Woman wins court battle over used car bought from garage in Milton Keynes

Mrs Lynn Viggars bought the second hand Suzuki for her daughter from MK Auto-Motors Ltd in Tavistock Street, Bletchley.

She and her husband Nick paid £5,400 and drove the vehicle away, heading for their daughter's home in Gloucester.

But an hour into the journey, on the A40, they noticed a "tinny rattling sound" coming from the engine and the temperature gauge shooting up alarmingly, Haverford County Court heard.

Mrs Viggars pulled over and called MK Auto-Motors, only to be told they could not come out and help.

An inspection later found the car's water overflow tank cap had blown off and punched a hole in the inside of the bonnet, causing the engine to "melt", the court heard.

The car was towed back to MK Auto-Motors, but the garage denied it was their responsibility, claiming the Viggars had removed the cap themselves and caused the problem.

"We totally refuted the allegation," said Mrs Viggars.

She requested a full refund under the Consumer Rights Act, claiming the car was not fit for purpose. But the garage refused and the Viggars ended up paying more than £3,000 for another garage to rebuild the engine.

Mk Auto-Motors boss Savijus Pinaltis denied he was at fault and told the court the vehicle was nine years old and had done 83,391 miles.

"Vehicles of this age and mileage are bound to show a commensurate wear and tear to all components and it does not mean the supplying dealer is liable for those."

He also alleged the Viggars removed the radiator cap and placed it back incorrectly on top of the radiator coolant pipe.

But his defence claims were dismissed by the judge, who ordered that MK Auto-Motors pay Mrs Viggars £3,605 to cover her bill as well as £520 in costs of taking the case to court.

Mrs Viggars said this week: "The whole thing was a horrible experience and I'm pleased we won and can now put it behind us."

MR Pinaltis said: "It was unfair... It was not my fault the engine melted."