Whether to return car - clutch judder

matth1j

Hi - got a Mazda2 (90ps) from Cazoo on Thursday, and while on the whole I'm very happy with it, I do have one worry which I'd like to resolve before the expiry of the 7 day return period.

My flat's parking space is on a steep-ish incline. (Edit: I did include a Streetview image but have decided to remove it due to the website 'personally identifiable information' warning.)

I park facing uphill, and a couple of the few times I've set off, there's been brief but significant judder while doing so. I haven't experienced this in 'normal' driving.

The car is a 2015 reg with 44k miles, one owner, FSH, so I'm hoping this is more a 'feature' than an actual problem. If the former then I would be happy to live with it. I do have the 'no questions asked' 7 day return option, but after a lot of searching I feel like I've got the right car and think I would have trouble finding a replacement.

This Mazda2 was over £1k cheaper than any others on Cinch/Cazoo when I bought it, but I believe that was due to the age, mileage, and more 'imperfections' (chips and windscreen scratches) than the others. I don't think Cazoo would risk selling anything which they knew had a mechanical problem.

Any thoughts?

GunJack

CAn you at least raise it with them within the 7 days for them to check it out?

chrisw

matth1j said:

I'm hoping this is more a 'feature' than an actual problem. If the former then I would be happy to live with it.

I once had a BMW which had this 'feature'. Drove me absolutely nuts after a while. 

Ibrahim5

I don't think Cazoo would risk selling anything which they knew had a mechanical problem.

Second hand car dealers have always been happy to sell cars with problems. That's how they got their reputation. Why would Cazoo be any different?

matth1j

GunJack said:

Can you at least raise it with them within the 7 days for them to check it out?

Just emailed them; they've been pretty good so far.

matth1j

Ibrahim5 said:
Second hand car dealers have always been happy to sell cars with problems. That's how they got their reputation. Why would Cazoo be any different?

I get the impression Cazoo will try to avoid that; they've got a high public profile (TV adverts etc.), and low ratings on sites like TrustPilot aren't good for business. Similarly for Cinch. Obviously I don't know how hard they'll try, but I suspect it's harder than many others.

FWIW current TrustPilot rating is pretty good: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/cazoo.co.uk

matth1j

This website suggests it might only be condensation, 'a common problem':
https://rustyautos.com/clutch-judder-when-cold/

ontheroad1970

matth1j said:

Ibrahim5 said:
Second hand car dealers have always been happy to sell cars with problems. That's how they got their reputation. Why would Cazoo be any different?

I get the impression Cazoo will try to avoid that; they've got a high public profile (TV adverts etc.), and low ratings on sites like TrustPilot aren't good for business. Similarly for Cinch. Obviously I don't know how hard they'll try, but I suspect it's harder than many others.

FWIW current TrustPilot rating is pretty good: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/cazoo.co.uk

I shouldn't worry about Fred too much, he has a bias against dealers and garages.  Remember that as it is a distance sale presumably, you have a full 14 days to return it, not just the 7 they advertise.

matth1j

ontheroad1970 said:
Remember that as it is a distance sale presumably, you have a full 14 days to return it, not just the 7 they advertise.

Right, although if they are like Cinch, they do suggest that you should only cover the sort of mileage you'd do in a test drive, which doesn't seem unreasonable.

To be honest I haven't read all the return T&Cs yet. However I did return a VW Up! to Cinch last week - I realised pretty quickly that I wasn't going to get comfortable in it without a reach adjustable steering wheel, which I've since discovered that none of the very small (ie. one size down from Mazda2/Fiesta) cars have. I didn't feel guilty about it - it's something I would have discovered on a test drive. And it was a pretty straightforward process; not afraid to do it again if I feel it's the right decision.

[Deleted User]

I know that online and remote purchasing of used cars became a necessity during Covid but there is a massive risk when you don't actually inspect and test drive the car before handing over even a deposit.

I've seen the negative reviews for these online car companies and most of them would have been avoided if the buyer had just actually seen the car in person and test drove it.

Despite the headline no quibble money back guarantees, they rely on the fact that once you have taken delivery, it is often really inconvenient to take them up on that. In many cases the buyer has sold / traded in their old car so would be left carless until they find another. Also finance deals that can affect the credit record can make it more complex to change at short notice.

Even with an inspection and test drive, buyers can still be caught out but the risk is reduced.

matth1j

Deleted_User said:

massive risk

Definitely a risk you won't like the car and want to return it, but that wasn't really a problem for me.

I'm not using a car much at the moment, so although I had indeed part exchanged my old Mazda3 in part payment for the Cinch Up! and was left car-less, it wasn't a big deal. It meant splashing out about £10 on a train fare, and also effectively restricted me to another online purchase for the replacement, which was fine by me.

The Up! was delivered on Thursday, I decided to return it on Friday, it was collected Monday, and £10k was back in my account on Tuesday. By then I'd already ordered the (cheaper) Mazda2 from Cazoo on Sunday (on a credit card which I repaid on Tuesday), and I collected it on Thursday. Simples

True, I don't particularly want to repeat the process, but I would if I felt I ought to, and would happily buy from Cinch/Cazoo again based on my experiences so far. Sure, it's not for everyone, but it is for me, at the moment anyway.