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Mon 8 Oct 2018 00:01

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Ruth Waterman

Hi, I am really after some advice as I’m totally out of my depth and hoping someone else can impart some of their car buying wisdom! :)

Test drove a SKODA Yeti today, independent dealer. Registered 2012, only done approx 19,500 miles. Exterior bodywork and interior both look to be in very good condition. Ran smoothly on test drive, no obvious clunking noises, all electrics seem to be in working order. HPI check done and all ok. Priced at £8,999. Seems competitive for the mileage.

When asked how long the car had been at the garage we were told they only took it in last week. Having looked again on autotrader where it is advertised I think they told an outright lie and that it has been there since May 2018 I.e. 4/5 months not 1 week!! Does anyone know if the URL of the advert on Autotrader tells you the date it was first published? I.e. in the url these numbers appear: 201805146494656. I think the first 8 digits indicate the date it was first published - 20180514 (14/05/2018)??

We will be paying about 60% up front and the rest on finance. Paid a £1000 today and signed an agreement with the garage but waiting for finance agreement to come through so haven’t signed any of these documents yet. Now having second thoughts as we have been lied to. Are we within our rights to phone up tomorrow and change our minds?

I should also say we have since read some pretty bad reviews about the dealers about their after care service.

Thanks,
A concerned second hand car buyer

Edited by Ruth Waterman on 08/10/2018 at 00:07

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 00:08

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Andrew-T

Only a simple question - how does this affect the car, and whether you would like to own and drive it? I've no idea whether the price is right, but otherwise? You may never need to visit that dealer again ....

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 00:25

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Ruth Waterman

This is true, however if we’ve been lied to about one thing, what else might they have lied about or tried to cover up...??

Have had a recent bad experience buying a Peugeot 3008 from an independent with the head gasket blowing within 5 months. Left us scarred a little and very cautious that what we’re being sold isn’t legitimate.

Also feel we could have negotiated in the price more if we’d have been told the truth and may be able to get a better deal elsewhere.

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 00:50

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - KB.

Not going to be any help with your question - but - if it turns out the car itself is a good one ... i.e. not accident damaged and repaired and the price is right and, hopefully, one careful owner (I say that slightly tongue in cheek coz we all want that, don't we?) ..... and if it's the exact car you want i.e. the right model, colour, fuel type, manual gearbox etc .....then I would only say you'll likely be happy with the car. Our Yeti (a 1.2 petrol with an automatic gearbox) is still our ideal car in terms of comfort, space, solid build, high seating position ... the list goes on.

Despite the naysayers here, and everywhere else, the gearbox is a cracker. I love driving it.

You will know all about diesel versus petrol in regards to short journeys etc and you will know the Yeti petrols aren't as economical as others. You will know they have a good safety (NCAP) rating and, if you've read the HJ review on this site, you'll know the list of potential faults is huge according to HJ and the people who contact him to complain about them.

I guess either I've been lucky not to have broken down every month or have to have it repaired regularly (I've had it seven years from new) and long may that remain.

If they still made them I would have probably bought a new one .... I should have done that as the production was coming to an end.

Good luck with it if you get it. If you don't there are plenty others about. The newer the better (obviously).

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 00:35

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - SLO76

Calm down, no salesman will admit that the car you’re looking at has been sat on his lot for months unwanted. It doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with it either and that’s not a huge amount of time to hold a car in stock either.

Now on to the negatives. While the Yeti is a great design there were a fair number of serious problems with earlier cars and the future depends very much on which engine is in it and how it has been looked after. The worst being the very common problem of timing chain failure on early TSi petrol models. It was so bad that VAG switched back to belts in 2013 so I wouldn’t want one that had a chain driven version of this engine. If it has then it absolutely must have a full main dealer service history which you need to maintain. Use the wrong oil in these or miss a service and you’ll kill the engine, though to be honest it’s likely it’ll cause grief at some point anyway. The later engine has been totally reliable to date but needs a timing belt every 5yrs at a cost of around £350-£400 including water pump.

The pre 2015 diesels, particularly the 1.6 were caught up in VAG’s emissions scandal and have a nasty habit of eating EGR’s and filling DPF’s after the software “fix.” Upside is that the firm will cover any related failure for two years from the date the car’s software was updated. I got a free EGR out of VW for this. The 1.6 is worse than the 2.0 for these issues for some reason too despite being basically the same engine only smaller.

If it’s an auto then there’s the very well documented issue surrounding the DSG gearbox failure. This is a highly complex piece of engineering and very prone to failure especially if it hasn’t been maintained correctly by a dealer who understands them and carries out any appropriate fluid changes. I wouldn’t touch one with this gearbox fitted, the failure rate is far too high and the car is effectively a write-off if it needs a replacement.

I wouldn’t buy one without a full dealer or VW service history and I’d recommend paying extra for an approved used example from a main dealer.

Edited by SLO76 on 08/10/2018 at 00:38

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 01:14

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Ruth Waterman

Thanks for your advice SLO76.

Maybe I am being a bit dramatic about the fib they told, sure it happens all the time.

The model we are looking at is the 1.6 litre TDI SE Greenline II, diesel and manual transmission. It was registered Jan 2012. Asked about timing belt and there was nothing in paperwork they could show us to say it had been replaced. Salesman advised that he personally wouldn’t replace the belt on it after only doing 19,500 miles, despite the fact it says it should be replaced every 4 years regardless of the number of miles done. He knocked off £100...think we could have held our ground on that one a bit.

Must admit I don’t know a lot about the emissions scandal as we weren’t affected at the time. Is the problem only with the fix? Was it compulsory for all cars to be fixed?

Thanks again.

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 08:49

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - SLO76

The belt change is every 5yrs on these if I remember right but to be fair you could stretch that with such a low mileage but remember rubber deteriorates over time so it’s not just mileage that’s a concern. I’d have held out for at least £300 off but yes there’s little chance of it failing at this mileage.

Your biggest concern here is the DPF which requires regular longer distance runs to allow regeneration. If it doesn’t it’ll clog and become an ongoing problem. The salesman should’ve informed you about this and asked about your usage before selling you a diesel.

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 10:19

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Andrew-T

Your biggest concern here is the DPF which requires regular longer distance runs to allow regeneration. If it doesn’t it’ll clog and become an ongoing problem. The salesman should’ve informed you about this and asked about your usage before selling you a diesel.

Now that we know more about the car, this question about the DPF and low mileage may be why the car has been for sale for a few months (if it has). I thought that dealers tended to drop the price or move cars on if they didn't sell? SLO ??

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 10:25

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - SLO76

“I thought that dealers tended to drop the price or move cars on if they didn't sell? SLO ??”

Depends on a number of factors including the amount of space they have, how busy they are and how well financed they are. My old dealership would hang on to cars for as long as it took and the price would only drop in line with other stock. It’s a desirable model it might just not have found the right person until now or possibly one of the salesmen has been running about in it.

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 01:49

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Avant

Ruth, would you like to tell us what your annual mileage is? If it's less than 15,000, you don't need a diesel, and if you fancy a Yeti you can get one with a good petrol engine.

KB has had one such for some time and it has served him well.

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 07:54

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - daveyjp

Agree with others. It is now a 6 year old diesel, has done just 3,000 a year and hasn't had a belt change. That's £300-500 work.

I would also be wary of dpf and egr issues, both expensive (the egr on these is a known issue and not a quick job), it will aslo be affeced by the diesel scandal.

Are you also confident the dealer would welcome you with open arms to fix such problems, or simply hand over a cheque if it failed within 30 days and you wanted to reject?

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 09:20

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - badbusdriver

£9k for a 6 year old Yeti seems a bit steep to me. Yes it is low miles, but as a diesel that is not a desirable aspect.

Around 10 months ago i bough a 2010 VW Caddy van, the reason i sought out the lower powered 2.0 non-turbo diesel is because the 1.6 turbo diesel (same as the OP's Yeti) has a reputation for being a bit fragile.

Incedentally, mere £1000 more would get you into a brand new Dacia Duster 1.6 petrol with no miles, no previous owners and a 3 year warranty..................

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 09:47

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - badbusdriver

Just been having a look on Autotrader and that price seems about right going by what i can see on there. Does not change the fact that a very low mileage 6 year old diesel is not something to be coveted though. This suggests all it's journeys have been short ones without getting up to temperature, i,e, the stuff which causes most wear and tear on an engine.

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 10:14

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Ruth Waterman

Thank you for all of the replies and advice.

Does anyone knows where I stand in terms of getting my money back?? We paid an initial payment of £1000 to the dealer yesterday, however as it was at the end of the day we didn’t get an answer from the finance company so haven’t signed any of the documents agreeing to the finance. We were told these would be emailed. We have signed some kind of a contract with the garage however they kept both copies of this as they needed to add finance info to it so I can’t check the T&Cs. We were going to pay another £4000 up front and put the rest on finance.

Could I argue that the salesman didn’t inform us of the potential issue with the DPF (which he didn’t) or explain anything about the emissions trouble, so we have been sold under false pretences?? Also explain we were lied to about how long they had had the car so don’t feel happy going ahead??

Really concerned we won’t get our £1000 back.

Thanks

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 15:28

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - SLO76

A vehicle order signed on the dealer’s premises has no cooling-off period. Once you sign it, you are legally committed to everything shown on the form.

Obviously, you have consumer rights that allow you to return a faulty car for a full refund. But you don’t have the legal right to simply change your mind either before or after taking delivery. You have signed a contract and you are expected to fulfil it.

A dealer may be prepared to negotiate changes to the contract in order to keep you from walking away. But they do have the moral high ground here as it’s you who wants to change the contract. You could argue that they didn’t make you aware of the DPF and it’s limitations and that the car is unsuitable for you but the ball is in the dealers court. Next time leave no more than £100, less if they’ll go for it. Most dealers won’t see you walk for the sake of a higher deposit.

That’s the whole point of taking a deposit. It holds you to the deal and secures the dealer against loss after preparing the car and possibly putting off another buyer. You should never sign an order form and leave a deposit if you are not 100% certain.

On the subject of finance I’d wager that you’ll find a loan from your own bank much cheaper than the dealers own finance. Remember also that a bank loan also has no add on costs like document fees etc that car finance often carries. It’s also not secured on the car so you’re free to sell it at will.

Edited by SLO76 on 08/10/2018 at 15:31

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 10:19

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Ruth Waterman

Annual mileage would probably be around 10,000. Use it mostly to get to/from work which is a 20 mile round trip 4 times a week, then some business use but not much, an extra 50 miles per month, holidays in the uk and weekend trips out etc.

Maybe a petrol would be best then.

Does anyone else have experience of a Skoda Yeti petrol model?

Thanks

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 10:31

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - SLO76

“Does anyone else have experience of a Skoda Yeti petrol model?”

It would probably suit you better but you’d need to dig deeper to find a post 2013 belt driven example as earlier chain driven TSi motors are murder for timing chain failure. I’d stick with what you’ve bought and just take it for a run every week or two. The Diesel engine suits the car and it’s very good on fuel. I’ve a VW Polo 1.2 TDi with essentially the same design of engine but missing a cylinder and although the DPF light does come on occasionally It is fine if it sees a wee run regularly and it’s now approaching 80,000 miles without major issue.

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 10:50

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Ruth Waterman

Thanks for this advice. You mentioned the emissions issue in an earlier post - I’ve just checked on Skodas website with the VIN for the car and it says it was effected by the EA 9 NOx emissions and there is a service action available for the vehicle. Would you suggest steering clear of this? Also should the salesman have declared this before we agreed to buy? Thanks

Edited by Ruth Waterman on 08/10/2018 at 10:51

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 12:37

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Andrew-T

Would you suggest steering clear of this? Also should the salesman have declared this before we agreed to buy?

As you said the dealer was 'independent', it seems quite likely that he would be unaware, especially if he was a standard salesman. More reasonable for you to ask the question, to find out his response. Don't expect salesmen to offer any more info than needed, even if you DO ask the right questions. After all, they quite likely know as much about the car as you do - it wasn't theirs.

Edited by Andrew-T on 08/10/2018 at 12:38

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 15:22

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - SLO76

“Would you suggest steering clear of this? Also should the salesman have declared this before we agreed to buy? Thanks”

There’s plenty of evidence to suggest the fix dramatically reduces both EGR and DPF lifespan, indeed the EGR on my Polo failed a few months after it being done but VAG guarantee it along with any other related failure for two years from the date they did the update so it was replaced for free and there’s no telling if it would’ve failed if I hadn’t allowed the update. I had a colleague at my last job who had the identical engine in a Fabia who hadn’t had it done and the EGR valve failed and cost her a pretty penny to fix. Personally I’d do it and take the two year guarantee that comes with it.

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 10:32

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - skidpan

Does anyone else have experience of a Skoda Yeti petrol model? Thanks

If you read the posts above you will see that KB gave you that advice some posts earlier.

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 18:10

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - joegrundy

"A vehicle order signed on the dealer’s premises has no cooling-off period. Once you sign it, you are legally committed to everything shown on the form."

A crucial point. And, I guess, the cause of so many problems.

I'm sure that there are honest dealers/salesman out there. Equally, I'm sure that there are a few bent ones about.

If I was going to spend £10,000 (or £2,000) or even less than that I would note (or nowadays record) the material facts put forward by the salesperson. Claimed FSH? Show me the documents. No documents, no evidence, discount the claim. etc. etc.

I am a little bit cynical, being an old ex-bill and especially an ex DI Fraud Squad. Don't give me crap, I'll find you out and you won't get the business. Tell me straight and I'll make up my mind on the genuine facts (or lack of them).

My x-type (the hero of previous posts here) was bought from an on-line advert, in a blizzard, from a less-than-established business miles from home, without many documents and in circumstances in which my pre-purchase checks were limited to whether all 4 doors were present, at 132,000 miles.

But I knew the risks I was taking. I expected nothing from the dealer (except that the car wasn't nicked or subject to finance) and as it turned out, 50,000 miles and 5 (or is it 6?) years later, it was a good buy for £2,700.

But, another crucial point: that £2,700 was money I could afford to throw away if it all went bosoms-up.

We live in the real world and, it seems to me, many posters are struggling with reality and doing their best to find (in a confusing world) the right vehicle for their needs within their budget and without opening themselves up to a world of grief. I've been there as a young father/sole breadwinner striving to provide reliable and reasonable transport on a budget that was more than a little bit hazy month to month.

Kudos to the many posters here who take the time to provide useful and accurate information to people who venture onto the site acknowledging their lack of experience. Not all of us are qualified or confident enough to confront the charlatans.

This forum is an immenseley valuable resource for those of us who know less about these issues before we part with lots of money. I, for one, wish I could take SLO76 along with me next time I bought a car. But in the absence of that, I can read and learn.

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 18:43

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - nick62

This forum is an immenseley valuable resource for those of us who know less about these issues before we part with lots of money. I, for one, wish I could take SLO76 along with me next time I bought a car. But in the absence of that, I can read and learn.

Hear, hear.

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 19:20

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Avant

Hear, hear indeed. With the odd exception, people on here are helpful and constructive, even though most of us are amateurs: it's extremely valuable when people with some form of professional experience (e.g. SLO and Gordonbennet) give us the benefit of it.

We value your input too, Joe: 'either listen to advice or be prepared to take the risk' is good counsel at any time. Very glad that the risk you took, when it sounds as if you had no choice, turned out so well. I think many of us on here have grown quite fond of your valiant old Jaguar.

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 20:22

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - joegrundy

Thank you.

I have to say that with the help of my indy me and the old Jag are doing OK - better than me and Filippina ex-wife #2 or Thai ex-fiancee #1. (My indy wasn't involved in either of those short-term low mileage escapades but I probably would have been better off seeking his guidance - he's been fairly sound when it's come to cars).

We live and learn.

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Mon 8 Oct 2018 23:21

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - SLO76

“I, for one, wish I could take SLO76 along with me next time I bought a car.”

I always enjoy spending other people’s money.

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Wed 10 Oct 2018 11:10

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Ruth Waterman

Completely agree! He/she should sell their services!

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Wed 10 Oct 2018 00:40

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Big John

Noticed the car was re-MOT'd yesterday. Strange note :- "Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories): Acceleration not detected,no emission printout."

Usually the way to check when a car is taken into the motor trade(might not be this garage though as some different dealers rotate stock) is by looking at the vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/ViewVehicle site to see when the car became untaxed., in this case :- ? Untaxed Tax due: 24 April 2018

Edited by Big John on 10/10/2018 at 00:46

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Wed 10 Oct 2018 09:19

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - oldroverboy.

Looking at many posts here..

18 months ago got a Kia venga nearly 6 years od from a Kia dealer, with full Kia service history. serviced and MOT when bought. Zero problems...

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Wed 10 Oct 2018 11:15

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Ruth Waterman

Thanks Big John. I thought this was a strange note too. The dealer advised me that apparently the car was “so clean” that there was no reading on the emissions and that they have to write this on the MOT report to show they have tested it. Is that unusual?

I checked tax too and saw 24 April 2018 was when it was untaxed which fits in with the date the ad was first published at the beginning of May. So further proves they lied about how long they’ve had the car.

Thanks for taking the time to check these for me. Incidentally, how did you know the car reg?! :)

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Wed 10 Oct 2018 13:57

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - fredthefifth

I wouldn't trust this dealer as far as I could throw them.

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Wed 10 Oct 2018 14:01

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - nick62

Reminds me of the old joke:

Q: How do you know when a politician is lying?

A: Their lips are moving

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Wed 10 Oct 2018 16:13

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - catsdad

I was intrigued by the claim that the exhaust was effectively too clean to give a reading. Sounds like salesman nonsense. Well it turns out that according to various websites that this is a genuine thing. So it seems that the salesman was telling the truth on that one.

How was the reg traceable? Well if you search Autotrader or even just the web on the specifics given (year, miles, price) its probably the only one in the country with that exact match.

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Wed 10 Oct 2018 16:17

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Wee Willie Winkie

Google the advert reference number you gave in the original post and voila!

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Wed 10 Oct 2018 22:43

Skoda Yeti - Dealers telling porkies -how long car on forecourt - Big John

Google the advert reference number you gave in the original post and voila!

/\/\/\ - As above - this is what I did. Still shows up today

re " The dealer advised me that apparently the car was “so clean” that there was no reading on the emissions and that they have to write this on the MOT report to show they have tested it. Is that unusual? "

I've heard of this before - actually it's a good sign and to be honest it's a sign that it looks as though it's had a genuine MOT test. I know someone with a know good Skoda Superb DPF diesel who keeps getting a misread on MOT as it can't detect anything on the smoke test. Hadn't interpreted the message "Acceleration not detected,no emission printout" as the same thing.

Don't forget - the end date on the car tax only shows the date the car passed into the dealer network - not the date this garage got it.

You were obviously happy with the car and price in the first place. You may still end up with a good Yeti here.

Edited by Big John on 10/10/2018 at 23:36

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