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Selling warranties either your own or someone else’s can hamper the sales process.I have found that people who pay for warranties often return and make claims which are not covered and it creates bad feeling.However,when you throw in your own warranty,not only is it far cheaper in the long run,but you are in control and can react quickly to claims.You find that with a lot of claims ,your punter will be happy to pay for a proportion of the work. As for not offering warranties,if you have a Credit Licence and want to do prime finance,if you don’t offer warranties or payment card facilities,I doubt any of the ‘big boys’ would offer you a rates and terms contract.

Mazda 3 - battery tested fine, fault cleared, not come back on as of yet. Mazda 5 - both batteries knackered, changed and now fine. Not sure if the electric doors or other gismos have had a bearing on the batteries.

Mmmmmm..... Because that installs confidence in a customer!

We get it once every few months...it's to be expected unfortunately. I used to worry about it but these days just see it as a part of how it's going to be. In not too many words I basically agree 100%. In more words, when it comes to chancers i'm like a dog with a bone; I keep a timed & dated log of events detailing each and every conversation (if it ever goes to court i'll know when and what was discussed whilst joe bloggs won't remember ranting in Tescos), copies of all emails and any quotes or reports from the moment a complaint is made. Never commit or agree to anything at first, just listen and explain you need to forward the request to the legal team for correct advice before responding (buys a bit of time to calm down and makes a punter realise you're serious and organised). At the first raised voice or threat I simply explain that as professionals we won't deal with aggression or bullying and that any further correspondence must be written in a physical format and that calls and emails will simply not be acknowledged due to poor behaviour. It's normally pretty early on I terminate phone or face to face interaction. Shame we have to go through these hoops but for a genuine person I will literally bend over backwards to make sure they're happy, as always there's that 5% ruining it for everyone.

The last repair I paid for was for was an EGR cooler in December which let go with a cloud of white steam. Very dramatic for the customer...

Just info for now as touch wood only ever had 1 car back that was a dirt cheap part ex. Never again i just want to know what legally we need to do when these things arise. We want to do things right and not have the piss taken by either side. Some clients u can tell will be calling about every little thing. I just wondered if you should sometimes just offer part payment to fix problems or just say bring car back and refund amount and find a better buyer!!

Jimbo, you need to make sure you do the right prep and checks prior to the car going out, a new MOT and PDI. My cars are mot'd and independently PDI'd. If there are faults, I state them in my video and the invoice / PDI as it forms part of the contract. The way I see it is very clear, I tend to sell cars which are prestige, high mileage and 10+ years in age, with this age of vehicle "wear n tear" should be expected and the expectations should be very very different to newer cars which haven't been to the moon and back.... The CRA works on a sliding scale, age mileage condition and price paid and the expectations should be befitting of the above. At the end of the day a car is just a machine and they can break at any time, irrespective of whatever prep. My job is to make sure the car is right on collection and that the customer is happy and confirms this in writing. I also educate them that anything that constitutes "wear n tear" is their responsibility to repair. I do not offer a warranty / insurance policy, because you are just asking for endless hassle. To answer your question, if I have a problem customer within 30 days who has ignored the above, I tell them to return it me to me for a "statutory inspection" with the reiteration that "wear n tear" is not covered. It's all about expectations and education, if you are transparent and explain your stance and your reasoning behind your stance they will respect you.....