Certain Standard

After discovering the faulty alternator on the car I bought from Cars4less Lincoln, I decided to give the car a thorough examination. I found the following wrong.

The exhaust is falling off.

The brakes need repairing.

The emissions are too high.

So, I now have a total of 4 faults on this car.

Regarding your rights when buying a car from a car dealer, there are some things the dealer has to do.

The dealer has to sell you the car to a certain standard, or the dealer has to inform you of the faults the car has. In the case of cars4less, they did neither of these things. The intended use for this car I bought from cars4less was to drive it on public roads. Of course the alternator was faulty and the car broke down, therefore they have failed on this occasion to supply me with a car that was meant for it's intended purpose.

So remember that rule, the car has to perform to the standard you intend to use it for, otherwise the dealer is at fault. If this is the case, you are in your rights to demand one of the following actions to be taken by the dealer.

1. A replacement car that at least equals the value you initially spent.

2. That all faults are repaired by or payed for by the dealer.

3. The dealer issues you with a full refund.

These are your rights as a consumer when buying from a car dealer.

If a car dealer tells you it was "sold as viewed, so it's tough shit," they are lying. You still have rights. Contact Trading Standards if you are in doubt. They are extremely helpful.

It's also worth contacting Watchdog and Rip-Off Tip-Off, because the more people that do, the more likely it is that rogue traders will be found out.