Hi all,

 

First of all apologies if this needs to be moved to another section, I felt this was an appropriate subforum but will happily re post it up if a mod lets me know where to move it to.

 

My friend has just parted with £995 for a 198k mile 2003 Octavia 1.9 to stand in as a runaround. It test drove really nicely, had decent service history, had a few (several) cosmetic niggles but was otherwise pretty good for the money. On driving it home after work it went into limp mode - the same day he picked it up. This was a turbo fault caused by high revs climbing a hill (the turbo is quite loud) and not something likely to be triggered / noticed when test driving it in a suburban area full of speed bumps in a 20mph zone. Of course, this entitles him legally to return the car and expect a refund or rectification of the fault. 

 

The issue is, as we're all thinking: it's a high mileage sub £1k car, which was, of course "part ex to clear", "sold as seen" and "trade sale" (despite him clearly being a private individual and not a motor trader)... It's a tale as old as time, and they'll try and use all this plus the age and mileage to refuse to do anything about it. 

 

Does anyone have any experience returning cheap runarounds like this or making dealers repair them? Obviously we're not talking about a couple of bulbs being blown here, it's something which means the car can't keep up with traffic and is therefore a safety issue, not to mention not being fit for purpose as a car. 

 

My first idea would be to try and call them and sort something out over the phone, or failing that, send a signed for letter stating his rights and requesting a repair or refund. 

 

Any advice or reference to similar experiences will be greatly appreciated guys! 

If the turbo is noisy and hot, it may as simple as a split or popped turbo hose, may be worth getting a local garage to check the car first. A simple inexpensive fix may resolve the issue.

 

I had similar with a runabout Freelander, I changed a turbo hose (Split) and glow plugs (Burnt out), limp mode and engine warning light went out, and I ran it for another 2 years till I sold it on. Cost me under £50.

 

Some people get rid of older cars because they cant be bothered to check for simple solutions, and some garages will only do a diagnostic, which wont always pick up basic mechanical issues.

Yeah ok, that's what I would do in this situation but I'm not sure yet what his plan is going to be. The thing is late last year I had the same issue with an A3 (same engine) which did the same thing. I took it to the garage and they replaced a split hose, which cut down the noise slightly but did nothing for the limp mode sadly. 

8 hours ago, hebdenwill said:

2003 Octavia 1.9 to stand in as a runaround. It test drove really nicely, had decent service history, had a few (several) cosmetic niggles but was otherwise pretty good for the money. On driving it home after work it went into limp mode - the same day he picked it up. This was a turbo fault caused by high revs climbing a hill

Which tune? If it's a 110 (TDi) I'd suspect either a popped turbo hose or stuck vanes in the VVT. Look under guide for the "Mr Muscle Fix".

It's supposedly a 90bhp however I think it pulls better than it should, so perhaps a remap that was beyond its turbo's capabilities? 

 

He's taking it to the garage tomorrow so we'll see what they say. Wouldn't mind having a go at the Mr muscle fix, it doesn't look too difficult for a potential short term cure 

41 minutes ago, hebdenwill said:

It's supposedly a 90bhp however I think it pulls better than it should, so perhaps a remap that was beyond its turbo's capabilities?

Could be, but the 90 is usefully quick anyway (based on a hire car in/around M25 and M3, and Farnboro).

11 hours ago, hebdenwill said:

Of course, this entitles him legally to return the car and expect a refund or rectification of the fault. 

 

 

The issue is, as we're all thinking: it's a high mileage sub £1k car, which was, of course "part ex to clear", "sold as seen" and "trade sale" (despite him clearly being a private individual and not a motor trader)... It's a tale as old as time, and they'll try and use all this plus the age and mileage to refuse to do anything about it. 

 

 

If you genuinely believe that regarding buying an old high mileage "sold as seen trade sale" vehicle  then why are you asking for advice?

 

Someone that has to pay a garage to diagnose and repair faults should not be buying a vehicle in that manner, perhaps this experience will enlighten him.

On 22/07/2021 at 10:35, KenONeill said:

Could be, but the 90 is usefully quick anyway (based on a hire car in/around M25 and M3, and Farnboro).

Yeah, no disrespect to the 90 at all, I ran one for several years and it was perfectly adequate, but I'm sure this thing has better acceleration than my old one

23 hours ago, J.R. said:

If you genuinely believe that regarding buying an old high mileage "sold as seen trade sale" vehicle  then why are you asking for advice?

 

Someone that has to pay a garage to diagnose and repair faults should not be buying a vehicle in that manner, perhaps this experience will enlighten him.

gee, I dunno, perhaps I'm asking for advice from others on his behalf as per my explanation?? (Removed)

Edited 23 July, 20214 yr by john999boy
Uncalled for comments removed.