My new car was sat at the docks for months. Is this normal or due to Covid?

I've just taken delivery (remotely) of a brand new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate. This car was advertised as brand new and I'm the first registered keeper. Although I bought it from an MB dealer through CarWow, it was actually delivered straight from the docks in Grimsby. I have subsequently found a stamp on documentation within the car indicating some sort of inspection at Grimsby docks on 29th February 2020. Is this, as the dealer has said, normal for a car to be sat at the docks for this period of time and as a result of the pandemic? Is there anything that I should be wary of or that has likely to have deteriorated in this time?

Asked on 13 January 2021 by mark douglass

Answered by Andrew Brady

It's fairly typical for there to be a discrepancy of a couple of months between a car's build date and its registration/delivery. That's obviously been amplified during the Covid situations with cars sitting in compounds for extended periods. It shouldn't really make any difference to you – the car's value will depend on its registration date (rather than build date), and you should follow the car's servicing schedule from the registration date too. The dealer might be willing to make a gesture of goodwill if you point out your dissatisfaction, but I wouldn't expect anything more.

Tags: new cars

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