After some advice regarding a used car purchase.

j.col

j.col

j.col

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Joined
31 May 2010
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Bedfordshire
My son bought a used 20 plate Merc CLA 220D 9 days ago.
He bought it on finance and paid extra for a 1 year extended warranty.

On day 5 of ownership the engine management light came on and he immediately contacted the dealer who told him to bring it in straight away.
Dealer diagnosed a faulty O2 sensor, put the car on the lift and claimed that when he checked the sensor, he felt it click into place.
The light did turn off, and after a 10 minute test drive, the engine light remained off and my son drove it home.
To be fair to the dealer, he did say that if the problem reoccurs, he will change the sensor.

Now today, the engine management light has come back on again.
He does work shifts, so it will be Wednesday before he will be able to bring it back to the garage.
The garage is 80 minutes drive away (i know this is his fault).

He is unsure how to proceed.
He doesn't want to reject the car but is starting to lose trust in it.
Am i correct that he can reject it within 14 days for any reason?
He doesn't know if its the same problem again until the car is scanned, and if it is, the dealer said that he will replace it for him.

If he does reject it, does he get a full refund, including the deposit and extended warranty?
I presume the dealer can deduct a small amount for the mileage he has added to the car?
 
He can reject it and get a full refund on the car. I'm not sure on the extended warranty though, as I imagine it's some sort of contract. Wouldn't be surprised if they also have a 14 day get out clause too.
 
As the garage has already had a chance to repair it and failed, you can reject within 6 months anyway (although you may not get a full refund depending on how much use)

Your rights after the car has been repaired
You don’t have to accept a second repair if something goes wrong and you’d rather not keep the car. You can ask for your money back if:

the repair hasn’t solved the problem

another problem has developed

You may only get part of your money back, depending on how much you’ve used the car. You could also ask for a discount if you still want the car.
Click to expand...

Where did you buy the car from? - Problem with a used car

www.citizensadvice.org.uk www.citizensadvice.org.uk
 
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OBD reader see what the fault is - MAF/O2 sensor faults aren't actually that uncommon on used cars for whatever reason and usually an easy fix though can indicate the vehicle possibly hasn't been run ideally i.e. diesel with lots of very short journeys and likely things like EGR (if a diesel) have a build up of crud as well.
 
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He can reject it and get a full refund (yesterday I did exactly that on car a got for my mother), but why would he just for a faulty 02 sensor?
The dealer has said they’d sort it, so what’s the problem? It’s not like they’re trying to fob him off or being unhelpful.
 
Thanks everyone for your advice.

It turns out that the engine warning light turned itself off and he never took a photograph of it being on.
So for now he hasn't contacted the dealer as as of right now, there is nothing wrong.

He genuinely likes the car and wants to keep it, thats why he want to a dealer 80 minutes drive away.

Its not a Mercedes dealership, just a regular car dealers that specialise in prestige cars.
 
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