Darkbluecars

I think you lost me at "I bought a car for a friend"

She's probably seriously wounded him and can't face the embarrassment of showing her face again.

Blimey this has gone on a bit. I think all I was suggesting was selling a SOR was, for me, conditional on the car being trailered away. Where I trade it's never been a problem but I don't sell many SOR's. I suppose I was given this TS advice and it made sense to me that a car I'd deemed not suitable for retail sale shouldn't be driven off my premises. It seems a stress free way of dealing with cars in this condition/price bracket.

I don't think anyone suggested, TS or my self, suggested lying down in front of a customer if he sends his trailer away. I believe if a trader decides for whatever reason that a car is only suitable for SOR we have a responsibility to behave in a specific way. So an invoice that states the vehicle can only be trailered away and that's a condition of sale and the keys are only handed over when the conditions are met is appropriate. Looking at this from another angle maybe it seems to make sense. If a trader sells a car to a customer as a SOR, by his admission it's not suitable for use on the road. The trader then let's the customer drive it away onto a public road. The vehicle shortly afterwards has an accident causing injury. If the trader has allowed that car to be on a road without taking reasonable steps to prevent it the injured party may have recourse to civil action. If I was the injured party I would seriously be looking at the trader not the just the person who's got £395 to spend on a car. I know this seems a bit far fetched but it will be why the law and guidelines are framed as they are.

The link came from the Chartered Institute of Trading Standards website. The businesscompanion.info link seems to be used by them to explain and translate complicated law. Sorry the link doesn't take you to the site from here. If you Google " cits " car sales it will take you there. "businesscompanion.info is delivered and managed by experts at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) so people can be sure the advice is practical, accurate and always up to date." I believe you are required to make it a condition of sale rather than trying to stop the action of driving away after the sale.

I was informed this by trading standards and it seemed to make sense to me. I did check and from the trading standards guidence to business website this is what they say "If you have a vehicle that is to be sold as spares or for repair then this must be clearly indicated and should not be sold with any MOT or road tax. You should not allow the vehicle to be driven from your premises."

As motor traders don't we have a legal responsibility to ensure that a SOR vehicle is not driven off of our premises but towed or trailered away. Thats what I was lead to believe by Trading Standards. If that car, that we've just said is only suitable for SOR, had an accident being driven away we could be liable to legal action. That's always been my understanding of the law anyway.

He should notify his insurers and they will take it up with the dealership insurers. If he then feels the repair is unsatisfactory he can request an independent assessment. All insurance bodywork repairs should be guaranteed for five years. If the dealership repair the car then his contract is with them and although they maybe very nice people they're not independent. Prior to any insurance work being carried out a full assessment will be made of the car so there can be no dispute over what work was necessary as a result of the accident. The dealership may not be so thorough. Also in the worst case scenario their divers version of events may not tally with the RR drivers account. In time your friends insurers could be contacted and he could be subject of an insurance claim. It may seem a faff in the short term but safer long term.

If this is your first "Screamer" it seems like a very gentle introduction...Good luck when the real nutters come calling.

I remember years ago similar snow levels in Bristol. Radio full of school closures and people not being able to get to work. So off to Manheim with the expectation of having the place to myself...No chance, every bugger who "couldn't" get to work thought they'd have a day at the car auctions and bring their kids with them.

Totally agree on this front in theory. Always strikes me as odd that you need to be licensed to sell financial services but you can set up a company selling products with lethal consequences overnight without regulation.