Massive probs 6 months in

^^^^^^^^^^ great idea.
Plenty of helpful people on here that will give you an unbiased opinion.
Happy to help if you are near gloomy Stoke on Trent :laugh:
Mike

Thanks Mike - I'm in Cornwall so prob not!

Hi Jack, I hear ya, but the guys at these garages are helping me out by checking it over and neither want to do the work as it's getting closer to a rebuild than a few repairs by the looks of things today

Hi,

Sorry to read about your problems. I bought a Jimny from a garage just over a month ago, paid more than you (its a 61 plate), but within 2 days it had spilled it's power steering fluid over the floor and had to go back. This was from a garage that provided a 168 point check and MOT on the vehicle, but still missed the corroded pipes? I think it is a little game the garages play, see what they can get away with, if you don't come back, they win, so pester them.

Anyway back to your problem, a Jimny is a four wheel drive vehicle, switchable in to two wheel drive and yours isn't. It sounds like something is wrong with the rear transmission, so they have disconnected it and forced the two front wheels to be permanently connected, removing the 2/4 wheel switch function. You have therefore have a 2 wheel drive car.

Depending on how the garage has done it and you will need to get an inspection to prove it, it most likely won't be wear and tear, they will have bodged or removed something, you will therefore have a very good case at Trading Standards unless they told you the car was modified. Have you still got a copy of the original advert?

If you are going down this route, don't worry about the 6 months, after all you phoned the garage as soon as you got home. If not try to see what the garage will do to avoid court action. Again you might need to get an inspection report done. Don't be shy keep pestering them, tell them you don't know much about cars, that is why you didn't spot it earlier, but have been speaking to Citizens Advice and they have outlined your options.

I would like to say it will be easy to sort out, but my first ever car (33 years ago) turned out to be a lemon and it took months to get it sorted out. I had to get a motor engineer to inspect it and threaten to go to court, all the time my car sat outside. Fortunately, I had a big motorbike for transport, but it was still no fun.

Good luck.
Robin

I don't understand the rear prop shaft disconnected thing but I wonder if part of the garage's diagnostic process was to remove the rear prop from the rear diff to hear the rear diff without any of the other transmission components spinning, in order to isolate the noise?

A slightly whining diff could go on like that for some time but would need replacing with a good second hand one sooner or later. Not expensive to buy but a little bit of labour.

Freeing up front brake sliders is easy and just a bit of time, maybe 3/4 hour. It might need new sliders and seals, cheap enough from the BigJimny Store or the might clean up ok on a wire brush wheel.

The front wheel bearing is no biggie to change but needs the tool. The garage will have a press to push it out and in. With a new set of Kingpin bearings and a seal the leak will definitely be sorted.

The 4wd pipes are not dangerous but may leave you without 4wd. Not something that stops you driving it daily in 2wd or part of an MOT. You can do away with them and get manual hubs for about £80 or make them fixed for free as per my guide on the Technical section.

So I'd say all age related but the garage ought not have sold it with them. They could have not shown up 6 months ago to be fair to them.

This is all work I'd do myself, so to me it's not a biggie and I've done it all on mine but I understand if you start adding labour on it's going to get expensive.

Kirkynut

One thing I thought of the other day... when was the vehicle last MOT'ed and where?...