What do to? (Car purchase hassles)

[Nat]

I'm really surprised this is still going on.

Get your deposit back and walk away. "Helping" them to repair the car is nonsense - what happens when/if something goes wrong "if" you did pay the extra money for it? Will they say it owes us too much money, fix it yourself or refer you to the useless aftermarket warranty? Too much hassle, too much unpredictability, too much time wasted. Simply move on ...

 

[l5foye]

A friend of mine was buying an expensive car. The process had reached the stage where he had set cash and credit card on the sales manager's desk. He asked the manager if he minded if his handicapped daughter used their toilet. The manager replied-Sorry, toilet is for staff only-company policy. My friend and his daughter walked out followed out to the car park by the sales manager. He pleaded with my friend to come back to discuss the matter. My friend's response was 'not in a million years'. I was tempted to call at the garage and ask to use their toilet- just to see if company policy had changed-I suspect it had.

 

[Stratman]

You clearly want the car but it's obvious you have serious reservations about the dealership. It looks to me like you're asking the forum for reassurance, to say "Yeah, go ahead, it'll be fine" but a large majority are telling you to walk away. We're now going round in circles with the added complication of the dealer wanting you to pay for repairs to a car you don't own!

If you really want it give them a deadline. Deliver the car with twelve months MOT for the agreed price within ten days or refund all monies paid.

My advice is walk away now. Bear in mind that if something goes wrong within (I think) three months the law deems it to have been faulty at the time of sale. Let's say the diff explodes a month into your ownership, or the gearbox breaks. How do you really think they'll deal with these expensive problems?

 

[Will]

Okay, there’s quite a spectrum of thoughts and advice here - I really do appreciate it all.

I’m not looking for reassurance as such, more advice to understand my rights or suggestions as to how I proceed. Yes I know 2/3s of you would walk away but I’m happy with the risk - to me the biggest risk is that I lose the car I want - worst case if there’s a major problem post purchase would be that they just refund me rather than fix it - so I’m not really any worse off proceeding.

It seems as though the car will be fixed now, at Mercedes still, part is going to take about a week to come from Germany - I will post an update when I can

Having said all that - it’s an 11k miler with full MB history, serviced every 1500 miles from new - and has now just been fully serviced by an MB main dealer - the headlight issue is unfortunate but doesn’t make this a bad car by any means - just one of those things unfortunately but the situation hasn’t been handled very well to put it mildly

Hopefully a positive outcome...

 

[Nat]

the headlight issue is unfortunate but doesn’t make this a bad car by any means

The issue is the dealer, not the car. They've been next to useless from the start.

 

[Will]

The issue is the dealer, not the car. They've been next to useless from the start.

Quite correct

 

[littleowl]

worst case if there’s a major problem post purchase would be that they just refund me rather than fix it - so I’m not really any worse off proceeding

Get that in writing before you hand any money over!

I hope the saga ends well for you - you have been more patient than most of us would have been

 

[John]

I couldn't have persisted either I'm afraid but I understand wanting something that much.

I agree with Lee - get the car as a trade sale and get it fixed yourself.

I wonder what the car would make at auction. Would it really make sense that they are better off doing that than paying for it to be fixed and selling at the agreed price.

I certainly wouldn't contribute anything and much as I sit here thinking I would consider buying at the ticket price, I know I would be too pissed at them and can't help thinking this is all a load of bullshit to make as much money as they can because they can smell a sale, mixed with using the old "good cop/bad cop" routine to convince you.

 

[neilrr]

This is a deal that has gone sour. Get your money back & walk away.

P.S. Google the myth of low mileage. Likely other issues will present themselves & you'll have zero backup from this seller.

 

[Deletedmember130310]

- worst case if there’s a major problem post purchase would be that they just refund me rather than fix it - so I’m not really any worse off proceeding....

You really think they would do that, after screwing you over to date? Good luck....

 

[DSM10000]

Okay, there’s quite a spectrum of thoughts and advice here - I really do appreciate it all.

I’m not looking for reassurance as such, more advice to understand my rights or suggestions as to how I proceed. Yes I know 2/3s of you would walk away but I’m happy with the risk - to me the biggest risk is that I lose the car I want - worst case if there’s a major problem post purchase would be that they just refund me rather than fix it - so I’m not really any worse off proceeding.

I think you are, with respect being just a little obsessional about the car, low mileage etc .. OK......... but how do you come to the conclusion that should there be a major problem post purchase that they would just refund you?

There is no automatic legal redress for that and you might be tied up for months arguing over responsibility etc and all the time this exceptional car may be undrivable.

 

[Will]

I’m fairly sure consumer law overrides what the selling garage feel like doing in this instance?

If you give them notice of an issue, they have to either fix it, pay for the repair (or refund if they don’t want to repair..)

In fact within 30 days of purchase you don’t have to let them repair it, you can apparently ask for a refund if that’s your preferred option.

If they don’t play ball you excercise your rights.

That’s my understanding anyway. If anyone knows differently please do say so. This is a hypothetical scenario of course and not a route I’d want to take, but I would have no hesitation in doing so if required.

Hopefully the car should be fine, there really is no reason for it not to be - the only issue it has is a faulty headlight which isn’t unheard of on these, the (MB) main dealer who are doing the repair and have done the service have given it a very clean bill of health - they’re not connected to the sale so it’s about as good a check as I’m likely to get beforehand.

I’ll obviously be going over it with a fine toothed comb myself, and will run it into Olly’s for a good checkover and possibly my local MB dealer for a health check too. I’d say overall not a huge amount of risk - if I’m honest I’d have paid what the car is costing me for a private sale anyway and obviously there’s no come back that way at all.

 

[Nat]

You are correct as I backed a car last year. After the first day. I gave them the opportunity to fix it first. When they came back and said it will cost too much I got my money refunded. That was 10 days from start to finish with the added bonus they gave me a car to use until the refund took place. It was all amicable and pleasant but it could have gone the other way.

Exercising your rights is time consuming and can be a real headache for some people while having all their money tied up in a car they can't use. The point some people are making on here, is that if they've been as lazy as hell and strangers to the truth up to now, how do you think it will go if/when a problem arises? I'd walk away as they simply don't have the ability to be up front in the first place. Going forwards could be commercial suicide with a lot voices saying "I told you so" Take there advice.

 

[c63chris]

Just come across this thread so I’m late to the party. wow! To the OP if I said to you what would have to happen for you NOT to buy the car? We have all been here before. We set our hearts on something and stick with it despite all the evidence around us. Unless this was the only car in the world why persist? But as I said just ask yourself what would have to happen for me to ask for my money back. All logic would say you should have walked ages ago. My 2p but it’s your money, life and choice!

 

[tangey]

I've come to this thread fresh, have read all the OPs postings and most of the replies.

The bottom line of all this appears to be
1) You want the car
2) The frequency of your contact and the relatively soft approach you have taken on this means They know you want the car
3) It has been said several times to you, and you know yourself, that their original margin on the car was slight.
4) Given all the above, they have decided you are good for another £600-700, even though the entire mess is their doing (sold it too cheap, it's definitely a bulb, its' definitely a control unit, they don't book it in until they have the unit etc etc).
5) How much would they be chasing YOU if you owed them money, you can be sure they would not be "unavailable" or "too busy" when you called.

I conclude they are taking advantage of your preceived softness and williness to continue contact, when their experience tells them 99% of people would have demanded their money back long ago.

If after all that, you still decide to continue to pander to them, I hope it works out the best for you, but I suspect this'll be a long drawn out issue, especially if something else become apparent on the car after your take ownership, at which point they will have your money.

And if you think they have been dragging their feet so far.......

 

[DSM10000]

I’m fairly sure consumer law overrides what the selling garage feel like doing in this instance?

If you give them notice of an issue, they have to either fix it, pay for the repair (or refund if they don’t want to repair..)

In fact within 30 days of purchase you don’t have to let them repair it, you can apparently ask for a refund if that’s your preferred option.

If they don’t play ball you excercise your rights.

That’s my understanding anyway. If anyone knows differently please do say so. This is a hypothetical scenario of course and not a route I’d want to take, but I would have no hesitation in doing so if required.

Hopefully the car should be fine, there really is no reason for it not to be - the only issue it has is a faulty headlight which isn’t unheard of on these, the (MB) main dealer who are doing the repair and have done the service have given it a very clean bill of health - they’re not connected to the sale so it’s about as good a check as I’m likely to get beforehand.

I’ll obviously be going over it with a fine toothed comb myself, and will run it into Olly’s for a good checkover and possibly my local MB dealer for a health check too. I’d say overall not a huge amount of risk - if I’m honest I’d have paid what the car is costing me for a private sale anyway and obviously there’s no come back that way at all.

At no point did I suggest that there was no consumer law to back you up in case of a serious fault.

However, you do need a compliant garage to help you when there is a problem and you would have to spend some time relying on the garage to fix any fault before you can look at using legal redress,

A Court would expect you to have given them reasonable time to affect repairs before they would consider it a legal matter but the fundamental point here is how they have treated you before you even own the car!

You have clearly convinced yourself that no matter what the garage does you will buy it so just buy it and hopefully you will have no further need to call on this garage again and enjoy the car.

 

[tbourner]

I’m fairly sure consumer law overrides what the selling garage feel like doing in this instance?

If you give them notice of an issue, they have to either fix it, pay for the repair (or refund if they don’t want to repair..)

In fact within 30 days of purchase you don’t have to let them repair it, you can apparently ask for a refund if that’s your preferred option.

That month and 3 months goes VERY quickly with a new car to drive around - if after 5 months you get an issue you'll likely be on your own, I know the place I bought from would do the best they could, even if only to fight my corner to the warranty company - having said that you make a good comparison with private purchasing, where you get very little support even from day 1.

 

[Will]

Yes - all points noted. What I’m trying to say is that it’s costing similar to what you’d expect to pay privately. I’ve alread had the car serviced (at the dealer’s expense) and by doing so have had the benefit of this visit to MB to look for anything that needs attention - nothing has been noted (Sevice guy’s comments were ‘its barely run in’)

As I have said the headlight issue is unfortunate but by its very nature could afflict any of these cars regardless of age/mileage etc. At least this was picked up pre-purchase and fixed rather than as a private sale landing the new owner with a £1000+ bill straight away.

A month should be long enough for me to be certain the car is what I’m expecting to be - almost perfect in every respect. If it needs some minor jobs doing that the garage don’t want to help with then I’ll probably do them myself, on the other hand if it’s a total duffer it can go back.

If I want a warranty I’ll buy one myself but in all likelihood I’ll be keeping the car a while and arrange the servicing/repairs it needs from now on myself. It’s 7 years old now so although it makes sense to keep up the full MB digital service history etc it can go elsewhere for other jobs (eg the headlight issue) as in my experience guys like Olly and his team do a better job and are much quicker/cheaper than main dealers.

Regards the headlight - it’s with MB, the part is awaiting delivery and they’re doing the work as soon as it arrives. The selling garage were asking me to contribute £500 in the end but we’ll see about that nearer the time.

Anyway - I’ll update the thread with an outcome as and when I can.

 

[BaldGuy]

I hope for your sake Will this car is everything you expect it to be

 

[John]

It's been obvious for a while that you've made up your mind so good luck with it!

It’s 7 years old now so although it makes sense to keep up the full MB digital service history etc it can go elsewhere for other jobs (eg the headlight issue) as in my experience guys like Olly and his team do a better job and are much quicker/cheaper than main dealers.

I'm sure I read that some indes could update the digital service history...