wheel come off 23 hours after purchase!!!

hi, i bought a car from a dealer on the 26th of april.. its a renault megane on a 54 plate! and had done 85679miles..

i left a deposit at around dinner-time, they told me that the car would be taken to an indipendant garage for a full safety inspection and a fresh MOT.

i picked the car up at around 6pm! i then drove 120odd miles home.. ON MOTORWAYS!!! and the next day, went out for a drive! just before 5pm on the 27th (done around 40 miles!), i was driving round a roundabout on a busy town centre and the wheel come off!!!

i phoned a recovery company to come and rescue me off the roundabout, take the car to there garage, store it overnight and then bring the car to my home address the next day.. this cost me £130!

i have a sales/purchase invoice for the amount of £2450!
i have the new MOT certificate
and the safety inspection sheet!

i rang the dealers up and told them what happened to the car (as soon as it happened) and said, that in my opinion, the car is a death trap! and told them i want my money back!

they tried denying all responsibility and completely dismissed the fact that it could have happend on a motorway, while overtaking a lorry, with my girlfriend and her daughter in the car! (where they would likely be dealing with multiple deaths)

they said... i bought the car as a "trade sale" "sold as seen" "with no warranty"

i have reported them to trading standards and consumer advice wales!

they want there "indipendant garage" to collect the car, asses the damage and find out what the cause of the wheel coming off was..

i have refused them access to the car until i have recieved a full refund, i also told them, that as it stands, the car is evidence of a possible criminal offence!

whats the likelyhood, that i will lose in court when persuing for a refund???

i had to go out and buy another car to replace this one, so have no need for it anymore.. plus.. even if it was to be fixed, i would never be confident, driving it! let alone letting my girlfriend drive it or put her daughter in it!

any advice, input, suggestions anyone might have would be greatly appritiated.

i may have missed details out, as i am still shaken up by it and very angry!!!

cheers

would also like to add... that the trader who i bought the car off is a ltd company, registered with companies house!

what are the chances, that they would change the company name somehow, to avoid having to give me a refund?

and if they did that, what chance have i got for persuing them for a refund and compensation if i end up taking it to court?

i am thinking of taking it to court in the next 14days... if they do not give a refund before then!

the cause of the wheel coming off was the bolts coming out...

there is damage to the hub and all 4 wheel bolts! but 2 of the bolts look like they were either cross threaded in, or over tightened!

the car had a safety inspection done, where they were supposed to "visualy inspect the brakes" the alloy wheels dont allow easy visual inspection, so they would have had to take the wheels off to do it!

i dont care how it happened... the fact is... it happened! so the trader should refund me and sort the rest out with the garage who they dealt with to do the MOT and safety inspection!

i e-mailed the trader last night saying :-

"hi ****,

judging by the lack of response from you, would i be right to assume, that you are still refusing to admit liability to refund the full amount i payed for the car in the 26th of april??

i have the right to ask for a refund, as the car was unsafe! i have now bought a replacement car. so i will not settle for anything less than a full refund.

may i offer you a quick solution?

if i recieve my refund before the end of the week, it will only be the refund i am after.. if i do not recieve a refund before the end of the week, i will take the matter further! i will be pusuing you, for the cost of recovery, 1 night storage at gwalia garage, cost of delivery of the car to my home address and compensation for, 1 full tank of petrol (which is in the megane), cost of fuel to and from stockport (where i had to go to get the replacement car) and compentation for distress caused by the accident!

this could have been a lot worse. if it was to happen while i was on the motorway, on my way home, you could have been dealing with a death! if it was to happen while my girlfriend and her daughter were in the car, you could have been dealing with multiple deaths!

please could you respond to this e-mail as soon as possible.

yours faithfully "

i have still had no response off them today! i have also tried calling them... no answer!!!

i got my refund!!!! there sending me a cheque, in 1st class post to me! then they will be arranging for a company to come and collect the car from me...

stafford trading standards went to visit the trader yesterday. to have a word with them.. he advised them that they are lucky that the incident wasnt a lot worse and the police werent involved!

he phoned me today and told me, that the garage who done the safety inspection and MOT "HAD REMOVED THAT WHEEL"!!! and asked me if the trader had been in touch with me yet!

he said that, if i didnt hear from them by monday, to let him know and he will go and see them again...

well.... just had a "nice" phone call from the dealer, telling me that its there intention to send me a cheque for the full amount. and then have the car collected

nice result from me there