belewski1984

iTrader: (1)

There was 1 on the 9march down at the beefeater by the mway not sure about the west mids club as not on Facebook and think it runs on there m8

fpan

iTrader: (11)

Contrary to common belief and advice on here, packing the shocks with grease is only a workaround.

The problem is the teflon bushes between the insert and the strut housing wear out hence there is lateral play.

Filling them up with grease is a workaround as it only fills the gap with grease, the problem will eventually happen again.

To rectify the problem once and forever you need to remove the insert and find someone that can replace the bushes.

Norman Dog

iTrader: (1)

Had the exact same problems with mine when I bought from a dealer.

Had the bushes, rear shocks then the top mounts replaced and was still knocking from the rear.
Turns out the knocking was coming from the bootlid. Have a look where the two rubber feet rest on the plastic trim.

Is there any type of indentation?

I placed a couple of bits of sticky rubber over the indents and it fixed the problem.

As for the secondary air system, this is a very common fault, mine was replaced under warranty, however, this will cost mega money to do if you're not covered. Best off removing altogether and mapping the whole thing out in that case.

corno

There's indentation on the trim so I've added some pieces of rubber.. Still knocking unfortunately! Also there's wear on the inside of the rear panels where the boot has rubbed, a little rust..

I plan to get the secondary air system removed in the future, hello map

salsa-king

so what was the outcome with the dealer, what did they do for you?

andy.downes

iTrader: (1)

A tiny spray of lithium grease sorts out the knocking for around 3 months...saving you £££'s...when it knocks again, get the spray out !

corno

I tried white lithium spray and no luck unfortunately! So the story gets worse. Took the car for a spirited drive over the weekend and all of a sudden the temperature stays in the top 2/3 of the gauge, my phone telling me it's 110-115 degrees and not cooling down at all. Left it and took it out later for a slow run, no problems, hard run, no problems. Took a look on Monday night and my head gasket has definitely gone. I thought I saw signs of it when I first had the car but wasn't too sure. I rang the dealer on Tuesday and told them and he's said he will contact his garage (well known tuner in the West Midlands, not wanting to give names just yet) and get back to me with my options.

I did some research myself, and it's approx 1500 for just head gaskets, re skim and labour. Or 2500 to get forged pistons and studs etc.

I imagine the dealer will either want to buy the car back off me for a less price (one new owner and 1500miles), contribute towards just the head gasket fix, or god knows what... Three days, two texts, two phone calls further and I've heard nothing from the dealer. Dreading having to start legal action

smiffywhu

Time to name and shame

mickeymouse

sorry for you

ideally get them to pay for the headgasket and labour then add forged parts..that way youll only be paying for parts

goodluck

corno

Yep that's what I'd like to do, and expect them to do - more calls and still nothing. Going to try calling from a withheld number, if there's no answer paperwork will commence in the new week. Fed up and just want it fixed or at least an option to get it done !

Dave Y

iTrader: (52)

Get down there and speak face to face

XDevil666

Lovely dealers!

Your best friend until you put down the money, then your a pest

They really need to start checking every car that comes in and thing with the reason why is this guy part ex his car

When I think about it whenever I sold my cars part ex is was always because there was a fault with it!

corno

A lot easier said than done.. If this was Mr Vauxhall or Mr Ford garage not a problem, but when it's a very small garage operated by three guys, I think I'll pass

Exactly, real shame the cars gone sour.

Must have rang four times today and no answer but can see they're using their phone as whatsapp says when last online.. Made a call to Citizens Advice Bureau and they were actually quite helpful. The fact the car was sold with faults (i.e CEL light disabled) means the car was not fit for sale so I've got a good leg to stand on. Will try to keep phoning today and Monday, then I'll have to resort to written complaints.

Can't believe this is actually happening, all I wanted was a decent STi and I thought I'd be guaranteed that buying from a reputable dealer. Already spoken to a few guys selling privately and I've got much more confidence in them. Frustrated doesn't even cover it.

**jay**

iTrader: (1)

Should have took that car back for a refund when you first noticed the bodged eml and knocking shocks

STOOBOY

iTrader: (5)

This truly sucks ar$e! I would be so gutted in this situation!!

Hope you get it sorted mate!

donny andi

iTrader: (3)

Wasn't bought from a trader in Watford was it?
If it was drop me a pm

corno

Tell me about it ! Thanks pal. Car is sat on the drive looking pretty and clean with nowhere to go.


No sorry, Midlands, might drop the name if it they don't resolve to let others be aware of them.

In hindsight - yes, I should've. Easier said than done when you've just bought your dream car!

belewski1984

iTrader: (1)

Cant believe your still having problems m8 it time to name and shame before some1 else ends up in the same situation. Out of interest did u take out car on credit if you did it might be worth speaking to them explain they might be able to put pressure on dealer to get this resolve.

jazzyjembreaze

iTrader: (11)

Oh dear
That car should have been returned from your first post
Head gasket
Shocks
Secondary
Plus a few more gremlins I bet
You must be very upset & quite rightly so .
You need to take legal now & be done with it , plenty more out there to enjoy trouble free motoring .
Good luck on your quest

corno

I think it's probably best for me to not mention their name publicly till any legal work is finished with - although should someone be reading this post and my experience of the dealer I will advise them in the hope they don't encounter the same problem!

I wish I had of returned it then now. Yep, head gasket, shocks, secondary, and also the headlight leveling sensor went last week and snapped off the male pins in the female connector

I am now considering legal action, not sure I should say too much till the matter is resolved as this is a public forum.

I figure I had might as well get the car fixed and right, then I won't be worried about buying another one and encountering the same problems down the line.. Subaru's are supposed to be fun to own right?

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

I don't get why you have not parked up outside said dealer complete with camping gear and supplies.

You are well within your consumer rights to demand a full refund. Longer you wait, easier it gets for the dealer.

LuckyWelshchap

Imo you need to prepare for the worst-case scenario, which will be you and them ending up in a Small Claims Court. (That's the worst for you, for them it could be a court of law and I'm sure that Trading Standards would appreciate any help).

In the Small Claims process things are decided on the balance of probability, not 'beyond reasonable doubt', so you need to get that balance on your side.

Firstly, jot down NOW any meaningful events, such as the date you bought the car, when you first noticed a problem and how it all unfolded (probably using the dates and posts on here would be helpful).
It has to be done before you start forgetting things.

Imo the first thing to do (now) is get it MoT'd.
This will point out any faults that make the car unroadworthy and advisories that are likely to in the near future ie. might make the car not of the quality it should have been given price etc.

The difference between mileage now and when sold will also be a factor.(Obviously if you had done zero miles then it would be obvious what the ex-dealer condition was but a probable condition can be 'proven' if a low amount of mileage has been done).
It might cost a few quid but that could be reclaimed via Small Claims.

Cost anything that's needed as a result of the MoT.
Next, cost any repairs that are required.
Finally, any expenses you have, such as the bus to work, loss of VED, Insurance etc. as a result of not having use of it.

Send the dealers a letter detailing the problems, including the results of the MoT and the expenses that you're incurring.
(Don't mention the cost of repairs at this stage).

Tell them that you're giving them the opportunity to rectify matters and you are giving them 30 days in which to respond, failing which you'll consider legal action to recover your losses. Remind them of your rights under Consumer Protection legislation and you don't consider that the vehicle was fit for purpose.

Note - under the small claims process you have to give them 30 days.
MoneyClaimOnLine (MCOL) means you don't have to use a solicitor (indeed, you can't recover legal costs, it's one of the reasons for Small Claims) and the process is pretty quick and progressive.

I'm helping someone at the moment. A claim was lodged at the end of Jan and within weeks a court had been allocated and the dealer's solicitors were in touch with the claimant.
There is a minimum length for some of the phases but the hearing is still this week, about 4 1/2 months after launching it, and that's after the SN member rejected 2 offers (derisory and just made to stretch things out imo).

A couple of other things:

* Is the dealer a Ltd company and if so how long has it been running?
* Have you been to 'Trading Standards' (if not, hold off until you've had the MoT done or you have some solid evidence to provide. If they fail to take action that can be a big help to the trader).
* The idea is to recover your losses (and/or not suffer extra outlay) and tact can help in the first instance, tho' from what appears to be fobbing off I think you might have to become more er... robust.

Finally, by all means pm me if you want more info on (or help with) the process.

Carnut

Have a look at my thread https://www.scoobynet.com/scoobynet-...t-checker.html you may be able to see if any m.o.t's have been faked. As said before if you get a independent m.o.t you can compare to older ones and might be able to see some inconsistencies.

corno

Wow - thank you for a LOT of help there!! I'll be sure to contact you should I need more advice.

Hmm struggling to bring back much info there - only the last MOT. Think this is because the car was brought over from Northern Ireland.

Being stuck with no car would be the main reason why

corno

Decisions decisions, after a second legal letter the dealer is now offering a full refund for the car. I've taken a look online and there are no Hawk STi's going for my kind of money Really not sure what to do. Might consider asking the dealer to offer me a contribution towards the fix and then never speaking again.

BrownPantsRacing

iTrader: (6)

I'd go with that option. To have a forged engine in a hawk STI would be ideal. Get a cost (and official quotation) from the usual suspects that build good quality forged engines such as David from API and Alan from Engine Tuner and take these to the dealer. He will have to pay for this to be done to sell the car on anyhow so may agree to half the costs.

Good luck!

At the end of the day, he'll have made some money selling the car to you so may choose to absorb these costs.

Tidgy

get some quotes for proper forged rebuild and go from there, rebuilding like for like and you'll more than likley beback to square 1.

jazzyjembreaze

iTrader: (11)

No no no , I'd be walking away with the refund
You want nothing to do with thr shoddy sales or spanner work ...
Cars come & go , been impatient won't help , wait for the right car to come along at the right price . & take someone with you that knows the script ..

Good luck on a future purchase

smiffywhu

taking a full refund will just mean someone else ends up with the "broken" car.I think its a great opportunity to get a forged rebuild out of him as a goodwill gesture for the messing around he caused you

chieftain333

Might be an idea to name and shame the dealer so others don't fall victim