My neighbour tried to trade in her car the other day, and the dealer told her it had been in an accident some time, the
front bumper did not fit properly, and that some of the paint work was different to the original. Car is a 52reg Peugeot 207CC. She has never had a service book, but this was not a problem until the car needed servicing recently when she remembered there had never been a book, hence no FSH. She bought the car from a local dealer about two years ago, and was very disappointed to find what she could now get for it. When the dealer sold it there was no suggestion it had ever been in an accident, but the problem is that it was that long ago.
What recourse does she have against the selling dealer, after all this time ? My instinctive feeling is that it would be hard to get anywhere after this time. Any thoughts ?
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Did the supplying dealer give her a receipt, and if so, what does it say? Has she checked it via HPI or similar? Has she sought another opinion, eg Peugeot franchise?
regcheck.co.uk are giving one vehicle check free when you register, though I doubt it is as detailed as an HPI check. Suggest she calls Trading Standards for advice.
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What recourse does she have against the selling dealer, after all this time ? My instinctive feeling is that it would be hard to get anywhere after this time. Any thoughts ?
I doubt she would have any recourse a week after she bough it. Unless she asked if it had been damaged and the dealer lied.
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Could the trade in dealer be pulling a fast one saying it has been damaged before so as to offer a lower price? Perhaps an AA type inspection might pay off.
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Was the trade in dealer the same as the suppling dealer?
A colleague tried to trade in a Peugeot 306 some years ago to the original supplying main dealer.
He was amazed to be told his car was a cut and shut job and he aught to be reported to the police.
As he'd owned the car from new and was totally gobsmacked, he could only deny it.
Went to another main dealer who were satisfied and accepted the trade in.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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Thanks for those comments. I'll pass them on.
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Try trading it back to the original dealer.
And get an AA inspection on whatever he buys next from there.
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In the trade, accident damage repaired to a reasonable standard is considered to be of no consequence. A high proportion of cars traded in have had some sort of damage repair carried out on them.
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L\'escargot.
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The trader also only has the owners word for it that the damage was not caused during the two years after they sold it.
Carse.
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Just to be clear: A HPI check DOES NOT reveal whether a car has had major accident damage, it only reveals whether it has been a total insurance loss. Not the same thing at all.
Also note that if you read the terms & conditions of an RAC check (and AA/DEKRA are the same) they specifically state that they do not point out accident repairs if they have been completed to a satisfactory standard.
In other words an HPI check and/or inspection will not necessarily tell you whether the car has had accident damage. To be honest most have, ranging from a bit of paint on a bumper to a whole new shell.
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Also note that if you read the terms & conditions of an RAC check (and AA/DEKRA are the same) they specifically state that they do not point out accident repairs if they have been completed to a satisfactory standard.
But post checks record the paint thickness on the 4 corners of the car, then usually inform you if repairs have been carried out.
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The V5 will have the name and address of the previous owner. Write to/ring them.
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Although some check paint thickness, to quote the RAC: Repairs and replacement panels will only be reported if work has not been carried out to a professional standard.
In my experience most cars have had some paintwork, it is if the car has had a major shunt and not been well repaired you need to worry. The odd panel is to be honest neither here nor there.
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