Reasonable to Ask for a Partial Refund to Cover Repairs for Honda Accord Purchased off Facebook Marketplace?

Ljgnahz on 28/03/2022 - 15:33
Last edited 30/03/2022 - 14:40 by 1 other user

Recently bought a car with this private seller that I found through the Facebook Market.

First of all, I understand it's 100% my fault that I didn't pay for a mechanic to come and check the car out with me as I initially thought the car was in great condition until I brought it in for a service. Turns out, there was an oil leak, needed to change the rocker gasket, spark plugs, needed a carbon cleaning as the air filter was absolutely screwed.

Only reason I thought the car would be in a good condition other than checking the basic stuff is because I was told by the seller the car gets serviced at a Honda dealership twice a year (btw car is an Accord Euro 2009 with 120k kms).

I'm not sure what to do at this point, the seller was clearly lying to me as he also told me the tyres was brand new when in fact it was changed in 2018 and the car was in prime condition… So would it be reasonable for me to ask the previous seller to give a partial refund to cover the repair cost at least?

Edit: Btw appreciate all the comments and the much needed bashing! Didn't expect this many comments and the honor to be up there with the PC guy!

Edit 2: Just wanted to let y'all know that $500 was returned as part of the sellers goodwill since there's about 100 comments stating that the seller owed me nothing

Automotive Car Honda

Comments

    • Windows98 on 28/03/2022 - 19:07
      +1

      Lol. Current.
      That guy will go down in OB history

    • jgnahz on 28/03/2022 - 22:33
      +2

      is it a current built pc?

  • Pelicannn on 28/03/2022 - 18:35
    +4

    I just knew before I opened this thread reading the title I’d probably find an L plate. Was not disappointed.

    • knasty on 28/03/2022 - 20:35

      I'm reading this while watching MAFS…sensory overload.

  • Windows98 on 28/03/2022 - 19:06
    +4

    I'd ask a refund from the mechanic.

    It obviously passed a roadworthy. So either the rocker cover gasket started leaking after you bought it or your mechanic is taking you for a ride.
    And spark plugs are only replaced when they die or at the service interval, which Honda would have done when it's time for it.

    From what you've said here it sounds like stuff most mechanics tell people who have no clue about cars needs to be fixed.

    Take it as a lesson learnt and stick with dealership mechanics if you don't know about cars. They are expensive but they generally won't make shit up because getting caught out would ruin the brand.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/03/2022 - 22:49
      +1

      Except when they wanted to charge $500 for (I forgot what they're called but they hold your bonnet up, struts?) Which I replaced for $75 and a 10 minute youtube video.

  • mskeggs on 28/03/2022 - 19:08
    +1

    Did you even look under the bonut?

    FWIW, it sounds like the car is in fairly good condition, and nothing you mentioned is a drama. Might be worth the $300 for an inspection next time (that said, I buy cars so cheap that is too much!).

  • lachhelix on 28/03/2022 - 19:19

    Sorry, no
    Enjoy your new car though

    • WhyAmICommenting on 28/03/2022 - 20:36

      *Refurbished with modern tyres in 2018

      • lachhelix on 28/03/2022 - 21:12

        😂 But legit, I've always been a big fan of the Accord Euro, and at least once this stuff is fixed they'll have something nice!

  • MrFunSocks on 28/03/2022 - 19:45

    Absolutely not. You should have had a mechanic to look over it.

  • MrKnowItAll on 28/03/2022 - 19:45
    +3

    I'd be inclined to think the place you're getting it serviced at is having you on.

    Spark plugs are changed typically on 100,000k intervals. Either the plugs are original or they're still basically new - if it's in the log book as having been done, then either the dealer is full of it, or your current mechanic is - was it misfiring at all?

    Carbon clean from a dirty air filter? what kind of world is this? unless it was so very blocked that AFRs were thrown off (even then, the car will adjust) then there's really no need. Usually only vehicles with direct injection rather than port injection need this as there is no fuel flowing over the intake valve - they can get stuck open with carbon.

    Leaking rocker cover gaskets is no major issue, if it's really bad oil will get on the headers and smell a bit (and could catch fire) but otherwise it's not a show stopper - I'd suggest you get them done when you're getting the plugs done so you get a discount on labor, they're in the same area.

    And if he barely drove anwhere since getting the tyres then technically they're like new - I don't know too many people who use age to define the age of a tyre, usually it's just based on tread depth - check for cracking on the sidewall, if there is cracking then I'd opt for replacing them, otherwise don't bother.

    • brad1-8tsi on 28/03/2022 - 22:04

      Carbon clean from a dirty air filter? what kind of world is this? unless it was so very blocked that AFRs were thrown off (even then, the car will adjust) then there's really no need. Usually only vehicles with direct injection rather than port injection need this as there is no fuel flowing over the intake valve - they can get stuck open with carbon.

      The inlet manifold has a plenum chamber with a removable cover. It gets a bit dirty / greasy. It's a 40 minute job to remove the cover, spray some brake cleaner inside, agitate with a nylon brush, clean again and button it all up.

      When I inherited the 2005 Acoord Euro off Dad it supposedly had a full service history but I spent $600 just on maintenance items in the first 3 months of ownership. Auto trans fluid, PS fluid, Engine Oil, Brake Fluid, plugs, coils, VTEC filters, etc

    • jgnahz on 28/03/2022 - 22:33
      -3

      forgot to mention the coils had some issues too.

      • MrFrugalSpend on 29/03/2022 - 08:03
        +3

        Sounds like your mechanic charged you to replace basically everything with the slightest bit of wear… maybe saw you coming even more than the car seller

      • MrKnowItAll on 29/03/2022 - 13:16
        +1

        Was it misfiring when you drove it? I feel like your problem is more with your current mechanic rather than the previous owner. Granted coils can go this early on, it almost sounds like he might be chasing a misfire and 'firing the parts cannon' at it in the hope to get lucky.

  • JimmyF on 28/03/2022 - 19:48

    Needs a poll…..

    First of all, I understand it's 100% my fault that I didn't pay for a mechanic to come and check the car out with me as I initially thought the car was in great condition until I brought it in for a service. Turns out, there was an oil leak, needed to change the rocker gasket, spark plugs, needed a carbon cleaning as the air filter was absolutely screwed.

    But this is 100% buyer beware. As you said, you should have had it checked.

    I'm not sure what to do at this point, the seller was clearly lying to me as he also told me the tyres was brand new when in fact it was changed in 2018

    Brand new on a 2nd hand car, means they haven't done many kms…. How much tread is on them? Are they near brand new or bald?

    Only reason I thought the car would be in a good condition other than checking the basic stuff is because I was told by the seller the car gets serviced at a Honda dealership twice a year (btw car is an Accord Euro 2009 with 120k kms).

    Was the car taken in for servicing? Just like you didn't get the items fixed, the seller might have said no to fixing the oil leak. Servicing is basically oil/filter change and a few other things. All other repairs are just advised and up to the owner.

    • jgnahz on 28/03/2022 - 22:34

      Lots of treads left.

      Didn't realise servicing could mean that owner could say no to the repairs lol, really shows my inexperience here

  • Windows98 on 28/03/2022 - 20:05
    +9

    Between the current PC guy and this, I think people have grown up expecting eBay levels of buyer guarantees for every aspect of their life.

    • JimmyF on 28/03/2022 - 21:27
      +1

      Its the 'not my fault' generation coming out. It's Not My Fault. The Millennial Answer to Everything!

      • MrFrugalSpend on 29/03/2022 - 08:06

        Indeed….
        At least OP asked if its reasonable online before going back for $s.
        Social media sentiment goes with the generational instincts also.

        Nothing like a good OzB roasting to teach a misguided buyer the rules of caveat emptor.

      • bhubb18 on 29/03/2022 - 13:44
        +1

        Weird, a lot of the people I see sooking online are older.

        Almost like generalisations are dumb

  • Lucille Bluth on 28/03/2022 - 20:37
    +7

    How you had the courage to make this post, boggles my mind.

  • popsiee on 28/03/2022 - 20:40
    -1

    If OP paid PayPal no problems you will get whatever you want hehe :)

  • Eeples on 28/03/2022 - 20:45

    He told you it got serviced twice a year at Honda dealership.

    That would have been pretty easy to have called him out on that. ie. ask to see the log books or the work receipt or ask which dealership and ring them up.

    Same for the tyres.

    Do you have the service log book? If the services were done perhaps you could complain to the dealership.

    • apsilon on 28/03/2022 - 20:48

      OP said in another comment they did check the service record and speak to the dealership.

      • Eeples on 28/03/2022 - 20:55
        -1

        Oh, yeah. Thanks.

        OP, should contact dealership again and attempt to claim under the warranty associated with the service.

        OR, take it to the dealership for a service/2nd opinion.

  • randomusername2017 on 28/03/2022 - 20:49

    entitled to a refund

  • justgooddeals on 28/03/2022 - 21:08

    Ask for a Partial Refund to Cover Repairs

    Upon asking reaction from seller =🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂.

    Then the seller hanging up the phone and blocking your number.

  • saltysalt on 28/03/2022 - 21:34

    Yes, please ask for a refund and report back here!

    • jgnahz on 28/03/2022 - 22:36

      old mate was kind enough to give me 500 for the trouble lol

      • saltysalt on 30/03/2022 - 12:26

        You joke or your got a $500 refund? Sounds like there was no scam then and it was an honest sale. Good outcome!

  • Cave Fire on 28/03/2022 - 21:43

    OP don't leave the thread… Having your state would help. Your rwc/safety may cover tires and the gasket. You have a set time or mileage to claim against the inspector. There is a min safe thread depth for tyres. Each of your repair items costs about $50 - $80 and labour should be two hours max for everything. Tyres are 400+ a set for brand name. Those cars are super reliable. You may have to do a timing chain adjust around 200kms. Other than that it's basic maintenance and it should reach 270kms+.

    • bdl on 28/03/2022 - 21:49

      OP's VTEC kicked in, yo

    • jgnahz on 29/03/2022 - 00:44
      +1

      New South Wales!

      Timing chain was apparently changed when it hit 100k by the honda dealership. no issue with it, it was just recommended to the previous owner to do so.

      • Cave Fire on 29/03/2022 - 15:22
        +1

        Yeah, it's a known issue/basically scheduled replacement with k series engines. Saves you $1000 in the long run. Just have to change oil at right time + usual stuff and should reach high km's if you want to keep it.

  • brad1-8tsi on 28/03/2022 - 21:57
    +2

    It was your problem the moment you paid the money.

    None of those items are terrible and can be repaired by a competent DIYer.

    I have a 2005 Accord Euro in the fleet and it's an easy car to maintain but does need more love than you'd expect.

    • knasty on 29/03/2022 - 16:53
      +1

      Agree. Our '06 Euro was the most entertaining car we've owned, but 6 month services, really crappy dealership service quality (required under extended warranty), frequent consumables eg rear pads and a few big ticket failures (thankfully repaired under the extended warranty) really took the gloss off what I had hoped the 'premium' Honda ownership experience would be.

  • ItchyBallsack on 28/03/2022 - 22:06
    -1

    Which state are u in OP? In some states u need a RWC inspection to transfer the rego and car into ur name. If this was passed with the oil leaks present then u can sue the mechanic that passed it, but if ur in NSW then ur out of luck.

    • hudrob on 29/03/2022 - 08:15
      +1

      sue the mechanic

      Yep, engage a lawyer over a rocker cover gasket leak. Brilliant…

      • ItchyBallsack on 29/03/2022 - 09:30

        Well the mechanic shouldn’t be passing RWC with an oil leak, they can lose their license.

        • apsilon on 29/03/2022 - 09:47

          Leak may have started after last service.

  • picklewizard on 28/03/2022 - 22:11
    +1

    needed a carbon cleaning as the air filter was absolutely screwed

    Well that's twice now you've been robbed, how much did he charge you for the headlight fluid btw?

    • hudrob on 29/03/2022 - 08:14
      +1

      Well that's twice now you've been robbed, how much did he charge you for the headlight fluid btw?

      You didn't mention the surcharge for the left-handed screwdriver…

  • chocolatelover on 28/03/2022 - 22:16
    +1

    I learnt something very valuable back in the olden days when commerce was taught in high school- CAVEAT EMPTOR!!!!

  • apple2016 on 28/03/2022 - 22:17
    +1

    You are within your rights to ask. The seller is also well within his rights to decline!

  • ledifni on 28/03/2022 - 23:13

    Check under the bonut next time.

  • dcep on 29/03/2022 - 02:12
    +1

    Possibly your mechanic just fleeced you.

  • kaleidoscope on 29/03/2022 - 02:57

    So would it be reasonable for me to ask the previous seller to give a partial refund to cover the repair cost at least?

    You can try, but seller does not owe you anything at this point and it doesn’t make them a bad person if they don’t respond at all either.

    When I sold my previous car I got buyer to sign a letter stating it’s sold as is (after he did his inspection and was happy with the car) and I’m not responsible for anything after the sale date and time. It’s not like I forced down anything on buyer but it’s mostly to protect myself from unwanted nuisance.

  • Euphemistic on 29/03/2022 - 06:02
    +1

    Came here expecting repairs to be a blown gearbox or motor replacement. Repairs basically routine maintenance.

    No way you are getting any money back.

  • Freitag on 29/03/2022 - 06:37

    How much is the service cost $1000? And $500 for tyres when they need replacing? Not the end of the world.

  • hudrob on 29/03/2022 - 07:53

    "I'm not sure what to do at this point, the seller was clearly lying to me as he also told me the tyres was brand new when in fact it was changed in 2018 and the car was in prime condition… So would it be reasonable for me to ask the previous seller to give a partial refund to cover the repair cost at least?"

    Sadly this is all stuff that you should have checked before you paid and drove away. If you'd bought through a dealership, you'd have more recourse, but as it was a private sale, it's "buyer beware".

    You can double check the age of the tyres by looking at the dates stamped on them - there will be a four-digit number somewhere on the sidewall, with the first two numbers indicating the week (from 01 to 52) and the second two numbers indicating the year (18 for 2018 for instance). If the tyres appear to be newer than 2018, then I am guessing you're taking the tyre change detail from the documentation that came with the car - the seller may have missed a receipt.

    https://www.bridgestone.com.au/learn/maintenance/age-of-a-ty…

    Regarding the engine issues, etc - to start with, a carbon clean has almost nothing to do with an air filter being screwed (carbon build-up occurs when incomplete combustion occurs, the filter would need to basically not flow at all to cause this, as the engine would be adjusting fuelling to match the air in the system - what could be wrong is a MAF/MAP or O2 sensor) - that's likely more to do with the car having 120,000km on the clock. The rocker cover gasket is a minor issue (stupidly minor, the only issue it really causes is that it might leave an oil mark on the outside of the block, unless it's positively pissing out, and then you'd have noticed that, surely). If the car has a dealership service history, I'd take it to the dealership and ask them to check it over and to sign off on it.

    "I don't know too many people who use age to define the age of a tyre, usually it's just based on tread depth - check for cracking on the sidewall, if there is cracking then I'd opt for replacing them, otherwise don't bother."

    Then you don't know many people who actually know cars. The age of a tyre is potentially more important than the tread depth, because over time (especially when tyres are exposed to the elements) rubber hardens, and a tyre with full tread but rock-hard rubber will not grip worth a damn, and may actually stop holding air - I've seen tyres delaminate their tread surface completely out of the tyre carcass because tyres were too old. Three or four years isn't STUPIDLY old for tyres assuming they were actually changed in 2018 AND that they were relatively new at that time - but if they were 2-3 years old already (there are tyre places that use old tyres, I personally won't accept tyres that are more than 6 months old at the time of install), then a lot of tyre life will have been lost already (particularly so if the tyres haven't been correctly inflated and checked regularly since they were fitted).

  • Dreamcast on 29/03/2022 - 08:19

    Oh look, someone selling a car on FB and isn't honest. I feel for your, but you put yourself in that situation.

    On another note, the amount of cars that have had the km on the odometer rolled back is crazy. I know one on FB at this moment that has been rolled back by about 100k. Unfortunately there seems to be no way to report it to anyone who will take action against the seller, unless I buy it and then complain.

    In other words do you're checks people!!

  • TilacVIP on 29/03/2022 - 09:15
    +1

    You could ask, but I'm sure the seller would probably tell you to get stuffed. Take it on the chin, or in this case, up the wallet & move on, a lesson learnt.

  • SkMed on 29/03/2022 - 09:50

    I just went through this with a private sale where the head gasket needed to be replaced. Ended up coming to an agreement and he's paying half, so if the guy just wasn't aware and/or is actually a half decent human he may help with the costs, so might as well ask, got nothing to loose by asking. Just try and be civil about it. If he says no, then at least you know he's a POS at least

  • r2160 on 29/03/2022 - 10:21
    +1

    You are assuming the seller lied to you.
    If he took it to the dealer, he also assumes the dealer does what they say.
    You bought a second hand car.
    Move on.

  • iknowtj on 29/03/2022 - 11:02

    100000% no.

  • anzacpaul on 29/03/2022 - 11:16
    +1

    There should be a tick box before posting topics on ozbargain

    "Do you understand Caveat Emptor"

  • Ramrunner on 29/03/2022 - 12:19

    Obviously agree with what everyone has said and possibly this really wasn't even worth a post. As you mentioned 100% your fault.

    HOWEVER

    The Honda Accord Euro was pretty much our favourite car we've owned ever. Fix it and enjoy it is my recommendation. 120k is very low for a car 13 years old.

  • Oofy Doofy on 29/03/2022 - 12:28
    +2

    You bought a Honda, half the battle has been won already. At least you didnt buy a 10-20 year old BMW.

  • CalmLemons on 29/03/2022 - 12:29

    lol.

    To be honest your service centre is taking you for a ride, but it's typical and you don't need to fix a lot of the stuff.

    Turns out, there was an oil leak (VERY NORMAL), needed to change the rocker gasket (NOT REALLY), spark plugs (It's like what, $10 for 1 spark plug?), needed a carbon cleaning as the air filter was absolutely screwed (Is this a climate change thing? lol).

    Don't stress bro.

  • Slippage on 29/03/2022 - 12:30
    +1

    You are the reason i hate selling used cars.. you bought a car off Facebook, expect it to have issues and the seller to be full of crap

  • trapper on 29/03/2022 - 12:48

    You bought a 13 year old car with 120km on the clock, you can't expect it to be perfect.

    The spark plugs and air filter are trivial to replace, just buy them online and then DIY. (Youtube if you need a step by step guide)

    If the oil leak is minor I wouldn't worry about it. (See how fast the oil drops over the next few months)

  • Zeus89 on 29/03/2022 - 13:03

    This is why I sell cars privately but buy cars from dealership only

  • fullmetal on 29/03/2022 - 13:59

    I learnt not to buy 2nd hand honda in AU. There is a particular group of ppl attracted to it.

  • Hangryuman on 29/03/2022 - 14:01

    'the seller was clearly lying to me as he also told me the tyres was brand new'

    no - the tyres WERE brand new - at some point in the past - just not now.

    if the tyres was not brand new now, maybe the seller were lying to you.

  • Cave Fire on 29/03/2022 - 15:14

    The OP already got $500 back for the repairs…

  • Raj09 on 29/03/2022 - 16:06

    You are not entitled to any refund. You should have done the due diligence. Accept the loss

  • dwarves on 29/03/2022 - 18:08
    -3

    Christ almighty there are some terrible bush lawyers giving advice here.

    OP - you may have a claim based on misrepresentation. Did you rely on inaccurate statements by the seller when purchasing the car, and if so, was your reliance on those statements reasonable? If yes and yes, you have a claim. That said - having a claim, and actually recovering cash money from the seller, are two very different things.

    • Magnastar on 29/03/2022 - 19:40
      +1

      Relax Lionel Hutz.

      • dwarves on 29/03/2022 - 20:05
        -3

        Sorry not sorry. When I see 100+ people giving this guy appallingly dismissive and incorrect advice, imma set the record straight. If you think my own advice is bad, why don't you skip the lazy gag and actually say why? Oh, hang on, I already know why - either you're not a lawyer and you have no idea about his position (like seemingly everyone else here), or you're a shite lawyer and you're disagreeing with me because you're wrong. Cool, as you were then. xoxo

        • Magnastar on 29/03/2022 - 20:16
          -3

          I don’t think it’s bad advice it’s more that the OP simply bought a car without doing proper due diligence so you bagging out everyone else telling him to suck it up as being bush lawyers is just unnecessary. You want to be a legal hero go set up a trestle table and plastic lawn chairs in Lviv and give your advice to people who have a real case for misrepresentation.

          • dwarves on 29/03/2022 - 20:45
            +1

            @Magnastar: So to summarise:
            1. You have no idea.
            2. You’re doubling down on deriding me for giving OP competent professional advice, rather than the baseless crap being spouted by most everyone else.

            Had a quick look at your posting history. Late 30s and with nary a penny in your bank account eh. Probably common attributes for a keyboard warrior. Enjoy your life of sadness and mediocrity.

            • Magnastar on 29/03/2022 - 21:53
              -3

              @dwarves: One little 3 word comment and you’re trawling through my post history profiling me and claiming I live a life of sadness and mediocrity.

              Given how insanely insecure you so clearly are to react the way you have, I’m quite certain out of the two of us it’s not me who’s life is mired in sadness and mediocrity.

  • CRS34 on 29/03/2022 - 19:35

    treat it as a learning experience. they dont owe you anything

  • lew380 on 29/03/2022 - 20:50

    He absolutely owes you $0 dollars, don't settle for a penny less!

  • [Deactivated] on 29/03/2022 - 21:19
    +2

    I've got a brand new headlights that can increase your horsepower by about 25. Easy upgrade. Would you like to purchase it?

    I've got a Mugen bumper stickers too, that will give you about 5 more horsies. I can give you a bundle deal.

    • CocaKoala on 31/03/2022 - 00:31
      +1

      Got racing stripes? You know, the high power yellow ones? I need about 40 more ponies.

  • RichardZed on 30/03/2022 - 09:04
    +3

    You were not scammed the car is old and in need of some basic maintenance , you could have eyeballed almost all those issues yourself if you had a close look before buying .Also when buying a used car it is good practice to get it serviced anyway .
    Too late now but when purchasing a car it helps to bring along an experienced person at the very least if you are not paying for a pre-purchase check.

  • witsa on 30/03/2022 - 10:20

    Question for ppl - why do ppl think that this guy should've done his own due diligence and shouldn't get a refund but that other guy who bought a dud PC was tricked and was justified in getting his money back?

    Is it the product? Car vs PC? What factors do you think makes the situation different?

    • drprox on 30/03/2022 - 14:38

      Think the guy selling the PC pitched it as being new/current parts explicitly. But I didn't think that buyer deserved a refund either. If you're going to buy used things off Facebook (and anywhere) you leave yourself exposed to this behaviour.

  • drprox on 30/03/2022 - 14:37

    Lol. I'll give you benefit of a doubt this a troll post. I can't believe you would honestly think that reasonable.

    I bought a piece of furniture on the weekend. Got it home and it had a small chip. Maybe I should ask for $5 back from the vendor as they didn't highlight this shortcoming to me?

  • Fobsessive on 30/03/2022 - 16:19

    Check out [CL9] The DEFINITIVE guide to SERVICING your Accord Euro
    http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?181371-CL9-The-D…

    Should be very similar to your 2nd gen Euro (CU2)

  • RolandWaites on 30/03/2022 - 17:19

    Depending on where the oil's leaking from you could fix all that within a couple of hours at home.

  • Wasabi Ninja on 30/03/2022 - 17:37

    Should have just done a poll.
    “Is it reasonable to ask for partial refund?”
    “Yes”
    “No”

    Clearly OP was born yesterday.

  • burns13 on 30/03/2022 - 17:38

    Personally I think no. They didn't sell you a lemon by the sounds of it these are only regular service items. I would not be getting too uppity about these items on a second hand car.

    For future reference there is a service book that will show th schedule and clearly states what has been done or missed. Obviously could be forged or misrepresented but seriously…..

    And the tread of the tyres requires basic observation from the layman. Laying the costs onto the seller after the sale is a bit of a cheap trick but you have gotten away with it. Good for you

  • CocaKoala on 31/03/2022 - 00:24

    I was told by the seller the car gets serviced at a Honda dealership twice a year

    Should be easy to verify this claim be glancing at the log book and verifying the services by calling up the service station? About 5 minutes of work all in all.

    Turns out, there was an oil leak

    needed to change the rocker gasket, spark plugs

    No sh*t.

    See exhibit A: "car is an Accord Euro 2009 with 120k kms".

    needed a carbon cleaning as the air filter was absolutely screwed.

    I've a bridge for sale.

  • jaffar on 31/03/2022 - 00:50

    Glad you got a refund but this sounds like basic wear and tear to me that most older used cars will come with. Can't expect much else from the seller if he already let you poke around the car and you can verify he took it for servicing. If the problem such as the leaking gasket wasn't noted in the itemised invoice when he took it in for a service (assuming basic oil change) than you can't really fault him for not knowing if we assume he's just an ordinary joe. Assumption would be the leak wasn't big enough to be noticed. Spark plugs don't have to be changed too often as well and if the car's driving fine… Air filters are another classic mechanic add-on. Did the mechanic say anything about old wipers? Depending on how much mileage he put on the tyres low mileage tyres are often advertised as new/very new based on mileage rather than age. Good learning experience for OP. Would definitely book the vehicle inspection first if I was getting it inspected as the mechanic has a lot of incentive to make a big service if they know you just bought the car.

    • jgnahz on 31/03/2022 - 00:56
      -1

      I'm just going to be replying to this particular comment as it seem like everyone is just being an echo chamber at this point.

      I was well aware that there was going to be a certain amount of wear and tear, however, for the price that I had paid for the car (lower end of 5 figures), the amount of damage was definitely not something that I expected at all. The total amount I've had to pay for the issues are at 1.5k now. Albeit it might not be a lemon, I bought it at an extremely overvalued price that I've come to learn about.

      I never expected the seller to give any money back at all, however was more interested in seeing how normal it would be seeing as the PC guy got an entire refund from it.

      Definitely plenty of lesson learned but I'm going to go ahead and say this contrary to everyone else's comments, you miss 100% of the shots you don't make.

      • jaffar on 31/03/2022 - 01:06

        Hi OP, yeah sorry it does get a bit echoey in here. 1.5k sounds a lot for all that! You've been stung a little bit but at least the buying phase is over and you can just enjoy the car now. Ozbargain has a lot of discussion about buying your first car (e.g. what to check etc) which is why the conversation has moved to where it has. Well, no harm in asking and at least you got some resolution, have fun in your new car :)

        • jgnahz on 31/03/2022 - 01:10

          definitely a bit on the expensive side.1.5k and here's the list of things that had to be done
          - Fuel injector cleaner
          - Carbon cleaning
          - Air filter change
          - Spark plug change
          - Engine coil change
          - Rocker gasket change
          - brake fluid flush
          - normal servicing cost
          - 4 wheel alignment
          - air flow sensor cleaning

          At least the car will last me the next 10 years with proper maintenance

      • apsilon on 31/03/2022 - 06:58
        +5

        the amount of damage

        Nothing you've listed is "damage". It's all normal service items.

        To save me replying to your below comment as well, how does the car drive? What are the standard service items for the current km as listed in the service manual? Fuel injector cleaning and airflow sensor cleaning now has me wondering if the guy you're servicing it with isn't ripping you off.

  • Downvoter on 15/07/2022 - 21:27

    You didn’t get any money back…

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