What can I do about engine knocking?

What is engine knocking?

Engine knocking (a metallic or pinging sound generated from a petrol or diesel engine) occurs when fuel burns unevenly in the cylinder due to the air / fuel mixture being incorrect.

The issue can be caused by a wide range of faults, which, if left untreated may result in major engine failure.

If your engine is showing signs of knocking, you may wish to contact the seller of your car to repair the issue under your sales contract, if it has been less than six years since you bought the vehicle, in line with the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Alternatively, you may wish to have it repaired by the manufacturer under the warranty, if the policy is still valid. In either case, you should contact the appropriate business by submitting a formal complaint in line with their dispute resolution procedure.

If you are unhappy with the final response of the business, or more than eight weeks has passed since raising the complaint with them, you may escalate the complaint to The Motor Ombudsman for further investigation. However, the business needs to be accredited to us (please take a look at our online Garage Finder).

Our adjudication outcome (i.e. whether it is favour of the business or consumer), will be based on the cause of the fault. Therefore, if the evidence doesn’t show that the fault is caused by a manufacturing defect, or that it existed at the point of sale, we may not uphold your complaint.