Hey guys, just a bit of a heads up on the above car following two weeks of frustration.

So over two weeks ago i viewed and put a deposit down on this impreza WRX Wagon (SW04RUU), hoping to pick it up on the Saturday of that week.

The dealer agreed to change the cam belt (as that service interval hadnt been stamped in the service book) and re-gas the air conditioning.

On the Friday before i was due to pick up the car i called the dealer to check the status of the car, which was when the disappointment started.

The dealer started with the AC, he said that they had removed the refrigerant, done a vacuum test on the system however they were unable to re-gas the systems without any explanation why. No biggie i thought.

The dealer then got on to the cam belt. He said they had changed the cam belt, however to do so they had to have the battery off, and upon re-connecting the battery the car wouldn't start. To which i immediately suggested it could be the immobiliser... Which the dealer didn't seem to acknowledge.

A few phone calls later, the dealer initially said he was going to book it into a subaru dealer for them to look at it, a call or two later, that turned in to a subaru specialist, and then a later phone call almost 2 weeks after putting a deposit down he suggested he had a man in a van come to look at it...

The man in a van apparently diagnosed the problem as an ECU fault (with no explanation to what the fault was), which i didnt particularly believe, as most signs pointed to the immobiliser. But with the car approx 2 hours away from where i live, there was little i could do apart from take the dealers word for it.

The dealer told me it was going to be £600+ to fix the old ECU or circa £1200 for a new ECU and that that wouldn't necessarily fix the problem, which he wasnt prepared to pay.

Approximately two and a half weeks on, and not knowing if what the dealer was telling me was the truth or just a bag of lies, I had the deposit refunded and the search continues.

I wont mention the dealers name but a quick search on ebay and you will find the car. So for anyone who may come across this car whilst looking for a Wagon, approach with caution!!!

My initial thoughts were after the expense of replacing the cam belt the dealer was either not making any money on the car or would be out of pocket, so he has tried his up-most to put me off and refund my deposit so he can attempt to sell it on for more.

A couple of additional things to note are the car could do with 4 new tyres, it had budgets on the front and very low toyo proxys on the back. The alloys were pretty curbed as well.

 

Wont mention the dealers name?

Cheers for that, I guess you're just looking for pity then and would be quite happy to see someone else suffer the same.

 

Yeah I can't really see how it's a 'heads up' without knowing where the problem exists i.e. the dealer in question.
Strange post.

 

Not looking for pity atall, the car is only advertised on ebay and the dealer doesn't have a website.

below is a link if it means so much to you.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUBARU-IMP...YAAOSwtnpXjLSY

i just thought a website like this would be one of the first places to do a bit of research when buying a second hand car especially if it had been owned by an enthusiast...

 

Check the MOT history of a vehicle
Registration number: SW04RUU

Vehicle makeSUBARU Vehicle modelIMPREZA Date first used29 June 2004 Fuel typePetrol ColourBlue

MOT history of this vehicle
Test date19 July 2016 Expiry date18 July 2017 Test ResultPass Odometer reading81,714 miles MOT test number1525 0990 5039 Advisory notice item(s)
nearside rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
offside rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
Test date29 August 2015 Expiry date28 August 2016 Test ResultPass Odometer reading77,859 miles MOT test number4849 2161 4711 Advisory notice item(s)
front Headlamp has a product on the light source but not seriously reducing light output (1.7.5a)
front Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (7.1.2)
undertray fitted
offside rear tyre has nail in it
rear innersill corroded
nearside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)
Test date29 August 2015 Test ResultFail Odometer reading77,859 miles MOT test number2942 1295 1405 Reason(s) for failure
nearside front Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (8.2.2)
nearside front Front position lamp(s) incorrect colour (1.1.A.3e)
offside front Front position lamp(s) incorrect colour (1.1.A.3e)
Advisory notice item(s)
front Headlamp has a product on the light source but not seriously reducing light output (1.7.5a)
front Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (7.1.2)
undertray fitted
offside rear tyre has nail in it
rear innersill corroded
nearside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)
Test date27 August 2014 Expiry date26 August 2015 Test ResultPass Odometer reading72,393 miles MOT test number5497 5933 4278 Advisory notice item(s)
Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)
Test date24 June 2013 Expiry date23 June 2014 Test ResultPass Odometer reading67,317 miles MOT test number9060 8507 3196
Test date25 May 2012 Expiry date24 May 2013 Test ResultPass Odometer reading61,240 miles MOT test number2961 4664 2189 Advisory notice item(s)
Under-trays fitted obscuring some underside components
Vehicle's internal headlight adjuster altered to recheck lights
various bpipes slight corrosion
front suspension arms rusty
Test date5 July 2011 Expiry date4 July 2012 Test ResultPass Odometer reading54,920 miles MOT test number4171 8608 1181 Advisory notice item(s)
Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)
Test date21 June 2010 Expiry date29 June 2011 Test ResultPass Odometer reading46,371 miles MOT test number2910 0267 0117
Test date24 June 2009 Expiry date29 June 2010 Test ResultPass Odometer reading37,575 miles MOT test number4023 5507 9124
Test date13 June 2008 Test ResultFail Odometer reading30,324 miles MOT test number8639 6576 8150 Reason(s) for failure
Nearside Registration plate lamp not working (1.1.C.1d)
Test date13 June 2008 Expiry date29 June 2009 Test ResultPass Odometer reading30,324 miles MOT test number5018 1586 8125
Test date30 June 2007 Expiry date29 June 2008 Test ResultPass Odometer reading26,509 miles MOT test number1919 4178 7124 Advisory notice item(s)
Nearside Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)
Offside Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)
front no/plate damaged on corner