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Hi, I bought a car a month ago, and during this one month, quite a few problems began to surface.
First was the car self-braking when slowing down to a stop. Second was front suspension squeaking loudly when going over speed bumps. Third was tyres locking up when braking. The last one, was when the car had a complete electrical system failure for no reason.
I had given the car back to the dealership for repair, but they had not given me a timeframe as to when it'll get done. They had also expressed verbally that they're not willing to take responsibility for the electrical system failure.
It seems I'll have no choice but to reject the car and get a refund.
I just want to know, what is legally a reasonable time for them to fix those problems before I can take further actions?

Hi there,
There is no specific time frame given when using the CGA, but it does say that a repair needs to be carried out in a reasonable amount of time if no exact term is given by the repairer. This would be dependant on the time taken to diagnose and then repair the problem and the base it upon what the industry standard would recommend. So it's not really something that can be given until the faults with a vehicle have been identified. More information can be found here: https://www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/help-product-service/cars/solving-issues-car-dealer/

Hi Cade,
As you've mentioned, "reasonable amount of time" for repair is not really up to me to decide, but rather, the repairer. That is the part where everything became worrying to me. Since the car is over at the dealership, I have no idea what their plan is with the car, and can't act on it until further information is given to me. At the same time, I don't want this to drag on any longer. Is there a way I can find out what reasonable time is to fix those issues without contacting the dealership to get an unbiased opinion?

Hi there,
Unless you know exactly the fault and remedy method determined, you may not be able to know how long a particular repair should take. Because the dealer is paying for the repairs, you may also not get a lot of information on what went wrong and what was done to remedy it either. You can discuss rejection of the vehicle at any time, or you can take the matter to a tribunal if you feel it has been way to long, the vehicle is plagued with issues, or the dealer is not taking responsibility under the CGA.

Hi again, the dealership has come back with a report and had stated that there is nothing wrong with the car despite the video evidence. They said if I still feel like there is something wrong, they're not going to take the car back for repair. I will have to find my own mechanic and get a report from the said mechanic, bring the report to them. They will then discuss with their mechanic to see if they'll reimburse me the cost. They have also stated that the suspected electrical system failure is just a loose terminal and that they will not cover anything not relating to the mechanical side of things.
Is everything I had just described fair or legal? Do I have grounds to uphold a rejection?

Hi there,
You may need to obtain a second opinion as to the vehicle and faults you have found in order to take the matter further. There is no defined scenario where rejection is or is not able to be upheld, you will need to just follow the guidelines in the Consumer Protection information. https://www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/help-product-service/cars/solving-issues-car-dealer/