Dealers selling damaged repaired cars

mondeo

Do dealers have a legal requirement to notify you if a car had been crashed prior to you purchasing it?

Thanks

ltdslipdiff

Put simply...yes. If you ask, and they tell a mis-truth, they're breaking the law. However, its important to note that accident damage and paintwork repair are quite different, i.e. 99% of traded in cars require some sort of bodywork to prepare for sale, but structurally damaged or accident damaged cars should be traded off or scrapped. Simply ask the question!! Any SIMI garage conforms to a particular code of practice, i.e. when a car is traded in, the customer is asked if the vehicle has had any structural damage or repair whilst in their ownership, they sign yes or no, if yes, they are asked to expand on the point and this must be passed on to the next owner... Hope I'm not rambling !!!!

mondeo

Say you didn't ask at time of purchase and you discover it a day or two later, Is it tough sh!te on my part?

ltdslipdiff

mondeo wrote: »

Say you didn't ask at time of purchase and you discover it a day or two later, Is it tough sh!te on my part?

Not at all.... any SIMI Garage is expected to be respectable and transparent.

robtri

what sort of damage are we talking about????

Basil Fawlty

SIMI membership isnt worth the paper its written on, and In no way guarantees the integrity of the dealer. Its simply a lobbying group for the motor trade.

mondeo

robtri wrote: »

what sort of damage are we talking about????

Appears to be a New front bumper, bonnit, at least one new wing and probably new headlights aswell.

I'm basing this on the fact that the bolts holding these panels on have been tampered with. Uneven panel gaps also.

The front tyres had serious uneven tyre wear on inspection which dealer sorted with new tyres and did the tracking. Also they put the car through the nct in which it passed...

Drummerboy08

Chances are, 90% of cars on Irish forecourts have seen the inside of a bodyshop in its life. Be it as a rental car, or as a private job.

I wouldnt be too worried about new panels such as bonnets, or wings but when it comes to stuff like getting a chassis straightened out I'd be wary alright.

In saying that, I'm not sure where the obligation lies in relation to telling the customer. I do realise that once the dealer is asked, he must say so.
Should the dealer actually say "Now before you test drive this car, I need to let you know that it has had a new wing, bumper, splitter, headlight, bonnet, driver's door and boot lid, that ok?" I dunno.

Pdfile

they should have to tell you this in the log book, its current status i mean.

A) being spot on

F) total write-off

but why bother ?? that could only do good :rolleyes: