Audi approved - accident damaged

[jdrs1978]

Thanks for all your support and advice…it all helps!

Just to confirm, the deposit I paid was to buy the car and not a holding deposit.

The dealer failed to declare the damage/repair before, during and after the sale. Furthermore they assured me how great the car was via the clean MPC. Worst still after defects starting appearing they failed to provide any after sales support, knowing full well the defects were in the areas they had repaired.

The most damning and upsetting evidence is the RAC report. This states the repair work has been done to a sub-standard quality. The RAC also confirmed the car had been extensively repainted with body filler in some areas. The only factory original paint that could be 100% confirmed was the roof, drivers door and passengers front and rear door (confirmed with paint depth readings). They also recommended a 4 wheel alignment check as 1 tyre was very unevenly worn, not surprisingly the wheel where there was the most damage to the bumper.

[gottanS]

If you are an RAC or AA member they have legal departments that maybe able to help, definitely misrepresentation at best and I would consider it to be a deliberate fraud because they had the information and failed to disclose.

Worth checking the www.honestjohn.co.uk website as there maybe some useful info on there.

[lengster1]

I have to agree with adsgreen I think your on shaky ground to say the least,you wanted an unpainted original car but were unable to tell the difference when you purchased it,salesmen will usually tell you what you want to hear to 'do the deal' and many genuinely don't know there arsed from there elbow regarding cars in general never mind being able to spot a repaired car,in my experiance the Audi check is a tick sheet,mine had full ticks but needed discs n pads within a few k,I'm afraid believing what your told in the car trade will usually leave you with a sore arse unless you verify it yourself or get someone who knows what there looking at to do it for you.technically selling a car that's had body repairs is acceptable in the eyes of Audi,write offs obviously aren't but this wasn't.you are right that you should be able to believe a main agent and stock should be of a good standard but keep in mind its a bussiness and if they can buy a desirable car needing work v cheap and then fix n flog it over the phone they will,to me you missed your window of complaint at point of collection/inspection and any redress now is going to be v hard to achieve for either party

[adsgreen]

This might add weight.
http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/report ... 152con.pdf

Also might be worth getting in touch with the previous owner to see what state he left the vehicle in.
A call to the body Shop used might help too - they may have repaired the car 'in good faith' even though they didn't know or were not asked to do it properly. The key is getting hold of the date of repair.

Thinking about it I can't believe a dealer would take in a damaged car and resell it directly. Generally the cost of repair isn't worth the sale... Wonder when the car was damaged as I may have been hit whilst being driven by the dealer... If the repair is after the sale then it adds pressure to this thought.

If so then yes this is fraud and worth kicking off about.

[jdrs1978]

Thanks you for the link.

They are definitely in breach of several CPRs, which as the guidance states is a criminal offence.

Personally my opinion is they made a mistake, they took the car in as part-ex, gave top whack for it and realised they had bought a lemon. Rather than do the right thing and dispose of it through trade, they repaired and sold it on. My suspicion is confirmed by the fact they are now telling me that they have parted ways with the sales manager at the time.

What is disturbing is that through my talks with Audi UK, I have been informed that Audi dealers selling Audi Approved used cars offer no more protection than joe blogs motors down the road and that as a used car it is not Audi UKs responsibility (unless it is than 3 years old).

My question to Audi UK has been why market it on your website (audi.co.uk), give it the banner of Audi approved, give reassurances on checks and high standards and give guidance to dealers on prices to charge, which is generally higher than most other garages. In addition I have asked for sight of Audi guidelines for dealers selling Audi used approved cars, to check the standards they have to adhere to. So far I have had nothing through.

[lengster1]

Yes you are correct that you are no better off buying franchised,you have customer services in reserve if things do go wrong though and I've found them very good at resolving matters.The warranty is decent but 'all component' it isn't and when you disect it or experiance it first hand the level of assurance you thought you had isn't quite so.I'm really not sure how you will proceed with this as I'm not sure they promise not to sell a car that's had paintwork repairs etc as part of the approved policy,your assurance it hadn't was verbal and he's probably left too.what outcome would you like to achieve? Swap the car for another of same age spec etc? That could be worth a try?

[mac4RS]

Thanks you for the link.

They are definitely in breach of several CPRs, which as the guidance states is a criminal offence.

Personally my opinion is they made a mistake, they took the car in as part-ex, gave top whack for it and realised they had bought a lemon. Rather than do the right thing and dispose of it through trade, they repaired and sold it on. My suspicion is confirmed by the fact they are now telling me that they have parted ways with the sales manager at the time.

What is disturbing is that through my talks with Audi UK, I have been informed that Audi dealers selling Audi Approved used cars offer no more protection than joe blogs motors down the road and that as a used car it is not Audi UKs responsibility (unless it is than 3 years old).

My question to Audi UK has been why market it on your website (audi.co.uk), give it the banner of Audi approved, give reassurances on checks and high standards and give guidance to dealers on prices to charge, which is generally higher than most other garages. In addition I have asked for sight of Audi guidelines for dealers selling Audi used approved cars, to check the standards they have to adhere to. So far I have had nothing through.

I wish you well with your pursuit and would reiterate that you write to the Board of Audi in Germany.

Quote from Audi website...As part of the Approved Used Car Programme, you can rest assured that the Audi you buy will have a clean, completely transparent record. You'll receive a certificate confirming that the following provenance checks have been carried out and independently verified.

The vehicle's engine and chassis number records
The date of first registration is correct
The vehicle is free from outstanding finance charges
The vehicle has not been stolen
The vehicle has not been written off
Whether the vehicle has had a number plate change

So, they (Audi) haven't broken their charter above; but I'm not so sure about their clean, completely transparent record. It's proving what the Audi Centre told you about the car, and failing to mention the body work repairs...that doesn't sound too transparent to me. Why would you pay top dollar for a car with iffy history? We may do this for £500 Pug etc, but not for an RS4!

The Motor Trade is not properly regulated. Apart from house purchase, this is one of the largest financial purchases we make. We shouldn't be treated like this, especially from a supposedly high class brand such as Audi. Audi UK should take more reponsibility for their dealerships.

[jdrs1978]

Thank you.

Also taken from the audi website:

http://www.audi.co.uk/used-cars/why-buy-approved.html

The Audi Approved Used Car Programme

Our highly-qualified technicians subject all Approved Used Audis to a comprehensive series of stringent tests and inspections. Allowing you to buy with peace of mind.


145 Exacting checks to pass

All Audi vehicles benefit from superior build-quality and finish. We check the areas you can see as well as the ones you can't.

Before it makes the grade as an Approved Used Audi, every pre-owned Audi model must pass 145 thorough inspections. An Audi technician makes separate mechanical, interior and exterior checks, conducts a full road-test and prepares a detailed written report which is available for your assessment.

Reconditioning with Audi Original parts

Should the multi-point check highlight any irregularities, we will undertake rectification work, ensuring the car meets our meticulous standards before it reaches the forecourt. Most importantly, we only use Audi Original parts.

[ollys]

I think this part of the approved statement is the one you can beat them with. Would Audi say that its own meticulous standards have been met in this car, when the RAC report states sub standard repair? That is the question you need to get Audi UK to answer.

If the answer is no - as it should be - then the car did not meet Audi's own standards for 'approved' status, should not have have been marketed to you or anyone as such, and the dealership / Audi by marking it as 'approved' when it was not, have misrepresented the position to induce a sale. I would have a look at the SGA 1979 first and then consult a lawyer.

Olly