Advice when buying a second hand car

[sccsux]

including brake pads being totally worn down, feeder pipes being cracked

 

Sounds like a dodgy MOT. You can report a fraudulent MOT online (somewhere).

 

the MOT tester can not take the brakes to bits and check the thickness of the brake pads

 

That's odd, because I got an advisory that the pads on the rear of my car were wearing low.

 

Also, the cracked brake pipes should have been picked up by the tester.

 

as for oil being dirty no one can tell how long oil has been in an engine some engines

 

Surely the dealer would have noticed the state of the oil (as the car was also supposed to have undergone a service).

Edited August 29, 2011 by sccsux
care => car

[Shogun]

A few months ago I sold a nice little Vauxhall Corsa to bloke who was buying it for his daughter,it was a good little car that past the MOT first time with no problems at all, I always take my cars to charlie browns on penistone rd as they seem to be OK,the car ran very good and I took it for a long test drive and gave it a good service before selling it at a lot less than other ones the same type advertised ,two weeks later the bloke rang me up and said that the clutch had fell to bits and the gear box had seized up due to not having any oil in it,he said he had took it to a friend who was a mechanic and he had striped it down and could not get it to work properly,he then sent me a bill for £144 for a gear box and £125 for a clutch that he said his friend had paid for these parts,when I sell cars I always say if you have any problems with the car bring it back or ring me and I will see what I can do,if the clutch or gear box was faulty I would have replaced them with out hesitation as I have loads of parts and things for Corsas and they are not the hardest car in the world to fix,but as he had some one else messing with it any kind of agreement we had went, the next thing he is sending me recorded delivery letters threatening all sorts action to bring about my demise,

[Shogun]

Sounds like a dodgy MOT. You can report a fraudulent MOT online (somewhere).

 

 

 

That's odd, because I got an advisory that the pads on the rear of my care were wearing low.

 

Also, the cracked brake pipes should have been picked up by the tester.

 

 

 

Surely the dealer would have noticed the state of the oil (as the car was also supposed to have undergone a service).

Some times the MOT testers can shine a light through the wheels and see the brake pads on some cars

No MOT tester in his right mind would miss cracked brake pipes!!!

As said some engines mess the oil up very fast with in a few miles

As for fraudulent MOTs its a lot harder now as every thing is on line for you see DVLA

Edited August 29, 2011 by Shogun

[GrannyGranny]

A few months ago I sold a nice little Vauxhall Corsa to bloke who was buying it for his daughter,it was a good little car that past the MOT first time with no problems at all, I always take my cars to charlie browns on penistone rd as they seem to be OK,the car ran very good and I took it for a long test drive and gave it a good service before selling it at a lot less than other ones the same type advertised ,two weeks later the bloke rang me up and said that the clutch had fell to bits and the gear box had seized up due to not having any oil in it,he said he had took it to a friend who was a mechanic and he had striped it down and could not get it to work properly,he then sent me a bill for £144 for a gear box and £125 for a clutch that he said his friend had paid for these parts,when I sell cars I always say if you have any problems with the car bring it back or ring me and I will see what I can do,if the clutch or gear box was faulty I would have replaced them with out hesitation as I have loads of parts and things for Corsas and they are not the hardest car in the world to fix,but as he had some one else messing with it any kind of agreement we had went, the next thing he is sending me recorded delivery letters threatening all sorts action to bring about my demise,

 

The buyer has no comeback. he can threaten all he wants.

 

When buying 2nd hand privately "Caveat emptor" (buyer aware) applies.

[andrejuan]

Two past experiences from me. Different to the OP but worth a mention.

 

My first car came with an MOT. Before I had got to the end of the road I knew things were wrong (indicators not working, poor brakes, dodgy steering...... ) When I got it home my brother had a look cos I was young and stupid. He said it was a wreck and that it shouldn't have an MOT in that state.

Instead of going back to the dealer, he took me and the car to the MOT station (the MOT at this point was only a day old) showed it to the owner and asked him which he prefered, Option 1 we leave it with a list of jobs to be done at no cost, option 2 we pop it down to be inspected by the authorities.

We left it there, when I got it back it was like a new car!! the list complete plus some.

 

2nd experience, years later and not so stupid, I am now the big brother and my young sibling bought a car from a reputable (not main dealer) garage. After a couple of months the engine started to fail, he took it back under warranty and they tried to fix it. It ran for 6 weeks and the problems returned. Again it was returned under warranty and this time they said they could do nothing because it was a manufacturing fault with the engine and well known. I researched this and it was true. However, the manufacturer wouldn't want to know as the car had a few years on it's back and a couple of prev. owners so what to do??

 

Well, the car cost £2000 at the time (this was a few years ago so not peanuts. My brother wanted more than sending away with a broken car and out of pocket so decided to take it to the small claims court.

The dealer turned up and lied about the whole situaton, luckily we had kept meticulous records and he appeared very foolish in front of the mediator.

But to cut a long story short, the court decided that a car costing £2000 should not be expected to be be fault free, and even though it had warranty the dealer didn't have to repair it.

Gobsmacked, we walked away much wiser.

[andrejuan]

Some times the MOT testers can shine a light through the wheels and see the brake pads on some cars

No MOT tester in his right mind would miss cracked brake pipes!!!

As said some engines mess the oil up very fast with in a few miles

As for fraudulent MOTs its a lot harder now as every thing is on line for you see DVLA

 

MOT testers can simply type in a cars details and then do parts of the test (like emmisions etc.) on a different car, ie a car that is known NOT to have problems. So yes it is more difficult, but in other ways easier to fiddle an MOT.

[Shogun]

MOT testers can simply type in a cars details and then do parts of the test (like emmisions etc.) on a different car, ie a car that is known NOT to have problems. So yes it is more difficult, but in other ways easier to fiddle an MOT.

The guy who I take my cars to for my MOT's I have Known him since I was a lad as an apprentice mechanic and no amount of money or friendship would persuaded him to give me a bent test,he knows I know my way around a car so his dose expect me to bring cars in that have been checked over first,it is his livelihood and Im sure he would not risk that for a few bob,any way I would not sleep a night knowing a car I had sold had a bent test on it anything could happen and I would be responsible for it.

[andrejuan]

The guy who I take my cars to for my MOT's I have Known him since I was a lad as an apprentice mechanic and no amount of money or friendship would persuaded him to give me a bent test,he knows I know my way around a car so his dose expect me to bring cars in that have been checked over first,it is his livelihood and Im sure he would not risk that for a few bob,any way I would not sleep a night knowing a car I had sold had a bent test on it anything could happen and I would be responsible for it.

 

I'm sure all that is true, I was simply pointing out that it is possible.

 

How do I know it is possible? because I have seen it happen with my own eyes. Plus, as I said in my other post, I have also been the victim of such actions.

 

Lets face it, in all walks of life you get bent people. Most of us however a straight as a die.

[GrannyGranny]

Remember an MOT only means the car is roadworthy on that day and is not a guarantee of it being fault free for even a day after. A car can break down for all sorts of reasons not related to those things tested as part of the MOT.

Some simple things to remember when buying from a dealer:-

1. Try to get recommendations for dealers/garages from trusted sources.

2. Always test drive the vehicle.

3. Take a knowledgable person if you are not confident.

4. Never pay screen price.

5. If they are offering a 3/6/12 months warranty get details of the warranty and what it covers.

6. Check the service history and any repairs etc..

7. If you are in any doubt WALK AWAY, there's loads of choices out there.

[neeeeeeeeeek]

Been said but don't take it to the main dealer, find a good local garage to check it over, if possible a specialist. When I had a Volvo I took it to Gelders on Sharrowvale road, now I have a Saab I take it to the Saab bloke in Attercliffe. Both know the cars inside out and don't rip you off.