My First Moggie - never again if this is what garages are like

[arnoldsally]

Well my first venture into buying a moggie has not gone well at all.

Brought one from a company <name redacted as per terms and conditions>

It has a lean to the nearside which I did not see but a friend pointed it out to me so took it to a local garage to inspection.
They found the following:
1. one front wheel bearing rumbling.
2. both dampers on nearside leaking hence the lean.
3. small hole under the drivers side.
4. rot/ split right by the offside spring hanger.
5. horn not working.
6. indicators not working.
It had a resent MOT????? the garage I took it to was shocked it had just had an MOT.
Contacted the company and had an email war, they wanted me to sort out transport to and from their workshop, quoted their contract etc etc. Accused the garage of "we do not deal with other garages, as we have found they have a financial gain from finding faults on vehicles", We do not supply transport either to or from our premises. This is clearly stated in the terms of sale.................
None of the points raised in your previous correspondence were picked up on during your inspection of the car, on delivery of the car to you, or were evident when the car was here and I have driven the car myself as have other members of staff.

I stuck my ground and now they say they will collect it but not bring it back.
Their attitude to some one who spent £5600 with them is disgusting, I will never recommend them again.

[myoldjalopy]

Oh dear! What a miserable experience and sorry to hear the garage was so unhelpful. The purchase of a used car is fraught with potential danger, especially a really old one like a Minor. It does pay to have a knowledgeable friend/mechanic to go look with you if you have little experience of old cars. I do hope things improve for you in all this, as a good Minor is, indeed, a pleasure to drive. Good luck!

[SteveClem]

It's awful when a dream goes wrong. Because these are old cars there are more risks and some dealers are tempted to do a cosmetic job to achieve a quick sale. We have seen it on this site so many times and it's such a shame because it puts people off following a wonderful hobby and enjoying completely practical and competent cars.
Hope they do the decent thing and that you enjoy your minor when it's sorted!

[ManyMinors]

I can only agree with what others have said. A dealer specialising in these cars should have a bit more of a duty of care to their customers really and although the price you state will not purchase a perfect Morris Minor it should buy one without serious faults.
The lean you mention will not be caused by leaking dampers. The dampers have no real bearing on the suspension height which is dictated by the springs at the rear and the torsion bars at the front.

Good luck reaching a happy conclusion.

[simmitc]

Really sorry to hear of your experience. As above, dampers do not affect ride height. At the money you paid from a dealer you should have got a good car. Whereabouts in the country are you? There might be a local branch who could help you in the future. How far is it to the dealer - is it local or a train and bus ride away? The length of the journey will affect the costs to both you and the dealer.

How long after you took delivery (time and miles) did the problems become apparent? Indicators and horn could fail at any time, but the welding issues should not appear overnight and so should have been rectified before delivery. Did you collect the car from the dealer and did they demonstrate everything working? What kind of representation did they make about the car? These are things to consider should the worst come to the worst and you need to think about Trading Standards or court action - hopefully you'll just get the car back from the dealer but in tip top condition.

[Budgie]

Just a shame the company can't be named and shamed although I understand why. And I've said it time and time again, just because the garage may be a long established minor dealer it doesn't mean that they sell quality cars sure there are some good genuine ones out there and just as what has been stated previously, if you can get hold of a knowledgeable person to check the car over before you buy then at least your in with a chance. I walked away from quite a few cars these last few years that were either sold directly from a minor dealer or claimed to be restored by the same .

[arnoldsally]

Hi all, thank you for the advice and help.

They are 110 miles from me and I did ask for it to be put up on ramps so I could look under it but that never happened as they said they were busy. They delivered it for £140 (I live in south Derby). I was not given a test drive but I should have demanded it so its my fault too.
I had only done 20 -30 miles when the lean was pointed out to me and the second opinion given.

I am not paying for the car to be delivered back to me, I might as well use the money putting it right. I went to a local garage yesterday and they said they will weld it for me to make it safe, they said drive slow or it could collapse if it tears more.
I will order the bearing and fit that my self and also look at a new rear spring after one of the members recommended.
I will investigate the horn etc asap.

Shame really as it looks a lovely car.

Thank you all for the help and advice.

Patrick

[Monty-4]

With used cars (I don't know if it applies to historics) unless the seller has sold you the vehicle as "for spares or repair" they have a duty to ensure the car is roadworthy, the milage is accurate, and so on. It is a criminal offence to sell it otherwise and you have the right to an automatic refund witin 30 days, between 30 days and 90 days (or six months, I forget) you have the right to take it back to them for repair, replacement or refund.

I know this after getting stung once, I had to take a car back to a dealer for a lot of holes to be welded up (1992 car)!

[kennatt]

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/75 read this then tell the garage you are going to report them unless they sort it out at no cost to you,have you threatened them with trading standards, If its the garage I think it is been many complaints in the past.

[biomed32uk]

So sorry to hear of the hassle and aggravation, buying from a so called specialist ypu would have hoped for it to be right.

There will always be things and issues with an old car no matter how perfect it's sold as, that is some of the fun of it and why we have a forum full of questions. That said structural welding is not on that list, unless that is made clear at the time of purchase.

The rot/split by a spring hanger would be my biggest concern in all of that list, especially the frontmost ones under the rear seat. Remember that there are two types of welding to a car, patching it and making it safe, then doing it properly.

Patching it is exactly that, a sticking plaster over the wound but long term it will need sorting out properly, the rot cutting out and new metal welding in properly. So if a weld up and make safe repair is done bear in mind that its a job on the list.

Once done at least you know it is done properly, and if looked after will be no more trouble. Don't be disheartened by it, they are tough capable little cars, that bring lots of people lots of smiles when you are out and about. There will always be low bits, I have had a few with mine, but the pleasure and fun of driving it make it all worth while.

Hope you get it sorted and worked out.

[Traveller Dan]

Hi All,


We are the said "Garage" which is been painted in a very poor light by the initial post.
As the MD of the said company I usually try very hard not to get involved in this sort of oops I typed a naughty word for tat argument on Forums / Social media as it’s not constructive or very professional.


However this particular case I feel it has become necessary, this is the first and last statement on the matter.

As the initial poster has refused to discuss the matter over the telephone and come to a sensible resolution, but has instead chosen to post negative comments on this forum, Facebook, contacting VOSA, trading standards, The MOT station, Citizens advice and legal advice.

We are a reputable company that endeavours to supply the best quality Minors in relation for the price that is paid.
We have sold over 300 Minors and have a reputation for been honest, friendly and easy to work with.

On the viewing of the car the potential purchaser was offered to look at the underside of the car, and picked up on some welding to the sill / floor edging panel that was carried out before dispatch of the car as well as a full service and check of it..
at this point there was no leaking damper (which holds no relation to "leaning" on one side), noisy wheel bearing or horn / indicators not working.
The customer refused the chance of a test drive due to the rain that day we did not discourage any inspection / test drive...

At the time of purchase the said customer was made aware of the fact we don't deal with third parties (other garages) or supply transport under the terms of our warranty, it is actually in Bold letters on the first page of our sales terms and conditions and on the invoice.
1) Because of bad experiences previously i.e. another company in Norwich trying to charge £700 to replace a wheel cylinder then not releasing the car until we picked up the tab.
2) We have had to travel the length of the country previously to replace a break light switch.

At no time was our clients ever told otherwise.
HOWEVER.... our warranty is inclusive we would like to have the car returned so that we can have a look at the problems that have been reported and rectify them free of charge.
As a good will gesture we have offered to collect the car, carry out the work if any required, with the only stipulation been that the car is collected, test driven locally and the repairs passed off as adequate.

It is quite easy to paint dealers in a negative light on social media etc..

However in all honesty we are just Morris Minor enthusiasts like you guys that have a love for these cars, like working on them and take pride in building the most distinctive best quality cars we can, it just happens that we make a living from it.

We apologise if there has been any misunderstanding, however if you buy a car from us it comes with a full warranty, and that warranty will always be honoured by us.
It is not in our best interests to dupe clients and avoid carrying out warranty work as we rely on our good reputation and word of mouth.

Call us arrange collection and the matter will be resolved without hesitation.

[amgrave]

Well said. Hope the matter is resolved amicably for both sides.

[Admin]

Okay, I think this thread has run its course now - the two people involved have both expressed their view, and a clear route to resolution has been established, so I'll lock this thread now. I hope you manage to work it out Patrick and we welcome you to the wonderful world of Minor ownership.

All the best