Help - bought a bad car.
- Thread starter Eddie
- Start date
OK, an update. We went to pick the car up on Friday. The car has some different alloy wheels on it, but when we looked closely at the tyres the two front ones are ok but the two back ones will need replacing in a couple of months, I'd imagine. The car we bought had four good tyres on it. When I asked the guy about it he got all aggressive, started calling us names, saying we were just looking for things to pick faults with, etc etc...in the end he slammed the door of the car we were sat in and stormed off swearing and waving his arms about like a nutcase. At this point I thought it was a good idea to exit, so we left with the car, following Trading Standards' guidelines.
My gf put the car into our local mechanics on Monday to let them have a quick look at it to see what had been done. The only things they could see had been done were the alloy wheels obviously and the sump has been changed. They said that the front alloys were ok shape-wise but the back ones still have a buckle in each one and, although it's not as bad as the previous wheels, you can feel it affecting the car around the 40-50mph mark.
Since picking the car up, we have tried numerous times to contact the Trading Standards guy, leaving messages etc for him to call us back and so far he hasn't got back to us.
My gf phoned a different Ford garage today to ask about the engine number issue and they said they had never heard of Ford releasing cars that had no engine number. So, I know a couple of you have said that Ford did do this but I can't seem to verify it. The Ford dealers today said that engine numbers can be in all sorts of different places apparently, not necessarily on the block, which contradicts what the original Ford garage said.
So, who, what do we believe? I'm willing to put the 'fault' issues to one side and just forget about them as I'm sick to the back teeth with it, but I have to get to the bottom of the engine number issue as I do not want anything to do with a potentially stolen engine, obviously.
I'm getting balder by the minute here!
I have never used the roll-eyes smilie on these forums but I reckon I'm justified in using it at least 18 times in the above text
Have you checked on the ford website to see what configuration it was when it left the factory ? this one :
My dad had a mazda 6 which due to him not putting enough oil in, he managed to blow up. A mechanic friend of his advised rather than getting a new engine, he get a ford one from Ford USA who use the exact same engine, but with a ford stamp on it. (this is the mazda 2.3 unit as found the in the mazda 6 sport) as it was cheaper than buying a mazda engine. (see the MZR engines on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Duratec_engine)
He's sold the car since, but somewhere out there on the road is a Mazda 6 with the correct 2.3 engine in it, but with a ford engine. The mechanic changed the plastics on top etc.. to make it look like a mazda engine. Unless you went looking for serial numbers underneath etc.. you'd never know.
I'm thinking something similar may have happend to your car. Engine went bang, replaced it on the cheap. Hence the gearbox bodge.
nightmare mate, really shouldnt have to go through that buying from a dealer .
feel for you here , but suppose lesson learnt and you will be more clued up in future dealing with motortrade .
Cheers mate, yes, lesson learnt.
We have rejected the car now and are just waiting for the Trading Standards guy to call us back.
They have said on a couple of occasions that ''everything is perfect now" even after the first time we took the car back and they just simply swapped the front and back wheels round, despite it being obvious that one of the wheels was egg-shaped. To be honest, I don't believe a word the dealers say anymore, which I think is understandable, and I don't think for one second that we are being unreasonable.
They have said that they are not prepared to give us a refund.
Cheers, I would like this to come to an end one way or another, but it's so difficult and frustrating, the thing that's really annoying me at the moment is the lack of communication from Trading Standards, I just find that appalling tbh.
I've checked the Ford ETIS thing and nothing comes up that raises a concern.
The Ford guy said that the engine in the car was definitely the right one and he also said that it didn't look like the engine had ever been removed. I don't know though, I'm beginning to doubt everything we've been told, one person says one thing and the next person contradicts it.
While we're waiting for Trading Standards to get back to us I think we might put the car into another Ford place to see what they say. That'll probably be Monday of next week so I'll be sure to update then.
Thanks a lot for all the replies/suggestions/help/ideas, much appreciated.
Soldato
- Joined
- 7 Aug 2003
- Posts
- 8,030
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Can never be too careful these days 
It's saddening that you had to go through that nightmare.
I am just glad to hear it's now hopefully coming to an accord.
David
It's saddening that you had to go through that nightmare.
I am just glad to hear it's now hopefully coming to an accord.
David
You say you have rejected it but sounds like you are still using it as you "might put the car into another Ford place to see what they say." Under SOGA and Trading Standards should tell you the same, if you reject a car you must stop using it immediately. Continuing to use the car could constitute acceptance. Park it up and leave it alone. Once formally rejected in writing (with mileage in the letter) you should not use it at all until they either arrange collection or ask you to return it.