Last nights episode was revealing the dodgy car dealers who sell unsafe vehicles with fake MOTs, or masquerade as private sellers selling at the roadside.
This was a truly appauling picture of the trade, with one guy who was filmed trying to 'elliminate' the camera crew by driving at them with a breakdown truck.
I think this prog does a great job showcasing some of the undesirables in the trade community, and I can only hope that the breakdown guy gets charged with what looked to me like attempted murder.
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Using a jet wash to scare them off is hardly clever either and warrants further charges. The power water leaves a commercial jetwash can cause serious injury. Like all people who think they are above the law they aren't bothered. These programmes are a bit of a waste of time. They should make the programme, provide evidence to police and then show the offenders being arrested. I can't see the guy quaking in his boots when Mr Trading Standards appears.
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Yes, watched it - the end was better than the start. Not impressed with the way they tried to make out that it was the dealer's fault for selling a car with a nail in the tyre. That isn't checked in an MOT, why should it be their responsibility? Likewise the wheelnuts loose behind the hubcap. Have you ever checked this on your own car? Why is it their fault?
Did go downhill from there though - proper bunch of crooks weren't they? ;)
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Was that the one with two dodgy escorts and a group or rednecks scaring camera crew off their property with jetwash and towtruck? If it is that program is waay old, 2 maybe 3 years...
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[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
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It was a repeat - I saw it towards the end of last year or beginning of this year.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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The caption on the undercover fottage did say 'Filmed at the end of 2005'.
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It was a repeat - I saw it towards the end of last year or beginning of this year.
It must have been shown in one of the brief periods I wasn't watching the box !
What makes me laugh on all of these programmes is how the villains almost always deny any wrong-doing even faced with such unimpeachable evidence, ie saying black is white so to speak.
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I thought it was a bit pathetic - the Golf repair at £80 wasn't a huge rip-off, and they didn't try to load extra work onto the car (a VW dealer would probably say it needed a new ECU).
Also, what did they expect from £250 used cars?
I was confused by the VAT issue - do used car sales really attract VAT? If he's messing with the VATman, then Trading Standards will be the least of his worries.
And anyone who buys a car from a layby based vendor deserves everything they get.
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I was confused by the VAT issue - do used car sales really attract VAT?
Yes they do if they were ex-trade ie VAT claimed back against business account vehicles I think.
Although I have to say that it may have been another ruse to get a few more quid out of the punters.
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I was confused by the VAT issue
>>Although I have to say that it may have been another ruse to get a few more quid out of the punters.
My thought was that it was more likely a way for the trader to dodge his responsibilities - if the buyer paid cash, and then complained when the car was found unroadworthy, it would be easier for the trader to claim he hadn't sold it if there wasn't proof of purchase from the bank card.
Given that the trader who tried to run the camera crew over with his tow truck wasn't too bothered about the correct name and address going on the registration docs, its *possible* he wasn't too careful about his name and address going on the form either - or submitting the form at all, for that matter!
As for the clocked Astra, I never cease to be amazed that people still buy cars at the roadside when the used car ads and legitimate garages far and wide are full of decent cars at reasonable prices. Its not as if there's a shortage of used cars out there...
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Yes they do if they were ex-trade ie VAT claimed back against business account vehicles I think. Although I have to say that it may have been another ruse to get a few more quid out of the punters.
There is a different treatment of VAT on used car sales depending on the vehicle being "VAT qualifying" or not.
As I understand it if a used car was previously owned by a VAT registered organisation then the car is "VAT qualifying" and the dealer pays VAT when they purchase it and add VAT to the selling price.
If the used car was previously owned by an organisation or individual that is not VAT registered then the dealer pays VAT from out of their profit on the sale of the vehicle.
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As I understand it if a used car was previously owned by a VAT registered organisation then the car is "VAT qualifying" and the dealer pays VAT when they purchase it and add VAT to the selling price.
Which seems unlikely in this case.
If the used car was previously owned by an organisation or individual that is not VAT registered then the dealer pays VAT from out of their profit on the sale of the vehicle.
This is more probable.
Either way, he was messing around with the VAT, and that's probably the last remaining crime still considered more heinous than speeding.
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Either way, he was messing around with the VAT, and that's probably the last remaining crime still considered more heinous than speeding.
Or beating up old ladies even !
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Yes, watched it - the end was better than the start. Not impressed with the way they tried to make out that it was the dealer's fault for selling a car with a nail in the tyre. That isn't checked in an MOT, why should it be their responsibility? Likewise the wheelnuts loose behind the hubcap. Have you ever checked this on your own car? Why is it their fault?
I would certainly expect such basic checks to be carried out by any dealer. I know franchised dealers who think it is OK to do literally nothing to their cars (other than wash them) before putting them on the forecourt well above book price. Well it's a nice colour and looks clean, why should a customer be interested in anything else..?
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I saw it, it was a repeat though as ive seen that episode before.
It does highlight the simple fact that in the trade, if it looks dodgy, sounds dodgy and is sold by the dodgiest garage you can find, it probobly is dodgy.
It highlights the reason over-priced, glossy showrooms exist - people see a programme like that and want to feel secure about the car they buy and who is selling it to them.
I know some backstreet garages who sell pretty reasonable cars, but then equally those who sell dogs and they look much the same it has to be said, so local knowledge is a huge bonus.
I know a seemingly respectable garage in Northampton who advertise that their cars have been RAC inspected - to an extent this is true, but the cars are never test driven and rarely started up even, just the visual checks are done, I think for a little bit of cash on the side, then of course the car is eligable for the RAC warranty and thus all the problems that obviously get missed, get passed onto the RAC warranty company and the dealer keeps costs to a minimum.
Doesnt stop them ticking the 'test drive' box on the form though - ive even seen the salesman filling out an RAC form for a car because he wanted to get the sale and be able to claim it had been inspected when obviously it hadnt.
At the same garage, i mentioned that I had smelt a strong smell of petrol from a car - I was told it had been serviced so it wasnt their problem...
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There's an old saying that where there's money there's always a fiddle...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Few years ago I bought a ex fleet car from a dealer in East London, famous for their heavily discounted ex police and bancruptsy stock. All their "proper" cars, except the aforementioned ex fleet cars which were kept out of sight behind carwash, had "Rac Inspected" boards on the roof. By a strange coincidence the car I bought from them was used that morning by one of the junior salesmen for auction run. During our test drive I stopped at supermarket parking to have a proper look around the car and to my surprise, when I opened the trunk it was full of new "RAC Inspected" plastic banners complete with roof mountings, neatly stacked and taped together. The only problem was that the address stamped on the wrapping tape was of some garage in Leicester. So much for inspections I thought. Of course it's possible that the dealer in London was just a branch of Leicester business with completely different trading name and proprietor, but I think the fact I found the dealership closed few months later was a bit more than just random happenstance...
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[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
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Yes, I did see the programme.
Their expert was the same chap who did some mechanical repair work on my car a couple of months ago.
It's a small world!
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I saw Rogue Traders and I think I saw most of it the first time round.
Why are these programmes presented as though we are intellectually challenged 9 year olds? Why don't they present a programme for adults? Why does the 'expert' have to dress up in surgeons theatre gowns?
Having said that I agree with the aims of the programme, I wonder how long it will be before the trader with the wild pressure wash will be up to his old tricks?
The problem is that people have short memories, there will always be another mug along soon.
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