Renault scenic rx4 - Faulty car- want to return it

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Mon 13 May 2013 09:51
Renault scenic rx4 - Faulty car- want to return it - robg58

I bought a Renault Rx4 at the weekend after answering a classified ad on ebay which stated that the car was stunning, excellent driver etc .

When I got home I was looking over the car the next morning and had a good look underneath the car which we could not do in the garage,only to discover that the propshaft to the rear wheels was missing. Not too happy as I bought the car for the 4 wheel drive, which I mentioned to the owner several times when I was there.

I called him up and told him the propshaft was missing so therefore it was not a 4 wheel drive car , he claimed not to know it was a 4 wheel drive , he replied that he never said it was in his ad , he also mentioned while we were there that he had sold several of them. As a car dealer I feel he was trying to mislead the public by not mentioning the 4 wheel drive in his ad. By the time I got back home the ad that I replied to and saved in my watch list had changed to a Citroen Picasso with almost the exact same wording in the advert. I have a copy of the original on my other computer which I will print off.

He also claimed that they had gone over the car and checked it and that it had been checkedto multi point checklist by the dealers who took it in part exchange, he claimed that they would not take it in part exchange if it did not pass the checklist,you would think that 2 lots of professional car dealers might have noticed something like a missing propshaft.

He has offered to get a propshaft from a scrap yard for the car which I am not too happy about.

What are my options?Am I right in telling him that I am rejecting the car and would like a full refund.

Rob

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Mon 13 May 2013 11:03
Renault scenic rx4 - Faulty car- want to return it - bathtub tom

Clearly it's not as advertised and I'd suggest you'd be entitled to a full refund even from a private seller, let alone from what appears to be a dealer.

I'd not accept a propshaft under any circumstances. I suspect it was removed for a reason!

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Mon 13 May 2013 18:10
Renault scenic rx4 - Faulty car- want to return it - 72 dudes

1). Don't buy cars off e-bay.

2). The advert you have on your other computer is critical. Even if it doesn't mention the 4 wheel drive, if the ad says it's an RX4, then any reasonable person would expect it to be a 4x4.

The seller is simply lying saying he didn't know it was a 4 wheel drive. And the dealer who took it in part/ex probably knew all about the missing propshaft too. Unfortunately this is all heresay.

Under the Sale of Goods Act, the car was not as described, i.e. an RX4 Scenic. Therefore you should politely but firmly tell the seller this and ask for a refund. If there's any hesitation, mention that you intend to pursue the matter through Small Claims Court and leave (very) negative feedback on e-bay.

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Wed 22 May 2013 21:32
Renault scenic rx4 - Faulty car- want to return it - robg58

Update : the ads the guy runs on ebay are a bit of a scam as by the time I got home , clicked on the ad in my watch list and it had changed to a Citroen Picasso but with exactly the same item number which changed again a few days later to a Renault Laguna,I have reported him to ebay, as he is going into the ad of the car he has just sold edits it by changing the picture and text then relists it with the same item ID.

I also spoke to someone at Autotrader, this was after my latest phone call to the dealer which descended into a barrage of abuse from him ,so much so that I could hardly get a word in,I informed him that I had contacted Trading Standards he said he had dealt with millions of these and the law was on his side!! She kindly emailed me a copy of the ad he had placed for the same car in Autotrader.

I have taken the car to an independant garage for an assessment of the car , they found much more than I expected :

1

Missing propshaft

2

Rear coupling at diff badly damaged (possible reason why propshaft was removed)

3

Flat performance- fault codes

4

N/S/R Road spring broken

5

N/S/R Lower shock absorber mount badly worn

6

O/S/F Under wheel arch trim –brake pipe on wrong side –rubbing

7

N/S/F Fog lamp broken

8

Front anti roll bar D bushes perished and worn

9

Air conditioning not working –possibly needs regassing

10

Front tyres worn on edges

11

Rear and front brakes possible sticky pads

12

O/S/F hub bearing worn- needs replacing ASAP

13

N/S/F hub bearing worn- needs replacing

14

O/S/R Hub bearing worn – needs replacing

15

Rear suspension very noisy

16

Preheating relay circuit fault code active

I spoke to Trading Standards again who advised me to send a recorded delivery letter formally rejecting the car and requesting a refund under the Sale of Goods Act.

Is this the correct route to follow?

Rob

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Wed 22 May 2013 21:55
Renault scenic rx4 - Faulty car- want to return it - tony g
Hi rob,
I'm sorry to say that your probably wasting your time with this guy .

Although the law is on your side ,this guy won't refund your money or pay for any repairs .

Trading standards are a toothless organisation that only give advice ,some of which is wrong ,they very rarely instigate action against dealers .

Your only course of action is the small claims court ,however that will cost you £300 to pursue ,and if the guy has no money or assets you won't get paid .In addition the rx4 is an old model that's not been made for quite a while now ,so your legal rights are diminished.

I would put this one down to experience and next time you buy , take someone with you that knows cars.
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Mon 4 Aug 2014 16:24
Renault scenic rx4 - Faulty car- want to return it - jpilch

I was wondering if you could tell me the reg of the vehicle you had? I have recently bought an rx4 (blue) that had every single issue you described, except for there had been a prop shaft installed (the owner claimed he did himself) but the rear diff is bust. Same fog light, pretty much all the bearings, a/c etc. Loads of fault codes that since cleared has improved performance massively but still sounds terrible with bearings etc.

Please let me know if this may be your old vehicle, if you sold it and the new owner knew of the problems then I would really like to know as I'm going to eBay and asking for a refund. We bought this car as a cheapish family car to get around and can't afford to repair all this or buy a new car. The ad stated it was mwchanicly sound and is absolutely not.

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Wed 22 May 2013 21:57
Renault scenic rx4 - Faulty car- want to return it - tony g
( 2). The advert you have on your other computer is critical. Even if it doesn't mention the 4 wheel drive, if the ad says it's an RX4, then any reasonable person would expect it to be a 4x4.)

The Suzuki SX4 is front wheel drive ,unless you buy the 4grip version .
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Wed 22 May 2013 22:34
Renault scenic rx4 - Faulty car- want to return it - robg58

The woman I spoke to at Autotrader said if I needed any further help with trading standards pursuing the dealer to get back in touch.

I will probably send him the letter tomorrow ,if that fails I may drive the car down to outside his garage at the weekend and stick a large sign in it detailing why potential customers should not buy a car from him and a list of faults found on the one I bought.

This really p***es me off as it's the first time I have bought a car from a dealer as I usually buy at auction and take my chances.

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Thu 23 May 2013 18:05
Renault scenic rx4 - Faulty car- want to return it - 72 dudes
( 2). The advert you have on your other computer is critical. Even if it doesn't mention the 4 wheel drive, if the ad says it's an RX4, then any reasonable person would expect it to be a 4x4.)
The Suzuki SX4 is front wheel drive ,unless you buy the 4grip version .

All RX4 Scenics were 4 wheel drive though.

Keep on what you are doing, but as tony g says, you may have to go down the small claims court route.

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Thu 23 May 2013 20:07
Renault scenic rx4 - Faulty car- want to return it - robg58

the original ad has now changed to a 55 plate Nissan Almera with the same ebay item number!!

Sent the letter of rejection along with the list of faults by special delivery - just have to wait and see now.

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