XTrail - Has the dealer done anything wrong

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Wed 12 Sep 2012 11:08
XTrail - Has the dealer done anything wrong - logger

Happy for people to tell me I'm wrong !

I bought a 2004 XTrail a month ago from a car dealer called "vip car sales" in mobberley in cheshire ( http://www.vip-carsales.co.uk/ )

The salesman seemed very nice, the car looked good and seemed to drive fine. I specifically asked about where they got the cars from and the salesman said they only bought from main dealers. They also went to say they stored cars for celebrities such as Wayne rooney.

Anyway the car was delivered and we soon noticed it was puffing out black smoke on harsh acceleration. I wasn’t too worried but no amount of blasting on the motorway or cleaner would stop it so though I would contact the previous owner and the garage that had serviced it the last few times. I couldn’t find any telephone for the previous owner but then when I eventually tracked down a number for the 'service garage' it turned out to be a car wash. Apparently someone was using a false stamp and said they were working out of the unit.

I have tried to contact the dealer by phone and many times by email to ask them to explain what they said about the dealer and service history but they will not answer any of my calls or emails.

Am I right at all to imply they have mis-sold me the vehicle and either ask for a refund or for any faults to be rectified

Many thanks

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Wed 12 Sep 2012 11:20
XTrail - Has the dealer done anything wrong - unthrottled

This car could well have an 'optimised' map (ie poorly chipped) to improve acceleration. If this is the case, there are a couple of issues: the comprehensive part of your insurance company (undeclared modification) and the clutch, which seems to be a little marginal in stock tune.

I think it would be worth taking it to a Nissan dealer and asking them to check that the ECU is operating within factory specs. If it isn't, I think you could hae grounds for claiming that the vehicle has been mis-sold.

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Wed 12 Sep 2012 11:27
XTrail - Has the dealer done anything wrong - Collos25

Whether they have misold the car is a matter for a legal brain the last owner will be on the log book you could ask them any questions you want.

Remember most car salesman are inveterate liars only interested in their commission no matter how plausable they come across,you could always go to the garage and ask for proof as to where they got the car from and its service record they will blame the previous owner for any falsehoods stand your ground and politely demand the answers to your questions and do not forget to take somebody with you as a witness.

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Wed 12 Sep 2012 11:36
XTrail - Has the dealer done anything wrong - skidpan

Older diesels manufactured before Euro 4 and 5 were famous for belching out black smoke on hard accleration, our old Golf used to frighten most other road users. The engine in an X-Trial of this age is the old Nissan unit and will certainly exhibit this habit. It may be nothing to worry about but it could lead to MOT failure, worth getting it checked.

With regards to the Wayne Rooney comment, if you are daft enough to believe a car salesman when he tells you such utter claptrap you deserve all you get.

Arthur Daley types feed on gullible people.

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Wed 12 Sep 2012 11:58
XTrail - Has the dealer done anything wrong - unthrottled

A little grey smoke is normal from older diesels but thick black smoke is not. Of course, 'normal' smoke is subjective. If the smoke seems heavier than other X Trails of similar vintage, I think it is worth checking out.

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Wed 12 Sep 2012 12:41
XTrail - Has the dealer done anything wrong - injection doc

Its an 8 year old car ! bound to smoke and most likley have some chequered history in the past.

Never ever believe what you are told unless you can prove for yourself.

Doctored service books with false stamps are common, I have seen plenty, can often mean a clocked car !

Always check all the service dates before you buy as I have seen plenty where dates have been random and often on a Sunday or B/Holiday. Something overlooked by people falsefying service books.

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Wed 12 Sep 2012 12:51
XTrail - Has the dealer done anything wrong - MikeTorque

I would advise you to personally go back to the dealer who sold you this car and present them with your findings. The use of a false stamp is a bad sign and personally I would reject this car immediately as you weren't informed about this when you purchased the vehicle.

If the engine is in good order and the vehicle has been properly serviced and quality fuel has been used then you would not expect excessive black smoke to be coming out of the exhaust, a blast down a motorway won't fix such an issue.

As unthrottled has pointed out, the car may have had a remap or a tuning box used on it, the fuelling could be too rich or the engine is on the way out. Either way, something is wrong somewhere.

Agree with ID, good points made.

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Wed 12 Sep 2012 13:40
XTrail - Has the dealer done anything wrong - miata

With all due respect you are yet another example of a buyer completing a sale and then doing the checks into history/previous owner etc.

These should be done prior to purchase not after. It saves a load of grief and makes things easier ie. Dont complete purchase if iffy things are discovered.

Good luck in any case.

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Thu 13 Sep 2012 00:59
XTrail - Has the dealer done anything wrong - Ethan Edwards

Logger- word of caution with the T30 XT diesel. Make sure that when you come to stop the motor you let it idle for 30 seconds or so to cool off the Turbo before you switch it off.

There's a thriving on line forum for these great cars.

http://www.x-trail-uk.co.uk/index.php

Cheers.

Edited by Ethan Edwards on 13/09/2012 at 01:03

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Thu 13 Sep 2012 15:40
XTrail - Has the dealer done anything wrong - Armitage Shanks {p}

Surely the "Turbo Cooling" is only required when stopping immediately after a M Way journey ie in the Services? A turbo that has been driven a few minutes in a 30 mph limit won't have been doing any work and won't be dangerously hot SFAIK

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Thu 13 Sep 2012 15:55
XTrail - Has the dealer done anything wrong - unthrottled

Exactly. Unlike a throttled petrol, a diesel engine is huge air pump when you're coasting down to a halt, so the turbo is cooled while you're slowing down. Idling will probably warm it back up again! It won't do any harm to idle it if it gives peace of mind though.

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Thu 13 Sep 2012 12:04
XTrail - Has the dealer done anything wrong - xtrailman

It could be the early low powered T30, 112bhp i think it was, i had a 2004 134bhp model.

My mate did say it smoked a bit on full throttle, but i could never see any smoke when looking through the rear view mirror.

The early models were noted for faulty fuel injectors, and failing cam chain tensioners.

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