need4speed Posted September 8 Share Posted September 8 Completely non LR related so please forgive me. Also a little long-winded so bare with me…. So working as a courier I noticed a little red Ford focus sitting abandoned on part of my route. I could tell it has been sitting a while as it has started to turn green all over due to being parked under trees. After a quick word with a woman I deliver to regularly she informed me that it belonged to an old boy who had taken ill around 18 months ago and he never returned. She said that everyone in the area considered the car an eye sore and they’d be happy to see it gone. Feeling a little more confident to have a snoop round it I discover that it was lying completely unlocked and full of old fishing gear and rubbish. What did catch my eye was the fact it’s an automatic. Now I’m REALLY interested as my better half has recently had spinal surgery and she’s struggling shifting manually. So cutting a long story slightly shorter I manage to get the owners details and mobile number through his old landlord. After a few texts back and forth I learn that he had a fall followed by a stroke and he tells me I’m welcome to take the car for free as it’s only fit for spares, but he cannot remember what exactly went wrong with the car! After a little online research I discover that the car is a 123 ps 1.0 EcoBoost automatic that has only covered 54k miles! That’s the good news. The bad news is that I found out these engines are notorious for the wet belt snapping, blocking the oil pick-up pipe and grenading the bottom end round about 50k like clockwork. What are the odds……… It turns out that Ford issued a national recall on these engines after the problem became so bad. However when I type in the cars reg number/vin number it says there is not a recall on it!!! The other problem I have is, even if I do argue the toss with Ford, can they wangle their way out of it because the car has lain so long on a SORN etc? I can pm someone reg number of car of they think they can help me… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted September 8 Share Posted September 8 4 minutes ago, need4speed said: Completely non LR related so please forgive me. Also a little long-winded so bare with me…. So working as a courier I noticed a little red Ford focus sitting abandoned on part of my route. I could tell it has been sitting a while as it has started to turn green all over due to being parked under trees. After a quick word with a woman I deliver to regularly she informed me that it belonged to an old boy who had taken ill around 18 months ago and he never returned. She said that everyone in the area considered the car an eye sore and they’d be happy to see it gone. Feeling a little more confident to have a snoop round it I discover that it was lying completely unlocked and full of old fishing gear and rubbish. What did catch my eye was the fact it’s an automatic. Now I’m REALLY interested as my better half has recently had spinal surgery and she’s struggling shifting manually. So cutting a long story slightly shorter I manage to get the owners details and mobile number through his old landlord. After a few texts back and forth I learn that he had a fall followed by a stroke and he tells me I’m welcome to take the car for free as it’s only fit for spares, but he cannot remember what exactly went wrong with the car! After a little online research I discover that the car is a 123 ps 1.0 EcoBoost automatic that has only covered 54k miles! That’s the good news. The bad news is that I found out these engines are notorious for the wet belt snapping, blocking the oil pick-up pipe and grenading the bottom end round about 50k like clockwork. What are the odds……… It turns out that Ford issued a national recall on these engines after the problem became so bad. However when I type in the cars reg number/vin number it says there is not a recall on it!!! The other problem I have is, even if I do argue the toss with Ford, can they wangle their way out of it because the car has lain so long on a SORN etc? I can pm someone reg number of car of they think they can help me… A recall is a recall, they should not be able to wiggle out A friend of mine had an ancient Datsun years ago, car was 20+ years old, there was a recall for suspected suspension dangers, he took the car in ( it was an absolute carp box ) and had all the suspension, wishbone's etc changed Shy bairns get nowt, so you've got nothing to lose regards Stephen 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need4speed Posted September 26 Author Share Posted September 26 Update on this. Bad news and worse news. So bad news 1st. As expected engine is completely fubar and Ford won’t entertain any kind of engine replacement or even any goodwill gesture as it doesn’t have a full, documented Ford Service Record. Worse news. HPi check says there is finance still owing on the car. However I’m pretty sure the finance company is unaware that the car is sitting with a blown engine so basically written off as Ford would charge what the car is worth in repair work. What would you guys do? I’ve been given the car for free and can get a recon engine with 6 months warranty for £1400. Is it worth contacting the finance company? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted September 26 Share Posted September 26 Sounds like a lot of hassle for a pretty bad car. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need4speed Posted September 26 Author Share Posted September 26 The little car is actually mint apart from the engine. Cleaned up lovely. Not so much as a stone chip on the front of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted September 26 Share Posted September 26 If there’s outstanding finance then it wasn’t his to give away surely - it belongs to the finance company? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballcock Posted September 26 Share Posted September 26 I would contact the finance company first, as it may belong to them if the outstanding finance isn't sorted. Then decide whether it's worth the hassle to you to get it repaired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballcock Posted September 26 Share Posted September 26 2 minutes ago, Retroanaconda said: If there’s outstanding finance then it wasn’t his to give away surely - it belongs to the finance company? Beat me to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need4speed Posted September 26 Author Share Posted September 26 Apparently the gentleman suffered a fall/stroke. It’s possible his faculties are not 100% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need4speed Posted September 26 Author Share Posted September 26 Found this on internet If you’re unlucky enough to buy a car with outstanding finance on it, and you only find out after the sale is complete, all is not lost. The first you may know of the finance owing on your car is if the finance company contacts you to repay the debt. While this can be worrying, Section 27 of the Hire Purchase Act (1964) can help you if you’re in this situation. Thanks to this legislation, if you bought your car with no knowledge of the outstanding finance on it, you have the right to keep the car under something called “good title”. However, the finance company will want their money, so they will try to prove that you don’t have good title and try to get you to repay the loan. If they succeed in showing you bought the car knowing about the finance, they are entitled to demand repayment and, if it came to it, to repossess your car. If the finance company contacts you, don’t ignore them. Reply to them and explain the situation, giving as much detail as possible, including information like: The name and address of the person who sold you the car When you bought the car How much you paid for the car The advertisement for the car sale, or a copy of it Any documents from the sale that show proof of purchase Make sure you keep records of any communication with the finance company. You could try contacting the seller to ask for a refund or to ask them to pay the finance. However, the person who sold you the car knowing there was finance on it is unlikely to be of any help, and you may not even be able to find them to contact them. If you can’t reach a solution and the finance company is still demanding you pay the finance, you can submit a formal complaint to the company. If your complaint isn’t resolved to your satisfaction, you might want to get in touch with the Financial Ombudsman Service. You can also contact Citizens Advice for more help. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonimouse Posted September 27 Share Posted September 27 That's the worst engine I've worked on in 45 years. The 120k service is a 'change oil pump, wet belts and gudgeon pins (which are white metal supported) It's designed to fail. The third cylinder simply can be oiled properly. Easy to change out the engine though, but very difficult to find a decent spare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheffield Posted September 27 Share Posted September 27 I would contact the finance company and find out how much is owed. Tell them the situation, and you may well do a deal with them. As it stands they are going to make a loss, so may think by letting you have the car would help reduce it. Judge how much it will cost you against how good the car will be afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted September 27 Share Posted September 27 On 9/8/2024 at 9:31 PM, Stellaghost said: A recall is a recall, they should not be able to wiggle out A friend of mine had an ancient Datsun years ago, car was 20+ years old, there was a recall for suspected suspension dangers, he took the car in ( it was an absolute carp box ) and had all the suspension, wishbone's etc changed Shy bairns get nowt, so you've got nothing to lose regards Stephen Yes, but Datsun, Nissan now, customer service is worlds apart from Ford. If the car is out of warranty you have no chance. My colleagues son had a Fiesta Ecoboost blow up at 19k miles. It was out of warranty, so he ended up converting it to 1.4. Was a manual though. If there is indeed outstanding finance on it, they will catch up with you eventually, and will either reposess, or want an unknown amount of payment. Good if its only £300, but not so good if its £3000 Also, if the old chap is not the full ticket, is it possible his relos, or someone with Power of Attorney claim it has been stolen ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need4speed Posted September 27 Author Share Posted September 27 Couple of things. Firstly, the car has been sat outside the gentleman’s old address. It hasn’t been garaged or hidden somewhere obscure - it has been sat outside his house for almost 2 years. I’d have thought, maybe wrongly, that if the finance company intended to repo it, they’d have done it by now?? Secondly I have kept the text conversation I had with him, with him clearly stating that I had his permission to take the car as it didn’t run and he didn’t have the money to pay someone to fix it for him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted September 27 Share Posted September 27 If indeed there is outstanding finance, I would have thought someone would have been chasing it. I have no idea though how long they would take. Maybe it has been paid ? No idea how one would check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted September 27 Share Posted September 27 Checking for outstanding finance. Watching You tube videos by car buyers and sellers they often refer to web services that check the history of whatever car is under consideration. These checks includes the possibility of outstanding finance. It's normal for discount codes to use these checking services to be included with the buyer videos. I have seen several sellers offering these links to the checking services, but have never needed to use one. The only You tube site I recall offering these links is High Peak Autos; This is my starter for 5. https://www.youtube.com/@HighPeakAutos Regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need4speed Posted September 27 Author Share Posted September 27 So what’s the difference between this and HPi? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted September 27 Share Posted September 27 9 minutes ago, need4speed said: So what’s the difference between this and HPi? Dunno, and really, I don't care. Regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need4speed Posted September 27 Author Share Posted September 27 That’s nice… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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