New car - head gasket gone potentially

[Polgara]

Hi - hope you can advise as I'm in two minds about what to do about my new car.

Purchased a 56 plate Seat Leon 1.9 Stylance TDI (10K miles on the clock) on the 2nd May - went for a trip on the 3rd and temp sensor kept going off - checked water and topped it up. Couple of hours later had to top up again, and again and again. Thought it was the radiator but couldn't see any coolant anywhere. Contacted Motorpoint who said its under warranty and book it into the dealers.

Booked it into the local Seat dealers (had to wait a week) and had the call today saying its potentially the head gasket! They're stripping it down but unlikely to have the car for another week.

So wondering if I've bought a lemon or just unlucky. My previous car was a 206 - with the usual ECU issue which was resolved eventually (at the cost of the coil pack which it damaged along the way) but that managed to get to 112K without anything reaally bad.

I can get it fixed and extend the warranty and hope for the best or argue the toss with Motorpoint about Sale of Goods act and still undecided. What else could the head gasket going have damaged?

 

[Jab0rnal]

If you do a search for head gasket problems in google the first page will be to do with one manufacturer who don’t exist anymore. Rest assured it’s not SEAT. A lot of my friends and colleagues have seat's and most are 56 plates and older. No one has had a head gasket problem. I think you have just been unlucky.

I had a head gasket go on my MG ZR 160 a few years back, i took a long while to fix and luckily i spotted it quickly so it didn’t damage anything else.

I don’t think you will get anywhere with the Sale of Goods act as you have no way of proving that the fault was there when you bought the car, even though it broke a day later. I guess they don’t know you didn’t flaw the behind out of the car for 24 hours.

It’s a tough situation to be in and I really feel for you. But taking a legal stance on this would cause more stress that what it would accomplish. Be thankful it is being carried out under warranty. My MG cost me £700 to fix.

Ask the garage to check everything fully after repair, especially anything the head gasket can affect.

If you bought the car from a dealer then I would hope you have a courtesy car.

I hope this hasn’t put you off SEAT's.

All the best and good luck.

 

[Rampage]

Any problems in the first 6 months are the dealers responsibility to prove that they wern't like it when they sold it to you. Unless they did a cylinder compression test or stripped the engine before you bought it, they can't.
Get it in writing from the dealer that you bought it from, that if there's any other problems they will give you a full refind.
If you allow them to repair it, it will be much harder to get a full refund.

 

[Xe]

Are you topping up with water or coolant? I'm sure your not supposed to use regular water.

 

[Polgara]

Yep...tis the head gasket. Garage has submitted a report to Seat as its very unusual for it to go at such a mileage/age.

Had a 'discussion' with Motorpoint who eventually have said they'd provide a courtesy car...and basically washing their hands of it.

£10k down and no car

 

[Jab0rnal]

Yep...tis the head gasket. Garage has submitted a report to Seat as its very unusual for it to go at such a mileage/age.

Had a 'discussion' with Motorpoint who eventually have said they'd provide a courtesy car...and basically washing their hands of it.

£10k down and no car

That’s a darn shame. I know this doesn’t help in the slightest but I would never buy of an internet site.

Have you bought online before? Just interested as I would like to change my mind about buying cars online, but I have heard so many horror stories.

Sorry its gone bad for you.

 

[Polgara]

Nope - first and last time! Car will be out of warranty soon and I've lost confidence in it at the moment so don't know what I'm going to do

 

[Jab0rnal]

Drive the courtesy car for a few weeks, get the Leon fixed. Sell privately at a profit (you deserve some good luck). Buy a new car?

Or;

Its worth trying what Rampage said;
"Get it in writing from the dealer that you bought it from, that if there's any other problems they will give you a full refund"