Rant-Used car dealers

[sb-1]

What is with used car dealers.Why have never heard of good customer relations?

Bought an old (2001) Vauxhall Astra from used car dealer in Hampshire.

Now I know I bought the car knowing that it needed a service but...

I took it to a local garage for an oil service & asked them to check the coolant/anti freeze.
I went off into town and shortly after got a call from the garage on mobile.'We checked anti freeze,& there is none in it at all.Not a drop,do you want us to sort it out'?

So obviously shocked with the no anti freeze told them to go ahead.

I rang the dealer where I bought the car later that afternoon.Told him about the lack of anti freeze said that how could he sell a car with no anti freeze,& he put the phone down on me telling me to get a life!
This of course made me mad,so I sent him an mail.

He did at least replyWe are all saddos according to him!)

He sort of said sorry for putting phone down,then went on to insult me & called people who use P/H saddos(I said in my email to him that if he would pay something towards the anti freeze(just £25!)I would feel he was an ok guy,not a typical used car salesman,& say so if anyone asked for recommendation)

Some people!

Was I unreasonable?

Rant over.

[kentmotorcompany]

When you say no anti freeze, do you mean no water at all? or just water with no anti freeze in it?

[PedantLosesGrip]

You bought a 9 yr old used car, and you didn't check any of the levels before you bought it?

How much of it did you inspect?

I'd have gone back for a chat, not sent him an email.

Edited by PedantLosesGrip on Thursday 25th November 18:44

[eliot]

Used car dealers simply give the car a wash and stick it on the forecourt.They dont "invest" money into a full service/check because if it doesn't sell and they have to punt it out at the auction they would of lost their "investment".

[Marlboro Gold]

So you buy a £500 snotter that you know needs a service and then moan that it's got no antifreeze in it?

You're lucky it had enough fuel to get you off his plot!

[Lost soul]

i have the feeling your troubles are only just starting

[sb-1]

PedantLosesGrip said:

You bought a 9 yr old used car, and you didn't check any of the level before you bought it?

I'd have gone back for a chat, not sent him an email.

I did check level,but assumed,wrongly that there would be anti freeze in it.
I should no better.

[POORCARDEALER]

Choose your used car dealer carefully, pay a bit more and buy from a garage with a reputation to lose.

[thetwistys]

If he's had it on his lot for a while (i.e. since it was warm) it might have no a/freeze in it because it didnt need it and had had a coolant change recently... Although I agree it's a mistake on his part not to have checked it. Come to think of it I would probably put some in if I was doing a coolant change, even in the summer.
TBH though, if thats the worst fault/oversight he's made it isn't that bad. He does sound like a bit of an arsey tt though :-)

[sb-1]

Marlboro Gold said:

So you buy a £500 snotter that you know needs a service and then moan that it's got no antifreeze in it?

You're lucky it had enough fuel to get you off his plot!

'twas £1500 snotter.

[eliot]

sb-1 said:

PedantLosesGrip said:

You bought a 9 yr old used car, and you didn't check any of the level before you bought it?

I'd have gone back for a chat, not sent him an email.

I did check level,but assumed,wrongly that there would be anti freeze in it.
I should no better.

I predict that the headgasket had gone and its been traded in.

[PedantLosesGrip]

sb-1 said:

PedantLosesGrip said:

You bought a 9 yr old used car, and you didn't check any of the level before you bought it?

I'd have gone back for a chat, not sent him an email.

I did check level,but assumed,wrongly that there would be anti freeze in it.
I should no better.

Ahh sorry I misunderstood. So there was liquid, but no antifreeze...

[sb-1]

POORCARDEALER said:

Choose your used car dealer carefully, pay a bit more and buy from a garage with a reputation to lose.

I know,needed a cheap car at the moment though.

[Marlboro Gold]

sb-1 said:

Marlboro Gold said:

So you buy a £500 snotter that you know needs a service and then moan that it's got no antifreeze in it?

You're lucky it had enough fuel to get you off his plot!

'twas £1500 snotter.

For a 2001 Astra? Hope it came with 12 months Tax & Ticket and full tank of fuel!

[kentmotorcompany]

So it did have water to the right level.

At this end of the market I wouldn't expect a dealer to know the contents of that water. Even if it was a good dealer who serviced (oil and filter change), and MOT'd it.

[sb-1]

Marlboro Gold said:

sb-1 said:

Marlboro Gold said:

So you buy a £500 snotter that you know needs a service and then moan that it's got no antifreeze in it?

You're lucky it had enough fuel to get you off his plot!

'twas £1500 snotter.

For a 2001 Astra? Hope it came with 12 months Tax & Ticket and full tank of fuel!

Its pretty clean with lowish miles,good service history.Years ticket,8 months tax.

[Marlboro Gold]

sb-1 said:

POORCARDEALER said:

Choose your used car dealer carefully, pay a bit more and buy from a garage with a reputation to lose.

I know,needed a cheap car at the moment though.

I have a couple that might suit, I'll even throw in the antifreeze as a gesture of good will

[sb-1]

kentmotorcompany said:

So it did have water to the right level.

At this end of the market I wouldn't expect a dealer to know the contents of that water. Even if it was a good dealer who serviced (oil and filter change), and MOT'd it.

Fair comment,though what would have happened if Rad had frozen up(it has 3 months wty)
Bit short sighted of him?

Edited by sb-1 on Thursday 25th November 18:53

[PedantLosesGrip]

Given his attitude, good luck with that 3 months warranty.

[paintman]

And of course the local garage aren't trying it on to get a bit more money out of you are they
ETA successfully too!

Edited by paintman on Thursday 25th November 19:47