I didn't look up the name specifically but was wondering what colours the owner had rejected before landing on grey. I was surprised they paid £650 extra for it.

That is assuming they bought it. Plenty of lease deals and (AFAIK) all Motability cars get metallic paint thrown in. It could also have been a good deal on a pre reg or ex demonstrator. There is also the current supply issues, the Jogger's owner may have wanted a different colour but found that entailed waiting an extra several months and weren't bothered about the colour enough to do so....

This particular large dealer chain have in recent years lost the local Honda and Toyota franchises due to substandard customer service and now in my town they’ve also lost Ford which was a very busy dealership. When the man himself left the business it was clear very quickly that the money men were in charge. Previously the firm was known for offering good value, particularly on new or nearly new cars which they bulk bought then offered substantial savings to the public. Latterly they’ve not been any cheaper than rivals despite not offering a standard 6/12mth warranty (unlike most rivals) and in fact they’re usually dearer when you add in this cost. The standards of prep their used stock goes through has always been subpar but at least they were cheaper in the past, not now though. Speaking to one dealer principal a while back regarding the poor condition of some of his stock revealed that they are charged a fortune (near retail) to do paintwork repairs by their own body shop nearby. This deters dealers from properly prepping cars and minor paint defects are left as they are. They get a bare minimum through the workshops too, the least they can get away with. If a timing belt is due then you can be guaranteed that it won’t be done for example. The founder of the firm will be turning in his grave.

Indeed i bought a pre reg Golf GT TDI from them at a very decent discount approx 15yrs ago ( still own it ) . On the day i collected it from a Glasgow branch SIr A .... C himself turned up and during his walkaround inspection of his dealership spoke to my salesman and also thanked me for my purchase . The salesman advised that he turned up unannounced at one or two of his dealerships each day much to the various branch managers irritation . He was getting on even them but kept them on their toes . They were indeed excellent for pre reg deals for a good few years but not much else . Times seem to have changed

Sad to say a sign of the times. I used to work for a top engineering consultancy (by numbers of staff and reputation), then the long-standing directors (who, bar one [the MD, an accountant] were all engineers sold out to a huge US firm (who has since bought two other previously top 10 firms in the industry) and made a packet....

I strongly doubt that there would have been a conformity certificate when an E38 was new but you could try BMW in Munich.

Edit: looks like it may have been introduced by a 2007 directive, 2007/46/EC....

No need for extra parking charges,given cars switched off don't produce any pollution or damage the road.

the motor has to move into and out of the space. so its still causing damage and the exhaust is still throwing out the fumes for a while at standstill. ...

Clutch and dmf are 100% mechanical, so there’s no diagnostic facility. Maf sensors are generally very reliable, they either work or don’t work.