Honda Civic Tourer - Honda dealer with undisclosed damage | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

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Thu 24 Jun 2021 21:28

Honda Civic Tourer - Honda dealer with undisclosed damage - AdrianMetso

Hi,

Last week I purchased a 2014 Honda civic Tourer from a honda dealer.

Having had the car for less than a week, I noticed a panel that has obviously had some paint work done, (rear qtr passenger side) Some paint on top of the rubber seal.

When I purchased the car, I specifically asked the dealer if there had been any damage or any repairs done to the car. He responded no.

He advised that the car had a full honda history etc.

So I'm wondering is there any customer protection for this sort of situation.

Its not that i'm un happy with the car. I would like to know and have confidence that the car has been repaired to spec and I'm not driving around in a car that could have an issue that I'm not aware about.

If I were to take this up with the dealer, Any advise on how I should approach this.

Should I take it up with the dealer or get in touch with Honda customer services.

One of the listed benefits of the "Honda approved" used car sales lists: "has incurred no major accident damage"

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any assistance.

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Thu 24 Jun 2021 21:52

Honda Civic Tourer - Honda dealer with undisclosed damage - Bromptonaut

If there's paint on the seals then maybe been sprayed with a can to deal with a minor scrape. If it was surgery following major damage it would probably have been done in a proper paintshop where decent masking would have been used.

Is there any evidence of bodywork distortion in the area that's been sprayed?

Having said that my sister had a 'todo' with a Honda garage where she bought a car subject to some paint work scrapes being rectified. When she turned up to collect the car they were still there. Salesman went out the back and returned with a spray can.

He was told in no uncertain terms that she wasn't taking delivery until a proper repair was done. If that meant he whistled for his commission then tough luck. She didn't get to be a Senior Manager in the NHS by letting people walk over her.......

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Thu 24 Jun 2021 22:00

Honda Civic Tourer - Honda dealer with undisclosed damage - AdrianMetso

Good on your sister. You really do have to stand up for your rights.

regarding my car, Its really hard to know what the previous history is, But when you purchase a car from an dealer that is selling an "approved car" then you would like to be happy with the history of the car.

My query i think boils down to, what was the damage, and was it repaired to specification.

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Thu 24 Jun 2021 22:37

Honda Civic Tourer - Honda dealer with undisclosed damage - elekie&a/c doctor

A 7 year old car with no paintwork damage ? You'll be lucky. As a minimum it would have had some minor scratches or blemishes. If you want it perfect ,buy new.

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Thu 24 Jun 2021 22:53

Honda Civic Tourer - Honda dealer with undisclosed damage - SLO76

A 7 year old car with no paintwork damage ? You'll be lucky. As a minimum it would have had some minor scratches or blemishes. If you want it perfect ,buy new.

Agree. A small amount of paint isn’t a big worry but it sounds like it hasn’t been done particularly well. It’s something you should look for before buying and factor it in to the decision to buy or not but you can’t really expect anything to be done post sale. Asking a salesman if it’s ever had any paint is pointless, they’ll always say that it hasn’t, to be fair most of them have no clue and wouldn’t be able to spot it. Most cars this age will have had some paint, I wouldn’t let it bother me too much. As above, if you want a new car you’d need to buy one.

Edited by SLO76 on 24/06/2021 at 23:15

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Fri 25 Jun 2021 07:58

Honda Civic Tourer - Honda dealer with undisclosed damage - Falkirk Bairn

Paint differences

Nice dry, brightish day & outside

Stand in across the panel spaces and look at your reflection (front wing & door, then between front & rear door ...... finishing back where you started) - colour differences show up - colour slightly off, sharp reflection on 1 side , fuzzy on other panel etc etc - If you see a difference then look closer and other matters come to light.

Look at panel spaces and run a finger down - you will feel if the panel space changes.

Worked for me of looking at many cars and walking away from cars that I noticed in photos etc

10 years ago a friend was looking at a posh Focus - 6,000 miles and 6 months old - In the showroom a piece window trim on the driver's door looked "different" from trim around the rear door window

Car outside and it all came to light - driver's door, front wing & bonnet were replacements - even more obvious when the bonnet was lifted. The colour match was good.

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Fri 25 Jun 2021 09:44

Honda Civic Tourer - Honda dealer with undisclosed damage - bathtub tom

I had a metallic silver Focus for some time before I noticed a rear door was very slightly different. A mechanic neighbour's curiosity caused him to look at it professionally and he came to the conclusion it was probably done in the factory, when new.

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Fri 25 Jun 2021 10:02

Honda Civic Tourer - Honda dealer with undisclosed damage - pd

It is surprising how often I spot some paint and decide it was a pretty awful job then realise the good bit was the repair and the orange peel I am comparing it with was the original.

Just about any car over nearly new (and often them) will have paint at a main dealer. To a certain extent you are paying main dealer prices because of the paint. They've had it through prep who has painted bits of bumper, touched in bits, painted an alloy, resprayed a panel etc. The alternative is buy from an independent who presents cars "as is".

Unless the paintwork is of really bad quality or it is clear it has clearly had a major structural repair I wouldn't be too concerned.

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Fri 25 Jun 2021 10:04

Honda Civic Tourer - Honda dealer with undisclosed damage - badbusdriver

Working at various dealerships over the years, there have been plenty of times I witnesses, or was involved in, a new car needing a trip to a bodyshop before being sold and indeed on a couple of occasions, in between the customer buying the car and picking it up!.

In fact, the first time I got a speeding ticket was driving a new Saab 900 back from the bodyshop to the dealership. Mechanics had disconnected the speedometer so the extra miles didn't show!. Never having driven the (then) all new 900 before, I was used to the shorter gearing of the older car and didn't know how fast I was going!.

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Fri 25 Jun 2021 10:53

Honda Civic Tourer - Honda dealer with undisclosed damage - Will deBeast

I did a tour of a Ford factory a few years back.

There was a considerable space set aside for paintwork retouches. So a surprising number of cars get touched up even before they are dispatched to dealers.

I remember my uncle (who ran a bodywork shop) looking at my neighbour's new-to-them car (car was about 1 year old) and saying 'that's been in a huge smash'. He could spot the metalwork and paint flaws from at least 100 feet away.

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Fri 25 Jun 2021 15:36

Honda Civic Tourer - Honda dealer with undisclosed damage - SLO76

I viewed an approved used 3 month old Renault Megane Coupe in 2009 for my sister in law at the local Renault dealer. As we approached the car I could tell from the panel gaps and off colour paint all was not well with the front end. Lifting the bonnet revealed a car that had recently had a fairly major front end smash which had been very poorly repaired. The dealer denied all knowledge but having been a demonstrator it was clearly known to them. Moral of the story, salesmen lie.

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Fri 25 Jun 2021 18:23

Honda Civic Tourer - Honda dealer with undisclosed damage - Heidfirst

afaik dealers don't have to declare things like this but if you ask the direct questions they have to comply with the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading regulations (2008) which prohibit them from engaging in unfair business practices - these include giving false/insufficient information.

You could probably reject the car - but do you really want to?

You could probably take it legal - but would it be worth the cost/hassle?

You could try engaging with the dealer principal (& cc in Honda Customer Services if you need to).

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