Customer car blows up 8 weeks after purchase...

[Christian 1]

And it had to be a 4.8L 7 series! 10 years old with 128k miles and a car I sold with my own 1 month warranty (very clearly stated and unerstood) but the car blew up just yesterday and now the customer has pushed me to give him a full refund. To put this into context I normally sell cars in around £4k and this was actually the most expensive car I had sold in 2 years of trading as a used car dealer. Once Im able to recover the customers £6k I will be giving this losing battle up and going back to a permanent day job because this is definitly the final nail in the coffin for me! I would be lucky to get £2k selling it as spares or repairs and £4k is alot of money for me to lose, nearly the first half of the years profit actually.

I've accepted my fate but just wanted to get some opinions on here before I commit to a full refund incase I would have any fighting chance because some people around me are telling me to seek legal advice.

[It's me 615]

cars normally dont just blow up

didit run say short on oil

has it been abused

of course if it went to court you would probably lose with mitigating reasons but this is the problem selling ten year old washing machines on wheels

im sorry to see any trader blow but we are selling the worst commodity known to man

sorry mate

[Arfur Dealy 823]

We all take big hits, it’s part of the game. He’s not entitled to a full refund, you can deduct 50ppm for use. Also, remember you are not responsible for fair wear n tear. Did you PDI? 

[EPV 631]

Without knowing the ins and outs of it all, you’re in a weak position. The car you sold wasn’t fit for purpose, unless you’re planning to repair the car you should issue a refund less 50p per mile for his usage. With any luck he’s done a couple of thousand miles which will ease your pain. 

Recon the engine, sell it again and wipe your mouth and move on. 

[Stalker 180]

Get the car back to your own trusted mechanic/specialist ASAP and find out the full story before going any further.

 

Edited August 16, 2018 by Stalker

[MOTORS 25]

Yes, get the car back to your mechanic.

We sold a 2002 Honda S2000 a couple of years ago with full Honda serv hist 93k. Broke a con-rod and made nice hole in the side of engine. Customer wanted a full refund.      I employed the services of ACE Inspection engineers who reported that the valves had bounced off the piston heads immediately before engine failure (physically marked) . Their    report stated that the driver had probably mis-selected a gear and over-revved the engine causing the failure. Customer collected the car with tail between his legs and got it        repaired elsewhere at his own cost.

Don't give up too early...

[Rory RSC 596]

A few helpful points.

When did you sell the car?

What was the mileage on the vehicle at point of sale. What  is the mileage now?

Did your PDI check / MOT etc etc show any signs of a pre existing problem?

Have you actually had the car checked somewhere you trust and inspected / established exactly what fault is present?

[Area 51 33]

Get it back and checked over, its really the only way you can make a firm decision and move forward; additionally this approach and the sound advice offered by others here is really the only professional way to respond. Its one you will be able to rely on if it gets awkward.. the Honda S2000 is a good example.. so follow this lead I would say.. good luck with the investigation, there will be more advice here if you update on progress made.

[Mikey360 68]

Its rare for engines to just "blow up", as said with the s2000, he could have gone into second instead of forth, or he's just been a twit and redlined it in every gear and not checked the oil.

I always make sure all of my punters know to check the oil to catch any problems early and prevent anything like this happening. Get them to go through the PDI with you aswell, stating all fluid levels are correct at the time of sale and follow it up with an email reminding them to Check it over regularly!!

[andymc1973 199]

welcome to the motor trade

get the full story and then report back

[MrC 142]

2 hours ago, twerp said:

4.8L is the 750i, which is the N62 engine which quite regularly suffers from valve stem issues creating increased oil consumption...

Ran low on oil

If it ran low on oil it must have put a warning light on. Could be worth scanning to see if it has stored it and at how many miles to see if he carried on driving regardless

[sparky 274]

A 4.8 with 128k up it, what could possibly go wrong?

Sorry to hear it's the end for you which if it is, then I suppose you could play hard ball over this if you so wished. 

[AutoJacob 34]

Does the customer not know that a BMW uses 1L of oil per 1000 miles.

My advice to you is don't give up, I am also going through a hard time but still surviving. The odds are against us newbies from the start and if we can make it past all the bollocks that this job brings then you know how rewarding it can be

[EPV 631]

Why DO bmw’s Use oil like that? 

[Christian 1]

I knew it was a better idea to come here first, thanks everyone for your advice. The customer told me yesterday that it all happened in a matter of seconds yesterday - very loud rattling noises from the engine and plumes of white smoke out of the back of the car. I haven't been able to get a hold of the mechanic yet, but I will try again tomorrow and update.

[Arfur Dealy 823]

1 hour ago, AutoJacob said:

Does the customer not know that a BMW uses 1L of oil per 1000 miles.

My advice to you is don't give up, I am also going through a hard time but still surviving. The odds are against us newbies from the start and if we can make it past all the bollocks that this job brings then you know how rewarding it can be

LIKE....

When you haved a built up pot its easier to cope with the bollocks... Yes, it is very rewarding making your own way, but it isn't easy and you need determination. I sell around a 150 cars a year which gives me an above average comfortable income, however its taken 30 years and the shit never goes away.  

The thing is I love the job, I'm a wheeler dealer at heart........ Always looking for a deal...

[Stalker 180]

35 minutes ago, EPV said:

Why DO bmw’s Use oil like that? 

Nikasil coating wears off... somebody will come along and give a long winded explanation. But they are designed to use a little to aid keeping emissions down, however this said coating wears off then they start to burn oil big time. 

[EPV 631]

6 minutes ago, Stalker said:

Nikasil coating wears off... somebody will come along and give a long winded explanation. But they are designed to use a little to aid keeping emissions down, however this said coating wears off then they start to burn oil big time. 

Good enough, cheers. 

[Mikey360 68]

Used to have a 325ci, Went through a litre every 2000 miles.

I think someone on here said that mini's are meant to use a litre every thousand aswell?

Nothing beats my old subaru legacy with 135000 on the clock..... 5 ltrs every 2500 miles 

[It's me 615]

discussing this today

anyone selling stuff like this needs a medal as its a hand grenade with the pin out

at 10 years old the old saying comes out

kiss... keep it simple ....so old focus.jazz/c1/this sort of bullet proof rubbish that doesnt come back to bite your bum

ok you wont make a grand a sale but you wont be dreading the phone call.....hello its me i bought the jazz off you last week etc.............

to OP  once this is sorted ive said it a million times but find your comfort zone and specialise,people will travel if you have what they want and you show commitment to your chosen destination

[Mark101 536]

10 hours ago, Arfur Dealy said:

LIKE....

When you haved a built up pot its easier to cope with the bollocks... Yes, it is very rewarding making your own way, but it isn't easy and you need determination. I sell around a 150 cars a year which gives me an above average comfortable income, however its taken 30 years and the shit never goes away.  

The thing is I love the job, I'm a wheeler dealer at heart........ Always looking for a deal...

At least you're open an transparent about it all

 

 

[Christian 1]

Spoke to the mechanic there who didn't tell me much more than I already knew from the customer - The car pumps out white smoke with a very strong smell of oil and the oil level drops very quickly. Thankfully it still idles perfectly fine so its unlikely that there is any internal engine damage but the mechanic suspects valve seals or piston rings (without checking crankcase ventilation...?). So now I have a good idea of what happened and am content in two things - that the fault genuinely only developed yesterday and that the engine still runs!!!

Can I call trading standards for legal advice regarding this? Im still trying to find the mileage and will at least be deducting 50p per mile if that is standard.

[Stalker 180]

35 minutes ago, Christian said:

Can I call trading standards for legal advice regarding this? Im still trying to find the mileage and will at least be deducting 50p per mile if that is standard.

I dont think you will need to, you will more likely get better advice here.

[EPV 631]

As I recall, there’s no set deduction per mile. 

[andymc1973 199]

just repair it, you have one chance