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Water pump seized after six days

I have just bought a Vectra from a dealer, the dealer provided it with a third party warranty covering up to £500 parts and labour.

Within 6 days of ownership and less than 200 miles the water pump has seized, which melted the timing belt and caused the car to cut out. As it is classed as an interference engine my local garage have said it will almost certainly require a full rebuild due to bent valves etc.

The dealer I bought it from have said the warranty will cover the first £500, and they will then pay 50% of the remaining costs for the repair.

Where do I stand legally on this? Can I demand that they pay in full to have this resolved? Can I claim that this was sold as unfit for purpose, as it should reasonably be expected to be fine for longer than 6 days!

I paid 4.8k for the car, which has just under 48k on the clocks. So surely this car should be good for a long long time yet.

Asked on 24 June 2011 by Coupe2T

Answered by Honest John
The dealer is 100% liable for the entire cost of the repair or had to take the car back and give you your money back. Law here: www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/consumer-rights/
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