Hello all,
I recently purchased my first car: a Hyundai Getz 1.3GSI from a franchised Renault Dealer. Unfortnately, the one thing I forgot to ask about (and I kick myself for not doing this) was the service book. After I got home I realised it was not there. I phoned the salesperson and he told me he would chase up the previous owner and find out what they'd done with it. A few days later he rung back saying that the latest owner had lost the book and so he's ordered me a new one from Hyundai.
With the car having done 15k when I bought it, it was due a service 5000 miles ago and without the old service book, I've no proof that it was serviced on time and thus I fear that the remainder of the 5 year warranty (1 year) will be gone down the drain (the dealer didn't provide any warranty either).
I've contacted Hyundai to see if they keep records of services (I hear Renault do this) but I'm yet to hear back from them.
What I wanted to ask was is there anything I can do to improve the situation? Is the lack of a service book a severe drawback in a car such that a dealer should mention if to the customer? I seem to remember reading somewhere that the service records provided proof of mileage, whereas other documents (eg an MOT certificate) don't - is this true? If so I was thinking of using that as leverage to tell the dealer that the car they sold me might not have done 15k as they had advertised and see if I can wheedle a service and warranty out of them.
Any advice?
Thanks
--Amr
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You can buy replacement, stamped-up service books on eBay...
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Ask your local Hyundai if he can find a service record for it on his system.
Did the seller say anything about whether or not it had a service history? How many miles has it done?
Edited by Optimist on 23/09/2008 at 14:30
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I was trying to edit above when I had a computer problem.
15k miles in 4 years sounds very low. You seem to imply more than one previous owner. How many? You can contact the previous owner yourself.
Edited by Optimist on 23/09/2008 at 14:35
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Just to add to the above, you appear to say that with the car having done 15K in 4 years, that it was due for a service 5000 miles ago.
Might I suggest that this is insufficient. The car still needs servicing once a year, regardless of how far it has been driven.
These cars were also sold with running-in oil which should be replaced at 1500 miles. If this didn't happen, the car will have been driven presumably very short distances, on purely mineral oil, for four years. Recipe for disaster if you ask me.
You need that service record -- Hyundai should have it. If you can't get it walk away, regardless of the warranty situation. Hyundais are cheap second hand and there are plenty more around.
Please tell me you didn't pay a premium for the low mileage? Almost all Getzes are low mileage, I've rarely seen one this age with more than 40K on the clock.
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IMHO any car of that age and mileage which is kosher should have been serviced by a dealer or a reputable independent. The Hyundai dealer network should have access to the details, or you should be able to get something from the original selling dealer (if there are no screen stickers anywhere, look at the rear number plate). If none of this turns anything up, the car (or at least the mileage) looks suspect.
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You can buy replacement stamped-up service books on eBay...
No good re warranty claims if the car is not on the manufacturer's system as FSH.
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Hello all,
Thanks for your replies.
@Optimist: The car is a 54 plate, 15k with 3 previous owners. I got it for £3240. While viewing the car, the dealer did not mention the service record at all.
@Jase1: You said "You need that service record -- Hyundai should have it. If you can't get it walk away". I'm glad to hear that - I'll contact a dealer and see what I can find out. When you said "If you can't get it walk away" - considering I've already bought the car, what do you mean by that?
@-Andrew-T: I've checked the plates and the dealer name and postcode do appear on them - however, this is the same dealer whom I bought the car off - can they have changed the plates?
Regarding the mileage being suspect, I do have the first MOT test certificate which was carried out by the previous owner and the mileage on that coincides with the car odometer. However, could that be considered proof of mileage? As I mentioned in my first post I seem to remember reading somewhere that the service records are proof of mileage but not the MOT certificate. Is that true?
Just to reiterate, is this an issue where I can point the finger of blame on the dealer for not mentioning the service history? Or is this entirely due to my negligence and so I have to try and improve the situation as best as I can?
Thanks
--Amr
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@Optimist: The car is a 54 plate 15k with 3 previous owners. I got it for £3240. While viewing the car the dealer did not mention the service record at all.
Expensive, to be frank. 3 owners doing 5000 miles each? No service record. Uh-oh. Possible lemon it must be said.
@Jase1: You said "You need that service record -- Hyundai should have it. If you can't get it walk away". I'm glad to hear that - I'll contact a dealer and see what I can find out. When you said "If you can't get it walk away" - considering I've already bought the car what do you mean by that?
Yes I admit I realised that after I'd posted. Still, if the car was claimed to have a service history and it doesn't you can legally reject the car.
Hyundai do have a central database, and were able to confirm the service history of an Accent I used to own.
I doubt the car has been clocked, but if it hasn't been serviced (and it may not have been seeing as each owner may have only owned it a little more than a year) then that's a problem.
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if the car was claimed to have a service history and it doesn't you can legally reject the car.>>
Agreed.
That is the key point, was it sold on the basis of having a service history, and/or was it advertised as such?
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I think that if you are interested in the service record, which you are now, it is up to you to mention it to the seller before the deal is concluded. If you have bought the car you don't have an 'out' IMO.
I think mileage recorded on an MOT is ok as it is recorded on the form by the tester - however, he will only record what he sees so if it has been clocked that is the mileage that will go on the MOT, right or wrong.
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... is this an issue where I can point the finger of blame on the dealer for not mentioning the service history?
Was the car sold to you as an approved used car?
www.renault.co.uk/usedcars/renaultdealer/default.a...x
"WHEN YOU BUY A USED CAR from a Renault dealership, our first priority is to ensure that you are completely satisfied with the vehicle that you have choosen[sic] and confident in it's ability to meet your needs.
RENAULT DEALERS work to exacting standards which are developed in partnership with Renault to ensure that we only sell you a genuine and warranted used car.
WE KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A CHOICE when you buy a vehicle and that quite often that choice can seem confusing in terms of precisely what you are getting for your money.
SO WHEN YOU BUY a Renault dealer sourced used car you can be sure that the vehicle is genuine in terms of it's history, that it has been prepared for sale to a clearly defined standarts[sic] and that it represents excellent value for money.
OUR USED CAR CUSTOMER PROMISE has been developed with our dealers to make buying a used car easier and, most of all, a genuinely pleasurable experience.
ESSENTIALLY the Customer Promise is aset[sic] of business principles that govern the way in which our dealerships sell used cars (both Renault and selected non Renault models)
IT IS A CLEARLY DEFINED (and published) statement that tells you all you whant[sic] to know about the vehicle youare[sic] buying (or considering to buy) i.e. the thing that are most important to you."
* errors on their page copied across and marked [sic].
Edited by jbif on 23/09/2008 at 20:00
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Top post as usual jbif! Note the weasel words towards the end of the mission statement
(both Renault and selected non Renault models). Would renault 'select' a Hyundai? We shall have to see how OP gets on - well I hope. I did think 3 owners, he is the 4th, was rather a lot for the low recorded mileage.
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Hello all,
Thanks for your replies.
Unfortunately the car was not advertised as having a service history and no mention of the service history was made by the dealer or (unfortunately) me.
@jbif: The dealer is an Evans Halshaw Renault dealer, so I'm not sure if that would come under the paragraph you quoted (was I right in calling them a franchised dealer?).
From the comments I've received so far it seems that there's not much (if anything) that I can reasonably get the dealer to do for me. If that's the case then so be it - I'm glad to hear that Hyundai keep records of services so I'll check with a local dealer and see what they can salvage. With luck I might be able to retrieve the history.
I'll let you know how I get a long.
--Amr
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If it was me, id book it in at a hyundai dealer for a service and get them to supply you with a new service book that they can stamp, for piece of mind if nothing else, then from now on, you can keep your service record up to date.
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@jbif: The dealer is an Evans Halshaw Renault dealer,
Copy/print the Renault promise from their website and then go back to the dealer with it.
Politely explain to them what your concerns are and request that the renault promise [starting with "our first priority is to ensure that you are completely satisfied with the vehicle"] is honoured.
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After reading the story & contributions from other learned posters Amr, you should regard this as a lesson in how not to buy your next car. Sorry to be downbeat, but you didn't cover the bases or get any assurances (written or otherwise it seems) about crucial aspects of the car.
The dealer will surely be able to drive a coach & horses through any objections or legal points you may have. You're at the mercy of dealer 'goodwill' I'm afraid.
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What I really don't understand in all of this is why dealers are so lazy when it comes to things like this.
FDSH is an easy thing to get a copy of in most cases -- one phone call is usually all it takes. So why do dealers not bother in cases like this, and give out feeble excuses like the one listed above?
Don't tell me that EH didn't know that the service record wasn't with the car, they always know. It's one of the first things they ask when taking a car in part-ex.
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What about the intrusive apostrophe in line two of the Renault blurb?
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When we bought our latest car (year 2000 v40 4 years ago)
it came with a service book but no bills or recepts.
a quick ring to the local volvo dealer and a short drive to the service recept provided me with a print out of all the parts fitted and costs of each of the services.
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Read about this trick years ago, and have done the same on every car i've owned. ie a vw golf driver, rang the main dealer and asked if the car had any parts fitted not usually on a standard service, he mentioned a new bumper...
gave me info on what to look at....
walked away from a golf gti 16v that had been fitted with new rear hatch/parcel shelf etc etc....sold as "mint condition"....
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good luck with gettng the proof of service your after.
paul.
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What about the intrusive apostrophe in line two of the Renault blurb?
That webpage is abysmal for a publication from a company the size of Renault. I have counted nine separate mistakes in those seven statements. Perhaps a couple is missing hyphens too. I would guess that someone junior put it together and still nobody has checked it.
It doesn't say much useful either. It looks a bit like what could be supplied to dealers to put on their wall in the office, not necessarily to be seen by customers. As a customer, you don't really care about the set of business principles or what the customer promise is supposed to do. They should have just put the customer promise on the webpage.
If the quality of the customer promise reflects the webpage, I'm not surprised the OP is having difficulty.
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>This is the same dealer whom I bought the car off - can they have changed the plates? <
Easily - just as a bodyshop will if the plate has been damaged. But many dealers used to just stick their own tape over the bottom edge of the plate.
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I sympathise with you. People often assume that buying from a franchised dealer is the safest route, but they are just like any company with high overheads and low margins looking for revenue opportunities. As other people have said, 3 owners and such low mileage is suspicious. The service history missing is worse. Dont take the sales persons word for the fact that he spoke to the previous owner. It is possible that he didn't actually speak to him - try yourself - (if the log book hasn't come back yet, it should not be long, his name will be on it). You may be able to get some peace of mind for yourself, but it is always going to be a problem when you sell the car.
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From the log book, you'll get last owner's name & address. From that you can even look up for their telephone number on the web (unless they'd chosen to be ex-directory).
Did you speak with Hyundai customer service?
Me too think 3 owners in just 15k is bit suspicious.
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What warranty have you had from Renault - is their own or a continuation o he Hyundai Warranty - if the Hyundai Warranty isn't valid because of lack of servicing, fall back on Renault to provide you with an equivalent warranty.
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Hello all,
Well I'm relieved - I just phoned my local Hyundai dealer and they gave me the service history of the car:
Bought 12/2004
Serviced 12/2005 @ 5901 miles
Serviced 12/2006 @ 11000 miles
It also had an electrics repair this January by the dealer
There is one service missing which is the one for last year, so I'm going to contact the previous owner and ask them if they serviced it or not and if they can get me proof.
But I'm just glad that the car has been serviced twice and that the mileage readings match with the car's current mileage (ignoring the missing service last year). Also the dealer said that in general this would not invalidate my warranty, but he urged me to follow up with the previous owner about last year's service in case I need to have something major covered under the warranty.
Anyway, thanks for all your help and advice - hopefully I've learn't my lesson on how to not buy a car.
--Amr
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