Car badly serviced after purchase

S

Shadowofthewind

Registered User
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Hi,
My Dad bought a Nissan Qashqai in the last few months and had to make two service visits to the Garage after purchase. The most recent of those visits for service has left the car undriveable and unsafe in my opinion. My Dad has lost all confidence in the car that he purchased.

He has been told that the turbo was gone and that the garage were waiting on parts for the last few weeks now, yet every time he attends to the garage for information or calls them over the phone, no one seems to know what is happening with the car itself.

The owners appear to be avoiding my Dad now. Given the car was purchased in June and now undriveable, what rights does my Dad have at this time? Can we pull the car from that garage and have it inspected by another 3rd Party to determine damage under service? If its deemed to be the case which we suspect, then can he pull back from the puchase agreement with the supplier?
 
Read the following carefully and take no nonsense to what sound like a bunch of con-men you apparently have the misfortune to be dealing with.

Buying a used car

Find out about your rights and what you need to know before buying a used car.
www.citizensinformation.ie www.citizensinformation.ie

Read that first and come back if you need more info.
 
Thanks @mathepac
I've read through the materials and will make some phone calls tomorrow.
I'm still not clear on what is the best course of action, so any thoughts that you have would be welcome.
 
Shadowofthewind said:
I'm still not clear on what is the best course of action, so any thoughts that you have would be welcome.
Click to expand...
Assuming you've taken all the pre-purchase checks laid out in that first website and have the receipt/invoice for the vehicle, NCT cert, etc, then your next steps are laid out here; https://www.ccpc.ie/consumers/shopping/faulty-goods/

A lot of time has elapsed with the issue. This is a ploy used by some unscrupulous car dealers to run the so-called "warranty" or "guarantee" clock down. Remember your consumer rights are not on the clock here and any assurances/warranties/guarantees you received from the dealer are as well as your statutory rights, not instead of them. Ultimately, it may come down to your determination to assert your rights, through the courts if necessary.

Is there any residual manufacturer's warranty left on the car? Some of these stretch from 5 to 7 years and apply to the vehicle and not just the original owner.
 
The car in question is 3 years old and it should not have required a new turbo IMO. We are of the view that damage was caused during service, but no way to prove it (unless potentially pulling the car from this garage for 3rd party review). Moderate enough mileage also I understand but don't have the exact figure with me. The garage have now come back and offered an additional 12 month warranty on the back of the repairs of the turbo - so not sure which way to go with this now. We are concerned about the elapsed time its taking to sort out what is supposed to be a turbo issue and further concerned that the garage could just install a refurbished turbo system to the car.

Some further good questions above from @mathepac that I will need to check.

Thanks for all your responses and help.
 
Have you contacted the distributor? Is the vendor a franchised dealer for that make and model? Did your Dad sign the notorious SIMI order form? ("We use dem for de VAT an' de VRT for de Revenue like")

At 3 years with "moderate enough mileage" (has mileage been verified with service invoices/maintenance handbook stamps?) unless the make/model has a reputation for turbo problems, then oil or lack of it is the most likely explanation for turbo problems (oil leak, wrong oil, no oil).

Is the car a UK / Japanese import? Is the car a diesel? (from a consumer point of view none of that matters not one whit, your rights don't change) Why won't they take your calls? Have you contacted the MD? From now on all communications need to be in writing, by registered post if necessary, addressed to named individuals at the seller's premises con-job shop. You need to show up on site as well, you and your Dad, after the letters are delivered. Ask for others (friends/family) to ring or call in to ask for the people you can't contact. Do that now I suggest.

Shadowofthewind said:
The garage have now come back and offered an additional 12 month warranty on the back of the repairs of the turbo - so not sure which way to go with this now. We are concerned about the elapsed time its taking to sort out what is supposed to be a turbo issue and further concerned that the garage could just install a refurbished turbo system to the car.
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Ask them to explain what they mean by the extra warranty, and to write all the detail down in a letter to you. Ask them if this warranty is in addition to the manufacturer's warranty and in addition to your Dad's standard consumer rights. Don't get all legal with them "simple guy, words of one syllable, etc, not an expert, just want a quick simple way out of the problems you're having with the car, etc, etc.). Ask them what the alternative to the turbo repair and extra warranty might be, so you have alternative things to compare.
 
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mathepac said:
At 3 years with "moderate enough mileage" (has mileage been verified with service invoices/maintenance handbook stamps?) unless the make/model has a reputation for turbo problems, then oil or lack of it is the most likely explanation for turbo problems (oil leak, wrong oil, no oil).
Click to expand...

This is the 3rd turbo issue I have heard of on this engine. I assume it is a 1.5 litre Renault diesel engine.
 
The turbo problems are considered to be a result of poor service and the reason we suspect this is that an oil leak surfaced following the service. My Dad lightly assessed the situation and considered it to be related to filter replacement where the filter was over-tightened and it cracked the housing. This we suspect is the case. @RichInSpirit - its the K9K Renault 1.5 engine. There were no suspected issues with the turbo before this service and none expected given the age of the car and mileage.

Thanks @mathepac for your suggestions. Following through on those at the moment.
 
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