10:33 am, July 9, 2013
A CONSUMER watchdog is investigating a Birmingham dealer after a customer claimed it sold him a car that was ‘dangerous to drive’.
Adam Willet, 26, bought the Lexus IS200 from the Fort Used Car Centre and was unable to drive it for a year as it developed a problem with the clutch.
The car failed an MOT and a report from independent car experts DEKRA found the car had ‘major issues’ and was ‘dangerous to drive’.
According to a report in the Birmingham Mail, Willet claims the car, which had more than 110,000 miles, began suffering from problems just 30 minutes after he purchased it in February 2012.
Despite buying the car with a three-month warranty, Willet told the Mail that the Fort Used Car Centre refused to make the repairs, so it’s been sat unused for 12 months while he battles with the dealer.
The Financial Ombudsman is now investigating the case and has revealed it has also investigated a separate incident at Fort Used Car Centre before too. Willet paid for the car on finance with a rate of 36.8 per cent APR.
The dealer’s business manager said: ‘Regarding Mr Willet, we have responded to the Financial Ombudsman in full through our solicitor and will continue to work with them to work through these issues.’
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