Ford Focus 1.8 petrol 03 reg - Faulty Ford Focus Dealer Issues

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Mon 5 Aug 2013 23:56
Ford Focus 1.8 petrol 03 reg - Faulty Ford Focus Dealer Issues - fordfocusfiasco

Hello HJ forum

5 weeks ago I bout a 10yr old 94000m Ford Focus.

Under no illusions, I fully expected some wear and tear etc on a vehicle of this age and mileage and I also realised I would have to get timing belt changed pretty soon.

When test drove I noticed a faint knocking sound coming from rear of vehicle but otherwise all seemed good. I mentioned the noise to the dealer and he assured me that before I picked up the car it would go through their workshop and have a "full health check" and that they would pay specific attention to find the noise.

I put down a deposit (CC) and paid the rest (DbtC) when I picked up the car 48hrs later.

I asked whether the fault had been found and was told that it was a loose bracket on the exhaust and that it had been fixed.

They gave me a 3 month warranty against failure of parts on the car.

I have driven the car about 700miles. On several occasions (windows down, radio off, quiet road) I thought I heard the noise again however I dismissed it/thought I must be imagining it because that exhaust had been fixed, right?

Anyway I booked it in for cam belt, service and health check by a reputable garage....

You guessed it, failed rear arm suspension. The nearside bush was completely free and that was causing the noise. The mechanics have said that 1. It would be an immediate mot failure i.e. not roadworthy 2. that the damage was very unlikely to be caused in just 5 weeks and 700miles and 3. that it was very easily detected (it was, even I could see it when the car was up).

I contacted the dealer and he wanted me to bring the car into him. I suggested he go over to the garage it was in (5 mins up the road from him) to see because I wasn't in position to take it to him and did not want to drive it as it was unroadworthy. I did not want his workshop to do the work as I no longer trusted them. I wanted the reputable garage to do the work and have the dealership pay for the repair. He refused and blustered and then did offer to pay £100 towards the repair.

Estimate is £270-£300

I'm particularly disturbed that they lied about checking the vehicle, especially when ithe fault makes it less safe to drive.

What would you do?

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Tue 6 Aug 2013 06:58
Ford Focus 1.8 petrol 03 reg - Faulty Ford Focus Dealer Issues - Armitage Shanks {p}

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/consumer-rights/

You MUST let the supplying dealer fix the fault. If you don't it makes things difficult.

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Tue 6 Aug 2013 11:08
Ford Focus 1.8 petrol 03 reg - Faulty Ford Focus Dealer Issues - tony g
Take the offer of £100 and let a garage do the repair that you trust .

There are two issues here ,what the law says your entitled to ,and what's realistic .

You bought a ten year old car with nearly 100k miles ,its nearing the end of its useful life .

If you were to pursue this dealer through the SCC ,you will certainly get a judgement in your favour ,but its a lengthy process that can cost in the region of £300 ,if your claim has to go through the court .All this on a car that has a retail value of £1000 .If the dealer has no money or assets ,you won't get paid .

Put this one down to experience and be more cautious next time .

Edited by tony g on 06/08/2013 at 11:09

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Tue 6 Aug 2013 11:30
Ford Focus 1.8 petrol 03 reg - Faulty Ford Focus Dealer Issues - Andrew-T
Take the offer of £100 and let a garage do the repair that you trust .

You bought a ten year old car with nearly 100k miles ,its nearing the end of its useful life .

Agreed - you said yourself that you were under no illusions, but one illusion may be the expectation that a garage selling 10-year-old cars can (or will) afford (or have the expertise) to fix more than simple basic faults on cars worth £1000 or less. The reason that cars in decent nick at that age are so cheap is that they are likely to need some costly work doing. The seller has probably picked them up at auction and won't have been able to check them thoroughly. If they drive OK and have time on the MoT they should sell.

So buy cheap, but expect to spend on some fixes.

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