UK - Second hand cars inquiry launched

News 14 09 2009 : <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />UK - Second hand cars inquiry launched

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) opened the study into the £35bn second-hand car market after nearly 70,000 consumers complained in the last year alone. Its been reported that thousands of motorists had unwittingly bought former rental vehicles from official dealerships.

Norman Baker said "Every ex-rental vehicle should have to be clearly labelled………(+)”

 

Although this Government Department be momentarily interested in car sales it begs the question as to which Official Gov Department next be dealing with “inappropriate” car insurance companies whom under whose administrations have unroadworthy vehicles passed of as being roadworthy after adopting “cost-cutting” repairs in maintaining profits while placing the welfare of their customers, along with every other road user, in danger.

 

In my case it took some two years of determination and insistence to gain any satisfaction in achieving basically what I was entitled to in having my car properly repaired having paid a Financial Institution for Insurance.

 

Synopsis: In travelling long distance I purchased a Ford Granada 2.9 Scorpio (Plate C191 VRF). The vehicle was almost Brand New and formerly owned by a Company Director. One evening while driving home from British Aerospace (BAe) a young driver in a Landrover attempted to overtake me on a long winding bend in the Country. An on-coming vehicle forced him to brake however instead of tucking in behind me he misjudged and dug his front “bull horns” into the side of my vehicle gouging a slot from the rear passenger door and through the boot.. As I began to spin the road the oncoming vehicle passed as I then headed towards a curb “side-on” before coming to rest in a hedge!. The hedge owner kindly allowed me the use of a phone to report the accident to the Police whom asked whether anyone was hurt before the call abruptly ended!. If I’d have damaged one of their speed cameras they’d probably have attended the scene in loosing revenue whereas me being a taxpayer they already had my money and weren’t interested.

The nightmare:

(1)     A claim form describing the accident was sent to my Insurance Company. My former pristine car now sat in a fenced off muddy compound for many weeks. After a few more weeks I was told to collect it and it “shone” however most of the interior bulbs were not replaced, the engine was not smooth and it didn’t feel right on the road. To that the garage then advised that I must take it up with the Insurance Company whom had sanctioned what repair work was necessary through one of their qualified assessors!.

(2)     The insurance Company then advises that I must take it along to another Ford Garage for further inspection and after a test driving it I was told that there’s nothing wrong with the vehicle SIR. After more letters I then took it to another Ford garage whom then discovered that the wheels were bent inwards on the drivers side!. This garage advised that the engine head gasket needed replacing at my expense – Well fine – Just do it I said!. A few days later I collected the car – ALL fixed Sir. I filled the car full with Petrol at the same garage but on reaching home some 8 miles away the tank quickly emptied to half full. Perhaps the engine settings are wrong I thought so I returned the car the following day. On arrival with engine running they lifted the bonnet but strangely everyone then “dived for cover” while shouting to me “switch it off – switch it off !”. Why the alarm? – Well a petrol “mist” from the engine bay was converging on their Filling Station pumps creating an explosive atmosphere since they hadn’t fitted the fuel injection lines correctly!. I on the other hand had driven a “bomb” home and back that would have been my coffin given a spark.

(3)     In driving away with straightened wheels and a smoother engine I still felt that there was something very seriously wrong with the car so I wrote and I wrote again to my insurance Company whom then arranged for another inspection at a another Ford Garage. After a yet another test drive I was advised that there nothing wrong with the vehicle.

(4)     In living in the Country I regularly utilized the services of a local Honda Dealer so I decided to finally enlist their help in having the car checked over for road worthiness. They discovered that the usual sound heard inside the vehicle was the propshaft which couples the engine to the rear gear mechanism that drives the wheels. In questioning WHY the propshaft be complaining a closer inspection revealed that the “whole” of the rear sub-frame under the vehicle had rotated/twisted due to the impact of the wheels with the kerb side-on. Put in plain English the rear wheels were out of alignment to the longitudinal axis of the car meaning the rear of the car was wanting to overtake me – akin to a crab!.

 

Of the repair cost outlay by my Insurance Company that final repair bill (4) cost that company a barrow full of money and all because of its incompetence. It could have written-off the vehicle some two years prior but decided instead to treat me as a fool in sending me from pillar to post in attempting to exhaust my efforts!. Of major concern was WHY the Insurance Company insisted that I must use a Ford Garage and WHY of those many Garages I was told that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the vehicle. Was it right for me to be persistent and have determination to achieve basically what I was entitled to in having paid money for an Insurance Policy OR should I have simply sold-on the problem to another in making them a victim?. Am I alone or have you encountered similar problems?.

Does any of this not “RING ANY BELLS” as to the current demise of the Nation(s) now gripped in “profit wars” which pay higher and higher salaries along with bonuses while its paymasters be “fobbed-off” continually after having had their money gratefully received?.

 

As usual its all about STANDARDS and given my dilemma are Britain’s roads filling up with cars whose repair standards be a measure of Financial Institutional Profits?. Maybe I should have bought a Policy on a Policy such that the Industry turn inwards on itself to fix its own problems before trying to fix mine!.