Jason

Huge repair bills after buying used car

Every now and again you have the opportunity to buy from a used car dealer who is honest, professional and reliable. Sadly, Britannia Cars are nothing like this. There are two other reviews here that have had a similar experience to my own, so I know that I am not alone. I bought a 2006 Porsche Cayman S from Ben. The car physically appeared to be in good condition - no sign of oil leaks, brakes and tyres looked new, the cabin was clean and tidy - and a test drive didn't reveal any immediately obvious issues. The vehicle had £3,000 spent on repairs only 3,000 miles ago, and had also been serviced by Ben's garage, so I felt satisfied that there should be no major mechanical problems with the car. Having spent around £14,500 on the car and a warranty (which Ben sold as a "top notch" warranty), I drove off expecting to spend a few hundred quid on whatever minor cosmetic issues I found. What I didn't expect was the weeks-long nightmare that soon followed. I had already booked the car into a popular Porsche specialist garage in Leeds to get it evaluated properly, when the car started making the worst rattling noise whilst driving it. I had to stop driving the car for a week before getting the car into the garage, as the noise was embarassing and I didn't want the car breaking down on me. Once in the garage, I was initially told that the water pump was causing the noise and they told me it would cost around £500 to put a genuine replacement in it (the aftermarket versions are not reliable). I told them to commence the repair work, naively assuming that the warranty would cover the cost. As they continued to work on the car, they found a bunch of other issues, and I was eventually presented with a laundry list of mechanical issues totalling around £2,200 in repairs! These included (priced in parts and labour): new water pump (£541), new horn (£94), new ignition switch unit (£201), diagnosis tests on loud noise (£130), new purge valve (£535), and a new starter motor (£360). The garage also reported that the exhaust manifolds were blowing and needed welding elsewhere, which they estimated as costing an additional £160 to sort out. Naturally, I was shocked and furious that the car had been given to me in this condition, and that Ben's garage hadn't detected these problems. Unfortunately, they had already done the repair work on the water pump when they found the other issues, or else I would have immediately returned the car for a full refund. I called Ben, who said that the car was fine when he had it, and then suggested that the Porsche garage was touting for work and overcharging! The "top notch" warranty only agreed to pay the £94 for the horn, and £200 towards the water pump (after much negotiation). After ponying up the money for the repair work, I eventually returned the car to Ben to get the exhaust welding done. I also gave him the old water pump, which he said he would have inspected to see if he could get any more cash from the warranty company. This all occurred about three months ago, and since then I have fired off several emails to Ben to ask what the status is, only to be told that it is still in progress. I have received NO money from either Ben or the warranty company towards the cost of the repairs, and have now decided to stop chasing him and simply post a negative public review on the internet, to warn other prospective customers to shop elsewhere unless they want to run the risk of a massive repair bill.