Dealer having v5 changed to show me as first owner when I'm not can they do this

tillycat123

I ordered a new car that arrived damaged. The dealer agreed to order another for me they dragged their feet but said they would. I have had a call to say my new car had arrived and the DVLA had already registered it, due the the fact they were having to take me off of the broken cars V5 and put me on car 2's v5.

This rang alram bells for me so I called DVLA who said car number 2 was already registered back in April but would not tell me who too but it's not me, I'm guessing a dealer and I would be the second owner not the first.

The dealer is insistent that they will have the V5 changed to show me as the first owner and the collection date as the date of the car being registered. How can they do this? He's tried telling me it happens all the time.

Some poor person is going to buy car number one that was very damaged and been repaired as a brand new car and never be the wiser as the dealer told me they would have me taken off of that v5 also, so no keepers till re sold!

I'm furious and have told them to cancel my order, I had ordered a new unregistered car not a pre reg one that has been taken off a forecourt somewhere. He said if I had not called DVLA I would be none the wiser as by the time I got the v5 i would be the first keeper!

He insisted it happened all the time but seems very dodgy to me. I told him when the v5 arrives for car 2 that I am not keeping I am not sending back to them but to DVLA as that what they said I was to do.

He pleaded with me not to do this and send it back to the dealer to deal with.

Is there somewhere I should be dobbing them in, surely they cannot do this?

bigjl

Not as far as i am aware.

But i have heard something similar before, i think it was on Watchdog or similar, have you tried asking the DVLA, you can phone their queries number or maybe pop into a Dvla local office.

harveybobbles

I have never heard of being able to remove someone fom a V5 before, without h'actually changing keepers...

marlot

There clearly has to be a process for when a mistake is made; I'm surprised that the window is open for a month though.

I'd be concerned that the second car was faulty in some way (perhaps bodywork) , was rejected by the buyer and has been through the bodyshop

Kilty_2

Pretty certain you can't remove an owner from a V5 - sounds like they're spinning you a line to lump you with a pre-registered car.

marlot wrote: »

There clearly has to be a process for when a mistake is made

Remember it's DVLA we're talking about here - nobody makes mistakes, and they definitely don't.

marlot

Just found this. It seems the registered keeper can be altered for the first 6 weeks

"In a bid to protect the integrity of the vehicle keeper register, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has said that it must be notified of any errors in a vehicle keeper’s name within six weeks of registration. Any subsequent alterations will be treated as a change of keeper, thereby increasing the number of former keepers.
The limit will not apply to any other changes on the vehicle registration certificate (V5C), including such as adding or change a fleet code or amending the address."


http://www.bvrla.co.uk/Advice_and_Guidance/DVLA_Overview.aspx

Alias_Omega

If you HPI check the car, it will tell you all the registered users, date registered etc.

I am unsure how they can re-register a car to a newer date.


2 outcomes here -


1) You accept the car, have a nice discount for a pre-registered car. Maybe somewhere near £3,000-£4,000 in your pocket.

2) You reject the car, have a refund, have another car etc, and it starts again.

Kilty_2

marlot wrote: »

Just found this. It seems the registered keeper can be altered for the first 6 weeks

"In a bid to protect the integrity of the vehicle keeper register, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has said that it must be notified of any errors in a vehicle keeper’s name within six weeks of registration. Any subsequent alterations will be treated as a change of keeper, thereby increasing the number of former keepers.
The limit will not apply to any other changes on the vehicle registration certificate (V5C), including such as adding or change a fleet code or amending the address."


http://www.bvrla.co.uk/Advice_and_Guidance/DVLA_Overview.aspx

Thanks for that - I'd agree with your 2nd point above in that case - why was it registered to someone else in the first place - is/was it a lemon?

marlot

Also, when does the warranty, breakdown cover etc expire - unless they can change the date of registration, the OP has probably lost a month or so.

flutterbyuk25

harveybobbles wrote: »

I have never heard of being able to remove someone fom a V5 before, without h'actually changing keepers...

Kilty wrote: »

Pretty certain you can't remove an owner from a V5 - sounds like they're spinning you a line to lump you with a pre-registered car.



Remember it's DVLA we're talking about here - nobody makes mistakes, and they definitely don't.

It can be done, in certain cases (as in Marlot's post). If a genuine error has been made then obviously a keeper can be removed from the record (i.e. purchase fell through but V5 already completed and sent to DVLA in advance). But you can't changed the first registration date of a vehicle.

HTH

darich

Alias_Omega wrote: »

If you HPI check the car, it will tell you all the registered users, date registered etc.

Never in any HPi check I've ever done.
And I don't go for the cheapskate text message ones. In November 2009 I used HPi for a car I was buying and paid £24.99 for the service. No mention of previous owner's details or dates.
Info on finance, plate change, written off, date registered etc.....but no previous owner's details.