1 hour ago, 137699 said:

 

By law they have to warrant the car for 3 months - you may just be in that category.

 

Did you just make that up? If not, can you provide any viable info to back it up?

1 hour ago, SurreyJohn said:

If you haven't done it already, write to previous owner (as shown on V5 reg document), give them an SAE and ask them what mileage was, and if car missed/delayed any service or had problems at time they sold it, and which dealer took it from them, and at what date.  Advise them that you are just collecting information and whatever answer they give, you wont trouble them further, and thank them in advance for the info.

 

You cannot force this info, but if you get it and it is discrepant from the advert or what you were told, it strengthens your case against supplying dealer.  

 

 

Another quick thing to do is use the Government MOT history check (advisories might give some clues about how well it was maintained, or any clocking etc)

https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

 

 

 

Thanks Surreyjohn that's a great idea I'll try that.

 

UPDATE

======

 

The "dealer" failed to respond to an email sent via ebay or to a text so I called him. He told me that he took no responsibility and that there was nothing he could do. He claims he sold me a perfect car and that for all he knows I caused the engine to fail in some way. He also claims that he is not a dealer but a private seller. This is despite him giving me a "Used Car Sales Contract" - an A5 slip of paper with his name and address, the car details and his signature, with "Sold As seen", "No returns accepted" and "No warranty" printed on it.

 

When I mentioned that he'd been given a positive rating and a "PERFECT AAAA" comment on ebay for the sale of the car from another ebay member (who "won" the auction) despite the fact that he sold the car to me since this other member apparently wasn't able to collect the car in time, he said "so what".

 

I am preparing a templated letter from the citizens advice website to send him plus I will see if I have any recourse through ebay.

 

In a glimmer of hope my insurer has said "as long as its a repair and not a modification for an engine, we can cover your vehicle for the repair. ". I am finding this hard to believe and am following this up, but it would be amazing if they will do it... my insurer is slow to update me as they communicate online only but I am not sure they are aware of the full costs involved. If the insurer doesn't come through I will get a second opinion on the car from another garage.

 

I will also be writing to the previous keeper as suggested by the above post and I'm waiting to hear back from Skoda UK who have opened a case for me.

?

Is the person you bought the car from not the last Registered Keeper on the V5.

 

Best call Trading Standards and check what the sellers business is, are they a Trader in goods and vehicles for reward.

Keeping record of sales, vehicle bought and sold, income for taxes etc.   ie   Trader / Dealer.  

It is a thought. If an engine fails suddenly and there is no obvious fault beforehand, wouldn't that be the same as hitting a pothole and breaking a driveshaft? Hence could claim as damage to vehicle under insurance.

 

There is proabably some weasel out wording though, such as external damage only!

34 minutes ago, Offski said:

?

Is the person you bought the car from not the last Registered Keeper on the V5.

 

Best call Trading Standards and check what the sellers business is, are they a Trader in goods and vehicles for reward.

Keeping record of sales, vehicle bought and sold, income for taxes etc.   ie   Trader / Dealer.  

 

No, the car was a CAT N write off and sold at auction to the person I bought it from. Will check Trading Standards, thanks!

?

Why do people bother spending a few hundred quid a year on a Warranty for engines / gearboxes like the ones in a VW Group vehicle, 

like the 1.2 TSI that has some known issues if a cars Insurance would just cover an engine failure?

3 hours ago, kenfowler3966 said:

It is a thought. If an engine fails suddenly and there is no obvious fault beforehand, wouldn't that be the same as hitting a pothole and breaking a driveshaft? Hence could claim as damage to vehicle under insurance.

 

There is proabably some weasel out wording though, such as external damage only!

 

3 hours ago, Offski said:

?

Why do people bother spending a few hundred quid a year on a Warranty for engines / gearboxes like the ones in a VW Group vehicle, 

like the 1.2 TSI that has some known issues if a cars Insurance would just cover an engine failure?

 

As expected I will NOT be able to claim this on insurance. Someone from the insurance company phoned to apologise for the misinformation I was given that I would be able to claim, this must have been the error of a junior staff member. I would only be able to claim if the damage was the result of an accident.

If you've bought from a dealer then you have rights (6 months important!)

 

see :- https://www.theaa.com/car-buying/legal-rightsr (no such thing as sold as seen now!)

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/your-rights-if-something-is-wrong-with-your-car

 

Sounds like the false trader is now trying to pretend it's a private sale to avoid this! You could get satifaction by pursuing this (will be a major irritation to the seller) but you will probably not get a bean out of them!

 

I'm presuming because you've bought the car on Ebay knowing it was a write off you bought it cheap. Don't send it to Skoda to investigate as with its history you wont get far. How about finding a good independant that will properly investigate (head off job). It's will probably need a head rebuild and new timing chain / valves.

 

You will probably end up spending as much (if not more) than if you had bought a sorted one to start with but it's probably the best outcome. Other than this major issue has the car been OK?

 

 

 

 

Pardon me for jumping in on this thread, but unless I'm mistaken it is an offence to sell a car as a  ' private sale ' if you are or are acting as a trader, ie selling a car for profit,

 

inform ebay be as honest and open as possible, at least the seller will be investigated and likely, from your account of his operations, be struck off especially regarding the positive ' feedback ' could have even be bidding on his own item, if this is stopped that's only a positive 

 

check previous transactions for previous or even ongoing car sales, a private seller is only ' allowed ' a certain number of sales per year !!

 

enquire at CAB of your rights including small claims court 

 

don't feel sorry for toe rags like the seller, he almost certainly has taken you for a ride, screw the bas***d back BUT stay on the right side of the law ( of course )

 

good luck, did you send details of this thread to the previous owner as reading this one certainly feels for you no matter how naive you may appear to have been

 

 

10 hours ago, bigjohn said:

How about finding a good independant that will properly investigate (head off job). It's will probably need a head rebuild and new timing chain / valves.

You will probably end up spending as much (if not more) than if you had bought a sorted one to start with but it's probably the best outcome. Other than this major issue has the car been OK?

 

Cheers bigjohn, yes I'm looking to see if another garage can quote on it near to my home, so at least I can push the car into a parking spot near me while it waits. Other than that the car has been great.

 

13 minutes ago, davidwhite said:

Pardon me for jumping in on this thread, but unless I'm mistaken it is an offence to sell a car as a  ' private sale ' if you are or are acting as a trader, ie selling a car for profit,

 

inform ebay be as honest and open as possible, at least the seller will be investigated and likely, from your account of his operations, be struck off especially regarding the positive ' feedback ' could have even be bidding on his own item, if this is stopped that's only a positive

 

check previous transactions for previous or even ongoing car sales, a private seller is only ' allowed ' a certain number of sales per year !!

 

enquire at CAB of your rights including small claims court 

 

don't feel sorry for toe rags like the seller, he almost certainly has taken you for a ride, screw the bas***d back BUT stay on the right side of the law ( of course )

 

good luck, did you send details of this thread to the previous owner as reading this one certainly feels for you no matter how naive you may appear to have been

 

 

 

Cheers davidwhite, CAB have said that if it can be proved that someone sold you something in relation to their trade or craft (I'm paraphrasing here) then they are classed as a "dealer". The guy I purchased from runs a car workshop so I've got a very good case there.

 

I've written to the previous registered keeper with an S.A.E. requesting details of the car like why it was written off, any issues etc.

 

I will certainly be in touch with ebay about this and yes I've seen the same ebay member bidding on his car listings who gave the bogus review when he "won" the car that I eventually bought.

 

I can't be 100% sure at this stage that he knew about the engine problem, as I don't know how he would have managed to disguise the issue which has since immobilised the vehicle. My next thing is to confirm the engine number in the car matches the V5, will keep you posted....

 

Hi

 

it would appear that you are pursuing this at least how I ( and most likeminded buyers ought to )

 

however I would be contact eBay every day to ' rattle their cage ' to get them to make some sought of commitment to you and other ' potential ' buyers of this sellers wares even going as far as sending them a copy of your receipt from the seller, especially if you can prove previous ( or even better ongoing  ) shrill bidding practice 

 

 

If it wasn't an Ebay sale (and it appears as though it wasn't) then they have little to gain from helping. While they're very good at looking after their "customers" it appears as though in this case the OP isn't one of them. The car was bought outside of Ebay requirements.

I'm no better versed in all this than the next bloke ... in fact less so ... but I commend the OP for going about the subsequent attempts at reimbursement in a thorough and seemingly balanced way.

 

With the benefit of hindsight he'd have done things differently, but we're all wise after the event and he (and we) will learn a little something along the way.

 

I very much hope he gets a positive outcome and achieves some sort of a result.

PS - don't let any one try and start the car  - needs investigating further to prevent any further internal damage. 

 

 

@Jelnet - Also, if you're prepared to pursue, I think you're inside the limit for a small claims action. You'll actually be able to get advice and assistance on raising one of those from the local magistrates' court, and attitudes have been known to change when 2 big guys wearing jackets with "bailiff" written across the back turn up for "a word".

4 hours ago, Rustynuts said:

If it wasn't an Ebay sale (and it appears as though it wasn't) then they have little to gain from helping. While they're very good at looking after their "customers" it appears as though in this case the OP isn't one of them. The car was bought outside of Ebay requirements.

 

Although it was listed on ebay and I bid on it, yes the final transaction was outside ebay. If only I'd asked for a proper Second Chance Offer - he'd have probably offered it the next guy and I'd have been spared. Hopefully ebay will look into his very dodgy listing practices.

 

3 hours ago, oldstan said:

I'm no better versed in all this than the next bloke ... in fact less so ... but I commend the OP for going about the subsequent attempts at reimbursement in a thorough and seemingly balanced way.

With the benefit of hindsight he'd have done things differently, but we're all wise after the event and he (and we) will learn a little something along the way.

I very much hope he gets a positive outcome and achieves some sort of a result.

 

Thanks @oldstan I'll keep you posted

 

52 minutes ago, bigjohn said:

PS - don't let any one try and start the car  - needs investigating further to prevent any further internal damage.

 

It is now with the Skoda dealer but thanks I'll keep that in mind.

 

6 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

@Jelnet - Also, if you're prepared to pursue, I think you're inside the limit for a small claims action. You'll actually be able to get advice and assistance on raising one of those from the local magistrates' court, and attitudes have been known to change when 2 big guys wearing jackets with "bailiff" written across the back turn up for "a word".

 

Yes Ken that tallies with what Citizens Advice said.

 

Edited 18 May, 20188 yr by Jelnet

eBay buyer protection doesn't include motors anyway.

 

Sadly you have bought a lemon, the write off category, the eBay 'dealer', the sold as seen/ no warranty and the suspect 'the other bidder can't pay' were clues to pick up on. 

 

Can an you source an engine from elsewhere or let an independent find and for one to rescue something? 

Edited 19 May, 20188 yr by ben4012

You need to find out what the damage was that gave it Class N Insurance status.

Was it just just body damage?

Then now a proper diagnosis and if there is loss of compression of one or more cylinders, is the engine just in limp mode with 2 cylinders shut down.

The head almost certainly needs to come off, but before that a Boescope can be used to look at the cylinders & valves.

On 19/05/2018 at 10:24, ben4012 said:

eBay buyer protection doesn't include motors anyway.

Sadly you have bought a lemon, the write off category, the eBay 'dealer', the sold as seen/ no warranty and the suspect 'the other bidder can't pay' were clues to pick up on.

Can an you source an engine from elsewhere or let an independent find and for one to rescue something? 

 

Thanks, I didn't know that about ebay motors. A local chap who serviced my old car will take a look at the engine for less than half the price of the Skoda dealer so I think I'll try that option but yes he may be able to put another engine in for me.

 

On 19/05/2018 at 13:34, Offski said:

You need to find out what the damage was that gave it Class N Insurance status.

Was it just just body damage?

Then now a proper diagnosis and if there is loss of compression of one or more cylinders, is the engine just in limp mode with 2 cylinders shut down.

The head almost certainly needs to come off, but before that a Boescope can be used to look at the cylinders & valves.

 

Thanks, I'm trying to find out the cause of the cat N, cheers for the info.

On 18/05/2018 at 10:40, Jelnet said:

Cheers davidwhite, CAB have said that if it can be proved that someone sold you something in relation to their trade or craft (I'm paraphrasing here) then they are classed as a "dealer". The guy I purchased from runs a car workshop so I've got a very good case there.

If you have the seller's phone number - have you tried googling it ? It might bring up other car adverts, which would be added evidence he was a trader.

6 hours ago, muddyboots said:

If you have the seller's phone number - have you tried googling it ? It might bring up other car adverts, which would be added evidence he was a trader.

As the ' seller ' used eBay to advertise the car have you checked previous feedback ( either from him to a buyer or from a buyer to him to view previous vehicle sales ) I'm not 100% sure but I believe more than 4 annual vehicle sales constitutes a ' dealer ' status but so would ( I'd have thought a ' bill of sale ' on documented or headed paper ? ) just a bit more food for thought 

good luck 

8 hours ago, muddyboots said:

If you have the seller's phone number - have you tried googling it ? It might bring up other car adverts, which would be added evidence he was a trader.

 

Thanks. i didn't find anything on Google for the number but there are a few past car listings on ebay.

 

2 hours ago, davidwhite said:

As the ' seller ' used eBay to advertise the car have you checked previous feedback ( either from him to a buyer or from a buyer to him to view previous vehicle sales ) I'm not 100% sure but I believe more than 4 annual vehicle sales constitutes a ' dealer ' status but so would ( I'd have thought a ' bill of sale ' on documented or headed paper ? ) just a bit more food for thought 

good luck 

 Thanks, yes there are past car sales and the fact he seems to have a car repair workshop points to him being a dealer on the side.

Sounds like he buys in cars to repair when not busy doing customers cars. This keeps his guys working all the time and allows him to make some additional income. I bet most car repairers do this.

 

Personally I would not buy a repaired write off, even if done well. I have had too many issues in the past with repairs done to my own cars that didn't last. eg a 6 week old rover 214 that was badly damaged, repaired with obvious welds etc which could not be concealed around the tailgate, and it all started to rust badly 18 months later. You also don't know what incidental damage may have occurred and been missed.

 

EG I had a triumph spitfire damaged on the rear boot lid top by a lampost falling on my car as I passed it, (having been hit by a van in front of of me!) That damage was obvious. What wasn't was the bent front suspension where I hit the kerb on the other side of the road whilst missing the crashing van. If I hadn't been aware that I hit the kerb and insisted it was alignment checked, that would not have been repaired.

Many buy vehicles that would have been given a class of 'write off' if an insurance claim was made.   Just because a perfectly good looking and running vehicle had no record of being In an accident or incident weather related does not mean it has not had extensive body or mechanic damage at sometime.    Loads of good repairers around. 

Edited 23 May, 20188 yr by Offski

My daughter in law had her Mini Park Lane written off less than a year old after someone ran into the back of her at lights and pushed her into a    car crossing in front of her. All OK, but a couple of weeks later she was contacted by the new “owners asking if she would pop the second set of car keys into the post for them.  In that time it’s uncertain what repairs could have been done.