BMW 316i - customer options.

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Wed 18 Apr 2007 14:59
BMW 316i - customer options. - rbtw1
I recently bought (Feb 2007) a BMW 316i 1999 4 door saloon with 65,000 miles on the clock. The car cost £3900. I bought the car from a dealer. When i went to view the car it had a full service history. I took it for an hour test drive and no issues arose. The dealer didn't disclose any issues with the car. So happy with it i paid a deposit and collected the car the follwing day.

After 2 weeks of driving the coolant light came on followed by the oil light which were leaking I have been keeping the car topped up with coolant and oil until i could have it checked yesterday.

The garage has just told me the head gasket has broken, water pump is leaking, radiator is leaking, and various asscoiated works are required costing £1200 inc labour and VAT. Obviously i am annoyed and think the trader knew about these repairs prior to selling the car - but i have no proof.

Does anyone know if i have any rights or comeback to the trader? If so what should i do. Or am i just going to have to pay this bill.
any advice is appreciated thanks
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Wed 18 Apr 2007 15:07
BMW 316i - customer options. - local yokel
Don't authorise any work until you have informed the supplying dealer. Then report back here.
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Wed 18 Apr 2007 15:27
BMW 316i - customer options. - johnsnc
Pretty sure the normal practice is to point to the FAQ that seems to cover this situation

www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/faq.htm?id=43
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Wed 18 Apr 2007 15:36
BMW 316i - customer options. - rbtw1
As i thought they dont want to know. They said that when they sold it there was no evidence of any repairs needed and that these repairs have occured since purchase. I have looked on a few websites who say that:

"The law is clear; you are covered by the Sale of Goods Act 1979. A car must be:

Of satisfactory quality, bearing in mind its age, what it cost and how it was described to you. It should be free from serious defects, other than those you were made aware of

Fit for any reasonable purpose. The car should do all that you reasonably expect of it, including any specifics you state to the dealer. If you need a car for towing and the dealer says a 1-litre supermini will be fine, you can reject the car if it struggles

If your car is faulty, you have six months from the date of purchase in which you can reject it. You can demand repair or a replacement, unless it would cause 'disproportionate' or 'cause significant inconvenience' to the seller."

i think i will struggle to get anything out of the independant dealer. but i might go back to him armed with this information.
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Wed 18 Apr 2007 15:40
BMW 316i - customer options. - local yokel
Your next step is to ring Trading Standards - the dealer may be "known" to them.
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Wed 18 Apr 2007 15:45
BMW 316i - customer options. - Gromit {P}
One possible complication is, if the warning lights came on two weeks after you bought the car in February, but you haven't attended to the fault until April, you may have caused extra damage by introducing coolant into the oil and/or the combustion chambers.
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