Audi main dealer - disappointed
Discussion
I travelled an hour to an Audi main dealer today to view a used approved A3 up at £12,500.
It was covered in stone chips, the chrome square on the grille was snapped in 3 different places and one jacking point was missing, with a huge tennis ball sized dent in the sill where it's been jacked up there anyway and damaged the car.
The car was an absolute dog. How they can brand it a quality used approved vehicle baffles me. Couldn't believe it from a main dealer at all.
Has anyone else experienced similar from a main dealer?
It was covered in stone chips, the chrome square on the grille was snapped in 3 different places and one jacking point was missing, with a huge tennis ball sized dent in the sill where it's been jacked up there anyway and damaged the car.
The car was an absolute dog. How they can brand it a quality used approved vehicle baffles me. Couldn't believe it from a main dealer at all.
Has anyone else experienced similar from a main dealer?
BE57 TOY said:
I travelled an hour to an Audi main dealer today to view a used approved A3 up at £12,500.
It was covered in stone chips, the chrome square on the grille was snapped in 3 different places and one jacking point was missing, with a huge tennis ball sized dent in the sill where it's been jacked up there anyway and damaged the car.
The car was an absolute dog. How they can brand it a quality used approved vehicle baffles me. Couldn't believe it from a main dealer at all.
Has anyone else experienced similar from a main dealer?
Yup, when I viewed an "approved" Impreza...that had been in a big shunt. and judging by the moss under the window rubbers, had been around a while! It was covered in stone chips, the chrome square on the grille was snapped in 3 different places and one jacking point was missing, with a huge tennis ball sized dent in the sill where it's been jacked up there anyway and damaged the car.
The car was an absolute dog. How they can brand it a quality used approved vehicle baffles me. Couldn't believe it from a main dealer at all.
Has anyone else experienced similar from a main dealer?
Have learned that "Approved Used" just means "Received back from lease/rental/fleets and turned around as quickly as possible". All this "multi point check" stuff is b
ks.Jimbo. said:
Yup, when I viewed an "approved" Impreza...that had been in a big shunt. and judging by the moss under the window rubbers, had been around a while!
Have learned that "Approved Used" just means "Received back from lease/rental/fleets and turned around as quickly as possible". All this "multi point check" stuff is bks.
The only thing that approved status is good for it the warranty it's attached to. Yesterday I would have said I'll only buy used approved!Have learned that "Approved Used" just means "Received back from lease/rental/fleets and turned around as quickly as possible". All this "multi point check" stuff is b
ks.Not any more!!!
Went to a Ford dealer (part of a biiiig group) to look at an 08 Fiesta. It had only just come in, but I was allowed to see it anyway. One side was caved in, all wheels kerbed to buggery, scuffs down the other side and scuffs and cracks in both bumpers. It would have been sorted and bought to as new itching the coming week, so I'd have had to have waited if I wanted it. I didn't, not knowing it had been treated like a bd, ginger, stepchild in its two years...
d, ginger, stepchild in its two years...Went to our local Land Rover dealer to look at a Discovery. They didn't have the spec I wanted in the showroom but had one in their used stock. Walked out to the car, in a line with other stock, price on display in the window etc...... It was the filthiest car I've ever sat in, stained leather, dog hair all over the rear seats and it stank. I asked if it was a joke but they were serious about displaying it in that condition!
CoolHands said:
ISTR you said in the other thread 'that's why I always buy from main dealers' when little dealers were taking a hammering 
I've changed my mind after today's experience!! Infact after visiting the main dealer I went down the road to an indie and they had a near perfect car for sale. BE57 TOY said:
I travelled an hour to an Audi main dealer today to view a used approved A3 up at £12,500.
It was covered in stone chips, the chrome square on the grille was snapped in 3 different places and one jacking point was missing, with a huge tennis ball sized dent in the sill where it's been jacked up there anyway and damaged the car.
The car was an absolute dog. How they can brand it a quality used approved vehicle baffles me. Couldn't believe it from a main dealer at all.
Has anyone else experienced similar from a main dealer?
spot your first mistake It was covered in stone chips, the chrome square on the grille was snapped in 3 different places and one jacking point was missing, with a huge tennis ball sized dent in the sill where it's been jacked up there anyway and damaged the car.
The car was an absolute dog. How they can brand it a quality used approved vehicle baffles me. Couldn't believe it from a main dealer at all.
Has anyone else experienced similar from a main dealer?
Everywhere's different.
Looking at cars for the SiL last month, and for myself this month. Four different main dealers and one indy:-
- One of the main dealers gave us a 6mth old car to look at with a known warranty fault outstanding on it, which really put SiL off on the test-drive.
- Another had allegedly fully-prepped a car yet it was dirty inside, lots of dog hair etc.
- Both other main dealers and the indy had well-prepped clean cars.
I prefer to buy privately and (typically) get it inspected before purchase - worth more than a 'dealer inspection' IMHO.
Looking at cars for the SiL last month, and for myself this month. Four different main dealers and one indy:-
- One of the main dealers gave us a 6mth old car to look at with a known warranty fault outstanding on it, which really put SiL off on the test-drive.
- Another had allegedly fully-prepped a car yet it was dirty inside, lots of dog hair etc.
- Both other main dealers and the indy had well-prepped clean cars.
I prefer to buy privately and (typically) get it inspected before purchase - worth more than a 'dealer inspection' IMHO.
"Aprroved Used" in most cases, is an utter joke. A smoke screen really, giving you the false impression the car is 'hand picked' and so you can rest assured the car is A-ok, having lead a pampered and charmed life. Truth is the car is sourced in exactly the same way that every other car in main dealer used stock is; auction houses, motability returns, end of contract etc. Very rarely will the last keeper on the log-book be a private owner. Another fabrication of the truth is what they constitute a 'proper service' before you take the keys, the Citroen dealer I once worked for did a 'lights and levels check' upon completion of the sale of a so-called approved used car.
Main dealer preparation (or lack of) can be diabolical. To give you an example, and not to blow smoke up my own a*rse, I recently retailed an 07 Mazda MX-5, from my back street commercial unit. A one owner, 28k miles, serviced-to-death tidy example, every bit main dealer stock. The car came into my possession in pretty good order. Nonetheless I still paid for a professional valet, including a wet-vac and detail on the outside. There were two minor dents on the bonnet, £75 later in preparation and valeting - the car was immaculate, A1, out-of-the-box. This level of preparation is something main dealers, who claim there cars to be 'selected, approve used' simply don't do. Anyone who buys into this with the understanding they are paying that little bit extra for quality, are fooling themselves. It won't last, as consumers we're becoming far too savvy to tolerate this, it's largely the senior citizens that still buy from main agents time and time again and fall for this sales pap.
My customers had come straight from a glitzy Mazda showroom to view my car, and told me of their utter disgust at the 'approved used' MX-5 they'd just been to see. The seats were water stained, cigarette burnt and dirty, along with a smelly interior as a result of water ingress. The drivers' foot well was full of stones, clearly not vacced since its last test drive - very sloppy. Front alloys kerbed, fabric roof covered in moss. Two bumper corners showing traces of paint transfer (how easy is that to put right!) Despite this example being 'cherry-picked' - as if the dealer knew the car intimately - there was no service history, no locking wheel nut and only one key. Final nail in the coffin, of course, was a flat battery - always the butt of humiliation for car salesmen. This car had clearly been put onto the forecourt far too prematurely, hastily and half-heartedly cleaned on a Friday with the hope of a weekend sale.
Terrible, appalling service. Naturally they were bowled over by my car!
Main dealer preparation (or lack of) can be diabolical. To give you an example, and not to blow smoke up my own a*rse, I recently retailed an 07 Mazda MX-5, from my back street commercial unit. A one owner, 28k miles, serviced-to-death tidy example, every bit main dealer stock. The car came into my possession in pretty good order. Nonetheless I still paid for a professional valet, including a wet-vac and detail on the outside. There were two minor dents on the bonnet, £75 later in preparation and valeting - the car was immaculate, A1, out-of-the-box. This level of preparation is something main dealers, who claim there cars to be 'selected, approve used' simply don't do. Anyone who buys into this with the understanding they are paying that little bit extra for quality, are fooling themselves. It won't last, as consumers we're becoming far too savvy to tolerate this, it's largely the senior citizens that still buy from main agents time and time again and fall for this sales pap.
My customers had come straight from a glitzy Mazda showroom to view my car, and told me of their utter disgust at the 'approved used' MX-5 they'd just been to see. The seats were water stained, cigarette burnt and dirty, along with a smelly interior as a result of water ingress. The drivers' foot well was full of stones, clearly not vacced since its last test drive - very sloppy. Front alloys kerbed, fabric roof covered in moss. Two bumper corners showing traces of paint transfer (how easy is that to put right!) Despite this example being 'cherry-picked' - as if the dealer knew the car intimately - there was no service history, no locking wheel nut and only one key. Final nail in the coffin, of course, was a flat battery - always the butt of humiliation for car salesmen. This car had clearly been put onto the forecourt far too prematurely, hastily and half-heartedly cleaned on a Friday with the hope of a weekend sale.
Terrible, appalling service. Naturally they were bowled over by my car!
BE57 TOY said:
Jimbo. said:
Yup, when I viewed an "approved" Impreza...that had been in a big shunt. and judging by the moss under the window rubbers, had been around a while!
Have learned that "Approved Used" just means "Received back from lease/rental/fleets and turned around as quickly as possible". All this "multi point check" stuff is bks.
The only thing that approved status is good for it the warranty it's attached to. Yesterday I would have said I'll only buy used approved!Have learned that "Approved Used" just means "Received back from lease/rental/fleets and turned around as quickly as possible". All this "multi point check" stuff is b
ks.Not any more!!!
Back in the day premium marques approved schemes used to be a cut above..unfortunately most dealers now (like most businesses) are cut to the bone and will do whatever they can get away with. Recently bought a Forester from approved used, who only appeared to fettle the car when we complained! Great motors, but poorly prepared and now sorted after 2 returns to the dealer!
I bought 3 mark2 Golfs frm dealers in the mid 90s which were all 40k+ milers which were indistinguishable from new. I recognised I was paying a grand or so over the odds for that but was happy to pay it. Premium and luxury marques seemed to be a cut above and worth the extra outlay. Nowadays dealers seem to largely take a 'whatever we can get away with to maximise profit' attitude. If people go the distance with a complaint they sometimes will rectify it, but only from a PR point of view- there is no 'part of the dealer family' mentality anymore..
I am generally more happy buying privately these days. I acquired my RR from the main dealer and it went back 4 times at under 30k miles to sort it. My 90s BMW and VW were both bought privately and were in much better condition!..
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