Dont Test Drive at Audi!!!

am3thyst

Hi

Please can you guys help me?

My disabled father went to test drive a car at Audi Rochdale about 3 weeks ago. He was asked to reverse the car out of the parking space and as he did he hit a low bollard causing damage to the side of the vehicle.

The manager took my dad in the office and suggested that it would be in his best interest to say that he was not test driving the car and instead took the vehicle home and then he could say the damage was caused outside my dads house!!! My dad was shaken and felt that the manager was trying to help him and consequently drove the damaged car home, returning to the garage an hour later to say that he didnt want it.

Since then the garage have been hounding him with telephone calls saying that they have a car that they cant sell, that he has to pay a £1200 repair bill and that if he doesnt go to the garage to ort it out face to face on Wed this week they will take him to court.

My dad has never received anything in writing but the salesmen are getting more and more aggressive and my dad feels very intimidated.

My dad is a pensioner and not a well man. He already has high blood pressure and this incident is really making him ill.

I am going to ring them tomorrow to suggest that they deal with me in future and request that they do not contact my father again direct, but I need to know where we stand legally.

Any help would be great! Thank you

custardy

did your father sign anything?
end of the day he did damage the car so really the damage is down to him/his insurers

Lorian

Does he have legal assistance available on his own motor or home policy?

am3thyst

Hi - no he signed nothing - they didnt even ask to see his insurance policy.

I rang a couple of garages, Nissan and another Audi garage and told them I had no insurance but wanted to test drive a car. Both assured me that wasnt a problem as any incidences occurring on their test drive would be covered under their indemnity.

sarahg1969

Unless they asked him for evidence that he was insured, then they MUST have allowed him to drive on their own insurance. Otherwise, they may have been allowing him to drive uninsured (if they didn't check) - an offence. They probably don't want to get in trouble from the bosses.

Orford

Just a thought, but it might be worth checking if the parking area is covered by CCTV, these days most car dealers have cameras because of theft/vandalism.

oldone_2

Tell the garage to claim on their own insurance since the damage was done during a test drive. Taking it away and returning an hour later doesn't help, but it still should have been covered by the garage's insurance.

Inactive

oldone wrote: »

Tell the garage to claim on their own insurance since the damage was done during a test drive. Taking it away and returning an hour later doesn't help, but it still should have been covered by the garage's insurance.

Indeed, they will have a Motor Trade Insurance Policy, the garage only needs to claim on that.

Your Father is in the clear as far as any damage is concerned, tell the garage to stop harrassing your Father.

Report the matter to Audi themselves if you don't get satisfaction.

LinasPilibaitisisbatman

Inactive wrote: »

Indeed, they will have a Motor Trade Insurance Policy, the garage only needs to claim on that.

Your Father is in the clear as far as any damage is concerned, tell the garage to stop harrassing your Father.

Report the matter to Audi themselves if you don't get satisfaction.

I wouldnt say he is in the clear.

He did the damage and could ultimately be pursued for it.

Re insurance. Im guessing Audi have a far higher excess thus the repairs will be out of pocket.

Viper_7

sarahg1969 wrote: »

Unless they asked him for evidence that he was insured, then they MUST have allowed him to drive on their own insurance. Otherwise, they may have been allowing him to drive uninsured (if they didn't check) - an offense. They probably don't want to get in trouble from the bosses.

They didn't allow him to do anything. If he drives without insurance he is committing an offense. It's HIS responsibility to confirm he is covered.

however I'm sure the garage is covered under their own policy for test drives - just as they are when they drive the car when it's in their care for servicing etc.


Tell them to stop harassing your father - if it continues you'll take matters further re the harrassment, but at the same time take matters further by taking up your complaint with headoffice.

sarahg1969

Viper_7 wrote: »

They didn't allow him to do anything. If he drives without insurance he is committing an offense. It's HIS responsibility to confirm he is covered.

It is an offence to permit someone to drive without insurance.

Which is why I say that, if they didn't check that he had his own insurance, then they were clearly allowing him to drive on theirs. Because they were permitting him to drive without insurance, if they had none, and he had none (even if they didn't ask him if he had - because it's their responsibility to find out).

But of course they would have insurance, in which case their insurers can deal with it. His insurance most likely will not cover him comprehensively for driving other vehicles.