Bought car from dealer...now VIC requirement help?

Alidolly

Saw car advertised by dealer on Autotrader so went to view. Car looked ok and dealer said they'd done a HIP check and came back with no issues outstanding (regularly serviced, two owners from new).

Bought car by trading in my old one but as previous owner was disabled, couldn't get taxed till the following week as need to do that at a DVLA office. Got tax disk and nothing said by the office that issued it so waited for papers to arrive from DVLA.

Then gets a letter stating car needs a VIC inspection :eek: and that it'll cost £41 for the privilege. From my understanding, VIC required if cat A-C (so car basically written off at some point) so could be driving a death trap.

Phoned garage and they wanted a copy of the letter stating VIC required. Emailed that through yesterday and waiting to hear back about VIC appt but not sure what to do now...

I feel the garage at the VERY least should pay for the VIC test and an independent vehicle check by say the AA or RAC and if found faulty, repair or refund the full price I paid for the vehicle as surely the HIP check should have disclosed the fact the car had issues.

I need a car so returning the vehicle would leave me without wheels but I also don't want to be driving my 2.5 yr old daughter round in a car that was deemed a write off...

Have done a visual inspection of car and can't see any obvious repairs having been done so could DVLA records be wrong?

Anyone got any advice or suggestions as to what I should do (or say to the garage).

colino

Check and double check the paperwork (mistakes can happen), but if the car has been a Cat C, get your money back and let the trader sort out the mess. I know that with your prejorative description of write offs you wont want to simply negotiate a healthy cash back deal.

Jamie1981

Did the dealer advertise it as HPI clear and did you request to see a copy of the HPI report?

I would not say at the very least they should pay for the VIC test, I think the very least you should do is take it back for a refund. Remember, even if they paid for the VIC test, the chances are you paid near the market value for the car and if it is recorded as a CAT C or other this will affect the value and be probably worth up to £1,500 + less than what you have just paid for it.

Alidolly

The dealer gave me a copy of the MOT test dates from the gov website but doesn't say anything about it being CAT C above and they said they would not have bought it from the previous seller if they had known.

The car was just under £1000 so not a massive amount but I don't have any other funds to get a more expensive one. The vehicle was MOTd in May of this yr tho and service history book has all the stamps (the only thing different being it says it's a duplicate but assumed it was because the first must have been lost).

I would just like to know what the damage was, when it was repaired and most importantly if it's safe (and won't fall apart driving along the road) but I don't think they tell you that at the VIC test, only that it's passed or failed..which is rubbish IMHO..even an MOT tells you more but as its got one of those...should be road worthy right?

If it passes the VIC could I still ask the dealer for the test costs and for an RAC check for example or a discount from the price paid (and if so, how much given approx price paid)

Thanks everyone...

hartcjhart

sadly HPI checks are not perfect and mistakes are made,

however, were you happy with the car prior to finding out about the VIC check??

if yes then ask the dealer to pay for the check and an independant inspection and if all is well keep it,I dont think he will drop the price on a sub £1000 car

it sounds like an oldish car so any damage could be as simple as a wing/bonnet type repair needed and would be classed as 'beyond economical repair',
the key word is 'economical'

Alidolly

Yes, the car looked great as 02 reg with less than 53000 miles on the clock. Interior was a little worn but nothing a few seat covers couldn't hide. As it had the full service history and seemed to have been looked after, thought it was a good deal as my old car was needing quite a bit spent on it (more than it was worth tbh). I guess I'll just have to see what the garage says..going to give them a call tomorrow.

At the moment I'll go with
If it fails ViC then want my money back.
If passes, then garage can reimburse me for the VIC test at the very least.

Just wanted to see if I was on the right tracks so thanks everyone

Rover_Driver

A VIC (Vehicle Identity Check) isn't a pass or fail, all they are checking is that the vehicle being checked is genuine. They don't look at the quality of the repair or the roadworthiness of the vehicle

It is to check that a stolen car has not been given the identity of one that has been written off.

paddedjohn

As said above, a VIC is only to check the identity of the vehicle, when was the car written off? Was it prior to the last MOT or since? If you are happy with the car and the price then ask the dealer to pay for the VIC and also to put it through a new MOT for you, this should put your mind at ease regarding the safety of the car.Alternatively, you can demand your cash back but you may have to do a deal on the tax.

colino

OK, the dealer has broken the law by failing by, "Misleading Omission" to inform you that it was Cat C: The V5C doesn't show it as damaged, you have a duplicate service book and the interior is worn out. By all means hang on to it, but please be sure to let me know when you are looking for a new car, I'm sure I can help you out.

forgotmyname

The interior shouldnt be worn on a car with 53,000 miles.

Mines got 100,000 more than that and its got no holes or rips
etc.

lee678

what paperwork did you produce to be able to tax it at your local dvla office please ?