savage bulldogs Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Just a thought ,Have you got a copy of the fault diagnosis from the garages that said it was definitely headgasket? Is so you could try forwarding a copy of the fault diagnosis ,a dated pic of the speedo (showing it hasn't done many miles) and a copy of the quote for a rebuild Then ask for a "good will" refund for half the cost of the work that needs to be done to make the car fit for purpose. Also Stating that this is hopefully a more civil way to resolve the issue before taking your solicitors advise and starting court proceedings Probably a long shot but you never know if he has got a ounce of decency he might meet you half way . 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 15, 2015 Author Share Posted September 15, 2015 Savage bulldogs, Once more...thanks for trying to help out and your suggestion...greatly appreciated. No, I don't have a copy of the fault diagnosis from the garage but I may be able to get one from them. If we were to get a half of the cost of the repair I would still feel to have been ripped-off but nonetheless it would be a great help and we could perhaps get started on the repair. The car has not been moved off my drive since August 3rd and I could take pics showing the mileage hasn't altered since it was driven back from the sellers home. As for us paying for a solicitor ... it's totally out of the question, as I / we, just don't have solicitors fees money to spend. So it looks like we're totally stuffed. Regards, Rik. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr B Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Any chance in any paperwork you got with car you know what garage done work for him, a clever call may lead to fact they already know about car as tested for the seller & then you have some hard proof he new about issue prior to sale. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Not saying it will be cheaper but ring Sheffield Subaru services and speak with martin about a rebuild. Top bloke. And won't over charge you at all. Or to at least get a 2nd quote. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quit Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 300 I said was a estimate ... Could b more Matt, The figures you've mentioned are scary. £300 for a day off work?? I don't get that sort of money per month, let alone a day. Food for thought indeed and after reading what you've written I'm so worried now that I don't think I could go ahead with a court hearing now. There's no way I could afford to lose that sort of cost on top of the £3000 we seem to be out of pocket with already. It's the usual story...crime pays and I see this instance as a crime, without a doubt. For the innocent always seem to lose out and if you're honest, you're wasting your life. The seller seemed to be such a nice guy on the phone and TBH I trusted him...how wrong we were! Yes, we have a receipt, but obviously receipts (in this case,) aren't worth the paper they're written on. I wrote to him explaining the situation and he said in an e-mail that he would write back. That was over two weeks ago and to date I've received nothing. Thanks again for you input here. Regards, Rik. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savage bulldogs Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Rik my suggestion was just a idea in case you didn't fancy the risk off losing a court case 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 Mr B, Thanks for mentioning this. Unfortunately none of the car history receipts relate to work that would indicate the HG's were blown. Best regards, Rik. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 Gambit, Thanks for trying to help me mate...very much appreciated. Someone on here mentioned to give them a call and I did so over a week back. I seem to think I spoke to Martin; who was very sympathetic and he said to do the heads and re-set up the engine would cost over £2000, but that was not a full rebuild. Best regards, Rik. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 No problem mate. Just hope you get the problem sorted. [emoji106] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 Matt, Thanks once again for maybe saving me one hell of a lot of money, even though we appear to have been ripped off for £3000 Having digested what you have said, I clearly cannot risk taking this to case court, as although I know without ANY doubt, the seller sold us a car, knowing it to be seriously faulty; but even though I know this and that the garage that diagnosed it knew it had been in this condition for some considerable time...I cannot prove it...simple as that! Also, the seller is clearly aware that I will lose out. He must be laughing his head off. Best Regards, Rik. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 Savage bulldogs, You've tried your best to help out mate, like all those on here who've responded to my post and I sincerely respect your help. Thanks again. Best regards, Rik. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 Hi all, I know this is going off topic but bear with me. To update those who may be interested, It's long winded, so take a comfy seat before reading! The seller of the 2006 Subaru 2.5 WRX SL Wagon / Estate car my son bought, has responded to a letter I sent him and has told me he's contacted Subaru dealers and independants and that all of them bar one have said that the engine will Not need a rebuild, just because the HG's are blown. He went on to say that these dealers had said that unless we were planning to upgrade the engines power then there is NO need to rebuild the engine. He also said that the engine could be repaired for £1500, (just HG's repaired) which is the quoted price I was given on Aug 3rd; so no change there. I've spoken to both the Scooby Clinic and Sheffield Subaru services and they claim the engine will need to be rebuilt because of the damage to the heads. Both companies were talking £3000 to do the job properly. Also, both of these company repesentatives to whom I spoke were genuinely concerned, very sympathetic and I believe them to be extremely professional in their judgement. The Scooby Clinic made it quite clear to me, that they will not undertake HG repairs on these engines, without doing a full rebuild, due to the fact that ALL the repairs they have carried out in the past, (to just the HG's at customers requests), have resulted in crank shaft / bearing failures. So clearly, they won't take the risk of having customers having to have the work re-done to rectify these major faults. So guys and gals, we've been ripped off for £3000 and there's B*gg*r all we can do about it. Having burballed all that out, I sincerely hope anyone who happens to read this and is thinking of buying one of these very poorly built engined cars, to seriously consider conducting a sniff test, to double, double check for any trace of oil contaminant in the coolant expansion / header tank, the radiator and the small expansion filler tank that feeds / helps cool the turbo. Also, to prove there's contaminant / coolant in the oil system, do a sizzle test. If you do a sizzle test and it's positive, it proves beyond doubt there's coolant / water in the oil system. Check that the coolant flows freely and is clean and free of any debris whatsoever. Also, with the engine running and up to temp, remove the cap off the header tank and watch for a constant stream of bubbles. You can also check for these bubbles by removing the rad cap when the engine is cold, and then let it warm up and the bubbles will appear streaming across the top water level in the rad if the HG's have failed. If they're constantly streaming, then that being the case, leave the car with the seller and walk away. For those who wonder what a sizzle test is :- All you need. is a small quantity of oil taken from the dipstick and drop it onto a piece of silver foil. Hold a lighted cigarette lighter under the foil, if the oil just smokes and stinks it's ok but if it starts to Sizzle then it's water in the oil. You could also use any thin bit of metal to do this test with! Thanks for all of your help guys, but I seem to have let my son down very badly and feel terribly guilty that I wasn't with him when he bought this rip-off vehicle. Had I have been there, then this thread would never have been started. BTW I've found this to be a great forum...let it stay this way for good. Best regards, Rik. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 bad news indeed :( but tell him not too loose heart over it, my engine went after 3k miles and that was after it had been given a full health check over straight after i bought it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Sorry to hear mate I did think it would end this way sadly. I'll take some of the advice you have given and add it to the what to look for guide, hopefully we can help reduce others falling in to this trap and reduce the arsholes selling cars like this. And please don't feel like you have to be a stranger you're more than welcome to be here and join in I appreciate not in the circumstances you would have preferred. [emoji17] 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quit Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 hope you can get it fixed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 Tidgy, Sorry to hear you had a similar problem mate and once again thanks for you help / tips and support...appreciated. Best regards, Rik. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 Gambit, I had thought from the start that we'd lose out, I tried clutching at straws, so to speak, but the risk financially, is too great for me to tackle. It sickens me to think that this sort of practice goes on every day in some fields and the B***ards always seem get away with it. Obviously it will take a considerable time to get it sorted, as I just don't have funds available but hopefully one day I will be able to report that we have the car running again. You have all given me a very warm welcome to a great forum here and I'm extremely grateful to be a part of it, of course I will remain here, perhaps not posting so frequently but I do have some varied experience in basic mechanics and especially car bodywork repairs, so if there's any topic where I could be of any help, then I'll dive in. Once more, many many thanks for trying to help me out. I won't forget it! :D Best regards, Rik. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 Matt, Once again, thank you for your input on this thread. Obviously the facts are not what I wanted to have to take onboard but I'd rather be £3000 out of pocket than maybe £10K for the sake of a court case. Best regards, Rik 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 No problem mate. [emoji3] and thank you for the kind comments towards the forum. [emoji106] 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 Gambit, You're most welcome mate...you have a GREAT forum ... Keep up the good work. :D Best regards, Rik. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 It's not my forum mate I just help out. And all the credit should go to the members they make the community what it is [emoji3] but thank you all the same [emoji6] 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 Gambit, May I extend my thanks to all on this forum... Sorry, I thought you were the Webmaster and Builder of this site ... Nevertheless you do a grand job! :D Regards, Rik. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WideSam Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Sorry to hear it couldn't be sorted- just had a similarish experience with my girlfriend's car (which incidentally she bought from a garage, so you're still not always safe). 10 months down the line when I actually got round to doing some work to it and discovered its rotten as a pear. If my numbers come up in the euromillions I'll keep you in mind! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 WideSam, Thanks for your very kind thoughts but I'm really sorry to hear that you have a very similar problem and I sincerely hope you will get it sorted out without too much cost. Garages / car sales places seem to be rife with con men. They seem to think it's their right to take people for a ride and con them out of hard earned money. That goes for many of the main dealers too, they are not immune from the con artist disease. Service charges are where they tend to do most of their criminal activity...(and it is criminal in my eyes,) by charging exhorbitant prices for mostly BAD servicing. I could fill dozens of pages on this forum relating true stories of customers, who have been totally robbed by main dealer service charges. That's not to mention the dreadful trade practices with used car deals. Anyway, good luck in getting the car fixed. Regards, Rik. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozyDave Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 sorry to hear you will have to sort it out yourself shame you can get a warranty in place or join AA breakdown repair cover (they pay the first £500 towards repair). if you can get a warranty, delete this thread lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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