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I've bought a car with missing documents - what can I do?
I purchased a 68 plate SEAT Ateca two weeks and a number of items were missing. At the time of the sale, the dealer pointed out to me that the V5 was missing and that a replacement had to be ordered. Also missing was the SD card for the navigation maps and I have since discovered that the manual and the service history are also missing.
The dealership claims that the listing for the car did say "SD card required" in relation to the navigation feature, but I am unable to verify this as the listing was pulled within minutes of the sale (I raised this issue on site).
I failed to notice that the manual and service history were missing at the time of the sale (I assumed, not unreasonably, that both would be present on a one owner, two and half year old car... More fool me).
I'm not sure what I can do from this point. The dealer has a seven-day returns policy and a 'sold as seen' clause in the sales contract. How much does a lack of service record impact the value of the car? Do I have any options?
The dealership claims that the listing for the car did say "SD card required" in relation to the navigation feature, but I am unable to verify this as the listing was pulled within minutes of the sale (I raised this issue on site).
I failed to notice that the manual and service history were missing at the time of the sale (I assumed, not unreasonably, that both would be present on a one owner, two and half year old car... More fool me).
I'm not sure what I can do from this point. The dealer has a seven-day returns policy and a 'sold as seen' clause in the sales contract. How much does a lack of service record impact the value of the car? Do I have any options?
Asked on 21 December 2021 by Matthew Swann
Answered by
Dan Powell
If the car was advertised with a "full service history and sat nav" but didn't mention the missing SD card and documents then you may have grounds to argue it does not match the description and was mis-sold.
Likewise, if the salesperson promised things that are no longer true then you may have grounds to return the car. If not, the dealer may argue that you had every opportunity to inspect the car and accepted its condition at the time of sale.
If I had to make a guess, I'd say the previous owner has sold the SD card. The service history, however, may be reclaimable if you can identify the SEAT garage that originally sold the car. But they may charge you for this service.
You can download the owner's manual here: www.seat.co.uk/owners/your-seat/manuals-offline.ht...l
For your consumer rights, see: www.honestjohn.co.uk/how-to-reject-a-car-your-cons.../
Likewise, if the salesperson promised things that are no longer true then you may have grounds to return the car. If not, the dealer may argue that you had every opportunity to inspect the car and accepted its condition at the time of sale.
If I had to make a guess, I'd say the previous owner has sold the SD card. The service history, however, may be reclaimable if you can identify the SEAT garage that originally sold the car. But they may charge you for this service.
You can download the owner's manual here: www.seat.co.uk/owners/your-seat/manuals-offline.ht...l
For your consumer rights, see: www.honestjohn.co.uk/how-to-reject-a-car-your-cons.../
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