Not upheld: goods not of satisfactory quality / defective vehicle complaint against Oodle Financial Services Limited (trading as Oodle Car Finance)

Decision detail

Summary

Mr L purchased a used van through a hire purchase agreement with Oodle in January 2025. The van was approximately 6.5 years old with 95,610 miles and priced at £8,747. After four months and 4,559 additional miles, the van developed a timing belt fault that prevented it from starting. Mr L complained that the van was not of satisfactory quality at the point of supply. An independent inspection concluded the fault was not present or developing at sale but developed after purchase due to normal wear and tear on a high-mileage vehicle. The ombudsman upheld the independent inspector's findings and did not uphold the complaint, noting that the vehicle's durability was demonstrated by Mr L's ability to drive it 4,559 miles after purchase.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the legal test for satisfactory quality, which requires consideration of the age, mileage, and price of the vehicle, as well as durability expectations. While a fault was confirmed to exist, the independent inspection provided credible technical evidence that the fault was not present or developing at the point of supply but rather developed after purchase due to normal wear and tear. The fact that Mr L was able to drive the vehicle for 4,559 miles after purchase supported the conclusion that the vehicle was reasonably durable at the point of sale. For a high-mileage used vehicle (95,610 miles) approaching the manufacturer's recommended timing belt service interval of 100,000 miles, some deterioration of engine components would be reasonably expected.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website