Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Asking for a mate.

They bought a 2nd hand Toyota hybrid. Some faults came up, 2nd hand dealer "fixed" them - most likely reset the codes. They came back again and they took it to Toyota who say the battery needs replacing.

2nd hand dealer has said they want to fix the battery, not replace. They have also reset the codes again, so my mate needs the error codes to come back again before the next move. Their now running close to their 3m warranty - which the 2nd hand dealer has "assured" them, verbally of course, that as they flagged it within the warranty it'll be covered.

Anything that can be done? I know most 2nd dealer warranties are worth even less than a main dealer, but can you force their hand some how?

Isn't it six months warranty, if the fault is at purchase which seems to include this. But is the battery counted wear and tear as not sure if covered?

Also get everything in writing, or email/letter to confirm what is agreed with the dealer.

But contact citizens advise, can be done by email. They will give details of what to do.

If the codes have only just come up and your friend is two months into ownership then I suspect it’s going to be very hard to get a satisfactory conclusion.

Rejecting the vehicle for a full refund is probably the goal here, and will be what the dealer will strive to avoid whilst spending as little as possible to make your friend go away.

No the error codes came up quite early, but it's been so much back and forth they're now two months down the line.

Annoyingly the car seems absolutely fine otherwise - it's just not operating as a hybrid. Understandably they don't want to fork out for a new hybrid battery something they just bought.

it's just not operating as a hybrid.

So car is not as described/sold. Attempts have been made at repair.

So get advice from citizens advice then.

Ah, well - easy to say this of course, but they should have given it back as not fit for purpose within the first 30 days. The battery pack will be, I suspect (assumption!) more expensive to replace than the value of the car, hence the dealers reticence in the "actually fixing stuff" department.

I'd refer to the initial date when the problem was communicated and use that as "this was well within the first 30 days and therefore we are returning the car", see what the dealer says.

What does this 30 days pertain to?

Thanks all CAB is a good idea, although with Covid and little ones idk how viable that is for them.

Threatening to send it back is a good idea.

They were wondering about paying Toyota to fix, then small claims court.

"If you've bought a used car that turns out to be faulty, then you are covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015. This means that you are entitled to a full refund if you take the car back to the dealer within 30 days of purchase if you can prove that the fault was already there when you purchased the car. "

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/105951/your-rights-when-buying-a-used-car

They were wondering about paying Toyota to fix, then small claims court.

Ten grand limit in the Small Claims Court though, which your friends may well go past. Batteries are not cheap.

I'd also not want to have that money spent pending an uncertain case to reclaim some/all of it.

Yeah. I thought it was an odd move.

Also having been involved in litigation it's such a totally all consuming thing to have in your life.

Yes, same. I'd go a long way to avoid it again.

Can't they send an email or use the phone to contact the citizens advice?

Maybe. My last experience of CAB was helping there back when teenslane was wheeling his fixie down Brick Lane.

Idle thought, but looking on pistonheads classifieds and ebay e30 converables are no where to be seen.

In the past there would be tonnes. Loads at sub£5k.

Ebay has 6.

Ah, it has been email and phone has been for a few years now. The gov set up this https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en. But the most comments are contact citizens advice for further advice.

Was the car bought on a loan or credit card, or deposit of at least £100 on a credit card?

Thanks for that.
The safety switch is in place as well as a bunch of the common sensible upgrades.
The seller will help me get to know the ins and outs of the fluids etc.
I was thinking of fitting an electronic ignition if it's not already done. Haven't checked yet.

For any car security {alarms, trackers and immobilisers} or in car sounds work I can highly recommend Kam, East London based but travels within reason.
https://www.instagram.com/kamice1/

Good quality work.

Spot the difference?

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So we replaced the stolen electric car with a cat D hooptie SLK from 2004 already. Bit of an impulse buy, needs a lot of little jobs doing, but it was pretty well-priced. ULEZ exempt too innit.

I am lucky enough to have a friend with access to a lift and we threw it up there yesterday for a glance at the undercarriage. I thought glavanised bodies meant I was done with rust. Turns out, there's a developing issue with the rear subframe (which is not galvanised, or in fact painted very well). Fairly common problem due to a design flaw apparently. Many have been replaced free of charge in the past, but I'm sure it's way too old now. This one might well yet be repairable.

Can anyone:
a. recommend somewhere good for repairing steel near south east London?
b. share their own experience with these subframes?
c. PM me if they work for Mercedes?

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@dammit knows all about merc subframes

Ha, yes. I had mine renovated by DynoTorque for, if memory serves, three and a half grand.

The coating on these is, as you surmise, total crap. In my case the part was NLA from Mercedes, but it would be far cheaper and more straightforward for you if you can just buy the part, or go to one of the specialist Mercedes breakers. My car was rare (sub 50 in the UK) which made that problematic.

Ah crap. That would be way more than we paid for the car. It's a huge job though of course. I know the part was something like £700 when it was still available, but there's a lot of general maintenance at the back there too.

How long ago @Dammit? I assume yours was an SLK55?

Mine was a C55 AMG estate, built 2006, registered 2007.