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Hi,

I purchased a second hand Japanese imported Peugeot 207 Premium car from a car dealership for personal use. I paid $10,500, it was 5 years old and had done 47,000 kms. No faults were disclosed when the car was purchased and it appeared to be in good condition. It came with a VTNZ car Pre-Purchase Inspection that didn't highlight any issues.

Afterwards, I could hear some rattling when I was driving so I took the car to my mechanic a month later and got a report done. I wish I had done this before purchasing the car as he found a number of faults.

The report found the below: (I can email a copy if required)
- Engine oil seep from sump pan
- Transmission oil pan seeps
- Cracks in both rear tyres (dry rot)
- Rear brakes noisy due to damaged discs
- Suspension noisy from front / sway bar link fault
- Left hand front strut worn
- Missing nut on cat heat shield

I spoke to the car dealer who asked for a copy of the report and asked me to drop off the car for his mechanic to look at. His mechanic confirmed that same issues as my mechanic but he couldn't do any work without the car dealer's consent.

The car dealer said because the faults would not cause a WOF to fail, he was not prepared to fix them. I mention the Consumer Grantee's Act but he was not interested and said he knew it well.

To me the car doesn't seem to be of acceptable quality so I did some research online and couldn't see anything about a fault needing to cause a WOF to fail before a car dealer would have to fit it. The Citizens Advice Bureau's website stated that a car should be free of small faults; and be able to take reasonable wear and tear, given the car's age, condition and price

My questions are considering the car's age, the amount of kms done and it's price would those faults be considered normal wear and tear? Should the car dealer pay for the faults to be fixed? Should I take the matter up further with the Motor Vehicle Dispute Tribunal?

Thank you for taking your time reading this and I would appreciate any advice.

Hi there,
The thing would be to determine if the faults are acceptable for the age/ mileage/ and price paid. http://www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/for-consumers/motor-vehicles/got-a-problem/faulty-or-defective-vehicles
I also think if you paid for a pre purchase inspection and these items were missed, I would go back and ask some questions about the inspection,as you paid for a service that wasn't thoroughly provided.
If you have made the dealer aware of these issues and they don't want to know and you think they should be responsible to repair, then you may end up needing a tribunal decision.
I suspect the dealer thinks these items are considered acceptable for the age and mileage, price paid and the dealer would not be responsible to repair. It's not an easy one to decide, especially without seeing the vehicle.

Hi Cade,

Thanks for your reply and advice.

Do you know how I could determine if the faults are or aren't acceptable for the age/ mileage/ and price paid? Do you think my local mechanic would know or is there somewhere you can recommend? I understand it can be difficult to decide.

Hi There,
I would first contact the dealer and advise them you are wanting a second opinion.Then obtain a mechanics assessment and they should be able to inform you of the nature of the problems and remedies needed. You may need to speak to the manufacturer and find out what is common for this particular vehicle or not.