Hi, so I passed my driving test Friday and found a car I liked through autotrader pretty quickly.
I paid full asking price of £7000 plus £160 cash for a new timing belt and water pump to be installed before collection.
On May 1st I bought the car and brought it home. I had the car for 3 days, and on May 4th a written warning message flashed up: 'Oil Pressure Insufficient.' The RAC told me not to drive it and towed it back to the garage I bought it from.
May 5th the garage said it’d be ready by the end of today. But they just called back and said a part 'was cracked from sitting in the sun' and that it’s 'very common.' They said the part won't be here until Thursday or Friday, so I can't pick it up until Saturday.
Last night I found a photograph I took of the dashboard the day I bought it, an hour after leaving the garage. The photo shows red oil pressure warning light and red battery/charging system light as well as orange check engine light. As a new driver and a female who knows nothing about cars I didn't know what these warning lights meant at the time, hence why I drove it away in the first place.
I also noticed that I do not have a copy of my 3 month warranty. I asked for it at the time but in the excitement she must've forgotten to give it to me.
Today I spoke to the Citizens advice bureau who told me since I have agreed to the repair I now must see it through, however if they do not fix it I can excercise my right to return.
I also spoke to a fiat specialist today and they have confirmed that the cracked in the sun story is indeed bollocks and I have booked it in for a bumper to bumper diagnostic on Tuesday. He said that it could be the oil pressure switch, but he's scratching his head to why they've said it cracked in the sun.
I have also spoken to the garage over the phone and informed them of the red battery light too and he has agreed this will be looked at as well as the oil pressure fault. I couldn't find an email address for the garage last night but I sent them a Facebook message with the timestamped photo attached and a request for:
A copy of the diagnostic report: faults found and faults they've fixed
An oil and filter change
A copy of my 3 month warranty
A request to extend the warranty to 12 months free of charge.
The message was 'seen' within 10 mins of sending it but I have not received a reply.
Thing is I love the car but I can't help but think I've had a fast one pulled on me, and I don't know if I can trust the garage anymore. When I go in on Saturday to check the car over, what specifically should I be looking for to determine whether they've given me a botch job repair or have actually repaired the car properly for me.