Slightly unusual one this. I'm well aware of consumer rights, stated cases and real time examples of customers rejecting new and approved used cars, however, has anyone experience of this type scenario please:

Non Range Rover, fully warrantied, approved used car bought from a main dealer at the end of March this year. Car spent 2 stays amounting to 18 days in April at the dealership for repairs, re-work and remedial work on issues that were present at the point of purchase (including the need for a new clutch, rectification of a persistent [ghost] seatbelt warning activation, intrusive wind noise, re-upholstering a section of leather seating that the garage had badly done first time round and re-finishing a poorly - main dealer - refurbished alloy wheel, as well as some other minor issues). All issues accepted by the Master Tech as being bona fide and unacceptable.

On receiving the car back at the end of April, the original wind noise had been fixed but the driver's door electric window then seemed of a tighter 'fit' when moving up and down and the noise of the glass moving past the rubber window seals (not present before) would raise the dead it is so embarrassingly loud. The car was also damaged whilst in their care and appears to have been used as a run around because 3 of 4 footwells had muddy footprints, there was ash inside the cab and the fuel light was on having had a third of a tank of fuel in it when left with the garage the week beforehand. Despite replacing the seatbelt buckle, the seatbelt warning noise is now worse than ever and is almost constant during every trip.

Additional to the foregoing, the front brakes appear to be making a low grinding noise under braking and on start up, there seems to be the slightest of grinding/ maybe a flywheel spinning noise very briefly when the ignition key is turned to fire up the car giving rise to concerns that the starter motor might be on the way out and/ or that it is timing chain tensioner related.

The car was promptly booked in for further repair work with almost 3 weeks notice given and on being taken back there earlier this week, service staff conceded it wouldn't be looked at much this week, maybe next but it is 'just being fitted in around other jobs'.

A complaint was made to management at the dealership and strangely, they seem to be committing only to fixing the seatbelt issue (although they've already said twice now that it was fixed) and committed to repairing the damage caused to the car whilst in their possession. The car has travelled only 800 miles since purchase.

The Sales Manager has said he - with admittedly no technical qualifications other than "25 years in the business" - will test drive the car and if he is 'satisfied' there are any other issues, they will put them right but his preferences seems to be to give a refund which is not actually sought, the issues seeming easily rectifiable to someone committed to doing so.

A theme might be developing with the mindset of staff at the dealership given the 'fitting it in around other jobs', given the S.Manager's approach and also taking into consideration that prior to the purchase being finalised, the sales person conceded that with the majority of customers they would have gotten 'away with' doing much less to the car as part of the pre sales work agreed.

Can the customer decline a refund and 'demand' what appears to be a reasonable expectation that obvious repairs and defects be rectified on a warrantied approved used car?

Thanks in anticipation.

Well with the dealers attitude being what it is I would take the money and put a great distance between me and them and consider myself lucky. Terrible attitude to customer service. Agueroooooooooo. 93-20
I swear you will never see anything like this ever again....watch it..drink it in.

As Pfazz said take the refund and run fast in the other direction. Think what happens if you have another issue a few months down the line they sound dodgy as I would walk away  09 TDV8 Westminster, Mariana Black, Rear seat entertainment, hatch bag and 2 slobbery mutts

I would also take the refund. You have already sampled how they treat the car and the poor level of repairs they carry out and so I would not be confident that any repair work done would be done to a satisfactory level. I would guess any work done would be more a case of patching it up for long enough to get you off their back.

As to the legal standpoint I believe they are fully entitled to offer either a repair or refund, and I am not certain you are legally able to insist they repair the car if they are offering a full refund instead.

Clearly your not happy with the standard of their work, and quite rightly.
They are not happy with your responce to their standard of work for whatever reason.
They have offered you a full refund as prhaps they feel they cannot meet your expectations.
It's the best they can do in case it goes legal.

In this case as everyone else says, take your refund and wash your hands of them.

Jonno 5.0 supercharged autobiography
Gone-4.4 Vogue Lpg now unmapped
4.6 HSET Turbo Lpg mapped
Gone-Defender 90 200tdi
Gone - 3.9 Sprintex supercharged LPG
Gone - 3.9 Vogue LPG

Sounds like a built on Friday Afternoon car...

Take the Money and Run..

Trev Current Cars
(Sold) Range Rover TD6 05 Vogue SE - 85k - Zambezi Silver - Black Leather..
Kia Ceed (4) 1.6 - 33k - Silver
Previous.
VW Golf 2008 2.0 SDI (With Add Ons) - 109k Silver
Vauxhall Zafira 2.2 Petrol SRI - with Ex Pack 32k -Turquoise (traded for the FFRR)

I would take the refund too. Unless you got it for an absolute steal and are happy to sort out the issues yourself it is not worth putting up with a dud or a dealership that really don't give a t*ss! Tom

Current Drive
2011 4.4 TDV8 Autobiography - Santorini Black - Ivory Leather

Previous Drives
2004 Model Vogue Td6 (Touchscreen) - Java Black - Parchment Leather
1994 RR Classic 3.9 V8 Soft dash - Niagara Grey - Grey Leather
1972 Series III SWB Safari - Green (Hand Painted) - Black Plastic

NAME AND SHAME 1994 softail full stars n stripes custom harley davidson

Take the refund Ryan, there are much better cars out there and since the values have softened on SCs, you might get more for your cash now.

Just be wary that they don't try to deduct any of the repair costs for work already done, from any refund.

Our FFs seem to fall into 2 camps

1. Ones with faults that just get worse, reflecting badly on the marque.
2. Good ones that reflect well on the marque and just need regular maintenance. Got - 2017 SDV8 Autobiography in Loire Blue
Had- 2008 TDV8 Vogue SE in Java black
Had - 2007 S/C in Stornoway Grey

Take the refund Ryan and sorry to hear you have another car with "issues".

This car seems very much like a lemon to me. Built on Friday afternoon by someone who just got fired and is on his/her last day and then finished by someone on Monday morning on their first day with no experience or technical knowledge and subsequently abused by almost everyone who drove it/worked on it. I had one of those (Landcruiser).

Take your money and find a nice similar but good car at a good dealer.

Interested in brand and type of car though  MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

Take the money and spend it somewhere it is valued my friend...

Yep. Refund. Run.

Question: would you, after knowing your vehicle had been used as a runaround (and most likely treated with a lack of mechanical sympathy by uncaring staff) want your vehicle returned, especially considering the dealers uncaring approach to fault rectification?

It's an offer too good to miss, in my view.

Going back to your question of 'can a customer demand a full repair in lieu of a refund', then I would say he can. Or an equivalent vehicle to be supplied.

Let us know how things turn out. Si. <This is my name.

I eat rat poison.

A man ain't truly been insulted until he stands buck naked in front of a woman and she didn't even notice. Or care.

Get your Nike on and leg it

I'd take the refund and find another vehicle - plenty of nice ones out there  2007 Zermatt Silver TDV8 Vogue SE - now sold but was a great car!

Thanks for the replies.

I have read on hear that some RR dealers get bad reports but this unfolding experience with another marque really does demonstrate that whilst not having managed to get everything technically right at the first attempt, the commitment we've had from the 2 Stratstone garages to try and keep us happy/ keep custom/ maintain their reputation has been outstanding.

Last edited by pld118 on 24th May 2014 9:22am. Edited 2 times in total