DARB

A few weeks ago a friend bought a car from me, yesterday afternoon I received a text asking if the oil pressure warning light had been on before as it was now on. I told him that no it hadn't and to keep me informed. Now I was willing to help out with any repair costs ...but I've just seen on Facebook that he's broken down and is waiting for a recovery service, I've texted him and the RAC guy seems the think that it's the oil pump but it could have damaged the engine quite badly, now it's not on his doorstep he's driven it nearly 100mile on motorway and duel carriageway. Now I was willing to help with any repair costs but after him driving it and very possibly causing much more damage I don't see how I'm responsible ?? What would you do? Agree to pay half? Just offer a token gesture amount? Tell him "you shouldn't have drove it" and walk away ??

It's doing my head in to be fair, I want to do the right thing but I can't believe he drove it at all never mind so far with an oil pressure warning light on

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

You don't owe him a penny mate.

1) If the car was sold honestly and in good working order, then he paid his money and took his chances - private sales don't come with a warranty
2) Driving the car with an oil pressure warning light on???? Really???

Obviously if he's your mate, then you need to be a bit diplomatic, but you should not go down the road of offering to help financially as a) it might backfire and be seen as an admission that the car was not right to begin with b) It's not your responsibility - if the car was fine to the best of your knowledge when selling it and you haven't been dishonest in its description then your conscience is clear.

It's s**t luck, but that's all it is!

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

This is why I would never consider selling a car to friend because if something went wrong it could turn very sour very quickly.

Carnut

Perfectly put.

JGlanzaV

iTrader: (3)

totally agree with new scooby 04.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

So do I......but you have to ask what his friendship is worth?

Back in the UK, by a quirk, we don't own any of our side fences, both sides belong to neighbours.

But when they fell down, I went halves for some decent fencing, and worked with two of the three neighbours to erect the new stuff, doing the other lot for the old lady who lives there, free of charge.

I did so because I value the friendship of neighbours and because by so doing I got better fencing.

sprigeteer

iTrader: (9)

If it was a straight sale to a.n. other, then I'd say tough luck. But as it's a mate that clouds things to certain extent. I'd have a chat and see what he thinks and hammer it out between you. If he acts like a knoblet, then tough. If he's reasonable and you can help him out as a token of good faith, then so be it. But he really should not have drove on with that light on - asking for trouble.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Friend or not. it's still tough luck and very bad judgement on his mate's part. It would be quite wrong for him to expect anything out of this.

It's a private sale: something going wrong and not being covered is the risk you take and the reason you pay less than a dealer would have charged (that's the tough luck part)

He drove it with the oil warning light on (that's the very bad judgement part). He should not expect a mate to financially offset the consequences of his error.

Obviously because it's a mate, you'd be a lot less terse than I have just been in explaining things, but the outcome should be the same. If it's a good friendship, they'll understand. To be honest, if the other party is a stand up guy they should be saying "It's my fault, I shouldn't have driven it with an oil warning light on".

Emmaroids

iTrader: (2)

foook him, driving with oil pressure light on has done the damage, not you

David Lock

Did you have a fence warning light?

============

To the OP. Do nothing until you know what's wrong and how any damage was caused if that is possible. Only then make a judgment call.

dl

Mouser

Too late for the OP but I'm sure many on here do follow that logic.

DARB needs to be sure his friend continued to drive the car after the oil warning light came on and then decide what to do next.

sti-04!!

Out of interest what type of car is it ?

Spoon

Say the I original problem was the oil pump as Mr RAC said.

Your friend informed you pre possible big damage about the warning light. You had no previous knowledge of it coming on. Allowing only for friendship you could offer him half the price of an oil pump and that'd be generous!

The rest of the repair bill is now up to him and would be classed as twät tax.

Paben

iTrader: (5)

By the time an oil pressure light comes on the damage has probably already been done, as these things only come on when oil pressure is very low. To continue driving is crass stupidity.

hodgy0_2

this is very true, although under extreme circumstances it can come on with low oil level and heavy cornering

Dr Hu

So your friend bought the car 'a few weeks ago' - has he been driving it around ok since then....?

Today the oil warning light comes on and he predictably breaks down....

We need to clarify here whether he has been driving it for weeks all OK until now, *OR* he has been driving it for weeks with oil light coming on!

This would affect the advice given IMHO.

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

This is why I didn't sell my Polo to a friend or family member recently. The first thing that fails or needs replaced, knock on the door guaranteed...

I'd have sold it to the ***** next door though (right after I'd filled the TDI with petrol ).

billythekid

Yep never sell anything to a friend or family - its just not worth it.

Re the oil pressure light, if the pressure has dropped enough for the oil pressure light to come on - when driving along with revs up - then there is a big problem. In general the damage is already being done at this point - but not hard and fast.

Now, if the car was to still run and drive - then perhaps he would get away with it - but as it broke down I suspect that something has failed in the engine due to the lack of oil. Which will probably be expensive. Unless he got lucky.

I would say chances are its going to need a re-build - at worst a replacement engine.

We need to know a) what car it is and b) what happened at the moment it broke down.

Also will it start (he will have tried...)

First things first I would probably get the full story out of him before going anywhere near "helping him out". If he has been stupid enough to drive round for day with low pressure then really, I think it would be on him. This could be a big bill....

PaulC72

Exactly.

paulr

First of all you need to see what the score is regarding damage. Don't jump the gun.

jasey

If he's driven 100 miles including motorways with oil warning lamp on he's on his own.

You could offer to pay for this for him;

DARB

Cheers for the replies, I've not heard from him since, I'll keep you posted