I bought a BMW from a Nissan Garage - was a part exchange.
It failed its MOT, so I took it back to the Nissan garage as it was still under warranty
Agreed to fix under warranty. However, the part they ordered did not fit - service guy called me and said it was because the car was an import and part was not applicable. I bought the car from them assured it was a UK car!
Finally after 3 days and 3 parts delivered I should get my car fixed with MOT. But - how do I deal with the problem of buying a UK car at UK price, and finding out its an import?!
I am so annoyed. I have lost a couple of grand from their lies. What should I do?
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Wonder if they actually knew it was an import before selling it? Seems rather dishonest if they did and you could surely contact the local trading standards office.
Other than trying to buy parts, how else would you find out if your car is an import? Does it not say on the V5?
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The question is, apart from having different parts, is it inferior to a UK spec. car? What is it about 'imports' that make them intrinsically inferior to UK spec. cars? Are they never superior?
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It's more than likely that the garage would have been aware that it was an imported vehicle - their PX valuation for a start would be based on that fact.
Some useful info, including insurance requirements for such vehicles:
tinyurl.com/6kzk5 (also in .pdf form)
www.ukcarinsurancedirectory.co.uk/tips/imported_ca...l
www.norwichunion.co.uk/info/grey-import-car-insura...m
www.sainsburysbank.co.uk/insuring/ins_faq_car_dive...l
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Back it on them. THe unbelievable but true story below happened to me 3 years ago and I bet the rules have not got any easier for dealers since.
I bought a Range Rover brand new from a main dealer in Surrey. Ran it for a year and on and off tried to sell it with no luck. In fact I was 10K in negative equity with the car, so I was getting to think I would have to learn to love it.
Anyway, I left it outside my girlfriends house and left for work very early in the morning. That day, got a call from the Police as they had run a check on the car as it was a new car parked in a rubbish area (I married the girl, so no comments please!) and as the Princess Royal was visiting the area that day, my car had sparked a security alert as the number plate on it was not showing on the DVLA computer. It was only by pure chance that I had missed being arrested!
I rang Land Rover to complain and they let slip that the car was a Maltese import from the chassis number I gave and the fact that it only had 1 years warranty and not 3.
I then rang the dealer and they admitted that it was an import and that they had not told me and they had forgot to register it also! THeir opening offer was a brand new Range Rover as a direct swop for my 1 year old+, 30,000 mile car. I had been there and done that so they finally settled, and you won't believe this to lend me a Discovery for a couple of weeks whilst I got a new car and refund all my money including the deposit (i.e The new car price I paid over a year ago).
I have often wandered just how many imports that firm sold and how wide spread this was?
As an amusing and final twist, I got a call from that Police a few months later re the car as the unluckiest thief in the world had cloned a similiar car and obviously the number plate was still mucked up! Wa, wa, waahhhhhhhhhh. At that point, the car still had no identity and was still at the Land Rover dealers.
Unbelievably, but I assure you all true. If I was you I would get your money back and if you want an import get one but at a cheaper price.
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Oh, sorry for grammar and spelling errors above and also forgot to say that the delaer also got into trouble with the local DVLA office for obtaining a tax disc without using the proper procedure whatever that was.
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>>Anyway, I left it outside my girlfriends house and left for work very early in the morning. That day, got a call from the Police as they had run a check on the car as it was a new car ... .... , my car had sparked a security alert as the number plate on it was not showing on the DVLA computer. It was only by pure chance that I had missed being arrested! ...... had forgot to register it also!
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curious - if it was unregistered at the dvala, how did the police trace it to you?
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The number plate had been allocated to the dealer.
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Also, although it did not apply in my case, I bet they could have traced me through the Motor Insurance Database.
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I bought a BMW from a Nissan Garage - was a part exchange. It failed its MOT, so I took it back to the Nissan garage as it was still under warranty Agreed to fix under warranty. However, the part they ordered did not fit - service guy called me and said it was because the car was an import and part was not applicable. I bought the car from them assured it was a UK car! Finally after 3 days and 3 parts delivered I should get my car fixed with MOT. But - how do I deal with the problem of buying a UK car at UK price, and finding out its an import?! I am so annoyed. I have lost a couple of grand from their lies. What should I do? :(
It should be evident from the V5 that it is an import.
What was the part that didn't fit - I can't think of any parts on a BMW that would be MoT-critical that would be different from mainland European spec. Check your V5 to see if it really is an import - it could be that the service dept were saying this to cover the fact that they'd ordered the wrong part!
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What was the part that didn't fit - I can't think of any parts on a BMW that would be MoT-critical that would be different from mainland European spec. Check your V5 to see if it really is an import - it could be that the service dept were saying this to cover the fact that they'd ordered the wrong part!
A cracked headlight would cause it to fail an MOT and only a RHD headlamp unit would fit.
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I am becoming more & more convinced that my posts are invisible.
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Why is there no text in the post above..........
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If you paint them white then the headlights will pick them out better...:-)
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I am becoming more & more convinced that my posts are invisible.
Who said that? :-)
Seriously, you made a good point above, there should be no reason an 'import' is any different from a UK car, but there is a stigma attached to them so our Comrade should have been able to secure a discount at purchase time.
I still want to know what part wouldn't fit, a RHD light unit might have been different to the one removed but it still would have fitted...
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Some people still haven't seen the light...:-)
But, as I say, if you paint the posts white then the headlights will pick them out more clearly.......:-))
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>> I am becoming more & more convinced that my posts are >> invisible. >> Who said that? :-) Seriously, you made a good point above, there should be no reason an 'import' is any different from a UK car, but there is a stigma attached to them so our Comrade should have been able to secure a discount at purchase time.
To those who bypassed my first post (or who just didn't see it), I don't understand why 'imports' are considered to be inferior. Do we always ask for cars that are a higher spec. than the rest of Europe?
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I bought an imported Fiat Punto Sporting and it's a higher spec than the UK car. The downside is it only has a 2 year warranty rather than 3 years.
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Sorry have not checked back until now to see the replies! The part that did not fit was a shock absorber - it was leaking.
I rang BMW and they confirmed it was an import.
Cant find my log book - have been a bit hasty chucking stuff in nooks, crannies and cupboards, as house is up for sale. So I need to have a proper hunt for this. But Im pretty sure it says nothing about being an import. Anyhows you dont get the log book until 8 weeks after buying a car! I also asked the sales guy when I bought it, if it was a UK car, as I had looked at an import before this one. Had been warned againts buying one for insurance purposes as my insurance is already massive!
Best get hunting for my paperwork.....
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There's a couple of reports on the PistonHeads forum about BMW dealers doing this (in error, of course). They refund the money immediately when they get found out - sorry, when it becomes apparent.
You were sold a car that is not as described, so they committed an offence. How long have you had it?
You're right about the insurance - many co's require you to tell them it's an import.
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I'll be surprised if an 'import' BMW of the same model type has a different shock to a UK model. I'm assuming this is a RHD car? Something doesn't add up here.
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I have often heard in roadtests of cars being tested pre-production on German roads and then being panned for their ride quality on "inferior" British roads, so I would not be surprised if the shocks were different.
I agree with the post about getting money back. Sometimes, well a lot of times actually, Dealers get on my nerves by giving lower prices for imported cars and then "forgetting" said fact at sale time. My case as outlined above is a case in point.
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Probably not relevant, but BMW models destined for the USA get different suspension settings/components than European cars. Is it also possible that the UK importer specs a different suspension than other mainland countries?. I have read in certain car reviews where the "launch" model will differ from the one that individual countries get. One in particular (don't remember the manufacturer)specifically stated that the suspension would be firmed up for the UK market.
Having said that, Euro spec suspension components are often retro fitted to US spec cars by enthusiast owners so hard to imagine that a part actually didn't fit. Maybe it did fit, but the technician realized that fitting disimilar suspension components would be detrimental. I certainly wouldn't want two different shock damping rates on either side of my car.
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Great minds and all that, eh Retro?. Or is it, fools seldom differ? 8-)
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>>You're right about the insurance - many co's require you to tell them it's an import.>>
It's a point - apart from what can prove higher premiums - in the links I provided earlier.
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I have often seen references to Irish imports (does this include N Ireland?), which I assume means cars originally destined for the Irish (Eire?) market. Are cars imported from Ireland significantly different from UK spec. cars and, if so, why is this?
As for differences in the road quality between different parts of Europe, well there are massive differences in road quality within the UK. How one could set shock absorbers to suit every road surface in the UK, I just don't know.
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I live in NI, cars destined for N. Ireland are always UK spec and UK price. Cars destined for the RoI may differ in terms of equipment or badging - for example, when I was investigating importing a Seat Leon a few years ago, the UK badge designation of S, SE, Sport did not match that of the RoI which used Stella, Signo, Sport. I ended up buying a right-hooker from Holland, as the 110 bhp TDi engine was not available on the Irish market at all, only the 90. When importing from any country, you need to make sure that the car you're buying matches/exceeds the UK spec in order avoid higher insurance costs, heavier depreciation, etc - so make sure that if the UK model has an alarm and four airbags fitted as standard, these are fitted to your European import - even if you have to specify them as an optional extra.
I seem to remember hearing/reading that VW Passats destined for the southern market were fitted (as standard) with stiffer/more robust suspension than UK cars - don't know if this is true or not, but if so, I wish I'd bought an Irish-spec Passat instead of forking out for Konis ...
--
andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
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Having read all the messages in the thread, am I right in thinking that where a car is advertised as UK spec. and supplied, a buyer is entitled to reject the car, and get a full refund, if the car is found to be an import, because it is not "as described"?
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I take "UK spec" to mean the car is specified as other cars of that make and model in the UK are. An import could have UK spec. I take "UK supplied" to mean supplied from UK stocks that were officially imported, but I suppose one could wangle it enough to say that the imported car was already in the UK when it was supplied to you.
I imagine it would be much easier to check VIN numbers with official importer before buying than to go through the process of rejecting and securing a refund after you take possesion.
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US and European suspension settings can be radically different. OTOH I have driven German and UK versions of the same model of BMW and they feel exactly the same.
Can you get the P/N off the shock and check it with ECP or GSF? Or one of those BMW parts CD's that are sold on Ebay?
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Having read all the messages in the thread, am I right in thinking that where a car is advertised as UK spec. and supplied, a buyer is entitled to reject the car, and get a full refund, if the car is found to be an import, because it is not "as described"?
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YES, or so I was told today by Trading Standards.
I also bought a car thinking it was a UK Ghia X - when it turns out it's a German Ghia
So I am preparing a letter to send to the dealer/finance co stating I wish to reject the car due to breach of Sale Of Goods Act 1979 (as amended) - item not as described.
I partly blame DVLA for relaxing the rules on importing a new car to the UK (you have 14 days to get the car into the UK - then it's still registered As New)
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>YES, or so I was told today by Trading Standards.
I think Trancer (above) is on the right lines.
If it said 'UK Spec' I'd assume it was an Import, but Spec'd up to be the same as a UK supplied car.
If it was a UK supplied car, then it wouldn't need to say UK Spec.
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So, if a car has the same spec. as a UK supplied car, in what way is it inferior?
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>>So, if a car has the same spec. as a UK supplied car, in what way is it inferior?>>
It would most likely have been brought in at lower cost than from a UK dealer - hence ny point earlier about PX allowances.
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I agree with the last comment. I have a UK spec import, and it is indistinguishable in any way as far as I can see to a Uk sourced model and was sold as such.
I think the problem lies with some 'Grey' imports which were never meant to be full UK spec.
Car dealers are using this as an excuse on occasions to de-value vehicles even though they are of a full UK spec.
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