Delivery of car

[Jon172]

In the next few weeks I was planning to pick up my car from the dealer I ordered via DTD. However they have given me the option that they can deliver the car (Driven down only)

Now I still plan to head down there to pick it up, but Iwas just wondering if anyone has had their cars delivered this way?

Cheers

[dunclane]

I've ordered mine through DtD too and wondered if it was driven to delivery address as my previous car (Lexus IS) came on the back of a low loader.

[Jon172]

I've ordered mine through DtD too and wondered if it was driven to delivery address as my previous car (Lexus IS) came on the back of a low loader.

Well the Skoda dealership told me I would have to collect due to taken out their Finance. However they emailed saying it could be delivered by a driver.

If you have gone through DTD for anything they may give you the option at an extra cost to have it delivered on a transporter.

[DbD]

Well the Skoda dealership told me I would have to collect due to taken out their Finance. However they emailed saying it could be delivered by a driver.

If you have gone through DTD for anything they may give you the option at an extra cost to have it delivered on a transporter.

My car is coming through DTD. I have a contract with my address in the corner and a charge for delivery. In addition the internet sales form (goverment required) has a line

"I wish to have the car delivered to the address above and will pay the delivery charge agreed".

Hence I expect it to be delivered to the address given with 0 miles on the clock.

[Jon172]

My car is coming through DTD. I have a contract with my address in the corner and a charge for delivery. In addition the internet sales form (goverment required) has a line

"I wish to have the car delivered to the address above and will pay the delivery charge agreed".

Hence I expect it to be delivered to the address given with 0 miles on the clock.

Hmm Yes that is the letter I recived. However when contacting the Skoda dealership I am going through they told me it would be a driver only.

[DbD]

Hmm Yes that is the letter I recived. However when contacting the Skoda dealership I am going through they told me it would be a driver only.

Well if they have told you they will deliver it then they agree contractually they have to deliver the car to you, hence in some ways that part of the contract is not the main problem.

What is, is the part of that contract that says the car should be new. Hence this actually boils down to what defines if a car is new vs used. I don't know but I'd be pretty certain there must be a maximum mileage that can appear on the clock for the car to be legally new. I wouldn't be surprised if that was 0 miles. So they'd be breaking their contract with you to deliver a new car if that car has been driven any distance.

Let me know how you get on, I might be having to have the same chat in a few weeks time :(

[juan27]

Five years ago I ordered a Volvo through DTD and it was delivery driven from Surrey to County Durham. I certainly didn't get the impression that they deliver by low-loader even if requested, never mind as the standard service.

0 miles is probably very unlikely even if you collect. Your new car has been tested on rollers, driven off the end of the line, onto a train, into a car park to wait for a ship, on and off the ship, onto a transporter off at the garage and probably road-tested as part of the PDI.

My new VRs had 7 miles on it. I've had 7 other brand new cars over many years and none of them had 0 miles on the clock IIRC.

Edited 7 October, 2010 by juan27

[Jon172]

Well got another response from the Skoda dealer and it will not be on a transporter. Not sure If I can trust someone driving my car from London to Manchester!

[DbD]

Five years ago I ordered a Volvo through DTD and it was delivery driven from Surrey to County Durham. I certainly didn't get the impression that they deliver by low-loader even if requested, never mind as the standard service.

0 miles is probably very unlikely even if you collect. Your new car has been tested on rollers, driven off the end of the line, onto a train, into a car park to wait for a ship, on and off the ship, onto a transporter off at the garage and probably road-tested as part of the PDI.

My new VRs had 7 miles on it. I've had 7 other brand new cars over many years and none of them had 0 miles on the clock IIRC.

I agree a few miles is to be expected, but 100, that surely legally isn't new?

Well got another response from the Skoda dealer and it will not be on a transporter. Not sure If I can trust someone driving my car from London to Manchester!

Understandably - the engine is meant to be treated very gently for the first 1000 miles, you can be pretty certain their driver, sitting behind the wheel of a brand new hot hatch, isn't going to do that.

[hussarman]

I can vouch that car delivery drivers are self employed, deliver car and get home ASAP is the order of the day, leave the rest to you to imagine what speeds they obtain on motorways.

[Keith Lard]

I agree a few miles is to be expected, but 100, that surely legally isn't new?

Understandably - the engine is meant to be treated very gently for the first 1000 miles, you can be pretty certain their driver, sitting behind the wheel of a brand new hot hatch, isn't going to do that.

It's doubtful that the delivery driver is going to thrash it all the way to you at silly speeds, the driver will need his licence for his/her job so they arent going to put that at risk IMHO.

As for the gentle treatment, I dont think that's as relevant as it was say 15/20+ years ago due to improvements in technology. New cars in the past often needed any early oil service at 1-3k miles, thats all gone nowadays.

It'll have been to the redline and back several times as its tested while being built. I never 'ran in' my new car at all. I didnt thrash it by any means either - Just drove it normally from day 1 and having covered 10k in 5 months it hasnt used a drop of oil. there is a school of thought that says if you drive a new car too gently then you risk glazing the bores of the engine as it doesnt get enough temperature/revs to bed in properly - often this can contribute to oil consumption issues.

[Jon172]

I am guessing nobody has actually risked getting their car delivered by a driver:-)

[rob_e]

a "feature" on mercedes used to be that the dealer could re-set the mileage to zero (once only) provided the car had covered less than 100 miles i think..? ie on delivery to the new owner, the salesman could re-set so the new customer gets the "0 miles" warm glow feeling.

[dunclane]

My boss's Range Rover Sport was driven down from the dealer in Sheffield to Solihull (also through DtD). The driver was very professional though and knew all about the car, did a hand over to my boss.

[Gizmo]

a "feature" on mercedes used to be that the dealer could re-set the mileage to zero (once only) provided the car had covered less than 100 miles i think..? ie on delivery to the new owner, the salesman could re-set so the new customer gets the "0 miles" warm glow feeling.

This is also possible on VAG cars

[juan27]

I can vouch that car delivery drivers are self employed, deliver car and get home ASAP is the order of the day, leave the rest to you to imagine what speeds they obtain on motorways.

I had the same concerns but my DTD delivery driver 5 years ago was about 60 years old and was at pains to tell me he drove it at 65mph max. Of course he may have been a liar but in five years of ownership and 68000 miles I can't say anything went wrong that I could realistically attribute to careless delivery driving.

This is one isolated example of course, don't come knocking at my door if your pride and joy is delivered smelling of hot oil by a spotty herbert.

[juan27]

I am guessing nobody has actually risked getting their car delivered by a driver:-)

I did 5 years ago! (see other posts)

In the end if you live in the North East of England and the dealer is in the Home Counties (or similar distance) if you collect you'll be spending a significant part of your saving on train/plain fare and fuel for the journey home.

[DbD]

Did some more reading up on this, seems like this is not unusual so looks like we'll have to live with it :(

Oh, also found out that whoever makes the car is allowed to reset the mileage once as long as it's done less then 80 miles. This allows them to give you a car with near 0 miles on the clock after testing. I think if you get a car with a few miles that's probably mostly because the dealer drove it to the petrol station and back.

[juan27]

I agree a few miles is to be expected, but 100, that surely legally isn't new?

I think legally the title to the car passes to you when it leaves the dealer perhaps. Effectively you're paying someone to drive your new car home from the dealer.

[juan27]

Did some more reading up on this, seems like this is not unusual so looks like we'll have to live with it :(

Oh, also found out that whoever makes the car is allowed to reset the mileage once as long as it's done less then 80 miles. This allows them to give you a car with near 0 miles on the clock after testing. I think if you get a car with a few miles that's probably mostly because the dealer drove it to the petrol station and back.

I reckon it might just leave the factory gates on 0, but as I said elsewhere I've never collected a new car on 0.

By the way I'd rather collect it on 5 miles than have it reset from 50 by the dealer without my knowledge.....

[Rob JS]

a "feature" on mercedes used to be that the dealer could re-set the mileage to zero (once only) provided the car had covered less than 100 miles i think..? ie on delivery to the new owner, the salesman could re-set so the new customer gets the "0 miles" warm glow feeling.

Yes i remember when i had a merc, the technician said that it could be reset twice within the first one hunderd miles. I dont like the fact that they can do this as your 'New Car' could technically have 198 miles on the clock but it shows as 0.

[roberto1954]

take a train and fetch it................i would

[marcusthehat]

wor 226,000 mile Galaxy was driven up from Cork, when brand new, about 400miles,

a minibus full of ( spotty adolescent?) drivers went down & brought a batch up ( I found out after)

I was a trifle preturbed at the time but 12 years later it does not have appeared to have done her any harm.

[darrenw]

and have them clock up speed cameras, red lights, congestion charges. No bleedin' likely.

Mine arrived with 7 miles.

[ado]

I'd prefer to collect from the dealer if possible. It is part of the new car experience for me.

What is the limit for delivery mileage? 200miles? The Octavia had 5 miles when I collected it. The MINI had 0 miles (0.5 to be exact) but it did only the line, straight onto the truck and off at the dealers compound which is where I saw it.

Edited 7 October, 2010 by ado