Is This A Try-On?

[E55BOF]

The CLK 350 (M272.960 engine) was driven away by the new owner this morning. Several hours afterwards I received this message:

"On the way home the engine management light came on and the car came to a spluttering halt.. Luckily we where near a garage who charged me £20 to put a computer on the car. It came up with bank 1 and bank 2 lean . He told me that both the upstream of the cats need replacing as they have failed.. If that does not cure it he told me the cats themselves have failed.. He managed to reset the light and away we went.. 30 miles down the road it happened again but with reduced engine performance. "

Am I being unreasonably suspicious in thinking that even if both O2 sensors failed simultaneously the engine would not splutter to a halt? Does the rest of the story ring true?

I've just received the following message:

"The car is lumpy and noisy where the ECU cannot maintain the correct fuel air mixture".

I've never had an O2 sensor go down on me, so I've no experience to rely on. He's asked for a goodwill contribution, which I'm quite happy to make, if the story is true, but is it?

All opinions gratefully received.

 

[Will]

Bottom line is, private sale is sold as seen.

Very generous of you to consider helping, but I’m not sure if by doing so you’re opening a can of worms.

Unless the fault was pre-existing (as in you knew about it, happened before etc) then I think I’d say it’s just bad luck on the buyer’s side - that’s why £40k cars bought for £2/3k privately or whatever at 20 years old are a bargain, you have to allow for these things.

 

[markjay]

Ask to see the fault code printouts? If he's honest he'll get them. If he says it was all done verbally....

 

[AMGeed]

I'm with Will. Private sale -sold as seen and approved at point of sale.
What happens after its driven away is beyond your control.
Whether the new owner is trying it on could be clearer if he sent you the printout of codes but I'm doubful he even has any.
In any case, not your problem.

 

[E55BOF]

I'm quite content with moral as opposed to legal responsibility, but does the story told ring true?

 

[DSM10000]

I'm quite content with moral as opposed to legal responsibility, but does the story told ring true?

I find such "coincidences" to be rather suspicious. Very convenient to find a garage open and willing to help on a Bank Holiday Saturday afternoon!

Entirely your decision if you decide to pay toward any repairs but considering the car sold for under £2k if I were the new owner (and the faults were real) I would accept it and have budgeted for repairs.

Ironically I considered buying it but we have 3 cars and one is a soft top!

As others have said, you have no legal responsibility to repair it and I would think very carefully before agreeing to do so. '

You could offer a full refund contingent on proof of the faults,

Whenever I have had an O2 sensor fail on a car it has triggered a CEL but did not affect the running as cars generally default to known value in the ECU.

 

[E55BOF]

I've no intention of offering a refund; I wanted the car gone, and gone it is.

 

[ChrisHGTV]

To me it does seem suspicious and I would tend to agree as stated above that to offer anything could open a can of worms, even if you feel morally obliged to give the benefit of doubt. What was your impression of the buyer?

 

[Doodle]

Buyer is a chancing onanist and can GFT. The odds of both upstream sensors failing simultaneously are almost non-existent, and why didn't they call you from the garage?

 

[Steveml63]

Sold as seen - tough!

 

[Cherrypd]

Surely if you offer even the slightest hint of any refund, then that may compromise you later if this goes on. The (generous) offer of a partial refund shows your mindset that you may have known (which you didn't). No means no. Obviously initially there is a way of saying it, as others have said above.

 

[Wearsthefoxhat]

£20 for a diagnosis in a garage is good. Seems odd to me too… chancer imho.

 

[fabes]

Trying it on.
No garage would charge only £20 to 'plug a computer in'!

I am "different" and would offer a full refund if I saw the codes (screen shots or print out) but that's just me.
I doubt they'd have taken you up on the offer as I do suspect it's a try on - I can't comment on the codes etc.

But I refer back to my original point
Too cheap.....

 

[Londonscottish]

"£20 to put a computer on it"? What kind of computer? An Amstrad?

 

[DSM10000]

I've no intention of offering a refund; I wanted the car gone, and gone it is.

I mentioned it as a way to call their bluff.

 

[DSM10000]

"£20 to put a computer on it"? What kind of computer? An Amstrad?

Indeed. The whole thing stinks of bovine excreta
.

 

[E55BOF]

The question I most want answered, because I can't answer it myself, is how an O2 sensor failure, or even two such, affects the running of a car. Could it cause it to splutter to a halt? Anybody know?

The second message states that "The car is lumpy and noisy where the ECU cannot maintain the correct fuel air mixture" Is that plausible? Anybody know?

 

[W1ghty]

I’m in the it is highly suspicious camp .
I would press for details to lock the purchaser down on his story early on , just in case.
What is the address and name of the garage ?
Get a receipt for the money he paid for the scan and the written down diagnosis .
How far is this garage address from the new owners home ? (Have they a previous relationship)
Is this garage a back street below the radar type place ?

 

[W1ghty]

The question I most want answered, because I can't answer it myself, is how an O2 sensor failure, or even two such, affects the running of a car. Could it cause it to splutter to a halt? Anybody know?

Not sure on that car , but on my E320cdi it makes no difference at all when thenO2 sensor fails .

 

[E55BOF]

Not sure on that car , but on my E320cdi it makes no difference at all when thenO2 sensor fails .

Thank you for that. The CLK is a petrol V6, though. Do petrol and diesel engines react the same way to that failure?