Car Dealers - The Good & The Bad

[Spleen Sauce]

they all desperately try and include the worthless paint protection garbage

So the horrendous salesman at BMW told me that if I didn't opt for the paint protection (lifeshine I think it was) that he 'couldn't guarantee that I'd be entitled to the warranty on the paint'. I think I actually told him to stop talking bull at this point.

 

[a1ex2001]

Wife took her car to the local VW dealership for an MOT and service she had our 1 year old son with her and had pre-booked a courtesy car. She sat around for 20 minutes while they ‘found’ a car she put the car seat in loaded our son and his stuff started the engine and the airbag light stayed on. Back inside she goes and moans having unloaded our son again, the car is taken out back for 20 minutes and then it re-appears and she is told don’t worry we’ve disabled the airbags off you go. Now she refuses to take the car which prompts a massive row and them telling her it is fine and perfectly safe blah blah blah and finally about an hour after she arrives one of the managers clears the junk out of his car and gives her the keys. The icing on the cake is even when pushed by VW U.K. the dealership would not apologise for twice offering her in a very forceful manner an unsafe car. Suffice to say I’ve never set foot in the dealership again and have found a really good local Specialist to maintain the car which is a much more pleasurable experience.

 

[Semple]

Good dealers are often predicted on you being serious and little to do with what you drive already.

I had a family member work as a mechanic in a big jaguar dealership, so he was never involved in the sales side of things, but used to chat with the guys often enough to hear stuff. The consensus was that they had to judge people to weed out time wasters. If they offered up every person who came in for a test drive, they'd never sell a car.

 

[jaybee]

When I was 17 I bought a Citroen ax GT and got a full sound system in it. This was in the days of max power etc and I had a boot build done with neons and everything to show off the amp and sub. There was probably 1.5k worth of stereo in there and a load of CDs but externally looked stock.

I took the car to a Citroen dealer in reading for a new clutch and it had to stay with them over night for some reason. I get a call in the morning that the car has been done over and emptied of its hifi gear. To this day I believe it was an inside job or tip off to local scum.

Being 17 I couldn't claim for any of it without my insurance going mental so I just took the loss. It hurt.

 

[Spleen Sauce]

To this day I believe it was an inside job or tip off to local scum.

Reminds me of when I had a Fiesta ST and it went into a Ford garage for some work doing. I was a tennis coach at the time and left a few rackets in a bag in the boot (forgot to take them out).

Collected the car a couple of days later, rackets and bag nowhere to be seen. Huge fuss at the dealership, basically they were calling me a liar and initially took no responsibility. Only after threatening with police did they actually make any effort, and it ‘turns out’ they were taken out to get to the locking wheel nut in the boot but accidentally never put back in, and eventually found.

No apology at all. Tennis Wales who I did a bit of work for had a few fleet cars with them at the time and used that garage for servicing and renewing the cars etc - got them to bin off the contract and go elsewhere. Felt like justice at the time

 

[Griffo]

Having only bought one car in the last 12 years or something, and that one being from a trader, I feel quite lucky!

During that time though I've bought the odd motorcycle. They've all been BMW and regardless of other concerns about the brand, it's always been simply a case of "can I try x?" Though of course it's generally one of two dealers who know me already. It's been the same for other brands too though, and even when I've wandered in and it's unlikely they've seen what I'm on.

Maybe it's a combination of factors. Firstly bike sales people tend to like bikes. Secondly, at least with me, they can quite easily judge from the bike gear I'm carrying and wearing that I'm... a boring long distance commuter type! I imagine if I walked in wearing jeans and trainers with a lidl lid and woolly gloves there'd be more scrutiny.

 

[dlockers]

I had a family member work as a mechanic in a big jaguar dealership, so he was never involved in the sales side of things, but used to chat with the guys often enough to hear stuff. The consensus was that they had to judge people to weed out time wasters. If they offered up every person who came in for a test drive, they'd never sell a car.

Yep. I used to work in retail and unfortunately we would have to judge the credit application chancers. Unfortunately we got it wrong a few times and it did make you question your values as a human being. By get it wrong, I mean the sale process is rushed through, they are more interested in seeing if the credit application will work than the actual product they're buying, and you comply. Credit goes through and you both look at each other baffled and then they go "ah damn I should have probably spent a bit more time looking for what I wanted".

I don't doubt it happens in the car industry too. It certainly happened to me when I bought my C180 at 23. They rushed the sale so quickly on the basis I was "likely to fail" in their eyes, and then shock it went through. Double shock they forgot to charge me for the £1800 diamond cut alloy wheel option.

 

[Quint]

Years ago the tyre shop next to our office used to do burns outs on some of the nicer cars that came in. We’d all stand and watch at the windows, they stopped for a while when one of them went too far and buggered an engine up.

 

[Nasher]

Be weary about taking a mid-engine car to someone who isn't a specialist or dealer too. If you jack or lift them wrong it can cause loads or damage or be really dangerous. I've had to butt in a couple of times to stop them :/

 

[MissChief]

Just bought a car through Hammond Cars in Ipswich, massive site, 200+ cars and even two other branches as well. All arranged via email, paid £99 deposit, went down yesterday, car exactly as described and absolutely spotless. No hard sell, was offered extended warranty which I declined, although they did try to say the AA Extended warranty was better than official BMW one which I managed not to laugh at but generally they were very easy to deal with.

 

[theone8181]

When I was 17 I bought a Citroen ax GT and got a full sound system in it. This was in the days of max power etc and I had a boot build done with neons and everything to show off the amp and sub. There was probably 1.5k worth of stereo in there and a load of CDs but externally looked stock.

I took the car to a Citroen dealer in reading for a new clutch and it had to stay with them over night for some reason. I get a call in the morning that the car has been done over and emptied of its hifi gear. To this day I believe it was an inside job or tip off to local scum.

Being 17 I couldn't claim for any of it without my insurance going mental so I just took the loss. It hurt.

Surely you shouldn't have been on the hook for that anyway as it was at a garage?

 

[gc123]

Surely you shouldn't have been on the hook for that anyway as it was at a garage?

exactly when we ran the garage the car was under our care from the moment it was dropped off till the moment it was collected and paid for, by collected i mean by the owner or the person who dropped it off, unless prior authorization was given. had 2 occasions first someone came to pick the car up , rs cosworth escort, and when challenged about having permission went off on one and said he would bring the owner back, to in his words rub my nose in it...needless to say owner didnt know anything about it. and second porsche 928 we were doing electrical gremlins on and as soon as the guy was asked about permission scarpered faster than linford christie . both times police never arrested anyone despite i would class perfect cctv footage.

thats what insurance is for damage to customers vehicles, theft from etc.

 

[Firestar_3x]

Been dealing with inept Land Rover dealers for the past 3 years, honestly i've had better service at the Citroen main dealer when I was 18.

My experience is one of being treated like **** by clueless idiots who are unable to add 1+1 together, totally ruined the ownership experience of an otherwise good, yet flawed, vehicle (Discovery Sport).

Thankfully COVID has somewhat turn our vehicle needs upside down, we now have 0 need for two diesel vehicles, so wanting to stick two fingers up to Land Rover, who we would have purchased form again if the aftersales or warranty was worth anything, we are going back to German engineered cars.

Tiguan / T-Roc / Q3 etc all considered, but we ended up at a 2 month old 21 plate dealer demonstrator Karoq Sportline with loads of options ticked, hopefully a 0 hasssle ownership experience for however long we keep it.

Still got the Evoque which is being looked after by LRC 4x4, who are excellent.

 

[jaybee]

Surely you shouldn't have been on the hook for that anyway as it was at a garage?

Yeah I believe they claimed to not lock it inside as such and left it on the forecourt which is subject to "at owners risk". Being 17 and naive/non assertive probably did not help me at the time.

 

[theone8181]

Yeah I believe they claimed to not lock it inside as such and left it on the forecourt which is subject to "at owners risk". Being 17 and naive/non assertive probably did not help me at the time.

That sounds like a cop out imo. I know it's probably water under the bridge, but I'm sure they would be liable.

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

Can I reference an old thread here, i.e. the one about Trade Car centre in Biddulph, Stoke on Trent. Run a search in google if you fancy a laugh.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/threads/rant-nightmare-day-with-a-dealer.18134039/page-8

 

[turbot1984]

Can I reference an old thread here, i.e. the one about Trade Car centre in Biddulph, Stoke on Trent. Run a search in google if you fancy a laugh.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/threads/rant-nightmare-day-with-a-dealer.18134039/page-8

LOL, I'm glad they clarified that in the end