Would a dealer get uppity?
Discussion
hman said:
From memory (this was 2 years ago)
2 x fuel injectors,
glow plug relay
fuel filter
fuel filter heater
Intelligent Battery Sensor
fuel pump (intermittent pressure regulator fault)
map sensor
regen of dpf inhibited by low engine temp ( failed thermostats)
Auto box valve position incorrect (intermittent)
electric window safety cut off position incorrect
Had I have known these faults I would have walked away - instead I learnt the hard way, never buy a beemer without a code check first.
Devil's Advocate...2 x fuel injectors,
glow plug relay
fuel filter
fuel filter heater
Intelligent Battery Sensor
fuel pump (intermittent pressure regulator fault)
map sensor
regen of dpf inhibited by low engine temp ( failed thermostats)
Auto box valve position incorrect (intermittent)
electric window safety cut off position incorrect
Had I have known these faults I would have walked away - instead I learnt the hard way, never buy a beemer without a code check first.
How much did rectifying those cost you? Did you rectify all of them or are some of them things you've just learnt to live with?
There is probably an element of peoples unrealistic expectations of used cars to be honest. If you want brand new quality with absolutely zero faults (or a warranty to have them repaired), you ought to buy brand new really.
Not sticking up for car dealers as such, but it seems strange that people think they can have their cake and eat it - paying used car prices for a new car experience.
Fast Bug said:
So for the benefit of those that can't read...
We've all stated we would run our checks for you, in front of you.
Never let the truth get in the way of a good rant
Who's ranting? - its a discussion.We've all stated we would run our checks for you, in front of you.
Never let the truth get in the way of a good rant
If the dealer had the correct kit and was willing to do it, I would request a code read before and after a test drive. This protects both parties fairly IMO.
Durzel said:
hman said:
From memory (this was 2 years ago)
2 x fuel injectors,
glow plug relay
fuel filter
fuel filter heater
Intelligent Battery Sensor
fuel pump (intermittent pressure regulator fault)
map sensor
regen of dpf inhibited by low engine temp ( failed thermostats)
Auto box valve position incorrect (intermittent)
electric window safety cut off position incorrect
Had I have known these faults I would have walked away - instead I learnt the hard way, never buy a beemer without a code check first.
Devil's Advocate...2 x fuel injectors,
glow plug relay
fuel filter
fuel filter heater
Intelligent Battery Sensor
fuel pump (intermittent pressure regulator fault)
map sensor
regen of dpf inhibited by low engine temp ( failed thermostats)
Auto box valve position incorrect (intermittent)
electric window safety cut off position incorrect
Had I have known these faults I would have walked away - instead I learnt the hard way, never buy a beemer without a code check first.
How much did rectifying those cost you? Did you rectify all of them or are some of them things you've just learnt to live with?
There is probably an element of peoples unrealistic expectations of used cars to be honest. If you want brand new quality with absolutely zero faults (or a warranty to have them repaired), you ought to buy brand new really.
Not sticking up for car dealers as such, but it seems strange that people think they can have their cake and eat it - paying used car prices for a new car experience.
Then add all the other faults that occurred within 3-6 months of buying the car- turbo failure, crankshaft pulley failure, exhaust manifold crack.
Total money pit - had I have read the codes prior to buying then I would have walked away at that point saving me a lot more money in the long run.
I now have a very new volvo with main dealer warranty - and no worries about faults (2 electronic faults fixed under warranty already this year)
Buying a beemer? - demand a fault code report.
hman said:
Durzel said:
hman said:
From memory (this was 2 years ago)
2 x fuel injectors,
glow plug relay
fuel filter
fuel filter heater
Intelligent Battery Sensor
fuel pump (intermittent pressure regulator fault)
map sensor
regen of dpf inhibited by low engine temp ( failed thermostats)
Auto box valve position incorrect (intermittent)
electric window safety cut off position incorrect
Had I have known these faults I would have walked away - instead I learnt the hard way, never buy a beemer without a code check first.
Devil's Advocate...2 x fuel injectors,
glow plug relay
fuel filter
fuel filter heater
Intelligent Battery Sensor
fuel pump (intermittent pressure regulator fault)
map sensor
regen of dpf inhibited by low engine temp ( failed thermostats)
Auto box valve position incorrect (intermittent)
electric window safety cut off position incorrect
Had I have known these faults I would have walked away - instead I learnt the hard way, never buy a beemer without a code check first.
How much did rectifying those cost you? Did you rectify all of them or are some of them things you've just learnt to live with?
There is probably an element of peoples unrealistic expectations of used cars to be honest. If you want brand new quality with absolutely zero faults (or a warranty to have them repaired), you ought to buy brand new really.
Not sticking up for car dealers as such, but it seems strange that people think they can have their cake and eat it - paying used car prices for a new car experience.
Then add all the other faults that occurred within 3-6 months of buying the car- turbo failure, crankshaft pulley failure, exhaust manifold crack.
Total money pit - had I have read the codes prior to buying then I would have walked away at that point saving me a lot more money in the long run.
I now have a very new volvo with main dealer warranty - and no worries about faults (2 electronic faults fixed under warranty already this year)
Buying a beemer? - demand a fault code report.
Related, did Volvo do this OBD before you bought it?
Thing is I didn't think that a BMW would harbour all of these faults without showing any obvious signs - it drove fine, it looked fine, but according to the error messages it really wasn't fine.
Only an OBD check would have brought these faults to my attention - that's the point of the OP's first post.
Volvo did an fault code report - it had 1 fault, swirl actuator mis-calibrated - fixed immediately by changing a plastic linkage and resetting it.
After driving it for a while the brush sensor on the steering column went south and it immediately pinged up an error message on the dash about DSTC being affected, and the alarm started to go off at random times in the night (coincidentally) again a check message came up on the dash.
The Volvo still drove as if there were no faults present and if the error messages hadn't come up then I would be none the wiser about the brush sensor; I would have put the alarm fault down to spiders in the car or something.
SO the point I'm making is that BMW don't seem to bring up fault messages with the same readiness as other makes - which makes an OBD check an absolute must if you want peace of mind that you aren't going to need to have work done anytime soon.
Only an OBD check would have brought these faults to my attention - that's the point of the OP's first post.
Volvo did an fault code report - it had 1 fault, swirl actuator mis-calibrated - fixed immediately by changing a plastic linkage and resetting it.
After driving it for a while the brush sensor on the steering column went south and it immediately pinged up an error message on the dash about DSTC being affected, and the alarm started to go off at random times in the night (coincidentally) again a check message came up on the dash.
The Volvo still drove as if there were no faults present and if the error messages hadn't come up then I would be none the wiser about the brush sensor; I would have put the alarm fault down to spiders in the car or something.
SO the point I'm making is that BMW don't seem to bring up fault messages with the same readiness as other makes - which makes an OBD check an absolute must if you want peace of mind that you aren't going to need to have work done anytime soon.
BigBen said:
Spare tyre said:
Just out of curiosity, has anyone actually screwed up their own car with a code reader?
This is an important point. My money is on no-one.Would people here be happy if the dealer when appraising your PX decided to rag it up the road spinning the wheels driving it like a
? I suspect not, despite them maybe being happy to do so with their own personal car or stock vehicles. 
Well quite the thread here, obviously touched a nerve.
Of course I didn't mean all car dealers are crooks or anything like that, but I go in with low expectations, and am happy when I am proved wrong.
Anyway, this is bound to become more and more prevalent. My own experience in the last 3 months has been £500 down the drain fixing the faults a reader would have shown.
Of course I didn't mean all car dealers are crooks or anything like that, but I go in with low expectations, and am happy when I am proved wrong.
Anyway, this is bound to become more and more prevalent. My own experience in the last 3 months has been £500 down the drain fixing the faults a reader would have shown.
LayZ said:
Well quite the thread here, obviously touched a nerve.
Of course I didn't mean all car dealers are crooks or anything like that, but I go in with low expectations, and am happy when I am proved wrong.
Anyway, this is bound to become more and more prevalent. My own experience in the last 3 months has been £500 down the drain fixing the faults a reader would have shown.
That's the inherent risk of a used car without manufacturers warranty.Of course I didn't mean all car dealers are crooks or anything like that, but I go in with low expectations, and am happy when I am proved wrong.
Anyway, this is bound to become more and more prevalent. My own experience in the last 3 months has been £500 down the drain fixing the faults a reader would have shown.
The alternative of course is obvious and would result in far less risk.
Pick 1. No cake and eat it.
Chicane-UK said:
Would a dealer expect to be able to do a fault code read on a car they wanted to buy or take in p/x?
A specialist marque might, but in the majority of cases, no. It gets discovered when the car gets its approved used check prior to sale. Which can reveal things like the car having been clocked as mileage is recorded in several modules now and where there's a discrepancy, dealer tools can flag this up - and have done. Had this occurred at the PX appraisal stage, the car would not have been brought in at all, or bought in at a much lower price to allow for auction disposal as a mileage unwarranted vehicle rather than a warranted mileage approved used car. From reading above, where such things have an implication for warranty purposes, I'd expect it to be a part of the appraisal process. Of course I'd also expect a dealer to be prepared to produce a diagnostics report for any of their stock vehicles for a prospective customer - and I think every dealer and trader here has agreed they would do so for a customer.
hman said:
the dealer should be happy to provide a print out if asked.
That's fair and the dealers and traders here have agreed that is a reasonable thing to do for a prospective customer, with any subsequent rectification work being agreed to as part of the negotiation of terms of sale. Don't think anyone from the trade side here has any qualms with that approach. Zwolf said:
BigBen said:
Spare tyre said:
Just out of curiosity, has anyone actually screwed up their own car with a code reader?
This is an important point. My money is on no-one.Would people here be happy if the dealer when appraising your PX decided to rag it up the road spinning the wheels driving it like a
? I suspect not, despite them maybe being happy to do so with their own personal car or stock vehicles. However, I am not sure the rest of your analogy makes sense. Ragging a car is clearly not good for the car, plugging in a diagnostic machine is neutral.
jonah35 said:
Id ask the dealer and I bet 80% would be fine with it. Id walk from the 20% that don't let you do it. Its only like taking it on a test drive.
Those 20% will be content to let you walk. Just as dealers can be selective over who takes test drives in their cars for various reasons. As stated by all of the dealers here, we'd all be happy to run a check on our systems with the customer present.
With regards to part exchanges, I've only worked in one dealership that ran checks on potential retail part exchanges, and that was Porsche and that was so we knew in advance if we could put a Porsche Approved warranty on the vehicles. Unless we could, we wouldn't be able to retail the vehicles which covered our backsides from making a potential loss.
With regards to part exchanges, I've only worked in one dealership that ran checks on potential retail part exchanges, and that was Porsche and that was so we knew in advance if we could put a Porsche Approved warranty on the vehicles. Unless we could, we wouldn't be able to retail the vehicles which covered our backsides from making a potential loss.
Zwolf said:
BigBen said:
Spare tyre said:
Just out of curiosity, has anyone actually screwed up their own car with a code reader?
This is an important point. My money is on no-one.Would people here be happy if the dealer when appraising your PX decided to rag it up the road spinning the wheels driving it like a
? I suspect not, despite them maybe being happy to do so with their own personal car or stock vehicles. sleep envy said:
Would you take offence if when appraising my car as a PX I refused to allow you to check my car wih an code reader?
No, I'd either decline to accept it in PX if policy was that all cars traded in for resale must be checked prior to purchase or adjust the offer price accordingly. Just as I'd accept a prospective buyer who was denied the opportunity to do so in reverse.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff