New car breaks down again! Refund?

I purchased a brand new 08 Ford Focus in January.

The car failed to start for me in June and I had to call the dealer who directed me to the AA. The AA guy managed to fix the problem on site. He seemed to think the engine was flooded!!?

The car failed to start for the second time last weekend. Long story short...The car was towed away, fixed, serviced and according to the service manager of the garage, he took a belt and braces approach and replaced a number of other parts.

I took receipt of the car on Friday afternoon and all seemed well. On the way home form Croke Park on Satuday the car again failed to start for the third time and was towed back to the garage by the AA. (and to make matters worse the Dubs were hockeyed!!)

I work for an emergency service and am required to have my own transportation at all times.

I know what my rights are according to the Sale of Goods and Services Act, but what is the likelyhood of me getting a full refund from Ford? Also, when I purchased the car I traded in a Yaris. Will this affect the amount of the refund? The car is under warranty.

Write to the Dealer. Record your dissatisfaction. You'll have to give them a chance to fix it. Tell them you're not happy with their efforts so far. Ask what exactly the problem is and why they haven't cured it.

Tell them what you propose to do next. Legal action etc. Unfortunately that's the only way you'll get a refund. Any refund will be from the dealer and not Ford btw.

It's a shame as the Focus is an excellent car, and normally very reliable. Maybe they can fix it properly this time and all will be well.

I have an 07 Focus which ,for the first time since I bought it , would not start last week . An AA bloke called, pushed the throttle to the floor and it fired shortly after doing so. The engine was flooded.

He asked if I had made a very short trip. I actually had moved the car from across my road to park in my driveway .

Apparently, the fuel had not burned out completely ,due to the short trip and I flooded it when I tried to start it later on.

Never had any trouble since I bought it

Seems a common problem with modern cars with fuel injection. Had the problem with a Nissan and the breakdown guy said hes been called out a lot with that, especially to BMW's. Seems to happen when you move a car from cold only short distance, and you might rev it a bit, out of habit. Keep it cranking over and they enventually start. Mine needs a power booster to do it as our other car is too small to start the jump the bigger one.

I think the software in the ECU must need correcting if this is the case.