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

I bought a cheap Ford Mondeo which broke down - does the dealer have any responsibility?

I bought a 1999 Ford Mondeo 1.8i two weeks ago for £895 from a dealer. I was told it would be serviced and, for them, safety was paramount and that I would not have a problem with this car. At first I thought the car was sluggish, but what do I know? The problem got steadily worse and I work away from home, so at the start of the second week I had decided to go back to the dealer when I got home at the weekend. However, on the way home (the cars fourth journey), the clutch burnt out on the motorway and left me stranded. I was quoted over £500 to fix the car. When I phoned the dealer about this he basically said tough, to read my invoice (which is in the car 200 miles away) and that they didn't know. Is there anything I can do or is it basically 'tough'?

Asked on 31 July 2010 by Smoke Tweed

Answered by Honest John
This was a banger and basically a car that listed at more than £15,000 new for less than £1000. So it's unreasonable to expect it to be perfect. You might still have some consumer rights against the dealer, but age and price paid would be taken into account by a court.
Similar questions
I bought a 2009 MINI Cooper S in February. Since then I have put 1100 miles on it. About a month ago, I noticed it was making a strange screeching noise when I pulled away from a standstill. My local garage...
I have no knowledge regarding vehicle mechanics. However, I have been driving for over 30 years and have never had to replace a clutch before around 70,000 + miles. I have had my Hyundai i20 from new (2014)...
I brought a Skoda Yeti from a Skoda main dealer four months ago for £7000. I've been on maternity leave and only drove the car small journeys (only done 1500 miles). I recently went back to work via the...
 

Value my car

Save £75 on Warranty using code HJ75

with MotorEasy

Get a warranty quote

Save 12% on GAP Insurance

Use HJ21 to save on an ALA policy

See offer