I think the time has come to go back and either they give you a courtesy car while everything wrong is fixed or you leave them the car, demand all your money back and say you are rejecting it as unfit.  Some independent advice may help.  As you say, a pity you went ahead when it all seemed a bit shakey.  Good luck and keep us informed please.

There is a fault in the door controller now a power one, when I cleared the fault after it stopped working it worked again. Then it stopped working and threw another fault.

2 minutes ago, Oldmansomerset said:

I think the time has come to go back and either they give you a courtesy car while everything wrong is fixed or you leave them the car, demand all your money back and say you are rejecting it as unfit.  Some independent advice may help.  As you say, a pity you went ahead when it all seemed a bit shakey.  Good luck and keep us informed please.

Will do, knowing my luck I'll lose out. I was silly to thing an approved dealer check meant something. The salesman told us only the best cars go up as approved cars. 

27 minutes ago, Nikonite said:

There is a fault in the door controller now a power one, when I cleared the fault after it stopped working it worked again. Then it stopped working and threw another fault.

What is the fault code? Does the mirror work at all or does it work once after the code is cleared and then not again?

Code is:

65599

 

motor for mirror fold in electrical failure.

It doesn't work at all now but may start working later. It half tried to close earlier this evening.

 

Is the faulty mirror the one on that 'different shade of red' door?

 

And was the car advertised with a towbar?

 

Edited 6 July, 20196 yr by Guest

On 24/06/2019 at 15:14, Nikonite said:

Total price is £9495, I thought the approved Skoda thing meant it should have up to date service history.

 

There's just loads about this story that I have trouble with. Here's something else to ponder:

 

You say the car is Skoda Approved.  Now someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I was always under the impression the max age of an approved used car is 5yrs.

 

Your registration from the photos is LN63EGF.   According the the DVLA MOT website:  https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/  that car was registered 20th September 2013, in other words it's almost 6 years old. 

 

Question - how can it be an Approved car?

 

And have you checked it's history?

 

At it's 1st MOT 24,564 it failed with a deep cut to one tyre and given an advisory to 2 cuts in the others and a shock absorber with a light misting of oil.

 

It also failed it's 2nd MOT with faulty shock absorbers. The tyre pressure monitoring system wasn't working either. It also failed on both washer jets providing insufficent fluid. Now is that because the tank was empty or something else? May be just a coincidence but the windscreen washer tank just happens to sit at the front side of the car.

 

And then it failed it's 3rd MOT  because the engine check light monitor was on.

 

And as you found out, it failed it's 4th MOT with "Offside Front Outer Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" plus the advsiories of tyres near legal limit and uneven wear.

 

That car has had four MOT's and failed every one of them with either a fail or advisories relating to trouble with the front tyres / suspension.

 

We now have a door that's a different colour.  If I had a crystal ball, I think it might be showing me a car that is not approved, possibly a car that's been in an accident, a previous owner(s) who didn't give a **** about it, and a previous owner(s) who must be start raving mad to put a car thu an MOT in that condition.

 

Yes I was aware of the history but I assure you it was sold to me as an approved Skoda wth the dealer giving me the 1 year warranty, free mot with up to £750 if it failed. A supposed 100 something point check and any work needed done.

I don't know about an age limit, I appreciate I have been naive but this is the first none private car I have bought and being at the end the country the options for purchase here are very limited. I put my trust in a the dealers " only the best make it to approved used cars the rest go to auction" I sent Sasha a link to the car so she can hopefully back me up it was in the approved used section in the main site.

I have a screenshot of it there along with screenshots of the price and all the spec.

We did check the suspension and it has brand new shock absorbers on as that was a concern.

 

 

Edited 7 July, 20196 yr by Nikonite

Would the failure of the front suspension be inline with a vehicle having done this mileage.

 It's adding up to some undisclosed history to me.  I Wouldn't be happy with the fact that it once had a tow bar. Sounds a tired car. Hope it works out for you..... 

I'm sure it won't, looks like we have been sold a lemon by a garage we thought we could trust. Will have to see what they say on Monday.

It's definitely only the door had paint as the front wing bonnet front bumper all match as they do right around the other side of the car. There is no visible signs of damage to the sill either under the door. A lightweight magnet stays stuck to the door also so no deep filler and the interior would definitely lead me to believe it's 50k is accurate. Unless they have changed the whole Interior of course.

Edited 7 July, 20196 yr by Nikonite

7 hours ago, Scot5 said:

Is the faulty mirror the one on that 'different shade of red' door?

 

And was the car advertised with a towbar?

 

I'd say the mirror is the same colour and no the car was never advertised with a towbar. I have screenshots of all the spec in case there were things missing later.

This is how it looks under the car. The electrical hookup is loosely cable tied and swinging about.

Edited 7 July, 20196 yr by Nikonite

Think this car should have gone down the road to the auction and not been sold as a Approved car. Your faith in the dealership has been shot to pieces. This 3 year period before  cars have mileage recorded when MOT'd is a farce. Companies offering mileage correction, how the hell can you trust what your buying. Is there anyway you can find out who the previous owner was.

 

They didn't give me the logbook but it should be in the paperwork that comes back from dvla I guess.

I appreciate I've been a mug but I honestly thought a franchised dealer was safe. In the past I've mainly bought my Dad's cars off him at around 6 years old when he got new ones. Ive bought a few private when I first started driving and a few others private since. I've never had an experience like this.

 

I can only sympathise with you Nikonite. There's some knowledgeable people on this website and some of there advice hopefully will be of use as how to turn this problem around. good luck.  

Thanks, I appreciate the support. My Wife is a bit annoyed with me I think. I guess it was down to me to see it. I did however take it to my Dad's and two of my mates yesterday on a sunny day and they all had a good look and didn't notice.

With the towbar and mirror sorted I would have been happy with the car.

Now I don't know if I should accept a repair as surely I lose the paint warranty. I already overpaid on what my insurance thinks it's worth by 2k, I think the car would now be worth significantly less than what I paid as I would have to tell any buyers about the repair.

Whilst we realise we have been foolish we appreciate any advice on moving forward. 

Are they likely to get a colour match on repair? Would you be happy to accept that?

Edited 7 July, 20196 yr by Nikonite

The time to reject it was at collection, but that’s gone...

I’m sure when I bought mine as approved used there was a 30 day/1000 mile return policy, do they still offer that ?

 

Good luck trying to reject it, (if you can’t just give it back under the 30 day thing) I think you’ll  have to give them opportunity to rectify it anyway.

 

I would list everything you’re unhappy with and book it in with them for repairs. In my opinion they should fix the mirror, supply the spare wheel,  and repaint the door properly.

I don’t think there’s anything you can do about the fact it probably had a tow bar, it may have been removed by the previous keeper and the dealer is even unaware. Either way that was there to be found as an issue pre purchase.

 

If it’s the spec you want, and difficult to get, then you might have to make the best of it. 

In your situation  I’d probably rather fix a lot of that myself using workshops/body shops I know and trust. I’d Kick off and get the mirror done, a spare wheel and a cash contribution so I could get the paint and wheels refurbed properly.

 

All the best, it’s a car, don’t let it get you down, life’s too short.

Edited 7 July, 20196 yr by classic

3 hours ago, Nikonite said:

They didn't give me the logbook but it should be in the paperwork that comes back from dvla I guess.

I appreciate I've been a mug but I honestly thought a franchised dealer was safe. In the past I've mainly bought my Dad's cars off him at around 6 years old when he got new ones. Ive bought a few private when I first started driving and a few others private since. I've never had an experience like this.

 

You will get no trace of the previous keeper now thanks to GDPR. The logbook will come back with the number of previous keepers and no other details. Gone are the days when you could get the previous owners details on the V5 and you can no longer access the DVLA’s V888 service for the purpose of researching a cars history. Have a dig around the car though, I found a prescription belonging to the previous owner under the seat of a car I’ve just bought. A polite letter has managed to bag me the owners manual and the second key that were missing from the car and never surrendered to the insurance company following it’s accident. From the history it appears to be a car that’s been owned by people who don’t understand cars but they clearly added a lot of toys on it, perhaps it was a demo? The dealer should have been aware it had a towbar, that would be pretty obvious when washing it, MoTing it or having it on the lift for any other work as the cut does not come in the diffuser like that (although it does on some newer VAG cars. My Dad’s new Ibiza FR came with it). In all likelihood the people doing those jobs didn’t tell the sales team about it, or they did know and simply didn’t care. Because you’ve accepted the car, things get a bit more complex but you can argue the door paint match was not apparent in good lighting and only becomes prevalent in low light. Go on Skoda chat and see if they can confirm that approved cars have to be under 5 years old. They’ll give you the same waffle that it’s dealer discretion etc etc but try and find out if the car really was ‘approved used’ or if the dealer has just been playing fast and loose with that phrase and meets their definition of approved. 

One other option open to you is to have a word with your local Trading Standards Office.  I know they are usually very busy but they could give you some good advice and possibly some assistance.  Don't be afraid to go online and comb through all the options open to you.  I still feel sure that with all the things you have found wrong, you do have rights and should enforce them.  By the way, don't forget C A B who can offer free advice.  Few of us are experts on this matter so go ahead and do some research and enlist help.  Good luck!

Thanks guys, would you think I was crazy to accept it being repainted? I'll be honest I really like the car.

I'm thinking I could try for:

Respray including blending and remove the slight crease.

A free service 

A years extra warranty as my confidence in the car has been dented.

I think I could live with that, the rear bumper has been resprayed by them and it's a good job as far as I can see.

We intend to run it into the ground anyway so value post ownership isn't a great concern. Longevity of any paintwork however  would be a worry as we have lost any Skoda warranty on that door at least.

 

Edited 7 July, 20196 yr by Nikonite

4 hours ago, Nikonite said:

Thanks, I appreciate the support. My Wife is a bit annoyed with me I think. I guess it was down to me to see it. I did however take it to my Dad's and two of my mates yesterday on a sunny day and they all had a good look and didn't notice.

With the towbar and mirror sorted I would have been happy with the car.

Now I don't know if I should accept a repair as surely I lose the paint warranty. I already overpaid on what my insurance thinks it's worth by 2k, I think the car would now be worth significantly less than what I paid as I would have to tell any buyers about the repair.

Whilst we realise we have been foolish we appreciate any advice on moving forward. 

Are they likely to get a colour match on repair? Would you be happy to accept that?

Not easy to match paint that has already been exposed to sunlight for nearly 6 years as any decent sprayer will tell you. Much easier on a nearly new car as less exposure to the damage the sun does. Just look at an old car in a hot country for the effects strong sunlight has on paintwork.

It’s not crazy to live with the car, but as above, you would need a very good painter who can mix the paint well to match and really most of the side of the car will have to painted to get the colour blend right. Being willing to take the car will always get you further than refusing it but they may get funny about it. You can but try.

Your best chance of rectifying in any way is listing the issues you have (how ever small they are) and taking a physical letter to the dealer asking what they are willing to do about it.  Give them the first chance to put things right.

Don't let them know what you are happy to accept until they start a dialogue.  If they start to offer to get things repaired then you can go in with a list of what you would accept (rather than the full written list), but always add a bit on.  That will give you space to drop bits you are not so bothered about.

If they are not interested in rectifying any of it or to a standard you are happy with then you can formally reject the car in writing as long as it is within 30 days. 

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/your-rights-if-something-is-wrong-with-your-car

Good advice in that link.

 

As you clearly want to keep the car my choice would be:

- Independent chassis alignment check (it's clear the history is not a nice one and this would give confidence that the new shocks will not fail prematurely)

- Door repair/replace

- Mirror repaired

- Money towards wheel repairs (£100 per wheel?)

 

If the chassis is out but a certain amount I would formally reject it.  Any car that has enough accident damage to deform the car to that extent should not have been sold as 'used-approved'.

Good news guys, I think the manager was shocked and has agreed in a full refund once the logbook is back. If anyone sees a nice estate with lots of toys up to 12k please let me know. He seemed to be saying they couldn't consider it an approved Skoda i.e it didn't meet their standards.

Edited 8 July, 20196 yr by Nikonite

That's great news.  Good luck hunting for a replacement.

For what its worth there is wealth of knowledge on here that can assist in retrofitting toys should you find a good-un with not quite the spec you want.

Ideal, that sounds nice and easy. Tbh I would hold them to that ASAP, take it back to them as soon as you can and leave it with them. The V5 shouldn’t take long to come through.