Buying nearly new car, wasn't serviced

bs2014

Bought a 1 year old car the other day, off a main dealer, the car was last serviced when previous owner purchased in Sept 14/8000km ago, I would have assumed the dealer would have at least done a quick oil serivce, is this common practice? If not, it was abit scabby I thought. I'm doing highish miles so it means my first service is in 3months time. (Not to mention getting the car almost in the red light with fuel!!:eek:) Thanks.

Stheno

It depends on the dealer if they didn't say they'd done it and you didn't ask why would you assume it was?

waxmelts2000

When I bought my last car from the garage in November I asked for 4 new tyres, full tank of diesel, new mats, scratches removed from bumper and a full service. A couple of months ago the wipers went as they had not been replaced in the service so I asked for them to be replaced free of charge and they did. To be fair I thought all garages would at least have serviced car for you and put in some diesel..

mickdw

With modern condition based servicing, it makes more sense to service when asked for. Because of this, I see the audi main dealers advertising that if service comes due within 6 (I think) months that it will be a free service.
Certainly in your case, you should have clarified this prior to sale as the only time you will get any concession from a garage is when they are trying to get your money.

bucketybuck

Why would they service a car that did not need serviced?

bucketybuck

Valyawl wrote: »

When I bought my last car from the garage in November I asked for 4 new tyres, full tank of diesel, new mats, scratches removed from bumper and a full service. A couple of months ago the wipers went as they had not been replaced in the service so I asked for them to be replaced free of charge and they did. To be fair I thought all garages would at least have serviced car for you and put in some diesel..

Wipers would be changed at service if needed, but would not be replaced by default. I could easily see a set of wipers being fine at the service, but then needing replacement 3 months later. Doesn't mean the guy who did the service did anything wrong.

bs2014

Well I did say, "the car has been serviced and all" but I assume their stance will be "Yes it has, albeit 7months ago"

Carson10

could be ex-hire car if its only a few months old with 8,000Km. Would not have been serviced.

bs2014

It wasnt an ex hire car (thankfully); just rang the dealer, agreed to do the first service when its due free of charge so decent enough, pays to lift the phone!

Toyotafanboi

Stheno wrote: »

It depends on the dealer if they didn't say they'd done it and you didn't ask why would you assume it was?

bucketybuck wrote: »

Why would they service a car that did not need serviced?

because it's considered good practice within the industry to service a car before selling it, particularly with a nearly new vehicle. not least of all, so the dealer can get to know the vehicle that they are selling and that it hasn't got any defects.

this happened to my mother recently (some of you may remember the thread), bought an ex hire drive in october 2014 with 8k miles on the clock, then last month with just 10k miles on the clock the car ran so low on oil it wasn't even wetting the dipstick. went to the dealer, they told us they never serviced it as they don't need to be serviced until 20k miles :rolleyes: penny wise, pound foolish on the dealerships part imo.

they never said they weren't servicing it prior to sale, nor did they say that the service interval was quite so huge. it's just a bit disappointing and left a bit of a bad taste in our mouths. my parents would have always bought nearly new (1-2 year old cars) and this is the first one that hadn't been serviced. i know ignorance is no excuse, but you would expect better, particularly given that generally the only time an irish car gets serviced is when it's traded in, but that's a whole other thread.

9935452

Valyawl wrote: »

When I bought my last car from the garage in November I asked for 4 new tyres, full tank of diesel, new mats, scratches removed from bumper and a full service. A couple of months ago the wipers went as they had not been replaced in the service so I asked for them to be replaced free of charge and they did. To be fair I thought all garages would at least have serviced car for you and put in some diesel..

Good main dealer there. Our local main dealer here (since lost their dealership) used to hand you the car with the light on and a voucher for 15 euro petrol/diesel. Same place the father bought a car for just over 20k. needed a bulb a few weeks later . Thought he was going to get it for free. Got charged 23 or 24 for the bulb . met the owner on the way out and gave out to him. owner took a 20 euro note out of his pocket and apologized.
I do hate it when you take a car for a test drive and first thing you have to do is put petrol/diesel into the car. I put a tenor into a car one day for a test drive. Agreed a price, paid a deposit and said i would be back 2 days later to pick up the car and pay. Came back and the car was nowhere to be seen. The mechanics had taken the car to collect parts as it was the only one in the place that had petrol in it

bs2014

@Toyotaboi, I totally agree, I suppose my case was a 50/50 one in that I'm half way through the service interval, but equally its a high performance car which was owned by a woman in her 70s who I imagine wasn't driving the car to full ability:P but I assume they did the basic checking of tyres and oil. Anyways worked out good in the end and that sour feeling is now gone!

bazz26

Poor policy really, they should of at least changed the oil and filters in it as part of the pre-sale preparation. You can be sure they allowed for that cost when pricing the trade-in cost with the previous owner.

Carson10

bs2014 wrote: »

It wasnt an ex hire car (thankfully); just rang the dealer, agreed to do the first service when its due free of charge so decent enough, pays to lift the phone!

Thats good to know it was not an ex-hire car. See loads of dealers selling 142 ex rental cars with 18,000KM passing them off as Ex-demo. Thats a lot of Test drives!

Drummerboy08

Carson10 wrote: »

Thats good to know it was not an ex-hire car. See loads of dealers selling 142 ex rental cars with 18,000KM passing them off as Ex-demo. Thats a lot of Test drives!

A demo car isnt solely used for test drives.

An Caislean

With Service Interval's having moved out it would not be uncommon I would think. In relation to the Petrol or any other item it is up to you to do the best deal for you.

billy few mates

Anytime I've ever bought a car in a garage I always insisted on a full service regardless of whether it was due or not and I've never had a garage refuse to do it. When it comes to clinching a sale they'll always agree to this. When I was haggling over my current car I told the seller I didn't really like the (standard) wheels, he agreed to put a nice set of alloys at a huge discount on the car to close the deal. I was happy to pay a small bit extra for this as it was still a good bit less than I could have bought them for myself, they also insisted on taxing, servicing and valeting the car before delivering it to my door a couple of days later. The service wasn't quite due on it but the main dealer serviced it anyway and incorporated a few SBs that that were due.

Richard88

Had it happen to me!

Bought a 2011 3 series from a main bmw dealer with 74000km on it.

Part of the bargaining was that it would be fully serviced (have a witness that was with me).

Less than 5 month, 6000km later the service indicator came on. Went back to them but they say it wasn't done prior to me buying it as they only do it if it's due within the next 1600km.

They refuse to service it now after clearly lying to me.

Not worth going to a solicitor for the sake of an oil and filter change.

Atlantic Dawn

Richard88 wrote: »

Had it happen to me!

Bought a 2011 3 series from a main bmw dealer with 74000km on it.

Part of the bargaining was that it would be fully serviced (have a witness that was with me).

Less than 5 month, 6000km later the service indicator came on. Went back to them but they say it wasn't done prior to me buying it as they only do it if it's due within the next 1600km.

They refuse to service it now after clearly lying to me.

Not worth going to a solicitor for the sake of an oil and filter change.

Complain to BMW Ireland?

Richard88

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Complain to BMW Ireland?

I did. I sent an email and got back a pretty pathetic response saying that they only do it if it's due within the 1600km.

I know it's only a small thing but pissed me off big time.

The fella that sold it to me won't even reply to the emails or contact me back, he was "out of the office" the last time I called in! He knows he caught me!

Atlantic Dawn

Richard88 wrote: »

I did. I sent an email and got back a pretty pathetic response saying that they only do it if it's due within the 1600km.

I know it's only a small thing but pissed me off big time.

The fella that sold it to me won't even reply to the emails or contact me back, he was "out of the office" the last time I called in! He knows he caught me!

If that's their policy I would avoid ever buying anything used off them.

Richard88

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

If that's their policy I would avoid ever buying anything used off them.

Ya. I think that's about all I can do at the moment!
Lesson learned, get absolutely everything in writing!

Atlantic Dawn

Would your car have fallen under this exemption...


http://www.bmwpremiumselection.ie/contentv3/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&externalID=26702

Every BMW Premium Selection Approved Car has been maintained in strict adherence to BMW servicing recommendations. Only BMWs which have been maintained in strict adherence to BMW servicing recommendations can qualify as a Premium Selection Approved Used BMWs. In addition, any BMW with a service due within 6,000 km/4,000 miles or displaying less than three service interval lights has the appropriate service carried out prior to delivery. The only exception is where the vehicle has the benefit of a service package where the requirement is reduced to 1,500km/1,000 miles or one service light.

Richard88

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Would your car have fallen under this exemption...


http://www.bmwpremiumselection.ie/contentv3/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&externalID=26702

No I wouldn't fall into that exemption either.
But who do you complain to when bmw Ireland say no and the local store says no!...without going to a solicitor obviously

Another email sent anyway. Thanks Atlantic Dawn

Atlantic Dawn

Richard88 wrote: »

No I wouldn't fall into that exemption either.
But who do you complain to when bmw Ireland say no and the local store says no!...without going to a solicitor obviously

Go in to the dealers showroom on a Saturday and don't leave until it's sorted, bring a printout of the BMW Premium Selection website with you.

Richard88

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Go in to the dealers showroom on a Saturday and don't leave until it's sorted, bring a printout of the BMW Premium Selection website with you.

After directing them to that link I got a reply saying they will cover the service "as a gesture of good will".

Thanks!

savagethegoat

can't be a yr old car if it had done 8000km in sept 14 or have I read it wrong?.

Richard88

savagethegoat wrote: »

can't be a yr old car if it had done 8000km in sept 14 or have I read it wrong?.

Yup you read it wrong

Atlantic Dawn

Richard88 wrote: »

After directing them to that link I got a reply saying they will cover the service "as a gesture of good will".

Thanks!

Great result.

savagethegoat

Richard88 wrote: »

Yup you read it wrong

yep, I got it now....

Bigcheeze

Richard88 wrote: »

After directing them to that link I got a reply saying they will cover the service "as a gesture of good will".

Thanks!

That's good.

you'd think they'd have the decency to admit they are wrong and apologise. Gesture of goodwill my arse.

bucketybuck

Bigcheeze wrote: »

That's good.

you'd think they'd have the decency to admit they are wrong and apologise. Gesture of goodwill my arse.

:rolleyes:

Its a legal protection for the dealer. A "gesture of goodwill without prejudice", keeps the customer happy, makes the problem go away without any drawn out legal hassle, while also protecting against any future legal claims if the customer decides "They admitted they were wrong, I want more..."

Besides, considering the customer did not specifically agree a service was originally to be done and the dealer had zero legal obligation to pay for a service, their action is the very definition of a goodwill gesture. It couldn't be any more of a gesture of goodwill if it tried.

Richard88

bucketybuck wrote: »

:rolleyes:

Its a legal protection for the dealer. A "gesture of goodwill without prejudice", keeps the customer happy, makes the problem go away without any drawn out legal hassle, while also protecting against any future legal claims if the customer decides "They admitted they were wrong, I want more..."

Besides, considering the customer did not specifically agree a service was originally to be done and the dealer had zero legal obligation to pay for a service, their action is the very definition of a goodwill gesture. It couldn't be any more of a gesture of goodwill if it tried.

Richard88 wrote: »

Part of the bargaining was that it would be fully serviced (have a witness that was with me.

Think you may have misread. I did specifically agree a service was to be done. There is no way in my right mind would I agree to buy a car if it was practically due a service.

One reason People pay the extra money buying it from a garage as opposed to privately is security against problems like this.

Tbh I couldn't care if they call it a gesture of goodwill or an apology as long as it's sorted.

Although they could have saved both themselves and me a lot of hassle by just servicing it in the first place...

bazz26

Main dealers especially BMW main dealers charge enough for their used cars so imo, the least they could have done was service it at the time of sale if it was not recently done before hand.

bucketybuck

Richard88 wrote: »

Think you may have misread. I did specifically agree a service was to be done. There is no way in my right mind would I agree to buy a car if it was practically due a service.

I was talking in legal terms, in other words, was the service specifically listed on the deal sheet as part of your sale? I took from your original post that it was just a verbal discussion, which isn't worth much in terms of the dealers legal obligations.

Richard88

bucketybuck wrote: »

I was talking in legal terms, in other words, was the service specifically listed on the deal sheet as part of your sale? I took from your original post that it was just a verbal discussion, which isn't worth much in terms of the dealers legal obligations.

they would be 100% wrong legally, clear breach of the sale of goods a supply of services act 1980 and as regards proof there was a witness when these terms were agreed on.

"Goods must be as described - the buyer must not be mislead into buying something by the description of goods or services given orally by a salesperson or an advertisement."

But as I said it wouldn't be something that would be practicable to go to a solicitor and follow up. the hassle and possible cost compared to the price of an oil change.

Bigcheeze

bucketybuck wrote: »

:rolleyes:

Its a legal protection for the dealer. A "gesture of goodwill without prejudice", keeps the customer happy, makes the problem go away without any drawn out legal hassle, while also protecting against any future legal claims if the customer decides "They admitted they were wrong, I want more..."

Besides, considering the customer did not specifically agree a service was originally to be done and the dealer had zero legal obligation to pay for a service, their action is the very definition of a goodwill gesture. It couldn't be any more of a gesture of goodwill if it tried.

You probably should have read the thread first. 1) it was agreed at time of sale. 2) It's on the website that the used cars are serviced

bucketybuck

Richard88 wrote: »

they would be 100% wrong legally, clear breach of the sale of goods a supply of services act 1980 and as regards proof there was a witness when these terms were agreed on.

"Goods must be as described - the buyer must not be mislead into buying something by the description of goods or services given orally by a salesperson or an advertisement."

But as I said it wouldn't be something that would be practicable to go to a solicitor and follow up. the hassle and possible cost compared to the price of an oil change.

Which was my point, of course it wasn't worth the hassle on either side, hence the goodwill claim.

By the way, I have faced judges in relation to automotive cases and believe me this, the written word is king. Everybody thinks they can quote the sale of goods act like it is some magic wand but at the end of the day all you have is your word against theirs. What would you have done had they produced dealsheets from a sample of one hundred sales showing that when pre-sale services are agreed they are listed on the dealsheet?

"As you can see, our verified procedure is to document all agreed services on the dealsheet, here is 100 examples of it happening your honour. In this case had a service been agreed it would have been included on the dealsheet. It is not included because it was never agreed your honour".

Judges will throw cases out because the dealers recorded mileages wrong or wrote the wrong dates on an invoice, its the paperwork that wins those cases, not the word of your mate as a witness.

I wasn't there, I'm not saying they did or didn't agree a service, I'm just pointing out the reality of bringing these disputes into a court.

bucketybuck

Bigcheeze wrote: »

You probably should have read the thread first. 1) it was agreed at time of sale. 2) It's on the website that the used cars are serviced

Your post is utterly redundant.

Richard88

bucketybuck wrote: »

What would you have done had they produced dealsheets from a sample of one hundred sales showing that when pre-sale services are agreed....

Produced my witness who was also there and a printout of their website where it states it would be done...

bucketybuck

Richard88 wrote: »

Produced my witness who was also there and a printout of their website where it states it would be done...

Your witness isn't the trump card you think, anybody can get their friend to say whatever they want. And you yourself said that you didn't fall under the exemption listed on their website...

Richard88

bucketybuck wrote: »

Your witness isn't the trump card you think, anybody can get their friend to say whatever they want. And you yourself said that you didn't fall under the exemption listed on their website...

You need to read the part about the exemption again...

I'm pretty sure the bottom few lines in this are:

1)they told me the car would be serviced.
2)it says on their website it would be serviced unless I fall under the exemption, which I don't.
3)the car wasn't serviced
4)they refused to service it
5)I sent them a link to the website
6) now they will service it.