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Wheeler deal
I hope you can help me with a BMW problem. In April this year I bought a £24k Z4M Coupé from a BMW dealer through the Approved Used Car system. I chose that particular car over others because it already had the wheels fitted that I wanted: 19" BBS that are the standard fit on a M3 CSL. A few days after purchase I found out that the wheels are in fact replicas. A long series of phone calls and emails between me, the dealer and BMW Customer services have resulted in the dealer claiming that fake wheels of an unknown manufacturer comply with the AUC system. He ticked boxes marked "check for approved wheel and tyre combinations" and "list all non-approved parts and accessories fitted to the car, inform customer" on the AUC check, but did not inform me. The dealer claims that the car was sold as seen, and that it did not advertise the car as having CSL wheels (despite me specifically mentioning the wheels when I test drove the car). Customer Service has apologised but feels that "further correspondence will not resolve this matter in the way you would have liked." My grievance is I paid a premium to buy via BMW's approved system for a car which I was led to believe had £1,800 worth of wheels, when in fact they're worth £700. My Insurance could be invalidated by the aftermarket wheels, and if I try to inform them they will ask me the manufacturer, which I don't know. I did threaten to reject the car completely, to which the dealer gave me 7 days to return it for a full refund. I do not want to reject the car. I just want what I thought I was buying.
Asked on 1 August 2009 by
Answered by
Honest John
"I did threaten to reject the car completely, to which the dealer gave me 7 days to return it for a full refund. I do not want to reject the car, I just want what I thought I was buying." Legally, everything hangs on this. The dealer has done all it has to do: offer you a full cash refund. It does not have to do anything else. If you have found fault with a car
it sold to you, its only obligation is to either fix the car or give you your money back and the dealer can choose which.
it sold to you, its only obligation is to either fix the car or give you your money back and the dealer can choose which.
Dear Honest John,
Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:
Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:
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