England - MCOL claim vs potentially the wrong company?

Hi everyone,

This is a bit of a mess, but I'll try to keep it as clear as possible.

I'm seeking some advice on a small claims case I've filed against a car dealership.

I'm using pseudonyms for all names to protect anonymity. I've used Mr & Mrs Smith, but their surname is very unique and I've found on Facebook that they're related, if that makes any difference whatsoever.

Background:

I bought a used car from them in January that developed a major fault shortly after. Their repair attempt failed, and they have refused to accept my rejection of the vehicle (I sent this to them well within the 6 months from purchase). I've been in contact with the director of Company A below who hasn't mentioned that actually my money is with company C.

I've already filed a money claim for £8,768 (full refund + court fees).

While preparing my evidence, I checked on Companies house and found this absolute mess of a company structure. Absolutely no idea if they're subsidiaries of each other, even though they've all got almost identical names.

Company A (The one I claimed against & business I thought I bought the car from): This is a dormant company with only £100 in assets. Director: Mr. Smith (also director of Company B).

Company B (The on-site garage): This is an active company with over £50,000 in cash and assets. Director: Mr. Smith (also director of Company A).

Company D (The property owner): This is an active company that owns the land and buildings where the dealership operates, with over £2.1 million in tangible assets. Directors: Mr. B.B. Smith and Mrs. Smith.

In essence, I bought the car at Company A's dealership, but to buy the car I had to bank transfer the money to company C (incredibly similar company names so I didn't think anything of it - think "CarDealership" & "ACarDealership").

My pickle is - do I update the MCOL claim to include company C, and if I don't, will company A just shrug and say well we don't have any money?

I'm skint and could really do without putting another £312 for a change of claim cost into this, so any suggestions or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Citizens Advice directed me to MCOL, who directed me back to Citizen's advice.

Thank you in advance!