recall ignored and then car sold on - consumer rights ?

R

redstar

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My car stalled for no apparent reason over the wkend.
The dealer garage so far thinks it is a sensor problem in the engine.
However, I have since found that this model of car was recalled in 2003 for a similar problem.
If a manufacturer recalls a car, and a car owner ignores it, sells it on, what rights does the new owner have if the fault subsequently occurs. Should the repair still be done at no cost ? It is a manufacturing defect.

How can I find out if the repair car was ever done after the recall notice.
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

You don't give a lot of details, redstar, but how about a 'phone call to the manufacturer, citing the dealer, and giving the necessary info? (chassis no./date of purchase/year of first registration, etc.) You might first mention this plan of action to the dealer concerned...
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

Redstar,

I think, but am open to correction, that the dealer or manufacturers agent in Ireland should have a record of all cars that have been recalled and fixed. If your car is not on the list then they should be able to tell you and the fix should be done for free.

Is your car a Nissan btw? - if it is there were approx 14,000 cars supposed to be recalled in 2003 but I would guess that nowhere near that number have been fixed

efm
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

Spot on, efm, it is a 2002 Nissan Almera 1.5.

DrMoriarity, I'll contact the head office and see what happens .....
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

Redstar,
I bought the same car last year and the same thing has just happened to me. Did you get any luck on getting it fixed for free and if so which garge did you go to?

Spud
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

If it was a private sale then you have no rights here....the car was sold as seen.....
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?



Regardless of age or number of owners the car manufacturer is obliged to replace the part as they sold a product which was not fit for the purpose intended.
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

I had a VW golf with a recall once and even though I was the 4th owner and the car had 100K+ on the clock I got a letter about the recall. I found a main dealer to do the work for free. Another VW dealer refused to do it though.
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

A lot of recalls have a cut off date, if they thinks its a safety matter it will have a very long time limit (maybe 10 years) but on some cars it could only carry a short one (18 months) after that it's up to the car owner.

If you get your car serviced in a main dealer once a year as recomended by the manufacture, we do a recall check on all cars when they come in for service however if your not getting your car serviced in the network you'll get nothing.
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

jhegarty said:
If it was a private sale then you have no rights here....the car was sold as seen.....
Click to expand...

incorrect - the recall is from the manufacturer, it has nothing to do with who sold the car.

I bought a used TT in the UK and had a recall performed by the main dealer in galway f.o.c. when I got it home.

You need to understand that all recall work is invoiced by the dealer to the manufacturer, so it's actually money in the dealer's pocket to do as many of those as possible............
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

Petermack, your on the button, dealers loose on every warranty claim.

We hate to see cars we didn't sell or don't service coz we won't do warranty for them. You loose on the rate you charge, loose on car hire, loose chargeable time etc.

Warranty is a nightmare and a mine field, is my paper work is not 100% correct, when you get an Audit they take it the claim back.


Last year we lost over €40,000 euro on warranty.

Most recalls are checks for a"green mark on a nut" or "a sticker on a motor" but it could take 10 - 15 mins to find this and for those you don't get paid, it's usually only the ones you repair.
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

They do not lose on every warranty claim. If they did, they wouldn't do them. Workshops are their own cost centres with their own revenue streams, so do not take on stuff that doesn't pay. Worst case is they cross-invoice sales for extraordinary items, and the sales budget pays, but the workshop itself has to make a €€€ on every hour worked.

If warranties and recalls were so onerous, they simply wouldn't do them, and at €90/hour no one in the workshop is going hungry, even if they the 17yr old they got to do the job is only on the €9/hour...........plenty of room there for profit.
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

Where are you going with your €90 an hour!? You can stop talking now you haven't a clue.

On a recall on a car we are doing at the moment, we get .2 of an hour (12 mins) for the full job for replacing 5 bolts on a tandem pump. I can't disclose our rate but it's nearly half the above rate.

That's to cover the service guy/girl on the front desk, the job card, the mechanic's time, filling out the job card, bringing in and out the car, imputing the claim, light, heat, computers etc etc.

We have 1,400 cars we have to do, that we sold never mind the ones in our area that we didin't sell. I won't to into how many similar recalls there are.

We are rolling in the money, it's actually hard to close the safe door at times.
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

Why can't you disclose your co. or your rate - if I ring them up cold and ask, will they not tell me your hourly rate? And if not, why not?

Well I don't have to go anywhere: Motorpark Ford, Galway Eur 74.00/hour and Western Motors, Galway (VAG) Eur80.00/hour.

Also, have worked in the trade in the UK, so I know what I know.........

So, take your .2 hour for the 5 bolts. You know as well as I do that you don't put your top diag man on that, and you'll use Year 1 mech if you can. Cost at VAG rate = Eur16.00. Cost of Year 1 mech even if you give him the full hour, is Eur 9.00. Add in all your overheads and you still won't get to the 16.00 available for the job.

Ask VAG - they spent Eur70 million on refitting coil packs.............
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

€74 an hour is low for any capital intense business.
Invoice rates are usually X4 to X5 times the average pay rate so what it costs for a 1st year mechanic to do a job is meaningless and shows a total lack of knowledge of how business costs are calculated.
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

UK market is completely different and the way they do business is as well, they don't count.

Coils on VAG didn't cost them anything, VAG don't have a problem, it's there supplier (Bosch etc) who have the problem and hence were made pay for the problem.
 
Re: recall ignored and then car sold on ? consumer rights ?

galwaytt said:
incorrect - the recall is from the manufacturer, it has nothing to do with who sold the car.
Click to expand...

Yes, but I think the post in question was in response to the notion of holding the private seller responsible for not acting on the recall at the time it was issued.

To this extent, jhegarty was right. As far as private sellers are concerned, "buyer beware" applies. Consumer legislation doesn't apply to private sales and it would be very costly to take a private action, even if it had a reasonable chance of success.
 
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