Rejecting a brand new car... Someone please help!

Pulse

Ok, I'll try to tell the story very quickly, as I'm just too angry to write too much at the moment. It's going to be very to the point, and I'm hoping someone can help!!! Ok, here we go.

My car is a Vauxhall Astra VXR. The cost of the car was over £15,000.

I live in Swindon.
I bought it from Stockport.

It's a 58 plate, brand new car, bought on the 1st of September.

I picked it up, 1st Sept, noticed no faults.

After 2 or 3 days, noticed a scratch on the front bumper. The supplying dealer said they will resolve that for me, but as they are so far away, to get the work done and to bill it to them. In the end, I couldn't be bothered with the hassle, so got it done and paid for it myself.

After 11 days, I noticed that the car had a major paint defect, which was felt could only be from manufacturer.

I contact the supplying dealer, who tell me to get an estimate from a company.

I do that, and it comes back that the issue was definitely with Vauxhall.

So, I'm referred to my local dealer to refer me to resolve it.

Time goes by, and nothing happens. It comes to the point of about 2 months of having the car, and nothing has happened. I can't remember the exact dates right now... Anyway...

So, vauxhall head office finally get back to me after this time to say that I need to get the car booked into an independant bodyshop to resolve, since my local dealership do not have a bodyshop of their own.

So, it takes ages to get it booked into the bodyshop, and then a waiting time of around 2 weeks to get it seen!

So, it's now been there for 8 days, and they haven't finished it yet. It was meant to be back with me yesterday evening, but apparently it failed the quality control, and had to be re-painted. Hmmm, fob off I reckon!

But, it'll be ready for me tonight...

So, I call them at 2pm today to check if all is ok to pick it up tonight. They say they have to call me back in 5 minutes, which they dont.

I call back at around 3pm today, to be told that it wont be ready, and that they need it another day. Apparently it has been painted again and failed quality control again.

So, I go there and ask to see the car. I'm not allowed.
I say I need to get something from the car. I'm told that he will get it for me, and I'm not allowed.
I told him that it is a document with sensitive information on it, so I HAVE to be allowed to get it.
He allows me to come in and get it.

So, I go in, and try to see if anything is wrong with the car. Nothing too obvious, but a couple of the wheels have stuff all over them, so there may be some damage there.

I'm watched like a hawk throughout getting the stuff out of my car, and am rushed back into the main office.

I'm now in a hire car, and supposedly getting the car back tomorrow.

But, I've spent over 15k on a brand new car, and I don't feel this is acceptable.

I have spoken to the foreign customer service dept for vauxhall, who have told me they will not let me reject the car, or have a replacement brand new car. They will only offer me 2 free services, which obviously costs them about.. oh, nothing at all! Funny that...

Does anyone have experience of rejecting a car? It's just really stressing me out at the moment, and I've spent so much on buying a car, but not even getting to drive it, as when I noticed the problem, I stopped driving the car.

I'm so stressed that I've been shaking with anger since 2pm today, and my eye has been twitching due to the stress of it all too, since the same time.

Please, someone help!

hewhoisnotintheknow

sorry i dont think you have a chance

gillg57

Not sure why you will have no chance as even car manufacturers have to supply vehicles fit purpose. Contact your local trading standards office or look for them on the internet.

LinasPilibaitisisbatman

No Chance

Vauxhall have fixed the car, its not their fault the garage chosen by the OP cocked up

Conor_3

Pulse wrote: »

So, I go in, and try to see if anything is wrong with the car. Nothing too obvious, but a couple of the wheels have stuff all over them, so there may be some damage there.

It's called "masking them off so they don't end up with paint all over them." Do you really think that paint which is shot from a gun in a spray just goes exactly where you're pointing it? :rolleyes:

albionrovers

Could this brand new car have been vandalised prior to collection by the OP? I've seen if before. Car gets hit by rocks in the compound or on the transporter. Car then needs filler and spray-painted before it has even seen the cold light of day.

Crabman

hewhoisnotintheknow wrote: »

sorry i dont think you have a chance

From what I see I think the OP has a good chance of rejecting the vehicle if it's spent this long being repaired, just a couple of months following purchase!

Under the Sale of Goods Act (1979) an item must be fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality. If this isn't the case you could use the Small Claims Court to get your money back from the dealer (the court would be likely to agree that a brand new car costing over £15k shouldn't have these kinds of problems).

I think you should call trading standards/consumer direct for advice on what to do next including letters to send the dealer. Keep us updated

http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/before_you_buy/thinking_about/cars/dealer

blue_haddock

Absolultely no hope of rejecting the vehicle.

Yes there were defects with the vehicle however if it took you 11 days to notice a 'major' paint defect then it could not have been that significant. In order to reject a vehicle there needs to a MAJOR defect with the vehicle that has not been corrected, the manufacturer needs to be given sufficient time to work on the problem.

Vauxhall have let you book it into an independant bodyshop which appears to be one of your choosing. You have not had the car back yet so cannot realistically comment on the work done. There are many reasons it could have failed quality control - would you prefer it if they gave you back a car that was not 100% perfect?

The fact you live in swindon and bought the car in stockport leads me to believe you possibly bought it through a broker or because the stockport dealer was offering a much better deal than the local one. Sometimes paying a little bit more and buying local can help in these kind of situations, no-one local has any interest (read commision) to lose if you do eventually reject the vehicle.

iB1

I can't believe that you paid out of your own pocket for a scratch on a brand new vehicle that Vauxhall said they'd fix for you! I'm not sure if you have a case to be honest. Yes, the timescales seem to very long, and contact appears to be poor, but isn't that the fault of the independent body shop, rather than Vauxhall?

markelock

he still has the opportunity to bill them for the repair. suprises me more than he hasn't posted that to them.

Hintza

I can't believe that you had a go about a scratch 2-3 days after you bought it. I'm surprised Vauxhall even entertained this, when I take on a new car (normally dropped off with me voa transporter) I spend a good few minutes checking the paint work etc.

Easy to get a scratch after 2-3 days use.

As for major defect it strikes me that Vauxhall have done everything you could ask them to do as per blue haddock's post.