Car Giant - No warranty implied or given

[markjay]

...It's the minimum legal requirement that I find vague at best and so open to interpretation that it's barely workable.

I agree...

When I first bought from them, the three cars were nearly-new and still had manufacturer's warranty left so I wasn't bothered with the lack of Car Giant warranty - I had no intention to call on it anyway, but go straight to the main dealer (which I did on several occasions). When I bought the Merc I noticed it had rusty wheel bolts, but I bought it anyway and drove it straight to the local MB dealer who had them replaced under warranty.

Following my general good experience with the three cars, I decided I felt comfortable enough with Car Giant and went and bought a fourth one in spite of the fact that it was just out of manufacturer's warranty. And it had been fine in the nearly two years I've had it.

Just my experience...

 

[Mudster]

It makes sense to buy something which would still have a balance of manufacturers warranty even if only 6 months left. That makes sense entirely.

I'd not be comfortable buying anything off these people over 3 years old.

 

[markjay]

It makes sense to buy something which would still have a balance of manufacturers warranty even if only 6 months left. That makes sense entirely.

I'd not be comfortable buying anything off these people over 3 years old.

What car were looking to buy from them - and did it have a manufacturer's warranty?

 

[flango]

Ok so lets say the repair is £450...the dealer says, "It was working when you drove out, worked for three months, the failure is just wear and tear and not covered".

I then have no choice but to litigate....the proof requirements are not workable.

If this scenario happened I would view it as the following, if the fault was advised within the 6 month window I would fix it, any respectable dealer would not try the wear and tear excuse on a sat nav unit.

However if you brought it back within 6 months with a gearbox problem and within that time had covered 40,000 miles then wear and tear would come into play

The law is actually clearer than you think and litigation is quite easy but most litigation agianst reputable car dealers even those brought by trading standards fail because of the unreasonable expectation of the consumer.

You also have to be aware that dealers have to have some protection agianst unscrupolous customers (yes it does happen) so it has to work both ways.

 

[Noodle-Pulp]

hmmm Cargiant once offered me £50 part ex for an Astra I had 4 or 5 years ago..surprisingly I took them up on their offer - paid my deposit and was advised to come back to collect it a couple of days later... on the way home my spidey senses were tingling about the car I had paid the deposit on so I called when I got home and cancelled the deal.
Of course I lost my deposit but felt much much happier.. something just wasn't right.

 

[markjay]

Guys... I bought cars there... four times... and lived to tell the tale.

 

[markjay]

Sure, they give you peanuts for your trade-in, and there's bugger-all of a warranty. But their cars are cheap and they are not crooks, you just get what you pay for. No need to complain about them... if you don't like the deal, that's fine. Buy elsewhere. It worked for me though, so I'm happy.

 

[Rory]

I always thought all used cars sold by traders/dealers had to come with a 3 month basic warranty by law?

I'd love to know where this comes from - you see it quoted with absolute certainty all the time in internet forums.

Even the 6mths sale of act "cover" is a can of worms, although, having said that, so are most extended warranties.

 

[MercFanUk]

I'd love to know where this comes from - you see it quoted with absolute certainty all the time in internet forums..

It was here that I heard it banded about I'm sure, and picked it up

 

[dougal74]

You'd be mad not to buy a car from Car Giant.

I have bought many cars from them and all have been very good.

If the car is 3+ years old you can get a decent AA backed warranty from them for not much cash.

If you go back a few times you'll find that the good stuff flies out of the door, the average stays available for a while and the dogs stick around for ages. Their no frills approach makes it very easy to tell which category the car you are interested in falls in to.

HonestJohn also has tales of when their aftersales has been good in handling problems with cars post-purchase.

Don't ever part-ex with them though!

 

[jasonyw]

You'd be mad not to buy a car from Car Giant.

I have bought many cars from them and all have been very good.

If the car is 3+ years old you can get a decent AA backed warranty from them for not much cash.

If you go back a few times you'll find that the good stuff flies out of the door, the average stays available for a while and the dogs stick around for ages. Their no frills approach makes it very easy to tell which category the car you are interested in falls in to.

HonestJohn also has tales of when their aftersales has been good in handling problems with cars post-purchase.

Don't ever part-ex with them though!

It just that he had no experience buying from a car supermarket in contrast from a normal traditional car dealer.

Imagine buying a new car from Asda supermarket and taking it back under warranty. I know for sure they will not take it back and ask to contact one of the made dealer or I can't imagine load of return cars parked outside Asda supermarket that sell cars.

Some people just cannot accept Easyjet from BA and expect a free drink in an Easyjet flight and cannot fathom he had to paid for it saying BA does not asked to be paid.

 

[Mudster]

You'd be mad not to buy a car from Car Giant.

I have bought many cars from them and all have been very good.

If the car is 3+ years old you can get a decent AA backed warranty from them for not much cash.

If you go back a few times you'll find that the good stuff flies out of the door, the average stays available for a while and the dogs stick around for ages. Their no frills approach makes it very easy to tell which category the car you are interested in falls in to.

HonestJohn also has tales of when their aftersales has been good in handling problems with cars post-purchase.

Don't ever part-ex with them though!

I would agree if there was a substantial saving, the Easyjet vs BA analogy is quite good above, but only if it holds water.

However having had a good hunt around I've found quite a few cars at more traditional dealers at the same price as this car supermarket, similar specs and in some cases lower mileages and better condition. Privately I've found three that are up to £2000 less than this supermarket.

Based on that I'm not inclined to go there unless the same spec car is a good £1000 to £1500 under a reputable independent or £1500 to £2500 under main dealer prices.

There were some great deals there, it's an ideal place to buy a vehicle up to about 2 to 2.5 years old, get it into the main dealer for a good service as soon as you bought and get everything put right under manufacturer warranty, you'll save a packet on main dealer forecourt prices.

A 3+ year old car...I'm not entirely sure.

 

[jasonyw]

I would agree if there was a substantial saving, the Easyjet vs BA analogy is quite good above, but only if it holds water.

However having had a good hunt around I've found quite a few cars at more traditional dealers at the same price as this car supermarket, similar specs and in some cases lower mileages and better condition. Privately I've found three that are up to £2000 less than this supermarket.

Based on that I'm not inclined to go there unless the same spec car is a good £1000 to £1500 under a reputable independent or £1500 to £2500 under main dealer prices.

There were some great deals there, it's an ideal place to buy a vehicle up to about 2 to 2.5 years old, get it into the main dealer for a good service as soon as you bought and get everything put right under manufacturer warranty, you'll save a packet on main dealer forecourt prices.

A 3+ year old car...I'm not entirely sure.

Whether you like it or not, Easyjet surpassed BA as air carrier in UK and is at the moment the largest air carrier in UK. Asking for a free drink in an Easyjet flight arguing BA offered a free drink and meal or refused to pay for toilet use in a Ryanair saying Easyjet and BA offered free toilet use. You just have to catch up with the modern world. You are free to go elsewhere or you like the car buy it then.

 

[Mudster]

Whether you like it or not, Easyjet surpassed BA as air carrier in UK and is at the moment the largest air carrier in UK. Asking for a free drink in an Easyjet flight arguing BA offered a free drink and meal or refused to pay for toilet use in a Ryanair saying Easyjet and BA offered free toilet use. You just have to catch up with the modern world. You are free to go elsewhere or you like the car buy it then.

If Stelios sold cars I'd probably go and have a look...He'd probably be damn good at it too.

Personally I fly Virgin, but that's more to do with the fact the Easyjet don't fly to either Shanghai or India (my most common destinations for business) not that I don't like their service, they just don't fly anywhere I happen to go.

Anyhow, like I said...there were some good deals there, just not what I happened to be looking at (BMW's, Mercs and Jags).

What I really didn't like was the impression they gave that they were not responsible in any way shape or form for the vehicle and in their words "This is effectively a trade sale". Just not somewhere I want to spend my money thanks.

It was only when the management came out they admitted they were obliged to provide nothing more than my statutory rights "which basically means very little and is a grey area". Again their words.

I guess I'm happy to pay for service.

 

[markjay]

...they admitted they were obliged to provide nothing more than my statutory rights "which basically means very little and is a grey area". Again their words....

Again.. in Car Giant's defence... as least they are being honest (even if brutally honest) about it by telling you up front what the deal is, and not trying to woo you with false claims. That could have just as easy said that you have your 'full statuary rights which guarantees your purchase and gives you peace of mind' or other words to that effect, I have too often seen insufficient warranties overstated by greedy and pushy salesmen.

I fully appreciate that you are willing to pay for service, and this makes perfect sense to me. I have no issue with firms charging for and providing good service. I have no issue either with firms not charging for and not providing any service. But what I can't stand is that far too many companies charge as if they were providing the best service under the sun, and after you parted with you cash they give you very little in return hiding behind cleverly-worded contracts....

 

[prprandall51]

There seem to be four choices:
Buy privately
Car Giant and their like
Independent dealers
Franchised dealers

Buy privately: no protection at all

Car Giant: Legal minimum but reputable and with too much to lose to mess the customer around

Franchised dealer: top dollar and their warranties are the same as you can buy for yourself from Warranty Direct and the like.

Independent dealers: I like a nice independent dealer with a sheepskin coat, a fine line in charm and is handy with the old mileage adjustment software.

It seems like Car Giant isn't such a bad option to me....

 

[Setanta]

Of all the cars I have owned, all but two were private purchases.

Guess which two I had problems with.

Never again - private sales only for me.

 

[Ade B]

The oft maligned Arnold Clark gave me excellent service and honoured their 60 day warranty obligations by paying for a replacement wheel which I procured direct from Honda Croydon (who were far less on the ball).

Excellent service obviously discounts the fact they sold me a scruffy car with a damaged wheel in the first place

At least I knew about the scruffy bit... which was reflected in the price I paid.

Ade