Good to see something is happening for you too. We're not dealing with Arther Daley here, we're dealing with a multinational corporation with quality assurance standards.

It now gets interesting - the dealership will do a report for their customer services people. If the dealership have any sense, they will come clean at this point and offer to do everything possible to put matters right. On the other hand, if they misinform their customer services people and you can prove it, it gives you more ammunition.

The aim is to get them to put customer service (not to mention their Sales of Goods Act responsibities) higher up the agenda than cost control.

As I've said before, Lancaster do know what excellant customer service is - the work they did free on my car would have cost me around £1,000 retail.

I never got a reply from IM, but didn't chase as the dealer sorted it so well

 

I dont want to rub it in but it seems like Lancaster Seven Oaks is a bad apple, I bought my MY99 wagon from Lancaster Pangbourne in November and have nothing but praise, the car came fully inspected and valeted, It needed its first MOT so came with 4 new tyres, wipper blades and brake pads all at Lancasters expense. The sales girl was a bit slow but got the job done and was pleasing to the eye

Hope it all gets sorted out.

Simon.

 

Funny how dealers differ by so much. Lanchaster Pangbourne generally good for servicing and sales (although I found them a bit tight on part-exchange). Mill Lane Basingstoke great on servicing but come with a holier-than-thou attitude on sales. Won't touch SGT after they tried to sell me a crashed Terzo - even when I challenged them they said that it had been repaired and therefore was as good as new. RAC chap was less sure particularly as alignment seemed to be out so didn't buy.

 

I received an e-mail today from the new manager at Lancaster Subaru Sevenoaks. Nice and polite but without offering any real solutions to the myriad problems with the car. In the mail he admits that the car was PDI'd and serviced in August 2002- 5 months before I collected it!!!! God knows how many miles it did between that and the time I picked it up or who drove it. Let's hope he doesn't think that a check/service done 5 months prior to collection is adequate. He also seemed to suggest in a nice way that I have damaged the brakes myself. I have driven the car extremely gently in light of its problems so it is somewhat irksome to have the blame shifted onto oneself.
The story continues 'cos I'll be back on to the Jardine Group and my solicitor tommorow.

 

Keep us posted


LB4

 

Yes, Ian is still at Lancaster Sevenoaks

 

Scooby-new

I've been told by a few dealers that when a Scoob comes in for re-sale it's checked, serviced and then put up for sale. If it stands on the forecourt for 3 months and then it's sold, it's not re-serviced or re-checked. I was surprised at this and I too feel it's not that exceptable.

However ... in my case I found the exact model I wanted (right extra's colour etc) put a deposit down and then picked the car up 3 months later when I could afford it Mine was not re-serviced or re-checked, and lucky for me the mileage had gone up by only a few miles and everthing else was (and has been) fine.

I'm sorry to hear the hassle you've had, but I may have missed your answer on wether it was a 'Proven Used Subaru'.

You should of got the "Subaru Proven Used Car Pre-sale Inspection" sheet along with the "Subaru Proven Used Car Certificate of History" when you picked the car up. The inspection sheet is signed by a technician and covers loads of stuff including tyre and brake conditions.

If you've got these then they'll make a good arguing tool. If your not happy with the last e-mail you got, print it out and send it with a letter to the big boys ... oh and also tell them you'll soon be writing to the likes of AutoCar, Top Gear, local press and talking with your solicitor, and mention BBC Watchdog for good measure.

The last thing car dealers want at the moment is bad press.

All the best.

J.

 

It was sold to me as Subaru Proven and I didn't get any of that paperwork! The plot thickens- my car sat around for 5 months without being re-serviced. This is getting into the realms of court action.

 

Hi Ian

Matt

 

You know if anyone from Lancaster Subaru Sevenoaks is reading this message board. Why did you sell me the car in such a terrible condition?

I plan to do all I can to get this sorted.

Edited to add: surely this can't be good for your reputation- it's not just me either as this thread indicated- come on do the decent thing and sort the car out

[Edited by scooby-new - 3/6/2003 9:18:47 AM]

[Edited by scooby-new - 3/6/2003 11:06:11 AM]

 

Just had a call from the sales manager at Lancaster Sevenoaks.
He offers to put right the car when I bring it in- that's a good, fair offer the only problem is I'm about 1,000 miles away from there for another month and meanwhile the rear disks are so bad I have to get them done here in France before I can drive the car.
Hopefully when I show them the state of the disks they will do the decent thing and give me a refund.
Other than that he wants the car in to put right. A couple of points though he says the car was serviced in early August, I collected in late December and it covered a minimal mileage inbetween times. Does it still need a service every 6 months (as I think) whatever mileage? He was saying that it didn't need servicing every 6 months - car is MY96. He also told me that it isnt't a "proven" car as I was told but covered by a dealer warranty. What are the implications of this they said it was a "proven" car and it turns out it isn't. As for the tyres I've had no real answer to that so I guess the idea is I pay for them myself. Not sure about this either. I want them to sort the car but also don't want to be £1000 out of pocket at the same time. Unsure what to do till I have some answers to the questions posed in this post.

 

Looks like it may not be Subaru Proven as if car is a MY96 would maybe have missed out (under 6 years). Must admit whenever I buy a car, I always keep a copy of the advert or garage blurb so that they can't go back on anything.
Good luck m8 and keep on their case.
Alasdair

 

I would get yourself an offline copy of their website and then talk to them about false advertising if I were you! Also, I'd get the brakes done where you are and keep the discs and get them to refund you. If you can prove that the discs were dangerous and you were too far away to safely drive the car back, they have no choice IMHO! IIRC, the Subaru service schedule requires a service every six months, regardless of milage so his assertion that it doesn't need servicing if it's done hardly any miles is incorrect. If you were to believe him then technically, your Full Service History could become breached, and not be a Full Service History any more!! That would turn almost all potential buyers off come resale.

Also, if they get troublesome, I think you have a very strong case and think that Trading Standards would be very interested in your story!!!!

One final thing, get a letter to him re-stating your points/issues and then list what he agreed to over the phone. List also the things he didn't mention and what you think he should do about them. Request he returns to you, by letter, his response. Anything said over the phone, get it in writing!!!!!!!

Good Luck!

Matt

 

thanks for those ideas- I've saved the website and you've given me a bit of hope there Mutant_Matt.

As for the 6 yr thing they led me to believe it just qualified. I also asked and was told (verbally) that it was a Proven car. If I had known at the time the car wasn't under the Proven scheme I would never have bought it.

I want a car that I can use- it's frustrating just looking at it in the garage.

 

I took to my car to the French garage today for a 75K service and the brakes sorting. So this is what a real scoob drives like!

The garage were excellent and changed the disks which were in their words "excessively corroded" and covered in overheating marks. No wonder it didn't brake properly. The labour rate here in the south of France is about £25 per hour at a main dealer.

I also received a mail from Neal Rogers, the new sales manager (seems very friendly and on the ball) at Lancaster Subaru Sevenoaks saying that the the car should have been serviced before I collected it and that they are willing to pay for it to be done. Result! Now all I have to do is get them to pay for the brakes and hopefully some of the cost for tyres along with all the other work they need to do on my return to England.

A small worry- Neal informs me that the car should have been serviced no later than a month after the due date to retain warranty. As I assumed this had been done before collection it wasn't carried out on time. As soon as I knew it needed it I had it done. Will my warranty be intact with these circumstances- I bet it won't :-(.
Watch this space and I'll keep you informed. Also I had a mail from the motoring press who was very interested in my problems. Depending on the outcome of my case maybe you'll see me and the car gracing the pages of Britains second favourite weekly motoring publication!

edited as not to prejudice the case

[Edited by scooby-new - 3/11/2003 5:50:58 PM]

[Edited by scooby-new - 3/11/2003 5:51:55 PM]

 

Your car wasn't PROVEN as it wasn't on the offical Subaru UK website. It was however advertised on the Lancaster Website.

Most dealer run 2 sets of adverts. The offical Subaru ones and extra vehicles on their own Web-site.

I did consider dragging my father up to look at that Red MY96 Wagon. I'm so glad I didn't

P.S The sales team their were very good to us when my father looked at an MY98 and when I looked at an MY00. A damn site more friendly than the young upstart at Barretts (talk about chalk and cheese).

 

The car would be have been good if they had prepared it properly. Touch wood nothing expensive has failed and now I've replaced all the consumables (about £1000!!!)it seems a reasonable car. As I said before they were all very friendly at the dealership and seemed knowledgeable. Shame that my car (and others) were sold in such a poor state. It really ruins their reputation.

 

Just received confirmation from IM that the car isn't "proven" and any problems I have should be taken up with the dealer. Lancaster Subaru's website- which I have a copy of thankfully still claims that all cars sold by Lancaster are "Proven". The dealership has tried to reassure me that the a dealer backed car is just as good. The problem is that the car was supplied in such a bad state that this has already been disproved. I'm starting to think that my only option is to reject the car under the sale of goods act. I really,really don't want to do this as my girlfriend and I love the car. Can't see what else to do though.
Does anyone know what the differences in warranty are between Proven and dealer backed? Also where do I stand on rejecting a car that I've spent £1000 putting right and done 3000 ish miles in 3 months since purchase?(its 1000 miles ish each way between here and England)
The car still leaks BTW I spent 2 hours today removing the water from the boot and drying it. One sad Subaru owner here :-(

 

Looks like I'm booking the ferry from Bilboa-Portsmouth later and taking the car back to Lancaster Subaru Sevenoaks.
I've been talking to my solicitor and credit card company who have both advised me to get the car back to Lancaster tout suite and reject it. The C/C company will refund me the cash and then I presume sue Lancaster/Jardine group for their money.
So I may be in the market for another scooby- with the refund and some other cash I want to spend between 7-10K on another wagon (UK car only). What kind of scoob can I get for that sort of money?
Worst thing is I really don't want to return it as I like it so much :-(

 

After a lot of work it looks as if they will refund the cost of the service they should have carried out, replacement of the "stunner" tyres and hopefully the rear brake disks/pads. I'll then return the car to them and they can rectify all the other faults!
Watch this space and I'll let you know how I get on as I haven't actually had anything from them yet other than promises. Looking good though.

 

Sounds like a result. That was what Pangbourne did with mine - but they also collected and returned it. Perhaps one of their employees would like a trip to France to collect yours!!!

However, as the brakes are questionable, then I would have thought it better for them to reimburse your costs having it done where you are.

On the servicing, my car was traded in/serviced in August, and I bought in November. Come February, I got a standard letter from the service department (presumably unaware of my complaints) telling me my car was due a service (presumably because 6 months were up despite very few miles), and how important it was to stick to the schedule. Surely the point is that oil degrades.

On the tyres - check the Load/Speed rating of the cr@ppy Stunner tyres they fitted. If these are lower than the rating of the other tyres on the car, this is in contravention of what Subaru specify in the handbook. Pangbourne accepted this reasoning.

According to their website, all Lancaster Subaru used cars are Subaru Proven. Lancaster plcs website says:

Every used car comes with the benefit of the "Subaru Proven" standard. Subaru Proven cars, only available from authorised dealers, will be prepared to the same exacting standards that have helped Subaru and its dealers top the JD Power study, again and again and again.

All Subaru Proven vehicles :
Are less than 6 years old / under 60,00 miles (whichever comes first).
Carry a comprehensive, extendable 12 month warranty.
Receive a rigorous pre-sales inspection.
Receive an Experian "Gold" Car Data Check, giving you the added reassurance that the vehicle has not been stolen, written off, or is subject to outstanding finance.
Come with a Vehicle Mileage Check certificate.
Benefit from 12 months extendable home & roadside
Subaru European Assistance.
Are thoroughly roadtested prior to hand-over

[Edited by TomCat - 3/6/2003 6:24:20 PM]

 

Just wanted to post a warning regarding this dealership that can be searched on Scooby-net (there were no searchable warnings on here before I bought my car)

They supplied me a Subaru approved car, amongst its many faults on collection were:
- bad water leak in boot/approx a gallon sloshing around in it (how was this missed in the inspection?- maybe it was never inspected)

- very worn cracked and dangerously under-inflated tyres (2 of these were replaced at my insistence- they used crappy "Stunner" tyres. what a joke)

-cracked indicator/rear light cluster lenses

-faulty interior lights

-squeeling worn brakes

-missing service history which they cannot supply proof of

-no service before collection leaving me to have the whole lot done £500+

-missing second set of keys- they could have done me a new set there and then but preferred to wait till I'd left the country before informing me I need to return the car to them for another set.

Various other annoying faults such as unlubricated sunroof that jammed open on the motorway, non-working cigarette lighter etc


I don't expect a new car when buying used but these faults were a joke- I suspect the car was never inspected as they promised.

I will be taking up my complaints with Subaru and the dealers owner the Jardine Motor group-


[Edited by scooby-new - 3/9/2003 3:52:31 PM]

 

Lancaster Subaru- Sevenoaks- having said all these negative things about them I have to balance that with a comment on the extremely helpful and friendly service manager who tried (failed unfortunately) to resolve most of the faults. His hands seemed to be tied by the amount of money the sales dept was prepared to spend rectifiying the faults.

Seems like sales just sell 'em with as little cost to their own dept as possible then try to fob off the faults on the service dept. The customer is then left somewhere between the two with a less than acceptable car.

[Edited by scooby-new - 1/12/2003 7:14:55 PM]

 

The reason I wasnt as sharp as usual was I had just completed an 8 hour journey from Paris starting at 2 AM.
The leak wasnt evident until it had rained- there was some water in the boot and the salesman swore blind that it was run off from the valet it had just had! The tyres looked OK but the inners were cracked. The interior lights I missed but checking the car on the test drive didnt reveal any of the faults. As for the missing keys they promised these would be there that week (unfortunately this never happened). The point of my complaint was that the car had many,many nagging faults that SHOULD have been picked up during the rigorous inspection these approved cars are meant to have. I'm pretty sure mine didnt have any of this done- as I said on going through the paperwork 1 yrs service history was also missing- I asked them for this but they appear to have no record of it- despite them having serviced the car from new- therefore I can only assume it wasnt serviced.

You have a good point though- let this be a warning to everyone- just because you think you are buying a car from a main dealer to a supposed approved standard make sure you do all the normal checks



[Edited by scooby-new - 3/9/2003 3:53:44 PM]