a3 2004, 114k, second hand

[waller88]

mornning all, just signed up so bare with me

bougth my first audi second hand a few days ago, did a check over at the sellers house and took it out for a spin.

last night the emissions light came on and has stayed on, and ive also been informed that there is oil in my parking spot at home from my neighbour.

the seller had advertised the car as faultless but now im unsure? it had been sat unused for 2 to 3 weeks im wondering if that has anything to contribute to it? it still feels the same drive and handling wise, and ive not noticed any undue noises.

im more than a little disspointed that ive got issues this early into owning the car and with what id consider such low milage.... any help is greatly appreciated.


sean

[waller88]

:update:

managed to get a somewhat decent look under the car last night, my sump is absolutely covered in oil but theres a pipe at the front where its thickest. i cant pinpoint a leak at all, but i think this is the turbo pipe?
the oil that im seeing though is filthy....

[Doctle Odd]

Was there oil on the sellers drive? Buying any car even an older one it pays to check it out or bring someone that knows what to look out for. Is it a diesel? Most oil leaks can be repaired fairly easily and won't cost the earth. Turbo to intercooler pipe often has dirty oil in it. The crankcase breather pipe becomes brittle and also leaks oil. Best thing is to get her steam cleaned underneath so you can see where the leak is.

[waller88]

i didnt notice any oil on the drive, but the seller had had it sitting idle for nearly 3 weeks. he'd only turned it over once or twice in that time. and yes its the 2.0 tdi.
ive booked her in at the audi garage for the 28th for diagnostics and to check for the oil leak.
ive got myself a tub of oil in case it is from the reservior to tick me over for a few days untill then.

normally id do the work myself but its a new car and ive not got much experience with turbo diesel engines.

[waller88]

well update on the situation is this.

looks like i was sold a wreck. audi rang me up with an epensive repair cost (3.1k) for what theyd found. so i called repairs off.

turbo needs replacing as its over charging, oil cooler is shot to hell and needs replacing, system needs flushing out as oil has mixed with the coolent makes the pipes swell and go brittle also. (hoping that its not a head gasket issue wont be able to tell untill the cooling system has been repaired) one or more sensors are on the blink and the car also now wont start...unknown issue that one.

guys done a runner with the money despite me being covered by law i dont think theres much chance of me getting the money back.

so only pother option is to get it towed to a safe haven and start buying in new parts so i can fix the thing, i dont like having an expensiive german paperweight. i dont suppose anyone knows of good places to source parts? im aware the turbo is most likely to be the costly part.

[Sam]

guys done a runner with the money despite me being covered by law i dont think theres much chance of me getting the money back.

Why do you say that?

Do you have a copy of the original advert still - the car must match any description given, either in writing or verbally.

I assume after you test drove it you asked whether there were any issues and he stated there were none?

Does your receipt say 'sold as seen, tried and approved without guarantee'?
The law is very clear, it is illegal to sell an unroadworthy vehicle.

[waller88]

i have a receipt saying sold as seen
and gumtree were able to send me a copy of the origional advert...the word 'mint' is clearly stated.
i know ive a good case against the guy, but hes decided to drop off the face of the planet after i told him i wanted my money back. told me no refunds and such.

i test drove the car for a good 30 minutes without issue, and all appeared to be fine. it was only a day or 2 later that everything became apparent. but yes this car isnt driveable at all atm.

[Sam]

You have an engineer's report stating the work required.

You have an original advert stating the car's condition at the point of sale.

If the two don't match you need to put on your big boy pants and go and get your money back.

If you are interested in doing so, we will try to assist, if you're not, we won't

[waller88]

i have all the above indeed,

including big boy pants.

however not a clue where to start. the legal action route is a tad confusing.

any and all help is mightily appreciated at this point.

[Sam]

Our resident consumer warrior will be along shortly, hold tight, he's in a reet mood today