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Not sure on the legal side, but if your buying a car as seen I would say it should have been with the car when you picked it up.!!!

If it's a removable one, they are normally stored with the spare wheel, have you checked this area of the car?

I would also try contacting Trading Standards and see what they say.

Good luck!

In my opinion this constituted a fixture so should not have been removed after you bought it.

Did they list the items eg. radio, cd player etc on your purchase agreement ?

Was the tow bar listed as one of the items ?

Just because tow bars don't come as standard on the new models I don't think this alters your rights when buying second hand - you could say that you are buying goods "as seen" and you saw the tow bar when you viewed the car.

Is the tow bar mentioned on the log book as a modification by a previous owner ?

This is a bit of a long shot admittedly.

Personally I think this is a bit of a cheap trick by the dealer who probably wants to sell it on separately - as always "buyer beware" and next time mention each item specifically and make sure that everything is included.

Be matter of fact and don't lose your temper - but tell them you want it put back on the car and  say "What time can I bring it in for you to do the work ? "

You stand in the same place - whether it's a main dealer or Fred's Garage round the corner. Contact Trading Standards if you are a bit worried about tackling the dealer.

Personally I would try my suggested approach first - you can always get some advice from TS if the dealer won't play ball.

It is policy with many dealers to remove towbars, its possible you veiwed the car before it had been 'prepared for sale' many(most)buyers would look on a towbar as a negative point because it would suggest the clutch was prematurely worn from caravan towing. Whether this is relavant on a modern car I know not but thats the reason.

I would go back to the dealer & request it is refitted, lets hope they aint thrown it in the skip because I doubt they will fit you a new one. I would guess there was no mention of it on the reciept.

THANKS FOR THE ADVICE FOLKS I THINK MARTYM MY BE RIGHT WE SPOTTED THE CAR ON THE INTERNET PHONED TO MAKE SURE IT WAS STILL FOR SALE ..THEY INVITE US DOWN TO VIEW IT ..IT WAS STILL IN THIER PREP AREA ..WE HAVE NOW RAISED THE ISSUE WITH OUR SALESMAN HE DIDN'T KNOW IT HAD A TOW BAR "HE CLAIMS"SAID HE WOULD LOOK INTO IT SO WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE..NOT HOPFUL THOUGH

A few years ago we bought a car from Arnold Clarke within a few hours of purchase it broke down, to cut a long story short this happened 4 times in 2 weeks as they would not replace the onboard coputer eventually I had to threaten them with legal action before they finally repaired it properly.My advise would be to stick to your guns,don't bother with salesmen see the manager.With the state of the industry at the moment they cannot afford to lose sales.If all else fails ask for your money back, don't be bullied. Best of luck.

                                    Ian

Quote: Originally posted by PigletandTigger on 03/1/2009

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Easy. You saw it with a towbar on it, you commented on the towbar, they didn't tell you that they would remove it therefore you bought a car with a towbar. Tell them to refit it, put a new one on it or compensate you to allow you to fit a new one.

Go to Trading Standards if there is a problem.

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