Skoda Superb - number of owners legality

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Sun 17 Aug 2014 21:24
Skoda Superb - number of owners legality - PhilBTypeR

After a lot of problems experienced with a 1 owner 8 month old skoda superb purchased from a main dealer, the car was eventually returned last week. I had a number of serious issues including the pdi inspection which I believe was never carried out. The car was supplied to me with a damaged wheel bearing noisy at motor way speed as well as a buckled wheel and the tyres listed on the pdi inspection did not all match what were actually on the car. All pretty shocking I believe, all the more so as the car was purchased to transport my 8 day old baby.

A number of other problems manifested including electrical, trim & culminating in a theft from the vehicle during its 1st service. In frustration the car was returned and my money refunded.

I now see the Oxford based main dealer is advertising the car 2.5k over what I paid and most concerningly as 1 owner from new. This despite me buying it as a 1 owner car.

Can they legally describe it as 1 owner? I owned it for 3 months covering 3k miles & completed the v5 both buying it and returning it.

This seems immoral at best but deceitful too and how can that be legal under trade description laws?

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Sun 17 Aug 2014 22:23
Skoda Superb - number of owners legality - RobJP

And if you complained to trading standards, then the garage could claim it was a mistake.

However, if you complained to the garage (by email to the dealer principal), and they don't change the advert, then you are in a far better position to take them to trading standards, as they now appear to be deliberately misrepresenting the car.

Also, when you write to the garage to tell them of this, inform them that if the advert is not changed within 7 days then you will take the matter to trading standards AND to skoda GB.

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Mon 18 Aug 2014 06:41
Skoda Superb - number of owners legality - Armitage Shanks {p}

You bnought the car, your baby survived, you got your money back - why make waves? Let any potantial buyer do an HPI check on their own account. The number of owners will be on the V5 anyway and I would never buy a car without sight of one.

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Mon 18 Aug 2014 09:13
Skoda Superb - number of owners legality - oldroverboy.

You bnought the car, your baby survived, you got your money back - why make waves? Let any potantial buyer do an HPI check on their own account. The number of owners will be on the V5 anyway and I would never buy a car without sight of one.

If we all had this attitude (armitage, i personally think you are wrong on this occasion)

I would be very sad.

In the past few years, I have notified both a garage selling one of my old cars (misrepresented) and then trading standards, who were happy to intervene, and before that, a customer who bought a range rover privately from another customer who was selling, and who had asked our service manager at the time to stamp his service book for a consideration. when i informed the purchase, i the got a stiff letter from the seller who was upset with me!

I think th op is right to tell trading standards, and is it (the garage) a large group just norh of oxford?

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Mon 18 Aug 2014 22:50
Skoda Superb - number of owners legality - Avant

I'd be surprised if that's Jewsons of Oxford: although now part of the Ridgeway group they still have a very fmaily-owned attitude. I've had all three Octavias from them and have found them excellent.

Whichever garage it is, a quiet word with the manager will probably sort it out for you.

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Tue 19 Aug 2014 10:22
Skoda Superb - number of owners legality - Brit_in_Germany

The garage's view could be that since the purchase contract was wound back by rejecting the car, you were never the owner?

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Wed 20 Aug 2014 10:29
Skoda Superb - number of owners legality - Andrew-T

The garage's view could be that since the purchase contract was wound back by rejecting the car, you were never the owner?

Perhaps, but they can't wind back the V5. I think the suggestion of going to TS with some 'evidence' is right. Doing nothing and passing the problem to the next buyer is just encouragement for dealers to carry on.

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Wed 20 Aug 2014 11:04
Skoda Superb - number of owners legality - thunderbird

In my experience Trading Standards will not be interested. Dad bought a pre-registered car few years ago, garage said it was registered to Nissan. Only had 11 miles on the clock and was 6 months old. When the V5 arrived dad was the 4th keeper. 1st was Nissan, 2nd was a Nissan dealer, 3rd was the Nissan dealer he bought it from and dad was the 4th. Spoke to garage who just said basically what is your problem. Spoke to Tradings Standards who had no idea what he was talking about.

You are wasting your time, just get on with life.

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Wed 20 Aug 2014 11:38
Skoda Superb - number of owners legality - Brit_in_Germany

Does the V5 record the number of owners or the number of registered keepers?

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Wed 20 Aug 2014 15:02
Skoda Superb - number of owners legality - Andrew-T

Does the V5 record the number of owners or the number of registered keepers?

A semantic point. When the seller or purchaser informs DVLA of the transaction, the 'number of keepers' on the V5 advances by 1 and a new document is issued. As I understand it - and I also understand that has happened in this case ?

On T-bird's point, I find the tale of Nissan dealers passing a parcel and recording change of ownership each time bizarre. Many traders don't change anything until a vehicle is properly 'sold', if necessary just running it on trade plates. But I suppose with a brand-new car that may not work.

Edited by Andrew-T on 20/08/2014 at 15:06

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Wed 20 Aug 2014 15:18
Skoda Superb - number of owners legality - thunderbird

On T-bird's point, I find the tale of Nissan dealers passing a parcel and recording change of ownership each time bizarre

Dad found it bizarre as well. The dealer he bought it from, the 3rd keeper was part of a large group but it appeared the 2nd keeper was part of a different group. They had a huge stock at the time but were not advertising them. He originally went to look at a 10,000 mile year old car but bought the delivery mileage 6 month old one for about £1000 less. The salesman was very keen to sell them shall we say. He kept it just over 6 years in that time he bought 4 tyres and a rear wheel brake cylinder. Got a cracking price when he sold it, dealer was not interested about the number of keepers on the V5.

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