G'day mate, I know this is going to make you wince, but here is the situation. A friend of mine bought a car from a dealer 3 weeks ago. In this time, she has not checked the oil (!) Whilst on a long trip from southland to Picton today, the engine developed a slight knock. She continued to Ashburton where the car was looked at by a mechanic and found to have bugger all oil in it. Also, the water pump was found to have I believe an impellor issue, which has complicated things further. I know that she has contributed to this by (a) neglecting to check the oil and (b) continuing to drive, BUT in saying that, a sumpful of oil in 3 weeks is fairly unreasonable, The car is an 07 SS commy, Is she likely to have any assistance from the dealer in this, or should I prepare her to suck the lemon! Cheers mate.
kazbanz,
Dec 14, 8:18am
HG- Short version. The dealer will end up covering the repairs. 3 weeks -mechanical issues have developed. DON'T get it fixed. Call the dealer and ask him what he wants you to do about the car-Get it towedetc.
henderson_guy,
Dec 14, 8:25am
Brilliant, cheers mate, she will be rapt. And I'm sure will have learnt a valuable lesson!
a.woodrow,
Dec 14, 8:30am
It's not reasonable to expect to be topping up oil in 3 weeks, they stopped and had it checked out, the rest as kazbanz said above ^^
poppajn,
Dec 14, 8:30am
That was nice and simple, good on you kaz.
strobo,
Dec 14, 8:58am
Who knows really , sabotage ! some nasty could have drained it , & she admitting to not checking oil level or water level prior to a long trip like that.is negligence of a high degree. Why is the dealer responsible to cover that!
strobo,
Dec 14, 8:58am
Who knows really , sabotage ! some nasty could have drained it , & she admitting to not checking oil level or water level prior to a long trip like that.is negligence of a high degree. Why is the dealer responsible to cover that! The mechanic in Ashburton would have a clue about that !
a.woodrow,
Dec 14, 9:05am
Why would you check oil and water on a car you have only just bought! It would be reasonable to expect those things wouldn't need checked on a car purchased only a couple of weeks prior
thunderbolt,
Dec 14, 9:07am
Possibly not serviced for a while and just burnt off the condensation on the long drive. Or maybe it's just another LS hand grenade.
thewomble1,
Dec 14, 9:21am
I would have thought the oil/water etc would be checked regularly for the first few months to make sure all was OK and not using too much oil or water.
grangies,
Dec 14, 9:34am
The owner had it for only 3 weeks, and it is an 2007 Commodore.
grangies,
Dec 14, 9:39am
I do feel sorry for many honest dealers though.
It's as though they are expected to sell their vehicles as new. They are often required to fix minor issues that are just normal wear and tear, which the new car manufacturer warranties let go after 3 years from new etc.
granada,
Dec 14, 11:04am
Invers to Asburton is only a 500km trip, not really a big ask for a 2007 car. Todays generation dont know what goes on under the bonnet, gas stations are no longer allowed to check oil and water. You cant even find the sparkplugs on most modern cars.You would have expected the dealer tohave checked it in the pre delivery inspection.
Did the oil light come on !
icemans1,
Dec 14, 2:51pm
some people don't even know what warning lights on the dash are for
strobo,
Dec 14, 5:17pm
Ignorance is obviously bliss for you !
drog,
Dec 14, 6:46pm
"The desire to be spoon fed, To have our problems solved for us by someone else, The short and snappy answer.Have sunk deep into our culture". The owners manual for that car would have had a big warning to check the engine oil before operating the vehicle. No-one reads the manuals though. That's the first thing that goes in the rubbish bin.
treachug,
Dec 14, 7:02pm
And if its a non-frachised dealer that dealer should go back to the local Holden dealer for them to go to Holden NZ with a case to get assistance for repair. (Cannot remember the exact term used by Holden) Depending on kms there may be a chance - any financial assistance help is always appreciated
poppajn,
Dec 14, 9:37pm
I do until I get to know the car, then I become complacent, the she,ll be right attitude.
clark20,
Dec 14, 10:06pm
These take 8.4L of oil, so low oil is quite a bit gone
sabbath-black,
Dec 14, 10:10pm
.haha a mustang owner knocking the ls1.so you dont like power then!
frytime,
Dec 14, 11:31pm
don' those have piston issues!
sabbath-black,
Dec 14, 11:45pm
.dunno, ive had mine for 12 years an havnt had any probs apart from air con
kazbanz,
Dec 14, 11:57pm
Mon I'm not talking right or wrong here. Im saying what WILL end up happening sooner or later. be it by accepting it up front or be it by going all the way to DT.
kazbanz,
Dec 15, 12:04am
My view--regardless of my profession is that Yes an owner should accept responsibility for their own vehicle. Yes they should check the water and oil regularly. Im not for a second saying the dealer shouldn't accept responsibility just that the owner also neds to take responsibility for their own lives But from my experience the law takes a different view. They would say 1 month and less than 2000km isn't fair and reasonable.
henderson_guy,
Dec 15, 12:38am
Update: I'm told the dealer is arranging for a transporter to collect the car to assess/repair back home. I agree with the views that yes, she should be checking the oil and water, and I will be showing her exactly how to do that when I get a chance, however in saying that, not everybody has mechanical aptitude and if nobody has ever shown you what to do, then you don't know.Thanks again for your help again Kaz, much appreciated
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