[Closed] Sold the most reliable car I've ever had and....

Yes and no.

Sold as seen if you're a private seller and you weren't aware of any problems when you sold it.

Though I'd probably feel pretty guilty if I was the seller, how do you know your new car isn't about to do the same?

I might reply depending on my view of the buyer and how reasonable I reckon they are. I wouldn't consider it my problem unless I'd lied to them about something.

are you a dealer .... if not, not your issue.

Txt "Sorry to hear that,you did fill up with diesel,didn't you?"

If you can offer help, I'd offer help, without implying any liability or wrongdoing. They'll suspect you, which is only reasonable so it's all about seeing it from both sides and not taking offence while also not taking a hit that may not be yours, I reckon.

No, not a dealer, and no, no lies told- immaculate car with FSH, that I (perhaps stupidly) sold for a few hundred quid less than I was (later) offered elsewhere as the new owner gave me a sob-story about being skint. (I had half an idea to call her and tell her that someone had offered me £300 quid more, but it seemed like bad karma.)

The thing is, a while back I bought a generic Gendan ODBII code reader, as the wife's car was starting to throw up faults (her car has now been replaced). And so I intentionally plugged this into the car before sale to check no codes were stored, and showed this to the lady. So I know it was a good one.

What if she's misfuelled it? She had a petrol car previously.

Northwind- she's now about 280 miles south of where I am now- and I now have no car.

Sold a car years ago and the head gasket went 3 days later. Turned out I'd sold it to an absolute psychopath who was hell bent on killing me in revenge. Gave him £200 against a quoted garage repair of £700, which even without the death threats I would probably have done anyway.

Common (ish) scam. Get a VW specialist (mate) to give a diagnostics sheet saying £300 of repair work needed. Pester you for money refund to cover it.

Don't reply, other than to say "tough titties".

EDIT:

Northwind- she's now about 280 miles south of where I am now- and I now have no car.

TFO- Ah. She's just said something about a VW working mate.....

As above, sold as seen. Seen this scam before.

sold for a few hundred quid les

So the money she saved can now go towards fixing her car.

so she has driven it 280 miles.... its a mechanical piece of equipment sold by someone not qualified to say its "all good" bought by someone not qualified to say its"all good"

i see no reason to be helping out - unless you knowingly sold a lemon.

Here's her exact SMS:

"Hello Gary, just thought I'd let you know I'm currently sitting in Preston VW as the car went into limp mode after 3 hours on motorway! EML came on so called my old boss at VW and he told me not to risk it! Fingers crossed!!"

I'd say 'I'm sorry to hear that but it was working to your satisfaction when you bought it and left here and whilst I sympathise with your position I don't feel it's my responsibility if it subsequently had an issue'

She's trying to scam me, eh?

Bloody hell, after taking in that sob story and thinking it was the right thing to do.

Chump.

Just tell her your car is sulking because it's missing you....it should buck it's ideas up in a day or two.

She used multiple exclamation marks.

String her up!!!!!!!11!!1!!!!!1!!!!!

I think I'd reply

Sorry to hear that but as I'm sure you understand, the car was sold as seen.

If she's honest then it's just bad luck for her and part of buying privately. She may convince herself that you have somehow sold her a dud but unless you're trying to be her friend, you've acted in good faith and have no reason to feel guilty.

I would reply saying "that is a shame. Car was sold as seen and in good faith." I would then ignore her.

That message doesn't mention anything about money, so I wouldn't bother replying and starting a conversation. She test drove it, and I guess no AA inspection, so her problem now.

So you sold it on Sat and today it goes into limphome mode.

A really sick car tends to throw up wobbles within the drive home.

I'd be tempted to phone the VW garage and ask them if its diagnosed yet and your her partner....

I've sold a few cars privately, if one the drive home THAT DAY a fault appeared I might help them out. Otherwise you've no idea whats happened or if you being done over. If it really is coincidence at what point do you stop offering a [b]"private seller warranty"?[/b]

I'd reply:

"Good luck, I hope it turns out OK. Really sorry to hear it's started having problems since you've owned it when it gave me no trouble at all."

She's not actually asking for anything, so a sympathetic reply implying lack of responsibility seems about right.

[quote=sobriety opined]

sold for a few hundred quid les

Indeed - my current car was "cheap", hence I'm not really all that worried by the large bill I've just paid which i was kind of expecting.

Tough titties, as long it was correctly described in the advert.

A sympathetic reply would not hurt though.

Just say it turned a bit nippy today,hope it warms up soon 🙂

I wouldn't reply. I wouldn't enter any dialogue or conversation. If you receive a rude text or voicemail simply reply back 'if you contact me again I will report you to the police for harrasement.

If you receive 'we will take you to court'. Reply back 'be assured I will defend myself fully and vigorously in court as the car was sold in a private sale and you checked the car over and had every opportunity to exam the car further. Whilst in my care/in your company the car did not show any fault. Goodbye.

I wouldn't reply.

It could be that as they're on the motorway they've hammered it to see how fast it goes. Maybe there's a sensor somewhere that said stop and put it into limp mode.
*I am not a mechanic and this could be (and probably is) wrong.

Phone Preston VW and ask them if the car is there . 01772 702288 speak to the service desk

I also had this when I sold a car the bloke phoned next day and said the battery was dead, he scared me so I gave him half the cost of battery to his paypal account

Good luck

To be honest guys, this has been the most reliable car I've ever had, and I was in two minds about selling it for that very fact. I even got it changed form the long-life service interval to 'standard' every 10k miles because I didn't fancy it- so its cost me more. For it to break down 2 days after I sold it? Doesn't add up.

What makes me suspicious is that the buyer gave me (possibly fictitious) a long story about how she'd been out of work a while, how she was now temping, how her existing car (a 14 year old Mk4 Golf GTI) had started to let her down, and how an old aunt had given her the money to buy this car to turn her fortunes around- and like a muppet I went for it, even though the very next day someone offered me £150 more, and THE DAY AFTER THAT!! someone offered me £300 more.

So if she's skint, and has no integrity, maybe this is what she would pull.

Sounds like a con. Do not reply.

Sympathy but no liability. No further comms, not your issue.

[b][i]codybrennan[/b] said:[/i]

stuff

Phone Preston VW and ask them if the car is there . 01772 702288 speak to the service desk

Ask them if it has ever been there.

I bought a car privately, drove it home and a week later the engine light came on. A air/fuel sensor failed at £450 plus fitting.

On the drive home from Gloucester to Manchester the car was spot-on.

It was coincidence that the sensor failed when it did, the EML only came on WHEN it failed so not the sellers problem. TBH the seller was the type of bloke who probably would have helped out (copper who was obsessed with servicing it/doing everything right on the dot) but it wasn't his problem in my book.

"have you tried switching it off and on again?"

Does sound like a con. Buy car at less than market value, claim a breakdown and hope for some more money off (since if you fell for the initial sob story, maybe you'll fall for this one) and then sell it on at a profit - potentially say £600 profit for little actual work if she can sell it on a market price.

Just be very polite and say she should check her warranty.
If she can't find the documents tell her to google the sold as seen warranty.
Tell her should she require any works doing to go to the nearest car repair garage. Once fixed tell her to pay and not to bother you again.

I'm going with con...did she bat her eyelids or wear a short skirt on the test drive whilst telling you the first part of the sob story?

As said above...ring Preston VW and see if they've had the car in...but even if they have...it could still be a scam with a friend in servicing.

Sold as seen in my book.

So, have you called VW Preston.. ?

If you want to be nice, text back that turning the car off, wait 10 secs and restart usually clears a Limp Mode problem... other than that, sorry,can't help.

Damn.

Its genuine. I phoned VW in Preston on spec, and they stuck her on the phone!

Sounds like a DPF issue. The car has been unused for about a month, and it sounds like she's just been pootling about in it for a couple of days before driving home.

So she works for VW Preston?

I'd say it's still a scam. Ignore her or state sold as seen.

DO NOT REPLY!!!

IT IS NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

This can only end badly.

Then the nice VW man will fall for her fluttering eyelashes and do a forced regeneration on her Golf for free...

LHS- wasn't gonna. Didn't expect VW Preston to just hand the phone to her!!!

and they stuck her on the phone!

I'm confused. She was there coincidentally or just happened to be there?

Sounds like she is working there. Sorry I'd get abit rude at this stage as I'd suspect I was being taken for a mug.

If she isn't - why is it your business?

I once bought a four year old Citroen BX 16v Gti from a private seller. As it was a very complex car, I paid for an RAC inspection. It passed this with no faults or even advisories. On my way home from seller, dash lit up like a christmas tree and smoke started pouring from under bonnet. Suspension dropped, lost all power steering and just as I pulled up the brakes went. A high pressure pipe from the pump to accumulator had fractured, spraying hydraulic oil all over exhaust manifold.
It had to be trailered home - first time that had ever happened to me. Was not happy, but I was aware that it had been OK when I left so didn't dream of contacting seller. RAC said their inspectors could only see faults at the [b]time of inspection [/b][u]so took no responsibility .

I guess what I am trying to say in a very round about way is that provided it was working when it left you and that you genuinely didn't know there was a problem then it is up to her to sort out.

I'm confused. She was there coincidentally or just happened to be there?

Agreed, that sounds very odd!

DPF? Tough titties - if you're buying a diesel that age/mileage then you know its a risk.

Indeed - if it is a DPF, and she'd had the car a few days, I don't see any way you could have known about it. Chance you take with a s/h diesel.

Though you could point her at the thread discussing getting through your MOT after bypassing one...

Damn.

Its genuine. I phoned VW in Preston on spec, and they stuck her on the phone!

Sounds like a DPF issue. The car has been unused for about a month, and it sounds like she's just been pootling about in it for a couple of days before driving home.

EDIT - I may be jumping to conclusions about her working there...

Timeline is:
1)She texted me to say she was heading to VW Preston (she lives in Southampton)
2)I called VW Preston 15 or so mins later
3)They handed the phone to her

As far as I'm concerned, its sold as seen- I'm not a mechanic, I dont work for the AA/RAC, but I've done all I can as "due diligence" to keep the car straight and honest.

Exactly, now don't answer any more communications from her.

Of course, I only have her word for it that she actually does live in Southampton. I completed that section of the V5- but she could be based further north temporarily- temping?

Sorry I wouldn't entertain her anymore.

Shes skint yet shes managed to drive 4hours away from home?

Funny, though. My commute (maybe 3 times a week) is about 25 miles of mixed driving- A road, Motorway, a short town section.

I've never had any DPF issues. I've never had ANY issues!

If she's misfuelled it or something then its terminal for my old bus.

As LHS said ignore all future communications DPF is not your fault, or predictable, as long as it has been serviced regularly as per manufacturer instructions - which you gave her records of.

To be fair, it could be genuine - my old Saab never gave me any trouble, lots of journeys under 100miles... then I drove to Wales (for a trail centre sesh!) and limp home mode just after the Severn (about 170 miles).
Mgmnt Light would randomly come on every once in a while after that, so I got rid.

Still, not your issue!

I'd still be inclined to perhaps ring VW Preston tomorrow morning first thing and say something like "is [i]insert whatever her name is[/i] there, please"....

That'll tell you whether she works there or not.

Stumpy01- I'll do that.

Could be not much, my Passat TDi had a "DPF failure" which turned out to be a faulty sensor. Cost <£50 to fix.

I'm amazed no-one has asked for pics yet

(of the car, naturally!)

Its still not your problem.

Does a DPF/sensor give an advanced warning? Surely if it was a sensor you couldn't just extinguish the warning light as it'd come straight back on.

I heard a similar story when the person got home and the engine expired...

... they didn't know how to drive an manual and did 20miles on the motorway in first gear. Cooked the engine.

The very reason private sales are cheaper than dealers is that the BUYER needs to BEWARE.

I'd still be inclined to perhaps ring VW Preston tomorrow morning first thing and say something like "is insert whatever her name is there, please"....

That'll tell you whether she works there or not.

I would do that but only out of curiosity. It shouldn't affect the outcome of this which is to ignore her. Scam or not, you don't owe her anything.

I thought the best thing with faulty DPF was to thrash the ting to clear it?

Do you have any pics?

And you can be sure the story at the other end is " he had a device that showed there was no problems"
"oh, he must have erased the problems" etc etc.

Buying and selling cars can be an awful experience. Good luck that it comes to nothing.

Gogg- of the fault? No.

I love the description of a 4 year old car as ultra reliable. I might describe my previous car a 16 year old Toyota that never once failed to start or broke down during that 16 years as reliable.

Another text:

"Car needs EGR cooler and its 5 hours labour (£400) and they say I shouldn't drive it."

I'm suspicious.

I wouldn't even bother phoning the garage again.

Just walk away, the more you get involved the more likley you are to be sucked in with another sob story

reply - "very good ted" (said in an irish accent)

I'm in "ignore" mode.

"Sorry to hear you've got a bill like that to pay. Very unfortunate for you."

When I'm skint I can't think about buying 4yr old posh TDI's regardless of a windfall.

When the V5 form was filled out did you so as a private seller or trader ? Did you not take note of her name and address ? Was a direct transfer or cash ?
Either way none of the above matters it was a private sale and you made a receipt which said sold as seen no warranty implied blah blah etc?

What you don't want is some thug turning up on your doorstep ! Which is why I try not to do private sales anymore... No comeback part ex etc.

[i]"Car needs EGR cooler and its 5 hours labour (£400) and they say I shouldn't drive it."[/i]

Stop texting me. I'm not your friend.

A quick google suggests it's a fairly common problem - Honest John reckons common enough to be a service item http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/37637/volkswagen-golg---faulty-egr-cooler (and interestingly when I typed "EGR cooler" google wanted to complete with "VW"). Not that that really changes anything apart from making it even more clear that it's nothing to do with you.

"Car needs EGR cooler and its 5 hours labour (£400) and they say I shouldn't drive it."

Or at least point her in the direction of the numerous internet threads on the EGR faults with the VAG 1.6TDi engine, many of which make reference to VW repairing either for free or vastly reduced price, out of goodwill. It's a common fault, it seems.

Unlucky 🙂

Scam the scammer - tell her your wife's just left you and killed the dogs, and you've got cat aids too. See if you can escalate.