Dealer Issues / Timeless Used
Dealer Issues / Timeless Used
Author
Discussion

bennno

Original Poster:

14,532 posts

287 months

Tuesday 7th October
quotequote all
Appreciate any guidance, wont name the dealer, this relates to a 2019 V8 Vantage 4.0 brought from a main dealer on a timeless used scheme, brought / financed remotely then went to collect.

On collection car had corroded wheel centres, corroded aston wing nose badge, loads of non touched in stone chips, plus the following morning after a 300 mile drive home I had an array of warning lights due to low battery voltage. In short mainly cosmetic stuff.

Garage agreed on spot to sort. As we are at a distance from the supplying garage they supplied a battery, wheel centres and an aston badge, plus they organised for a local detailer to resolve the paintwork but I've had to wait a few weeks for this.

The detailer did a good job, but on going to fit the front replacement badge the bumper lacquer started to come off with it, then he observed the lacquer was an issue elsewhere on the bumper, then he advised there was a load of micro blistering plus some filler and silicone contamination so it'd need a bodyshop.

Bodyshop has looked at it and advised it needs an upper and lower bumper respray but they recommend both a new bumper and splitter as both have been previously bodged and they'd not want to try to fix the existing.

Dealer is ignoring that their detailer has damaged it and has simply said keep it as it now is, or bring it back for a refund.

Thoughts? i'm veering towards the latter, despite it being a lovely car, im not prepared to spend several thousand putting it right.

I was keen on a new Vantage S for next year - this debacle is putting me off the brand.

Deviation

126 posts

22 months

Tuesday 7th October
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Refund - just a car and there will be others. Don’t take on the headache :-)

LTP

2,668 posts

130 months

Tuesday 7th October
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My thoughts? If a 2019 Aston Martin car has been bodged then walk away - who knows what else has been badly fixed or mistreated.

As far as putting you off the brand, then what is it about the brand that's a problem? You've already said that the car has been bodged by 3rd parties unknown. The disappointing part of this is that an AML Main Dealer, offering Timeless, didn't realise. Because AML have (or at least used to have) a list of qualifying requirements for a car to be classed as "Timeless" that the car should be checked against before it's put on the scheme

bennno

Original Poster:

14,532 posts

287 months

Tuesday 7th October
quotequote all
LTP said:
My thoughts? If a 2019 Aston Martin car has been bodged then walk away - who knows what else has been badly fixed or mistreated.

As far as putting you off the brand, then what is it about the brand that's a problem? You've already said that the car has been bodged by 3rd parties unknown. The disappointing part of this is that an AML Main Dealer, offering Timeless, didn't realise. Because AML have (or at least used to have) a list of qualifying requirements for a car to be classed as "Timeless" that the car should be checked against before it's put on the scheme
Thats where I was at - id expected to turn up to something that meets the promise of the Timeless scheme when spending £75k.

No point in saying it will have been thoroughly checked and prepared to meticulous standards if it hasn't been.....

Dealer has offered a refund and to unwind things, I've accepted that unless they want to fund the bumper and splitter.

Theres no damage beyond that and the car is mint.

BiggaJ

1,080 posts

57 months

Tuesday 7th October
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As LTP states, I would be worried about what they are doing to allow a car through their 'meticulous' hands and putting a Timeless warranty on the vehicle.

I take it from your comments that you bought the car sight unseen until collection, if there was anyone in the industry you could trust going via this process, it should be the franchised dealer.

This should not put you off the brand though, it could have happened with any dealer franchised or not and any brand.

bennno

Original Poster:

14,532 posts

287 months

Wednesday 8th October
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Having spoken to AM customer services it would appear that Astons bumper supplier has gone out of business and there is no ETA for a new supplier to have tooling and commence production of replacement bumper parts, ergo the advice they gave is it would be months (plural).

So it appears best option is to allow dealer to have it back and then have a rethink.

Customer services did confirm from my description that the car hadn't been prepared to timeless standards and suggested i write to client services at Aston Martin.....

macdeb

8,687 posts

273 months

Wednesday 8th October
quotequote all
^^^^ This is my problem with the selling dealers certifying the timeless warranty on their own cars. The more unscrupulous (I don't tar everyone with this brush) dealers will pass on a car knowing faults are present and that the customer will go through the warranty.

Simpo Two

89,903 posts

283 months

Wednesday 8th October
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macdeb said:
^^^^ This is my problem with the selling dealers certifying the timeless warranty on their own cars. The more unscrupulous (I don't tar everyone with this brush) dealers will pass on a car knowing faults are present and that the customer will go through the warranty.
My experience is that cars sold by dealers have more problems than cars sold privately. After all, if your car has a fault that a private buyer is likely to find, you'd p/ex it instead.

I think my DB9 is the only car I've bought from a dealer that had correctly functioning a/c. It was just the bit full of cogs that had the problem.

macdeb

8,687 posts

273 months

Thursday 9th October
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It appears my informative, helpful, real life experience advice reply has been deleted. Seems some can get away with fleecing customers FOC. I did NOT mention the dealers name in question and was merely offering real life experienced advice where customers are taken for idiots. I DID name those who had helped with my problems (AM Gaydon and AM Birmingham). It's 'your' hard earned cash, don't waste it. Oh, and heaven forbid you give a not so good experience here. PH is not what is used to be when I joined.
(see how long this one lasts?)

Edited by macdeb on Thursday 9th October 16:56

bennno

Original Poster:

14,532 posts

287 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
macdeb said:
It appears my informative, helpful, real life experience advice reply has been deleted. Seems some can get away with fleecing customers FOC. I did not mention the dealers name in question and was merely offering experienced advice where customers are taken for idiots. I did name those who had helped with my problems (AM Gaydon and AM Birmingham). It's 'your' hard earned cash, don't waste it. Oh, and heaven forbid you give a not so good experience here. PH is not what is used to be when I joined.
I suspect it might have fallen foul of the non name and shame rules, theres 'howay' i can mention who my challenges have been with.

macdeb

8,687 posts

273 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
bennno said:
macdeb said:
It appears my informative, helpful, real life experience advice reply has been deleted. Seems some can get away with fleecing customers FOC. I did not mention the dealers name in question and was merely offering experienced advice where customers are taken for idiots. I did name those who had helped with my problems (AM Gaydon and AM Birmingham). It's 'your' hard earned cash, don't waste it. Oh, and heaven forbid you give a not so good experience here. PH is not what is used to be when I joined.
I suspect it might have fallen foul of the non name and shame rules, theres 'howay' i can mention who my challenges have been with.
That's just it, I did NOT mention dealers name. furious

Crumpet

4,686 posts

198 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
Another here that would struggle with going back to the brand due to the dealer experience. A real shame as I adore the cars.

I’d be handing the car back to them and looking elsewhere.

bennno

Original Poster:

14,532 posts

287 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
Crumpet said:
Another here that would struggle with going back to the brand due to the dealer experience. A real shame as I adore the cars.

I d be handing the car back to them and looking elsewhere.
Thats where its heading they confirmed they will send a driver to collect it next week.

Personally i'd rather they just supply a replacement splitter and upper bumper and ill pay to get them fitted and painted as its a wonderful car - cant find another in the price range or the colour combination I like.

I think they plan to do the work and then sell the car for more to cover their costs as the market seems to have shifted slightly upwards....

Totally different experience from when Ive previously brought various Ferrari and Porsche cars.

CoolHands

21,469 posts

213 months

Thursday 9th October
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So anyone that has a crash will be up the swannie if the bumper gets knackered then.

Dog Biscuit

1,117 posts

15 months

Thursday 9th October
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I'd hand it back and move on.

If you don't have the time to view a car before buying it then maybe pay for an independent inspection or get a detailer to check it out.

Buying things unseen just invites trouble

Simpo Two

89,903 posts

283 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
bennno said:
Thats where its heading they confirmed they will send a driver to collect it next week.
I guess that's not a bad result. Many threads are from people trying to get a refund but not getting one.

It's their problem now. Back to a clean sheet for you and you get to start the hunt again.

In 2021 I bought what was then my 'top' car, a Jaguar XKR convertible in exactly the spec I wanted. Had it managed more than 30 miles before blowing up I'd probably still be happily driving it. After limping home with the engine running like a bag of spanners and blue smoke pouring out of the back, a phone call was made to the dealer. 'It just needs more petrol' they said. A brief scuffle followed during which they wisely decided to refund my payment and sent a man to collect it. And that is why I now drive an Aston smile

LTP

2,668 posts

130 months

Thursday 9th October
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CoolHands said:
So anyone that has a crash will be up the swannie if the bumper gets knackered then.
Maybe. Just had a quick look and Scuderia lists some V8V bumper covers as "In stock". How long that lasts is anyone's guess

bennno

Original Poster:

14,532 posts

287 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
LTP said:
CoolHands said:
So anyone that has a crash will be up the swannie if the bumper gets knackered then.
Maybe. Just had a quick look and Scuderia lists some V8V bumper covers as "In stock". How long that lasts is anyone's guess
Just checked that, not for the 2019 on (4.0 turbo) however, spent half a day trying to find one yesterday including to Aston hq.

Crumpet

4,686 posts

198 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
CoolHands said:
So anyone that has a crash will be up the swannie if the bumper gets knackered then.
Having been bitten by my Jaguar, and a four month wait for a bumper, I now consider parts supply when choosing cars - or at least I thought I did. Apparently if someone decides they want the headlights off my 911 it could now be a six month wait for replacements!

Certainly worth factoring these things in when choosing insurance and whether you should get a hire car included. At least a massive hire car bill racking up might sharpen the insurance company’s focus.