Improved 'Failed Head Gasket' Scam

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Would you not be better off trying to sell it on here first? Gumtree is just one step away from Facebook in the worst places to sell a car stakes imho.

I've sold six cars and one bike on Gumtree over the past about three years, and never had a problem there before.

All water under the bridge now, anyway. The new owner just rang from home, 80 miles away. I told him what had happened, knocked a bit off the price, and told him I'd give him a full refund if he wasn't happy. The car drove faultlessly and he's happy with it. :thumb:
 
When faced with the proverbial “best price” tossers, I simply respond with “what’s the most you’ll pay?” Tends to sort the wheat from the chaff.


So do I, but I'd rather they didn't waste my time in the first place; their best offer is never enough.
 
When faced with the proverbial “best price” tossers, I simply respond with “what’s the most you’ll pay?”

Tends to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Or add on £1k to your original price. 😄
 
Clever distraction; the 'buyer' insisted on trying to fit the detachable towbar, leaving his accomplice out of sight for a short time.



Oh yes, but I wasn't prepared to sell it as it then appeared to be, so I declined.



You're right about the rear of the exhaust not being hot enough to burn off oil, I think, which would explain why it was oily after the test drive. The oil level isn't going anywhere. After a short drive this morning, the oil level is fine, the car drives perfectly, and miraculously, it doesn't smoke at all any more. There are no fault codes.

Twin turbo. It is neither a HG nor a turbo failure; it was an attempted scam.
The learning experience from that , which we can all take away , is to close the bonnet after the engine inspection ; just do it before walking to another part of the car .
 
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They then tell you that A is the one buying the car, B is the one he is buying the car for (brother, son, nephew), and C is the mechanic who needs to check it over..... they all need to see the car to make a decision.
Right now , you can tell them that , due to COVID 19 , only one customer allowed on your premises at a time . 😊
 
A bit dodgy, there has been Oil in the Coolant and some Oil up the Exhaust and he's letting on that "Some Big Boys did it and Ran Away" ???? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: ;):)🤪
Another learning experience is to check the fluids carefully before they turn up , and even take a photograph of the reservoir showing it clear , then you KNOW they are at it .

You then have the choice of either telling them to go forth or calling the police since you have evidence ( especially if you also have cctv showing them tampering.

Best way still , though , is take control of the sale and if they start asking about other stuff while the bonnet is open , just say something like ‘right , we’re all done here then’ and close the bonnet before going to the back , if they protest ask what else they need to see .
 
Always Px, never sell privately... ? :(
Not all of us will be buying from dealers, and not necessarily buying another car to replace one being sold if , like many of us , you have a few cars .
 
Still seems strange to me that they managed to get that much oil into three separate places without being spotted (both exhausts and the expansion tank?) but I guess distraction is the method for that scam.

And then for it to get hot enough to start smoking without being blown out either. Even on a 420 CDI I’m surprised the exhaust gets that hot, but I guess it must do.

I’d expect to find droplets of oil over the back of the car, window/tailgate etc and possibly signs of spillage around the exhaust where it was parked at the viewing (or at least some would have blown out when it was first started up?)

I fully believe you Dennis, for the simple reason that they offered you less money and were prepared to buy it anyway. If I went to view a V8 diesel Mercedes that was smoking, had oily exhaust tips and oil in the coolant I would run a mile, not offer to purchase it!
 
Read this thread first, then you'll know what I'm on about:


Up at crack of sparrows, I thought I'd take a look at it. Siphoned out the oil from on top of the coolant in the expansion tank, and it looked fine beneath, so I took it for a run. No smoke until it was hot, then some smoke for a while, then it cleared. Full throttle, no smoke. No oil in the expansion tank.

As well as putting oil in the expansion tank, the supposed buyer's accomplice must have squirted some oil up the exhaust pipes when I wasn't looking, and once the exhaust was hot, it began burning off. Crafty bastards...

(It's fine now, and I have another buyer coming to see it. Fingers crossed...)
That's absolutely shocking.
Don't suppose the asshole bothered to reply to your text?
I'd figure out a way to sign the whore up to a load of tele-marketing sites with the phone number you have.
 
I haven't heard of the oil up the exhaust, one to look out for. For the scammers with planning dong that a hour before viewing becomes obvious.

As for "engines kernackered pal" surely would only get those that didn't know the car well prior to selling it. Too much of a coincidence with a good motor.
 
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As for "engines kernackered pal" surely would only get those that didn't know the car well prior to selling it. Too much of a coincidence with a good motor.

Which is why I didn't sell it to him. Something didn't add up, and I thought it best to sleep on it.
 
It would leave you speechless what some people will try. Someone replaced a fuse for the back lights with a blown fuse and then tried to bargain down the price saying the wiring must be faulty. We didn't know exactly what he had done but was very suspicious and told him to piss off. I wish these people a world of pain for what they try and pull on people!
 
Hi, new to this forum but had the oil in the expansion tried on me on Thursday just gone! I caught him in the act when I realised I couldn’t see what they were doing, one had distracted me to the back of the car while the bonnet was open , when I realised I charged around to the front and caught him doing up the cap And what do you know... oil ! Told them to go forth and multiply and they just walked to their car and drove off without saying anything.
 

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