2011 1.6 Ti-VCT exhaust advice

[fladavid]

I bought a 61 plate Focus (1.6 Ti-VCT) a few weeks back that at the time of purchase sounded perfect, after a 300 mile trip and a few commutes,I now have a slight blow from the flexi downpipe apparently so my dealer and my mechanic both say. 

My mechanic has told me the price for this part from Ford and pattern parts suppliers and its eyewatering because the car has two catalytic convertors. Ford also advise to fit four new sensors to the exhaust too, which they would wouldn't they? Grrrr. My mechanic, who I trust implicitly, said that in his experience he'd go with Ford as the pattern parts usually fail MOT's within a few years whereas the Ford parts are better made. 

Does anybody know anywhere that makes good pattern parts or perhaps can the flexi just be replaced or repaired in some way?

As a second point I feel that the dealer should contribute to the repair at least but that could go either way as it wasn't blowing when I bought the car so did they know and conceal it somehow or is it just my bad luck in your opinion? Apparently the sale of goods act 2015 says that any car sold by a dealer can be returned for a full refund if a fault appears within 30 days that means the car is unfit for purpose, is this true?

Dave. 

[Gaz0000000]

You will pay more for a genuine Ford one it will have 12 mth warranty and fit perfectly first time , regarding the sensors they may be a pain to remove as they may be seized in or they may be advising as if they are the original ones they may fail sooner rather than later and replacing them at the same time saves you paying for them to be changed at a later date . 
 

[Luke4efc]

It's down to the dealer to prove the fault wasn't there at the time of sale within the first 30 days. Unless it had the MOT done on the day of sale, I'd say it would be hard to prove lol. They usually just say it's wear and tear. At 9 years old I'd kind of agree with that tbh.

The sensors usually get seized in so maybe that's why they're quoting for new.

A decent exhaust shop should be able to just weld in a new flexi provided the exhaust piece isn't too rotten.

[fladavid]

They MOT'd it a week before sale. No advisories.

[fladavid]

After a lot of tooing and froing I've got somewhere at last. 

I went to an independent tailor made exhaust specialist in Surrey who said he might be able to do something for me last week. He put the car on the ramp and immediately said "FFS Ford what have you done?" He showed me that indeed this car has two cats, why they went down this route he couldn't work out. He then said there's your problem and got me under the ramp to see. Somebody before had put Gungum around a leak in the exhaust before I bought the car, he confirmed my brief loss of power would be the moment it blew the Gungum seal. I asked if he could repair the exhaust and he said it couldn't be welded as it was too corroded, see photo, and that the cats would be a part he can't make and would need to be Ford parts. I told him I'd only had it 3 weeks and I said I bet the dealer had done that before selling it to me, he agreed but said trying to prove it would be hard. 

I immediately rang the dealer and said that I wanted it sorted or I'll return the car or take him to court and he said that he'd fit a new Ford part if I was prepared to go 50/50 for the part. Under the circumstances I thought that was more than I'd get from a car dealer so accepted.

When I dropped it off today I said that is a Ford part isn't it and he said yes but it's supplied by a company called CTS. I've now got to somehow make sure I'm paying 50% for a genuine Ford part and not being fleeced Ford prices for a cheap pattern part. Do Ford sell parts through third party suppliers or can they only come from them direct?

[TomsFocus]

Well, that's worse than I expected!! Must be all that salty sea air on the Surrey coast...   

You can only buy genuine Ford parts from Ford dealers usually.  I'm not sure who CTS are in this instance.

[iantt]

You haven't said if the dealer you bought the car off is a ford dealer or not.  If the dealer isn't ford. Then quite often they won't have an account with there local ford parts supplier/dealer. 

Therefore they rely on local motor factors ( probably CTS) who do have accounts with all the franchised dealers. CTS probably bought o.e part then sold on to your dealer/fitter. 

Only way for certain on o.e part is to see it before they fit it. There will be ford stamped on it or a sticky parts label on it. 

[fladavid]

No they're a car dealers like on any high street, not a Ford main dealer. 

Well you could argue, and they would, that they knew nothing about the exhaust and like my mechanic and the exhaust specialist said "try to prove they knew"...... almost impossible and possibly expensive through the courts. So to me getting a brand new exhaust that should last at half price is better than expected I feel. 

If  I said I wanted to see the purchase invoice that surely would show if it was genuine Ford?

[TomsFocus]

Did they MOT it before sale?  

[fladavid]

Yes. Week before. 

[iantt]

Check if there were any issues with exhaust or emmisions on the mot history. 

https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

[fladavid]

I did that before I bought the car. 

Exhaust leak advisory 2017 and 2018 but not 2019 or the one they did for me this year before purchase. So I assumed the problem had been fixed, obviously it was either a different leak or was missed last year. I do have a newish rear section so that might have been that leak tbh.