So I've been to see a nearly new car from a manufacturer dealership and noticed it had a crack in the panoramic sunroof and some light kerbing on the alloys. They promised that both of these things would be completely sorted before purchase, with the whole sunroof being replaced and the wheels to be refurbished. If I put the deposit down and upon coming to collect and pay for the car they hadn't fixed these things as promised, what could I do?

It was explained to me that the now business manager had the car and he was the one that caused the damage (something about keys and coffee being placed on the roof). Shall I ask for this in writing so if they don't fix it properly or at all I can take it to another dealer to be done? It's a lovely car but I'm not feeling hugely confident with the dealership right now and it's not close to home either so if I did have issues it would be a real pain.

Thanks!

I would have thought they will have to fix these issues to sell the car anyway,if you like the car then get it & if they havent done these repairs when you go to collect it then walk away,normally they list on the paperwork what is to be done before the sale is completed,the dealer did on my volvo as i wanted some jobs done & they listed them all on the invoice to be done before collection as part of the deal. 

The car will apparently be ready in a couple of weeks and if I've already sold my car when I go to collect it, walking away wouldn't be the easiest option. I presume they'd have to refund the deposit if I did change my mind for whatever reason?

this posting may be of interest to you regarding the sunroof being damaged by keys,  a manufacturing fault perhaps?

 

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/416477-cracked-panoramic-roof/?hl=%2Bpanoramic#entry4752104

If they email you with specific answers to a detailed request I would think that they are legally committed to the repairs.

The wheels are an easy fix but what guarantee if the paint fails, as they do with modern acids used in carwashes....won't be a Skoda issue, but a dealer one.

 

I'd be concerned enough about the roof to walk away; they are fibbing by the sounds of it and the roof may be an ongoing issue of others are having issues too.

i bet they are repairing it via a warranty claim, if so, the car has a known issue, if not they are paying a huge cost.  Clarify this.

 

I'd want a guarantee the wheels are being done professionally not just blown in, and the finish is guaranteed at least during warranty period if undamaged by you.

 

I'd also want the roof replacement documented and specifically covered in writing against failure as you will have a huge row ahead of you trying to get Skoda to pay for it as they will claim it was damaged and your insurers may not cover it on glass cover so a fault claim would have to be made by you if it happens again-and my experience of pan roofs is that they go for a reason and once is not the last time.

 

Keys, coffee-liars!  I bet it will be a warranty claim, but bet if you do not get this clarified as a warranty occurrence that you will never get it done by Skoda next time...

 

A lot of money, do you want the hassle?

Thanks everyone. So the dealer in question isn't actually Skoda. I just had a look on the order form/invoice and there is in writing 'replace sun roof' which if referring to the whole panel doesn't seem like a small job. But no mention of the alloys being refurbished. While the roof is the biggest issue, and no doubt I'll kerb them myself at some point, I'll be paying quite a lot of money for the car and so I want everything to look as good as brand new. The crack on the roof did seem like an odd thing to happen.

I do have in an email at least that the work on the roof and alloys will be guaranteed. I guess gives me a leg to stand on at least should anything go wrong.

I also asked for a full years tax and tank of petrol but they refused both of those requests as apparently they had made a mistake on the pricing of the car and were losing money on it as it was so couldn't do anything else for me. When looking at the car again on Sunday I asked for a HPI check on the car as a friend who used to work for HPI said they could do it for just a few quid at trade price as opposed to £20 for consumers. The dealer almost laughed in my face when I said that saying you don't need that, we've had the car the whole time. Not the greatest dealership in the world from what I can tell, but it is a very nice car at quite a good price admittedly so maybe I should just not push to much.

Selling a car at a loss ...

You really are gullible.

....

Ah, the old "losing money on it as it is" trick.........did you hear a clicking sound at the same time?.

Pardon my cynicism.......I'm too old

Selling a car at a loss ...

You really are gullible.

I didn't say I believed him. Just that's what I was told and they refused to budge in offering anything else on the car.

Must be some car and some deal to me.

 

Nearly new (?) but what other misuse - thrashed to bits, what mileage?

 

There must be better in the UK .

 

Think I would walk away, why would I put myself through any hassle before I drive it off the forecourt. May be more to follow.

 

Go hang dealership.

If you get it in writing I wouldn't worry too much about the damage you describe. I'd be very careful to check the paintwork and panel gaps around the car.

 

However, as I read your posts the dealers sound like arseholes and I'd probably walk away and buy from someone else. If they've got an attitude when your buying then I doubt they are going to be anything but ****e if you encounter a problem.

 

There are too many dealers and too many cars to put up with pricks.

Edited 15 November, 20169 yr by Aspman

 If they've got an attitude when your buying then I doubt they are going to be anything but ****e if you encounter a problem.

 

 

My thoughts exactly - this alone would be enough for me to move on and keep looking.

 

Gaz

I'd be walking away from this one. Even if the car is fine, the dealership sounds like a nightmare to deal with.

 

I know you didn't fall for the 'Selling at a loss' line, i'd just be ****ed off/insulted that they tried to pull it off on me. I would be thinking about what other bull poop they were going to spin...

 

Like previously said, plenty of cars and dealerships out there to take your business elsewhere. Heck, if it's a franchised dealer, go to another one and get them to poach the car that you want over to them.

I also asked for a full years tax and tank of petrol but they refused both of those requests as apparently they had made a mistake on the pricing of the car and were losing money on it as it was so couldn't do anything else for me.

 

You should have laughed in their faces at that. *******s they're selling at a loss.

And if they are that's their problem, are you supposed to feel sorry for them?

 

I've asked for money off plenty times to be told 'no' but I've never been spun BS like that.

Thanks again for replies. A bit more detail for you. So the car in question is a 2016 Volvo V40 T5 Polestar, which is the only one I could find for sale. It was registered in May of this year and has done about 5500 miles (although advertised with 1500 miles) The Volvo dealership is in Chiswick and the salesman actually brought the car to my place of work in Reading for me to test drive (I wasn't even that eager at the time but he insisted). May not be to everyone's tastes but the car drove nicely and in my opinion looked nice as well. He was quick to point out the crack in the panoramic sunroof and the scuffs to the alloys from kerbing. The top salesman, who is now the business manager, apparently has had the car since new.

It was originally priced at £26995 which I wasn't really interested in paying but then the evening after I test drove it I noticed on Autotrader that the price had dropped to £23995 which had me much more interested as this was between the other 2 T5's for sale that didn't have the Polestar pack on. So I called up the next day and said I'd have it for the new price. I was then told this price was a mistake and it wasn't that price but they'd give it to me for that price but couldn't/wouldn't give me a penny more off or anything other with the car such as the petrol or tax as previously mentioned.

The car will apparently be ready within the next 2 weeks. There is a Volvo dealership in Reading which would make it much easier for me to go and collect the car if it could be transferred there.

So that's the current situation with the car. As I said, I do like the car and the Fabia is 5 years old in December and I would like something else. It's got all the kit so it doesn't seem like a bad price, but as previously stated, the dealership hasn't inspired me with confidence. Mainly due to kind of treating me like I'm a bit thick, and the attitude they've had at times. The dealership doesn't have great reviews on Google.

I've emailed Volvo UK this morning for reassurance of the guarantee on the repair work so I'll see what they say.

You should have laughed in their faces at that. *******s they're selling at a loss.

And if they are that's their problem, are you supposed to feel sorry for them?

I've asked for money off plenty times to be told 'no' but I've never been spun BS like that.

I did, when the salesman said on Sunday that they were making a loss and he wouldn't be getting anything on the car I said that's really no problem or concern of mine! If they didn't want the sale they could have just said sorry we can't sell the car for that and I would have walked away then and there.

I go with others about walking away regardless of whether the car is new or spotless used, the BS and grief you are getting seriously rings alarm bells.

edit - Just seen your comment about reviews are not good - that is an even bigger reason to walk.   Although it sounds very much like you have set your mind to getting it and if this is the case and you are prepared to take the risk then all I can say ( and others will prob agree)

Then

 

1 - caveat emptor.

2- If do buy & come back complaining about issues after purchase, i strongly suspect you just will get polite advice.

Edited 15 November, 20169 yr by lfc958

Ask in Writing and get a reply in writing.

Who was this vehicle first registered to?

Who actually owned this vehicle, ie where or who was it financed to?

Who had possession of the vehicle and was driving it from registration until offered for sale?

How many Registered Keepers will there be before you buy the vehicle?

Edited 15 November, 20169 yr by Offski

I go with others about walking away regardless of whether the car is new or spotless used, the BS and grief you are getting seriously rings alarm bells.

edit - Just seen your comment about reviews are not good - that is an even bigger reason to walk. Although it sounds very much like you have set your mind to getting it and if this is the case and you are prepared to take the risk then all I can say ( and others will prob agree)

Then

1 - caveat emptor.

2- If do buy & come back complaining about issues after purchase, i strongly suspect you just will get polite advice.

Don't get me wrong, I fully appreciate the advice given by the people who have commented. This is by far the most expensive thing I'd have bought if I do go ahead with it. While I do like the car I am still prepared to walk away and get my deposit back (that would be an awkward conversation to have) and I certainly wouldn't come back on here to complain if I did have issues! Would look like an even bigger tit than I potentially do now.

I await to here back from Volvo but I presume I'm well within my rights to change my mind and ask for money back before the full sale goes through?

Id walk away from this one.....the service i got from my Volvo dealer when i recently bought my V60 was spot on...the fact that they made a fuss to bring it to you when you werent that keen &  then reduced it by £3k then said that was a mistake once you had viewed the car rings alarm bells to me,petrol volvo's account for a very small part of their overall sales nowadays,nearly all V40's & V60's are diesel,£27k is a awful lot of money for a V40. Just had a look at the advert...1500 miles quoted,car picture shows 3309 miles & you say its done 5500 miles & there is a picture showing the roof thats scratched....very poor for a £27k car listing from a main dealer....Has it got to be the polestar? there are a few non polestar T5 's for sale. If you really want the polestar model then you are either going to have to buy this one or wait for another to come onto the market,how much is a new one? I suspect this has been a demo for the dealership & id imagine every salesman has taken it out for a spin with it being the performance version....

Edited 15 November, 20169 yr by mikey vrs

Yep, no doubt ragged from cold etc etc

Might as well have a new one £25k new:

 

https://broadspeed.com/CarView/Volvo/V40/42840/T5_R-Design_Nav_Plus__2.0_Petrol_Automatic_5_doors

 

Expect they have 0% finance on also.

 

Personally I reckon £25k is still a lot for a V40, dont think it'll hold its value that well.

Id walk away from this one.....the service i got from my Volvo dealer when i recently bought my V60 was spot on...the fact that they made a fuss to bring it to you when you werent that keen & then reduced it by £3k then said that was a mistake once you had viewed the car rings alarm bells to me,petrol volvo's account for a very small part of their overall sales nowadays,nearly all V40's & V60's are diesel,£27k is a awful lot of money for a V40. Just had a look at the advert...1500 miles quoted,car picture shows 3309 miles & you say its done 5500 miles & there is a picture showing the roof thats scratched....very poor for a £27k car listing from a main dealer....Has it got to be the polestar? there are a few non polestar T5 's for sale. If you really want the polestar model then you are either going to have to buy this one or wait for another to come onto the market,how much is a new one? I suspect this has been a demo for the dealership & id imagine every salesman has taken it out for a spin with it being the performance version....

Doesn't have to be a polestar, but when the price dropped I became more interested. From what I've read, brand new they are £35k, which is a horrendous amount of money. So to get over £10k off the price shows pretty bad depreciation but it seems like quite a bit of car for the money and I'd certainly be keeping it a while.

I have had an uneasy feeling about it which is why I've asked for other people's opinions/thoughts on it. Guess you should probably go with your gut feeling! But yeah, I know at least 3 of the sales guys have driven it!

Might as well have a new one £25k new:

https://broadspeed.com/CarView/Volvo/V40/42840/T5_R-Design_Nav_Plus__2.0_Petrol_Automatic_5_doors

Expect they have 0% finance on also.

Personally I reckon £25k is still a lot for a V40, dont think it'll hold its value that well.

Thanks for that, I'll have a better look at that, car wow and orange wheels is it? When I get home. The polestar has an extra 10bhp and some more torque which isn't the be all and end all, I just liked the styling extras it had.