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I dont understand the issue and extremely angry about my new Seat purchase

Alessi

Active Member
Nov 4, 2016
9
0
Germany
Hello all,

I found this beautiful little Seat Ibiza 2006 model online and decided to buy it. 10 year old car with less than 80,000 ks on the clock and a full road worthy technical test done just this month (sounds good, right?). I went to the dealer and checked it over. She started from cold perfectly, engine was quiet, all warning lights turned off after starting and test drive went absolutely fine. Over the course of a few hours I started the car from cold without issue. I started and drove the car home, once again no issue. Then started a couple more times that night to move it into the garage.

She was sitting there for two days without being used and then this evening, I started the car to move it forward a few meters so that I could put new tax stickers on, etc. No problem there either. Then, half an hour later out of the blue, she doesn't start. The lights come on, and there is a ticking noise but doesn't start. I try again and then there is sound like an electric motor slowing down. I assumed it was the battery so asked a neighbour for a jump start and still nothing. This tells me it isn't the battery at all.

How can it be that an engine starts several times during the pre purchase test (and official government-controlled test) and a few times after that and then not work anymore? I assume now it is the starter motor but how can a dealer be crafty enough to sell me a bad starter motor that will work just enough times to pass the pre purchase test? This car also passed the officially monitored road worthy test (TUV, Germany) for all cars on the road yet manged to fail only a few days after it gets purchased. How is this possible? Or is it just really, really bad luck? Was there something else I should have looked for?
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,964
1,058
South Scotland
Hi and welcome to the forum!
Not a very good start to owning a car, I don't have any idea of what the problem might be, but it does sound very much like "bad luck" as I would not expect the seller to know that this would happen - though the previous owner might!
Good Luck with getting it sorted out, does the consumer law in Germany not give you some protection over this happening so soon after buying a used car?
 

Alessi

Active Member
Nov 4, 2016
9
0
Germany
Hi and welcome to the forum!
Not a very good start to owning a car, I don't have any idea of what the problem might be, but it does sound very much like "bad luck" as I would not expect the seller to know that this would happen - though the previous owner might!
Good Luck with getting it sorted out, does the consumer law in Germany not give you some protection over this happening so soon after buying a used car?

HI,

Thanks for the welcome. No, not a good start at all. I was so happy with the purchase up until that point and its my first car too. Even if something failed after 6 months I could stomach that, but not 4 days. To say I am gutted doesn't even begin to describe it. Yes German law is supposed to protect buyers but everything went swimmingly during my tests and those of the TUV technical testers. I posted up here as I thought seeing as several readers on here have the exact same car, or at least same starter motor, they might be able to shed some light. Just makes no sense that there were no issues until I got her home and then all of a sudden....
 

Legojon

I only wanted a remap
Staff member
Moderator
Jul 7, 2015
5,309
2,739
Sounds like bad luck to me. Doesn't the dealer offer some kind of warranty? If it were me and I'd bought the car over here. I'd call the dealer. Politely explain the issue and give them a chance to make it right. Giving them the benefit of the doubt they had no idea presale of the issue.

Oh and from what I recall of a broken starter motor. Theres like an electrical buzzing. But the car doesn't even try to turn over.
 
Last edited:

Alessi

Active Member
Nov 4, 2016
9
0
Germany
Sounds like bad luck to me. Doesn't the dealer offer some kind of warranty? If it were me and I'd bought the car over here. I'd call the dealer. Politely explain the issue and give them a chance to make it right. Giving them the benefit of the doubt they had no idea presale of the issue.

Oh and from what I recall of a broken starter motor. Theres like an electrical buzzing. But the car doesn't even try to turn over.

I spoke to the dealer today and he agreed to fix it monday :)

Issue resolved!
 

chrisRibiza

Active Member
Sep 27, 2007
1,194
51
I started the car to move it forward a few meters so that I could put new tax stickers on, etc. No problem there either. Then, half an hour later out of the blue, she doesn't start.


When I had my MK4 I had this problem twice after moving the car forward a few meters and switching it off. After trying for a while it would eventually start - I put it down to the engine maybe flooding slightly so if I ever needed the move the car a short amount i'd let it run for a bit before switching it off to prevent it happening.
 
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