during the summer, I suspect this fault was present (undetected) at the point of sale. Unfortunately the warranty expired 5 days before the fault was noticed and the warranty company have rejected any claim. I’ve spoken with the garage that sold the car and they’ve also said they don’t accept any responsibility, as there was a checklist completed, showing the car was fine when sold. But I doubt they checked the heating in June/July. What options are open to me please.

Asked on 17 October 2024 by Cadno

Answered by David Ross
As the warranty had expired when you reported the fault, unfortunately the garage are under no obligation to rectify it under warranty - if they were to do so it would be at their discretion. Unless you can prove that the fault with the heater was present at the time of purchase then you have little recourse with the garage. If the fault had been present at the time of purchase and you returned the vehicle to them to report it, you would have some protection under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 as the vehicle was sold with a fault. You can pursue your claim with the garage but ultimately it may be unsuccessful.

You may wish to consider having the vehicle inspected by an independent Audi specialist, as it may be that the fault can be rectified quickly and cheaply.
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