Leaderboard

My experience after 40+ years in the motor trade is that very few people can make proper money fettling 'collectors' cars (i.e. old stuff that is too unreliable to use every day) if you cost your time at anything like a sensible rate. When I see an old JLR product (or even a fairly new one) I see a steaming heap of trouble and strife. A 17 year old 100k+ mile X350 that's been left sitting for months would be pretty much my worst nightmare. I used to have a trader mate who specialised in sale and repair of older Jags. He had a yard which was usually home to about a dozen hulks in various stages of decay awaiting repair. It ended up costing him his marriage, his house and eventually his sanity. He escaped to Norfolk where he now runs a B&B. I semi-retired in 2018 and the business (sales/service/MoT) ticks over under the watchful eye of my business partner with me helping out when I get bored. I have lost most of my interest in cars, especially 'classic' cars which, let's face it, are mostly pretty shite by modern standards. My philosophy is buy something from Toyota or Honda and get on with life.

There is some ‘customer resistance’ to red. I remember a punters wife once saying “I’m not driving around in a fooking fire engine!”

Don't slam the door on the way out Ha, we are all still here working as usual, giving service and customer satisfaction to each and every customer the old fashioned tried tested and approved way.................

But you dont Give each and every car a fresh mot at point of sale by an independent mot station so no mates rules Sort out any issues so car has no advisories for customers or trading standards to nit pick on unless obviously it's something like slight corrosion to brake hose ferrules or slight corrosion to front subframe, you wouldn't change these items but you would underseal or protect them Have each and every car go through a comprehensive tick box pre delivery inspection Have each and every car go on a 10 mile drive to confirm no problems Do all this and you cut problems down by 99% If you do then get a visit by trading standards or heaven forbid you go to the small claims court you can prove you did everything possible to sell a proper sorted car prior to sale and this goes in your favour because it shows you keep records and show due diligence to the trade we are in Remember everyone loves us as they buy a car today but tomorrow if they even hear as much as a squeek tomorrow you are their enemy Finally always keep business and pleasure separate if you like a nice quiet pint

If its just a regular Zetec or similar spec, then it has drum brakes in the rear. The rear shoes self adjust, or should do more like. If they don't or the drums are full of brake dust then you will get a lot of travel between the shoes and the drums. This travel is taken up by the brake pedal obviously and leading to what might seem like spongy brakes. You'll need to remove wheels and adjust shoes either through hole in the drum or by removing the drum altogether, cleaning down with brake cleaner and adjusting. Also check front discs are not lipped, another cause of brake travel. Also check pins that the front calliper slides on. If these are stuck you get issues also.

It reminds me of the Ford Dealer in rural Northumberland where we would buy swappers in the distant past.I was waiting to see the sales manager who was showing some new car to a typical farmer and his wife. She said she didn’t like the colour and the sales manager who also looked like a farmer replied ‘ I wouldn’t worry about the colour pet,when it’s covered in shit you won’t notice ‘ .She said ‘ you’re right we will have it ‘.

yes I had a lady yesterday refusing to get in a green car, she called it a big bogey

Rule number 1: Never put a car up for sale that’s not retail ready?

He definitely did ! Do you remember the early Datsun Cherry’s and Sunny’s .They were cheap to buy,plentiful and brilliant sellers although the wings and sills rotted like hell and needed bodging !………..past glories.

boss man took the hump

Try Steve Mealor at Gallaghers Insurance 07879 426446. Very helpful and competitive.

Speak to Howden's ( Formely Aston Lark) speak to Jem 07850 322592 mention me and #theIMDA !

Why isn't Alex Chesterman being investigated for one of the largest frauds in Automotive history? Getting large backers, huge hype without any substance and then taking 100 million at least and leaving it to crash and burn????

I sold a 16 plate grand scenic 1.5 diesel euro 6 80,000 miles and it was near mint for £5,995. The bloke brought it back 4 weeks later parked it as close to the office and hobbled in when we were dealing with a customer threw the door open and said I"m not happy" in front of everyone. I asked him what was wrong and he said his left rear tyre was 19 lbs pressure and he had to pump it up most mornings during the last week and his wiper blades were noisy and were both 27 inch blade type when one should be 24 inch and the other 30 inches. He said he had had to buy new blades himself and the rear blade was 12 inches but should be 13 inches. I told him to go to the local tyre depot and get the tyre checked on my account as he clearly had picked up a slow puncture (it never deflated when it was at the pitch) He then showed a you tube channel on his phone in front of my customer of how to clean out the windscreen drain scuttles saying also the carpet was damp. I booked him in the next day and gave him a loan car and fixed it. 3 weeks later (last tuesday) it was minus 7 degrees and he came in again on saturday and spoke to my salesman in a very aggressive manner saying "I'm not happy" again as it didnt start immediatley on that cold morning he had to crank it 2 or 3 times (probably wants a set of glowplugs but it was fine until then, My salesman said did it start this morning and he said yes no problem and brought the phone out to show another you tube video about glow plugs, my salesman said I"m not a mechanic so the customer said he used to be a diesel mechanic asked me to phone him the next day as a matter of urgency as he was "not happy", I am going to phone him and let him have both barrels about his rude attitude just turning up unannounced moaning about childish things and tell him to bring the car back with all the paperwork as I don"t want him as a customer. Some people are just downright rude and saying I"m not happy will get him nowhere - we sell cars not happiness, if he wants to be happy just fuck off to a comedy night. The chap is a very boring wheezing anorak trainspotting type old fat man on his last legs - hopefully he will have an accident and do the world a favour

It's actually disgraceful how many businesses are classed as private to get round the draconian one way ebay has become Shame but I suppose you can't blame them the sellers The new deal is Facebook marketplace but boy how are hmrc going to keep up on there

I told all my customers they were getting 7 days or your money back but didn't use it these last 10 years He is clearly a moaner and I have to say he would have failed my attitude test and the car he wanted always got a major problem seconds before he came for another apraisal just before he said it will be cash you know or we took a deposit on it only 10 minutes ago sir sorry about that, you must have passed him on the way in Life was too short to help the cares in the comnunity If they show signs of pissing you off today then they will definitely be back if you bend and show weekness to them before during or after the sale Some people live to create problem's Currently in the club watching the snooker and enjoying retirement Remember you are the captain and all customers need permission to board your vessel

Named drivers don’t appear to qualify for no claims discount when taking out their own policy.We had a similar experience having been individually named for social domestic and pleasure on our fairly expensive company fleet policy which we had with the same insurer for many years.When we retired ,we were taken off our company policy and took out a new private policy with the same insurer.They accepted my application which included full no claims discount so I settled up.Sometime later,I was informed that my no claims discount had been disallowed and that the cover would be cancelled if I did not immediately pay the balance they requested.Although I thought this to be very unfair,I paid the balance ‘ under protest ‘ and complained to The Ombudsman. Sometime later The Ombudsman service got back and they agreed with the insurance company that we did not qualify for any no claims discount and we would have to start afresh having been previously comprehensively covered to drive any car by the same insurer for 40 years without making a single claim.

You guys are the unsung heroes of the trade.The thought of doing Scotland to East Anglia twice at the moment …….

On the face of it,it appears to be an ‘on premises’ contract but CHR 15 is wide ranging and Small Claims Court Judges ( who are not fans of used car dealers and tend to side with claimants ) may interpret the law in different ways.Who did you invoice,was it the son,his mother or her brother.Would you be able to prove to a judge that the brother ( a close connected party ) inspected the car on your premises and made the contract after contacting his sister.Also did you establish what qualifications the brother had in order to carry out an inspection.For instance anyone trying out a car on my pitch had to give their name and address and provide their usual signature and if they were ‘ in the trade’ to state where they worked. ( I got caught out on that one once )

I wouldn't do the deal as I insist prospective purchaser sees the car and l would then need a deposit on paper you have done a distance sale that might be difficult to prove otherwise I had exactly the same a few weeks back, a prospective customer was asking daily for a car I had but I was waiting for log book for, she offered full money for it unseen and told me she now lived 100 miles away, I declined any money and indeed she never completed the purchase I think she was trying to get a distance sale out of me by deceit Sound familiar?

I know I’m thinking of just telling him to get trafinf standards and every man and his dog if he wants.

I dont get the fear of TS there mostly an underpowered underfunded misinformed organization, every dealing i have had with them i knew more about the case law than they did. If your confident in your position then stand your ground.

Spot on, I think it is called ‘ protecting the down side ‘. Also if you want to make any money retailing older stuff,unfortunately the reality is you have to do the lions share of the prep yourself.

They more than likely dont need the car any longer or it doesnt suit their needs, or there has been a new addition to the family (child or dog). They may have tried to sell it, but not getting near what they gave you, and possibly had some tyre kickers out complaing it needed new brakes etc. Your probably not be getting the real story. I've been here before and people will find every excuse when they want their money back. Sometimes its the only way for a stress free life. You could also take it back and have the issues sorted, but there is no garantee they wont be back again in 2 months time with something else.

Kwik Fit ! There is the answer. There is probably little wrong with it.Anyone who has been in the trade for a while has a Kwik Fit story.They are worse than the main dealer free health checks.Unless things have changed,Kwik Fit fitters have daily sales targets and get paid 10% of jobs and if they miss their target ,they get bollicked.Kwik Fit should be able to tell you the mileage if they think they will get work.They may have done a lot of miles,so you could refund them less at least 40p per mile and charge for any paintwork ,a valet and probably collection.

You need to establish some facts. Firstly, the car was sold in July but it seems the MoT runs from April. A 3-4 month discrepancy. What were the mileages at MoT and at date of sale? What is the mileage now? This is why we only do an MoT immediately prior to sale. Secondly, an MoT is only a snapshot of the cars condition at the time of inspection. It is quite possible for the brakes to pass an MoT but become unroadworthy a week later. The MoT standard is actually quite weak on disc condition - I speak as someone who used to be an MoT inspector until 2018. Discs can be really quite worn and corroded and still pass, whereas a diligent mechanic would recommend replacement. HOWEVER we do not warrant friction parts (brakes/clutch) - BUT we do normally replace any friction parts that won't last at least 6 months or 6000 miles in our judgement.

Depends on where it’s coming from, I’ve had a few main dealer cars with no report as most of them don’t pay for mechanical reports on cars older than 6-10 years, all have been fine. If it’s not from a main dealer then avoid or proceed with caution, only car without a report that I got (that wasn’t a main dealer one) was one that I won for low enough price that it was worth a punt, it arrived with a major misfire but I lucked out as it was just a faulty coil pack.

EGC are often a complete nightmare. Its an 'automated manual'. We don't buy, sell or service vehicles with this gearbox. Best case is disconnect/reconnect battery will reset it. Be sure battery is in tip top condition. If that doesn't fix it then you may need to go to the main dealer. Not many independents will mess with these. Often its actuator failure which is couple of thousand to fix. A ten year old EGC is not something I would retail.

Nothing changes.For as long as I can remember,there are usually a few quiet weeks at this time. I was at my old pitch today which sells plenty and they are also quiet .It’s like the early to mid November window when prices usually drop and you can stock up .Good luck with your new pitch.

Very slow summer, picked up first 2 weeks september now died off again

It's not going to go away unless they crash it so buy the thing back and get a proper diagnostic done, the light only comes on for a reason so there will be data held to guide you unless it's got an aftermarket stereo fitted and this is affecting the can bus

Professional diagnostic equipment is hugely expensive. Cheap diagnostic equipment just sends sends you up blind alleys. Find a tech that knows how to diagnose faults and let him buy the tools?

Hi there If it's been sitting for a while get it sparked up and see if it holds its level. It will probably be fine. Pumps are much more common than legs, I've got one to do this weekend on a xj6. Be careful of values; A very nice 4.2 will pull in decent money on low mileage, but other engines aren't nearly as valuable. Getting one forecourt ready might be a nightmare. Making sure EVERYTHING works on these was hard enough ten years ago, let alone know Ultimately you're going to end up putting in more time, money and effort than turning a hatchback, I know I should stop messing with them, but I love Jaguars.

Unless you can nick then leave it, old jag been sitting….

If you are in the trade,have you not got enough headaches to keep you occupied.I know a guy who for 30 years traded heavy stuff doing swaps with franchised dealers.For several years ,he now only deals in classics and from what I understand,the trick is to try and not spend any money on them.

In this case it seems that the mileage discrepancy arose before the customer owned the car. The customer can therefore claim that they had no knowledge of the discrepancy and would not be liable. The law recognises that an individual can only give assurances or guarantees according to what they know, not about what they don't know. A private individual would not be expected to carry out mileage verification of a car they are buying or selling, whereas a dealer would be. I think in this case OP slipped up and has to take it on the chin.

Can anyone tell me what a customer looks like please

Long, but interesting read: https://sifted.eu/articles/cazoo-debt-burden-layoffs

Well I've looked at the holesale and have to ask in my best Alfie voice What have they got then that manheim havent, and it seems they are younger than manheim So whats it all about............ Enter cilla black and the dog.... 1966

Didn’t know about Cazoo wholesale.It must have cost them a billion to find out that there is more money in charging auction buyers fees than retailing .

Make sure the site you pick can be found via Google maps and satnav Remember walk ons are basically much lower these days and I find are usually older generation who aren't tech savvy You need to check that you can put 10 cars where you want them and not have objections and parking problems, if using an industrial type site be sure to do your homework in relation to other tenants parking noise rubbish and the lease might include full repair, and on leaving a full repaint, so it might be worth considering going Ltd just in case it all goes pear June is always quiet So is july So is august Best to just stay in lanzerote these 3 months and have another beer

Two bank holidays on the back of Easter peoples heads and wallets are in another place, relax and mint your stock it will come back. As for red if it's mega cheap at wholesale price, take a punt. Polish it within an inch of it's life and you may get a result. Works for us particularly sub 5k retail money

Now $1.38

I've not seen the Chinese stuff in the flesh yet, but don't expect there to be a lot wrong with it, you'll get a long warranty, lots of gadgets and a big saving on the European stuff ......ok might not have the badge, or the so called "driving experience" but with the groups loosing out on the transition to Agency model sales they'll be glad of the profit opportunity and will jump on board and will push these new brands hard...

Wow. You have dodged a bullet on that car, particularly buing it from BCA. Lesson number 2; dont buy 4 cylinder petrol BMW's. You are lucky to not have problems with chain, injectors, valve seals or all of the above!

First rookie mistake you made was showing the car with a fault. Any fault, however small should be rectified before you ever advertise or show to a potential customer. Another mistake is telling the new customer what parts have been fitted. He has lost confidence in the car as it looks like it’s has/had numerous issues in a short space of time. My advice is pop round ASAP to his house. Be polite and co-operative. Do a diagnostic scan and if it’s a small issue, fix it quickly and you might regain his trust. Otherwise refund, move on and always remember they’re called BM Trouble You for a reason.

You can’t put diesel in a petrol by mistake as the diesel gun nozzle at the pump won’t fit as is bigger than a petrol gun nozzle so you can rule out mis fuelling. Chances is the fault was the same fault as before you sold the car and just reoccurred maybe possible ECU fault. Customer is entitled to refund as is within 30 days. Best never to sell to customer who knows there’s a fault before purchase as if engine light comes on they will always try and say same fault as before I bought it and is a ticking time bomb for 6 months

Something that takes a long time in this trade is how to pick your battles. Put that argument in front of a judge you would have more chance of running for American president.

Bunch of pirates IMHO. If it will start and drag itself a few yards then it passes 'BCA Assured'. The question is, do you need them more than they need you? Try to take any kind of formal action against them and your account WILL be terminated. I look at prices being paid, at fees and delivery, at repair/reconditioning costs and marketing costs and I really wonder at how the small time trader is making any money.

Big news last week,having blown several hundred million borrowed from pension funds,the penny must have dropped for these amateurs running Cazoo ,I see they have appointed a professional car dealer to salvage the business.