Used Car Warranty when Part Exchange as part of transaction

animal1984farm

So, interested in a new used car.

Am part exchanging my old car, to knock a nominal amount off price.

I was told, because its a part echange (P/X), they will not offer a warranty on the car they are selling me?

Is that a normal business practice?

I mean, irrespective of whether I P/X or not, the used car is still the same used car.

Why do I lose cover on one car because of a separare one?

Also, should I get 2 keys as part of the deal? The trader is only offering me one set, with a £100+ fee if I wanted a spare set.

Any views?

If its relevant, the used car is 2,500GBP. I am not sure the price level matters.

Thanks

Ectophile

A warranty is in addition to your consumer rights. The garage is under no obligation to give a warranty if they don't want to. And there's no requirement for a car to have two keys.

You're at the bargain basement end of the market. There's a high chance that they will make a loss on your trade in. If your old car is so bad that a car costing £2500 retail is better, then there's a high chance that they will be calling the scrappy to take your old car away.

UnsureAboutthis

Even if a seller or garage decides to throw in a so-called "warranty", do be very aware—some of these are barely worth the paper they're written on.

For anyone reading this, I hope it saves you a headache: always check what kind of cover you're actually getting. A basic third-party or standard dealer warranty is a very different beast from a top-notch main dealer policy.

Before you take their word for it, make sure you ask (and read the small print on) a few key points:

• What is explicitly covered, and more importantly, what is NOT covered?
• Where does the car actually have to go for repair and diagnosis?

Also, a quick note on diagnostics: they are rarely covered upfront. In many cases, the warranty will only reimburse the diagnostic fee if the fault itself turns out to be a covered component. Even then, watch out for the maximum payout limits and hourly labour rate caps, as they can still leave you footing a good chunk of the bill.

It pays to read the terms thoroughly before assuming you're fully protected.

I hope this post helps many over the years inc OP

PS> Also check the sellers' reviews, the negative ones and if there is a pattern to the negative views, drive away.

Dustyevsky

animal1984farm: If its relevant, the used car is 2,500GBP. I am not sure the price level matters.

The price level matters because the dealer has to buy the warranty. On a cheap car, that's a larger proportion of the profit they hope to make.

As there is no fixed price for a used car, it's usual for potential purchasers and dealers to negotiate. The offer of a warranty is just one of many incentives that may be added, or withdrawn.

For example, when I bought my last (cheap) car, there was no record of timing belt replacement, so that important work and a service was factored into the final price. It is up to you to negotiate with the dealer to reach a figure you are both happy with.

As for keys, many of those come at a significant cost to the dealer. I discovered this when purchasing a van at keen price. Like you, perhaps, I assumed a second key could be picked-up easily. It could, but at the price Mercedes wanted, I decided the single key was fine!

LukeB_92

The part that is worth spelling out is what sits underneath a warranty, because taking a car in part exchange does not remove it.

If you are buying from a trader, your statutory rights are separate from any warranty the trader chooses to include or withhold. In broad terms, the car must be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality, taking account of its age, mileage and price - expectations for a £2,500 car are obviously lower than for a nearly new one, but that is not the same as no rights at all.

If a fault that was present when the car was sold appears in the first 30 days, there is a short-term right to reject in many cases. From after 30 days up to six months, a fault is generally presumed to have been present at the point of sale unless the trader can show otherwise, and the trader normally gets one opportunity to repair or replace before other remedies are considered.

Practical points that follow from that: get the agreed price, part-exchange allowance and exactly what is included - including the key position - in writing on the invoice, and report any fault promptly in writing so there is a dated record. Do not let 'no warranty' be presented as 'no comeback at all', they are two different things.

On the second key, there is no general right to one, so treat it as part of the negotiation and factor in the cost and inconvenience if the only key is lost.