Bought a car and it’s a Lemon,small claims court an option?

[Eight50]

Apart from the cambelt would
You say these are the important parts to be replaced?Front main oil seal,sump gasket and actuator control rod.
Any idea ball park cost on all that please if anyone has had similar work done as I need to price it up and see if it’s viable?

[volvosam]

I have just sold a 130k mile 2003 Volvo S80 that my brother owned before he passed away and I still have the 220k mile 2002 V70 that he owned. I did not get underneath the S80 to have a look but there was evidence of an oil leak from somewhere as the undertray was damp at the front of the engine.
I have had a better look at the V70 as I have been doing some work on it including replacing the driveshaft to fix a gaitor problem. I was surprised how much general evidence there is of historic oil leaks; it is not dripping on the ground but it is obvious that there have been multiple minor leaks for a long time - it is engrained slightly damp dirt / mess - not fresh oil everywhere. As it is not dripping I am not going to do anything about it because at 220k miles it is not worth it and it probably won't get substantially worse over the next 30k - if it does then time to reassess. If I took the car for an inspection at a mechanic then he would definitely mention the leak(s) and would have to recommend repair.
It would appear to me (as a non previous Volvo owner) that they do leak a bit more than MBs, BMWs etc.
I guess this is the challenge of buying an older, high mileage, "cheap" car (if it ever ended up in a court it would be seen as a "cheap" car I am afraid) - you really need to be able to assess yourself or have someone friendly who does not have to cover his backside when providing an inspection.
If it is not physically leaking / dripping / making a mess on the driveway then I would just leave it, get the actuator fixed and ask the seller to fund that and then just enjoy the cheap motoring. If it lasts another 2 years and you sell if for £500 you will still have done well.

[Chris1Roll]

Oil leaks on a filthy diesel always look worse because of how hideously black it is.
Dad's XC90 D5 is coming up to 220k and there is oil bloody everywhere underneath.

But it never needs topping up between services and it just keeps on trucking with him putting 20k/year on it with lots of heavy towing and regular off roading/wading. It's not worrh investigating further or replacing all the seals in that case.

I'd do the cambelt, keep an eye on the oil level and just drive it.


Oh, and his swirl flap arm keeps popping off.
Can't tell any difference between when it's on or not!

[Simmy]

to be fair i think your expectations are high. even though the mileage is fairly low for an ageing v70 the problems listed are not a massive issue and could be fixed easily by a decent home mechanic as for the swirl flap arm there are dozens of cars running with these disconnected . with no ill effect . the car is worth fixing and will possibly run for anorther 100k. but if your not happy re sell to some one who will fix it and be happy with it . ps be aware that all older s/h used cars will come with some problems either visible or hidden good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[Bonefishblues]

Slightly more rounded picture has emerged now, I think.

One thing that you should do though is to report the Dealer to eBay, their local Trading Standards, and were you feeling particularly fighty, HMRC if you can't see a record of his Trading Entity on a company check.

[Lancee]

Perhaps let forum members see the list of faults and the pictures from the inspection ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266476493...Bk9SR8Loxdj5Yg

On the face of it, looks like a rather nice car. Unless the apparent faults are major or likely to be impendingly terminal, maybe drive it and fix it as you go.

What was the first apparent fault whereby it was felt necessary to seek a "professional" opinion from a mechanic ?

Perhaps not a lot of money for a lot of car ? Highly unlikely to get perfection at that price level ?

[4x4]

As I stated earlier he is a dealer purporting to be a private seller on eBay and the OP needs to gather as much information now before it is gone. Sadly eBay will do nothing about it except have you running around like a headless chicken for a few weeks only to tell you there is nothing they can do.

When I bought my V70 through a 'private seller' on eBay who had (and still has) 100% feedback I did my homework and he admitted he was a part time dealer. It didn't stop him being a total bellend though and he pulled the advert before I drove the car 420 miles home not giving me a chance to leave feedback. He or a mate with a fake eBay account left false feedback on my behalf in which was written a load of total bullsh1t. I spent 3 weeks arguing my case with eBay and got nowhere, the feedback is still there along with all the other false 100% feedbacks which are all written in the same style by the same person.

My car cost a lot more than the OP's car, I spent another huge sum of money bringing it up to a safe and reliable standard, that's what you have to do with old cars if you plan hanging onto them for a while. I don't regret buying the car or sorting out all the problems, I now have something that I'm happy with and will keep for a while. Had I bought a new EV it would have depreciated more than what my V70 has cost and wouldn't be half the fun to drive.

Caveat Emptor when buying from eBay or anywhere, the world is full of scammers all out to take your money.

Note to the OP, you have purchased something a little special, the Inscription interior was an expensive upgrade (more or less what you paid for the entire car) when new and sought after now. If it were my car I would sort out any major problems and enjoy it for what it is


For anyone wanting a laugh here's the feedback page of vendor 'original_g_2005' whose name is Shauket Janjua from Slough. I wouldn't trust him with the proverbial 10' barge pole Shauket Janjua AKA original_g_2005 feedback page

[Selby]

I’d say it’s a fair price for it even with the faults.

Expecting a brand new car without issues when buying a 20 year old car with 175k miles is a little naive. You’d of been better have an inspection BEFORE you purchased it.

[Eight50]

Well done you got the prize for saying I should have had in looked at before I bought it, no **** Sherlock?
I’m far from naive and I don’t expect the world for £2.5k but I don’t expect a car that not fit for purpose.
Can’t see where I wrote I expected a brand new car for £2500?

[Lancee]

Originally Posted by Eight50

Well done you got the prize for saying I should have had in looked at before I bought it, no **** Sherlock?
I’m far from naive and I don’t expect the world for £2.5k but I don’t expect a car that not fit for purpose.
Can’t see where I wrote I expected a brand new car for £2500?

People are just trying to help here. If you seek and would like any help and perhaps some reassurance perhaps try to accept that given gracefully ?

Everyone will have an opinion, and of little doubt some of these will be flawed, "no **** Sherlock?". Take the best and leave the rest.

If you are not totally naive in these matters perhaps if you have paid, at least the deposit with a credit card perhaps you might have section 75 recourse ?