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Car problems - wondering where I stand

Hi guys - hope you're all well.

I bought a Ford Focus 55 plate, 1.6 petrol for £800 last thursday. That night he drove it back to my house for me and I gave him a lift back in my van as I didn't have insurance.

When I test drove it everything seemed fine, to be fair the car did actually seem to drive well. However he did mention when cold theres a tapping noise and he told me 100% this is coming from the engine tappets. But he also said, when you have time to put some specific oil in it etc and it might fix it. He told me that this was the only issue with the car.

Anyhow, I had to wait a few days when sorting insurance out and drove it from Leeds to Worcester yesterday (this was my first journey in it). After I think about 20 minutes I started to feel feedback in the throttle pedal (if I remember correctly), and then the clutch started shuddering when releasing. It kind of makes 2 shudders near the end of the release motion (this is through every gear).

When I drove it yesterday when the brake was held down when stopped (applying a fair bit of pressure) that would also vibrate and shudder.

I then later that night parked the car and came back to it 10 minutes later and when trying to start it, it turned on then straight away turned off again. It stayed on when I revved it up as soon as it ignited.

Today when I've been out in the car the clutch is still shuddering but the other issues don't seem to be apparent.

The place I bought it from is a business apparently. He told me that the only issue with the car is the tappets. Because of that he couldn't offer me a warranty. I said fine and took the car anyway because everything else seemed fine and it does have quite a few modifications which I like.

I've since texted the guy and he said that it's none of his concern and keeps repeating the fact that it wasn't sold with a warranty. I keep responding saying that I'm aware of that however it also wasn't sold as spares and repairs. Got in to a bit of an argument with this guy, he's not apologised once (guess that would be admitting fault but still). Just denied everything, he even told me that the clutch is like this because of my style of driving, which I really didn't respond well to. I'm writing this so I don't blow up and send something I don't want to, to him.

I'm wondering where I stand in terms of legal action and also if anyone could shed some light on the above issues that would be great.

This is my 8th car in a year and a half - i'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, if anyone has some tips for me in terms of car buying then that would also be appreciated. Thanks.

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Rule #1
When buying a car, test-drive comes first, paying comes second (or doesn't come).
Reply 2
Original post by CuriosityYay
Rule #1
When buying a car, test-drive comes first, paying comes second (or doesn't come).

I did test drive it first, I said it seemed to drive fine.
Original post by Joshyouare
Hi guys - hope you're all well.

I bought a Ford Focus 55 plate, 1.6 petrol for £800 last thursday. That night he drove it back to my house for me and I gave him a lift back in my van as I didn't have insurance.

When I test drove it everything seemed fine, to be fair the car did actually seem to drive well. However he did mention when cold theres a tapping noise and he told me 100% this is coming from the engine tappets. But he also said, when you have time to put some specific oil in it etc and it might fix it. He told me that this was the only issue with the car.

Anyhow, I had to wait a few days when sorting insurance out and drove it from Leeds to Worcester yesterday (this was my first journey in it). After I think about 20 minutes I started to feel feedback in the throttle pedal (if I remember correctly), and then the clutch started shuddering when releasing. It kind of makes 2 shudders near the end of the release motion (this is through every gear).

When I drove it yesterday when the brake was held down when stopped (applying a fair bit of pressure) that would also vibrate and shudder.

I then later that night parked the car and came back to it 10 minutes later and when trying to start it, it turned on then straight away turned off again. It stayed on when I revved it up as soon as it ignited.

Today when I've been out in the car the clutch is still shuddering but the other issues don't seem to be apparent.

The place I bought it from is a business apparently. He told me that the only issue with the car is the tappets. Because of that he couldn't offer me a warranty. I said fine and took the car anyway because everything else seemed fine and it does have quite a few modifications which I like.

I've since texted the guy and he said that it's none of his concern and keeps repeating the fact that it wasn't sold with a warranty. I keep responding saying that I'm aware of that however it also wasn't sold as spares and repairs. Got in to a bit of an argument with this guy, he's not apologised once (guess that would be admitting fault but still). Just denied everything, he even told me that the clutch is like this because of my style of driving, which I really didn't respond well to. I'm writing this so I don't blow up and send something I don't want to, to him.

I'm wondering where I stand in terms of legal action and also if anyone could shed some light on the above issues that would be great.

This is my 8th car in a year and a half - i'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, if anyone has some tips for me in terms of car buying then that would also be appreciated. Thanks.


8th car, in a year and a half... Damn.

If it was a dealer, you can ask for your money back within 30 days, if you can prove there's a problem with it - under the Consumer rights act 2015.
Reply 4
Original post by RoyalSheepy
8th car, in a year and a half... Damn.

If it was a dealer, you can ask for your money back within 30 days, if you can prove there's a problem with it - under the Consumer rights act 2015.

To be honest, this guy is straight up saying no. How it's none of his concern etc etc. We kept going round in circles so I just told him I'll get back to him when I've spoke to my mechanic next week. What would you do from here? He keeps saying how the car was sold with no warranty - appreciate the reply again, just seen how long this original post is so cheers :smile:
Reply 5
Original post by Joshyouare
Hi guys - hope you're all well.

I bought a Ford Focus 55 plate, 1.6 petrol for £800 last thursday. That night he drove it back to my house for me and I gave him a lift back in my van as I didn't have insurance.

When I test drove it everything seemed fine, to be fair the car did actually seem to drive well. However he did mention when cold theres a tapping noise and he told me 100% this is coming from the engine tappets. But he also said, when you have time to put some specific oil in it etc and it might fix it. He told me that this was the only issue with the car.

Anyhow, I had to wait a few days when sorting insurance out and drove it from Leeds to Worcester yesterday (this was my first journey in it). After I think about 20 minutes I started to feel feedback in the throttle pedal (if I remember correctly), and then the clutch started shuddering when releasing. It kind of makes 2 shudders near the end of the release motion (this is through every gear).

When I drove it yesterday when the brake was held down when stopped (applying a fair bit of pressure) that would also vibrate and shudder.

I then later that night parked the car and came back to it 10 minutes later and when trying to start it, it turned on then straight away turned off again. It stayed on when I revved it up as soon as it ignited.

Today when I've been out in the car the clutch is still shuddering but the other issues don't seem to be apparent.

The place I bought it from is a business apparently. He told me that the only issue with the car is the tappets. Because of that he couldn't offer me a warranty. I said fine and took the car anyway because everything else seemed fine and it does have quite a few modifications which I like.

I've since texted the guy and he said that it's none of his concern and keeps repeating the fact that it wasn't sold with a warranty. I keep responding saying that I'm aware of that however it also wasn't sold as spares and repairs. Got in to a bit of an argument with this guy, he's not apologised once (guess that would be admitting fault but still). Just denied everything, he even told me that the clutch is like this because of my style of driving, which I really didn't respond well to. I'm writing this so I don't blow up and send something I don't want to, to him.

I'm wondering where I stand in terms of legal action and also if anyone could shed some light on the above issues that would be great.

This is my 8th car in a year and a half - i'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, if anyone has some tips for me in terms of car buying then that would also be appreciated. Thanks.


Original post by Joshyouare
To be honest, this guy is straight up saying no. How it's none of his concern etc etc. We kept going round in circles so I just told him I'll get back to him when I've spoke to my mechanic next week. What would you do from here? He keeps saying how the car was sold with no warranty - appreciate the reply again, just seen how long this original post is so cheers :smile:

You can enforce your right to reject in the county court should the other party not agree to adhere to their legal responsibility.
Original post by Joshyouare
Hi guys - hope you're all well.

I bought a Ford Focus 55 plate, 1.6 petrol for £800 last thursday. That night he drove it back to my house for me and I gave him a lift back in my van as I didn't have insurance.

When I test drove it everything seemed fine, to be fair the car did actually seem to drive well. However he did mention when cold theres a tapping noise and he told me 100% this is coming from the engine tappets. But he also said, when you have time to put some specific oil in it etc and it might fix it. He told me that this was the only issue with the car.


If a car has hydraulic tappets, this might, just might be fixed if you just fill the enigne with fully synthetic motor oil, but it has to run for a couple thousands kilometers so the oil can clean them. If it's mechanical, then no oil will help. You just have to regulate them.

Original post by Joshyouare

Anyhow, I had to wait a few days when sorting insurance out and drove it from Leeds to Worcester yesterday (this was my first journey in it). After I think about 20 minutes I started to feel feedback in the throttle pedal (if I remember correctly), and then the clutch started shuddering when releasing.


Ignore untill the clutch fails completely.
It may be a bearing issue, but there is no point in dismantling the gearbox to replace the bearing, without whole clutch replacement.


Original post by Joshyouare

When I drove it yesterday when the brake was held down when stopped (applying a fair bit of pressure) that would also vibrate and shudder.

Sounds like ABS kicking in, but I haven't driven a car with ABS for ages, so I don't know if it's normal.
Anyway, it must be related to ABS, because failed servo wouldn't give such effect, and there is nothing else in the system that could do it.

Original post by Joshyouare

I then later that night parked the car and came back to it 10 minutes later and when trying to start it, it turned on then straight away turned off again. It stayed on when I revved it up as soon as it ignited.

Can be a lot of issues. Ignition, fuel pressure, crankshaft position sensor, throttle failure or ECU failure. Nobody will tell you what it is. You need to first check the high voltage cables, ignition distributor and throttle sensors. Then the rest. Reading the ECU error codes may give a clue.



Original post by Joshyouare

I've since texted the guy and he said that it's none of his concern and keeps repeating the fact that it wasn't sold with a warranty. I keep responding saying that I'm aware of that however it also wasn't sold as spares and repairs. Got in to a bit of an argument with this guy, he's not apologised once (guess that would be admitting fault but still). Just denied everything,


Don't you have an obligatory warrant written in the law? In my country of origin, the seller obligatory takes responsibility for all failures the buyer wasn't informed about. Unless they are mentioned on paper, the law assumes the buyer wasn't informed about any.


Original post by Joshyouare

he even told me that the clutch is like this because of my style of driving, which I really didn't respond well to.


That's it, the man is a dodger.
Nobody can break a cluth in just few days, unless you made it slipping so hard, the smoke covered like 20 square meters.
I twice burned a clutch that already had 100k miles, felt the distinctive smell, and it hasn't failed. 15 k miles later, the same, old and burned clutch still works.
(edited 4 years ago)
Reply 7
Original post by IWMTom
You can enforce your right to reject in the county court should the other party not agree to adhere to their legal responsibility.

Just the problem with this is, not sure if this guy classes a dealer? Can't see any companies on company house. And there isn't a website or anything. Just a few gumtree listings. I do have a receipt with the company address on even though I picked it up from his house.
Reply 8
Original post by PTMalewski
If a car has hydraulic tappets, this might, just might be fixed if you just fill the enigne with fully synthetic motor oil, but it has to run for a couple thousands kilometers so the oil can clean them. If it's mechanical, then no oil will help. You just have to regulate them.



Ignore untill the clutch fails completely.
It may be a bearing issue, but there is no point in dismantling the gearbox to replace the bearing, without whole clutch replacement.



Sounds like ABS kicking in, but I haven't driven a car with ABS for ages, so I don't know if it's normal.
Anyway, it must be related to ABS, because failed servo wouldn't give such effect, and there is nothing else in the system that could do it.


Can be a lot of issues. Ignition, fuel pressure, crankshaft position sensor, throttle failure or ECU failure. Nobody will tell you what it is. You need to first check the high voltage cables, ignition distributor and throttle sensors. Then the rest. Reading the ECU error codes may give a clue.





Don't you have an obligatory warrant written in the law? In my country of origin, the seller obligatory takes responsibility for all failures the buyer wasn't informed about. Unless they are mentioned on paper, the law assumes the buyer wasn't informed about any.




That's it, the man is a dodger.
Nobody can break a cluth in just few days, unless you made it slipping so hard, the smoke covered like 20 square meters.
I twice burned a clutch that already had 100k miles, felt the distinctive smell, and it hasn't failed. 15 k miles later, the same, old and burned clutch still works.

Appreciate your time mate, spot on. And yeah when he started saying it was my driving I knew that it would be a tough one. I'll have a look at all the things you suggested if I'm keeping the car. I'm going to write a letter out to him and see what his response is then, I do actually really like the appearance of the car so might ask for a partial refund.
Reply 9
Original post by Joshyouare
Just the problem with this is, not sure if this guy classes a dealer? Can't see any companies on company house. And there isn't a website or anything. Just a few gumtree listings. I do have a receipt with the company address on even though I picked it up from his house.

Could you share the receipt with us, obviously obscuring any personally identifiable information. A sole trader whilst not on Companies House is still a dealer in the eyes of the CRA.
I'd advice to inspect the bodyshell first.

Fords tend to rust. If there is a little rust on the floor, it's not a problem, it can be easily sorted out. But if the stringers are rot-through, the car is dangerous and it would be very expensive to repair it. And then, it would rot throug again in a few years.

On the other hand, you haven't payed much. Personally for 800 quid I wouldn't buy anything except some supermini cars, as bigger ones at this price surely require some repairs. And the bigger and more complex the car is, the more expensive repairs are.
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by IWMTom
Could you share the receipt with us, obviously obscuring any personally identifiable information. A sole trader whilst not on Companies House is still a dealer in the eyes of the CRA.

Yeah I could do, just don't have it on me at the minute, will get one on sunday.

Original post by PTMalewski
I'd advice to inspect the bodyshell first.

Fords tend to rust. If there is a little rust on the floor, it's not a problem, it can be easily sorted out. But if the stringers are rot-through, the car is dangerous and it would be very expensive to repair it. And then, it would rot throug again in a few years.

On the other hand, you haven't payed much. Personally for 800 quid I wouldn't buy anything except some supermini cars, as bigger ones at this price surely require some repairs. And the bigger and more complex the car is, the more expensive repairs are.

Great, I'll make sure to do that first then.
The used car industry is corrupt AF, it was an absolute headache getting my first car because its filled with scammers. Fortunately I know a guy who knows what to check when buying and dodged a few bullets. I must say how are you on your 8th car in a year? Why do you change so often?? I don’t think you have a leg to stand on, you should have bought a mechanic or someone who knows what to check for with you, did you look at service history, MOT history etc before buying?
Original post by ThuggerThugger
The used car industry is corrupt AF, it was an absolute headache getting my first car because its filled with scammers. Fortunately I know a guy who knows what to check when buying and dodged a few bullets. I must say how are you on your 8th car in a year? Why do you change so often?? I don’t think you have a leg to stand on, you should have bought a mechanic or someone who knows what to check for with you, did you look at service history, MOT history etc before buying?

Wasn't an option in this case i'm afraid but I do understand what you're saying. I'm no mechanic but when somethings very wrong I can tell and I have some clue about what I'm looking at. This really did seem to drive fine, there was no way I could have known about this clutch issue, or brake issue as I don't think it was apparent last Thursday.
Original post by ThuggerThugger
The used car industry is corrupt AF, it was an absolute headache getting my first car because its filled with scammers. Fortunately I know a guy who knows what to check when buying and dodged a few bullets. I must say how are you on your 8th car in a year? Why do you change so often?? I don’t think you have a leg to stand on, you should have bought a mechanic or someone who knows what to check for with you, did you look at service history, MOT history etc before buying?

Man. My car is older that I am, I've been owning it since 2011 and I know every single screw in it. I wouldn't change for often than every mot, because you never know how the brake ciruits are, and other important things without some work and inspections.
I prefer to stay with one car, even severly obsolete, for longer time, but know what the hell is going on. So far it has been very reasonable. It never failed getting me from point A to B, consumes reasonable amounts of fuel and I can predict trouble long before it happens.
Original post by Joshyouare
Wasn't an option in this case i'm afraid but I do understand what you're saying. I'm no mechanic but when somethings very wrong I can tell and I have some clue about what I'm looking at. This really did seem to drive fine, there was no way I could have known about this clutch issue, or brake issue as I don't think it was apparent last Thursday.


I guess you’re going to have to book it in with a mechanic however and this is important... you want to bring it to a trusted mechanic and not one that sees you as an opportunity to cash in due to your inexperience with cars.
Original post by PTMalewski
Man. My car is older that I am, I've been owning it since 2011 and I know every single screw in it. I wouldn't change for often than every mot, because you never know how the brake ciruits are, and other important things without some work and inspections.
I prefer to stay with one car, even severly obsolete, for longer time, but know what the hell is going on. So far it has been very reasonable. It never failed getting me from point A to B, consumes reasonable amounts of fuel and I can predict trouble long before it happens.


I got my first car in July.. probs get a new one after the 2year mark of passing my test
Original post by Joshyouare
I did test drive it first, I said it seemed to drive fine.

It made you sound like you didn't when you said:
[
That night he drove it back to my house for me and I gave him a lift back in my van as I didn't have insurance.

When I test drove it everything seemed fine
]
Reply 18
Original post by CuriosityYay
It made you sound like you didn't when you said:
[
That night he drove it back to my house for me and I gave him a lift back in my van as I didn't have insurance.

When I test drove it everything seemed fine
]

What part of "when I test drove it everything seemed fine" makes you think the OP didn't test drive the car?
Original post by IWMTom
What part of "when I test drove it everything seemed fine" makes you think the OP didn't test drive the car?

I don't know why, but in my head I thought it was in that order:
Got the car delivered
Paid for it
Gave him a lift with my van
Test drove the car

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