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Sold my C4S. One hour later buyer has issues...

budge

Well-known member
Joined
6 May 2014
Messages
107
I sold my 996 C4S this evening to a private buyer. The car has been pretty much perfect in my ownership the last 2.5 years, apart from the water pump giving up last week. Prior to selling the car, I had a new pump fitted and all has been well the last week or so.

The buyer collected the car this eve and headed off home. Sounded 100% perfect as he drove off. 1 Hour later he calls me and reports the engine management light is on and the engine is vibrating and sounds like it's running on 1 less cylinder. He's managed to get the car home ok.

He says the oil pressure looks ok and water temp fine. But even at idle it's not sounding like all 6 cylinders are running.

I feel really dreadful as to my knowledge the car was fine. Never had anything like this happen on the car!

Is this likely to be coil packs, plugs or injector? The only other thing I can think of is I fuelled the car up for him last night (Shell VPower). Have checked receipt to make sure fuel type was correct, but could it be a bad batch of fuel?

Could it be something worse? I do feel terrible for the chap as he's only had it an hour.

Thanks.
 
Coil pack for my money
 
It needs to be plugged in to a code reader to get a clue. Could be something easy, could be expensive. That is the risk buying privately I am afraid. I understand that you feel bad, but it really is SEP.

MC
 
Thanks for those replies.
I'm going to have my fingers crossed for the chap that it's coil packs, as they don't look too expensive.
 
I have had a coil pack go on a couple of occasions, and the symptoms line up.

Due to the proximity to the road, exhausts, etc in a 996, they do tend to have a hard life. Its worth owning a spare or two and leaving one on the frunk incase of failure on road trips, 4 of them are easy to replace in a C4S, one is average, and one is a b!tch
 
Much appreciated Clarkie.

I've passed all of this info to the new owner. I had a look at a couple of YouTube videos and the replacement process looks straight forward. Half hour or so by the look of it.
Probably worth doing anyway as I don't think they have been done before on the car.
 
budge said:
Much appreciated Clarkie.

I've passed all of this info to the new owner. I had a look at a couple of YouTube videos and the replacement process looks straight forward. Half hour or so by the look of it.
Probably worth doing anyway as I don't think they have been done before on the car.

local indy would stick a durametric on it and know straight away which coil pack it was. sorted very easily and the symptoms do line up as clarkie said :thumb:
 
Thanks. Hopefully is just a coil then.

I believe legally I am under no obligation to help the buyer in this case. The car was sold in good faith and 100% didn't have an issue like this in my ownership. However.... if it's something minor like coil(s) then I'm definitely happy to make a goodwill gesture of some sort. I'm being as helpful as I can and I think it's the decent thing to do if possible.
 
budge said:
Thanks. Hopefully is just a coil then.

I believe legally I am under no obligation to help the buyer in this case. The car was sold in good faith and 100% didn't have an issue like this in my ownership. However.... if it's something minor like coil(s) then I'm definitely happy to make a goodwill gesture of some sort. I'm being as helpful as I can and I think it's the decent thing to do if possible.

Yes agree, I would be doing the same as a good will gesture. :thumb:
 
Make a goodwill gesture, (on the basis it's checked over by a garage) for all you know the buyer might be trying to pull a fast one.

You don't have to based on the law, sold as seen, after 1st October 2015.

What goes around, comes around, karma my friend.

It's entirely your decision what you want to do, help out or say please don't contact me again.

It's what sits with your conscience best :thumb:
Personally I would help out, if the scenario was legitimately true, I don't like the thought of anyone I've contracted with to feel they've been done. :thumb:
 
budge said:
Thanks. Hopefully is just a coil then.

I believe legally I am under no obligation to help the buyer in this case. The car was sold in good faith and 100% didn't have an issue like this in my ownership. However.... if it's something minor like coil(s) then I'm definitely happy to make a goodwill gesture of some sort. I'm being as helpful as I can and I think it's the decent thing to do if possible.

Even though your sorting the problem and that is so good of you. I dont understand the full extent of the private sale anymore.

At the beginning of this year a good friend of mine lost a battle in small claims with a mercedes he sold as a private sale. Its automatic gearbox developed a fault after 72 hours. hes had to pay roughly £800 towards it. I think legally you are as responsible on a private car sale nowadays. It seems a really grey area and guessing it depends on the person.
 
Its probably not a coincidence that whilst changing the water pump and re-filling, some water has trickled onto an already split and worn coil pack, causing this type of fault.

If it turns out to be the case, I would personally split the cost, but I always thought sold as seen, means exactly that.
 

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