Very long story - Back in at the start of December 07 I bought a second hand Opel Vectra from a New and Used car dealer. I traded my old Astra in as a part exchange and all seemed well. At the time of buying the car I asked (twice) if the car had ever been hit and both times I was told no. The reason I asked was that the steering wheel was not straight when I test drove it, although the car drove straight if you lifted you hands off the wheel, i.e. didn't pull to one side or anything. He did however tell me that the front bumper had been blown in because of a few scuff marks.
Anyway I've since had to:
1. put 4 new tyres on the car (Jan 11th)
2. get the wheels aligned (Mar 8th) at which point the guy doing the wheel alignment asked if the car had been hit because the wheel alignment was so far out- I said I'd been told no.
3. Put another 2 tyres on the front as the ones from Jan were now un-roadworthy.
While checking the car over for MOT the other night, my Dad and I took the front Grill off to see why the headlight washers weren't working. We then discovered that the front crossmember (crash bar) was damaged and pushed back against the fan and stopping it from working. So obviously the car had been involved in a front end smash of some sort.
I got on to the Citizens advice and they told me that I had a pretty good case to go back to the dealer with. When I contacted him he flew off the handle and said how could I prove that it wasn't me who did the damage and why has it taken me 4 months to get back to him. However when I mentioned Misrepresentation of the vehicle at the time of purchase he soon changed his tune
As it stands I've to take the car back to him next week for him to have a look at it. I've also been told by friends to contact the Trading standards to see where I stand with this. Is there any advise on what other damage I should be looking for on the car, i.e. chassis legs etc.
Oh and the car past its MOT last night thankfully.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 11/04/2008 at 19:42
|
Hi there,
I bet you're feeling pretty gutted right now, and that comes over in your post. I want to make a few observations, though. I'm making an assumption from your screen name that your in NI.
You bought a 6 or 7 year old car, that at some time in its life had suffered a front end bump. This was most likely never recorded on the HPI register (which I believe applies to NI, although the fact that this is an OPEL Vectra suggests it may at some point have been imported from the South.)
You never noticed any evidence of accident damage when you bought the car, and it may well be that the dealer didn't either. However, I would have expected a franchised dealer to have put any car he was retailing through the workshop, at least for a safety check. Unless, of course, you bought the car as a trade-in / sold as seen (quite possible on a vehicle of this age, although the dealer should still have at least done a check for basic safety). I'm puzzled, with the stuck fan, that it hasn't been overheating - perhaps over in the North you don't have to sit in traffic queues ;-).
I would be surprised if you have any chassis distortion. Obviously without seeing the vehicle, I can't advise you further. I would suggest that if the dealer is willing to pull the crashbar out (or replace it if it is a bolt on,) and fix the fan, you'll be doing fine.
|
Sorry, I should have commented on the wheel alignment issues.
The steering wheel position and tracking error may be evidence of accident-related alignment issues. However, a good 'kerbing' can put alignment out enough to scrub a pair of tyres in months. Did your tyre fitter use two wheel or four wheel alignment? A four wheel alignment rig would soon show up any serious alignment problem. The fact that the car drives true is probably a good indicator that nothing too bad is going on.
|
Sorry I should have commented on the wheel alignment issues. The steering wheel position and tracking error may be evidence of accident-related alignment issues. However a good 'kerbing' can put alignment out enough to scrub a pair of tyres in months. Did your tyre fitter use two wheel or four wheel alignment? A four wheel alignment rig would soon show up any serious alignment problem. The fact that the car drives true is probably a good indicator that nothing too bad is going on.
Sorry i don't know the difference... My bad!
what I can say is that i seen them put a hanger with measurements on the back wheels then another hanger with the laser on the front wheels and then adjust the front wheels so they were parallel. Sorry its in laymans terms...
|
|
|
|
Very well observed, i am in northern ireland and thankfully my daily commute is a 40 minute drive without any traffic congestion. I am worried however that as it's coming into the summer now the fan will obviously need to be going.
I've had a friend who works in the car trade get a check done on the vehicle and the report has come back clean. But all that suggests is that the accident was never recorded or didn't go through the insurance. Although I am happy in some way, at least I know the car has never been involved in a big smash.
When I contacted the dealer he said to me that he knew nothing about the damage and that the previous owner was a local man who he knew very well and that he'd told him he'd never hit the car. I find this odd though, if he'd never hit the car then why did he not get annoyed at having to replace the tyres on the front of the car every 3 months like I had to?
There was a small crease in the bumper beside the number plate and one of the slats in the grill was broken when I bought the car. I hadn't noticed either when inspecting it, I only noticed when I was washing the car for the first. This didn't annoy me because I thought it was just cosmetic. Now I realise I should have investigated further (lesson learnt) and I may not have been in the situation I'm in now.
I hope that the dealer is going to be reasonable about it and fix the damage, I'm not after my money back or anything. I really like the motor and I'm just looking it fixed.
Would it be noticable to the eye if the chassis was damaged? I could get the car up on the axel stands at the weekend and have a good look under the car. Or is it a case that I'd need to get it checked at a body shop?
|
You had a 4-wheel alignment done. I suspect everything is OK.
Does the bumper and grill damage you mention correlate to the damaged metalwork? If so, it's been a low speed shunt, the plastic has 'given' and bounced back, and the metal behind hasn't. See this happen often with bumpers. A minor nose to tail shunt leaves little outward signs of damage, so much so that sometimes drivers will not even exchange details. Subsequent examination shows metalwork damage behind the bumper.
It's not always possible to spot minor chassis leg miss-alignment with the naked eye, although an experienced body repairer would have a better chance. Get under it and have a good look. Just make sure you have it properly supported. Cracked paint or creased metal will be a give away.
You can't really expect the dealer to replace the bumper and grill though, since this damage was visible at time of purchase. Get the fan fixed, and enjoy your car.
|
|
Yes the creases and crack do correlate to the damaged metal crossmember and I'm not looking the bumper or grill replaced, I can live with them. As long as the crossmember is replaced, the fan is working and the car is straight I'll be happy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
when you next go to you,re garage for a service ask them to check out the swinging arm bearing as that could be the cause of you,re uneven tyre wear even though you have had the wheel alignment done it will still keep on wearing out the tyres because of the arm bearing could be cuppot
|
|
|
