Buying an imported car ? without being told its an import

[WILCOMAN]

Hi all.
What would you all sugest that I do now ?
I bought a black golf gti dsg in jan this year from a main VW dealer here in Norfolk.
I was told that it was originally registered in cornwall in 2007 and had had 3 owners since new, They gave me 3 years free servicing and the purchase price was just over £12.900.
Not long after buying the car I wasnt happy with the tyres so purchased a full set of new ones costing good money and also purchase a rns510 which ED-nl fitted for me and it was during the fitting of this that ED said there was something suspicious about the car and said it had things fitted to it that it shouldnt have ,
With that we looked inside the service book and saw that its first registration stamp appered to be in an eastern continent.
Ed checked out the vag.com and said that the car had not got an alarm fitted which it should have.
Well with all the printed documents and service book in hand I went to see the salesman and dealer principle today and after checking out the chassis number they confirmed it was originally registred in the UAE in 2006 the middle east and shipped here in 2007.
They say they will look into what happened and will be phoning me to sort things out, But what should I be doing about it in your opinion, because obviously im going to have to tell the insurance company not only its an import but it hasnt got an alarm !! 

[Eddie-NL]

Hi George
I'm sorry that I was the bearer of the news that it is an import. I have seen some without Air con
At the very least they should offer to fit an alarm or give you some money back. After all come the time when you trade it in they will offer you less
If you don't get any joy with the dealer in question, contact VW in Milton keynes and trading standards

Ed

[alexperkins]

Thats a tough call. It would cost you more to have this car declared as an import with no alarm, so Id say you have been missold. Trade Descriptions act should help things along with getting refunded/resolved.

[stealthwolf]

Does your insurance company know it's an import? May have a negative impact on premiums!

[kierongti]

my service book has the 'date of delivery' box stamped with a dutch vw dealer stamp... however all its services have been in the UK.... will it we worth less due to it coming from the netherlands?

[jmspear]

Hi Wilcoman, UAE is not good, at least if it comes from the EU (e.g Germany, NL, Scandinavia etc) it will have amn EU certificate of conformity, I bet yours coming from the UAE doesn't it doesn't sound as if it it to UK spec, if it doesn't come with a EU Cert of Conformity it should have had a single vehicle type approval test when it was imported, you may need all of this documentation when you come to sell it, what does the V5 say? does it say who imported it? You need to check it has been properly registered when it was imported.

Was it sold as an approved VW car from a VW main dealer? If yes then it won't have been covered by their approved used scheme, they don't cover imports, I took my EU import in for a trade in to my main delaer and they wouldn't touch it saying they are not allowed to sell on non official UK imported cars as they are not approved VW cars covered by the apporved VW scheme warranty etc, If it was an approved VW car from a main dealer I would be demanding my money back and the garage take it back, if not just a used car from a VW specialist it all depends on how they described it........

Good luck

[Eddie-NL]

my service book has the 'date of delivery' box stamped with a dutch vw dealer stamp... however all its services have been in the UK.... will it we worth less due to it coming from the netherlands?

When you trade a car in, they ask if it is an import? so they will offer you less. however when they sell the car they don't sell them for less
Personally it doesn't bother me if my next car was an import or not.

The trouble is that car supermarkets sell New cars that are sourced from Malta, Middle East and don't have the same Spec as a UK car. Such as the OP car. Although his car has a very high spec with loads of extras but No alarm.

[SimonBash]

I bought a MK4 GTI back in 2003 from a VW dealer as an approved used car, they declared that it was an import on the advert on vw.co.uk, and the car was about £2,000 less than a like for like UK car.

I paid £11,500 for a 2 year old, 13,000 car which shows you they feel it was worth less.

My car came from Sweden originally BTW.

If I was you I would get them to buy the car back off you based on current UK market value (glasses guide retail price) as they should have made it clear it was an import.

Good luck pal.

[MattPoss]

Mine was PDI'd in Dubai as is very well specced, just wondering whether it has an alarm or not now

Matt

[Andy]

think i would be asking them for another car

[Eddie-NL]

Hi Matt
look at the headlining for sensor between the grab handles there will also be a switch on the lower B-Pillar to deactivate it


If you have Vag-Com check the convenience Address 46

Address 46: Central Conv.        Labels: 1K0-959-433-MAX.clb
   Part No SW: 1K0 959 433 AR    HW: 1K0 959 433 AR
   Component: 01 KSG PQ35 G2  010 0101  
   Revision: 00010000    Serial number: 00000000000000
   Coding: 989008085103087F2D020F0FF0085FC6F0A440
   Shop #: WSC 01316 785 00200
   VCID: 800B06D4AA6B

   Part No: 1K0 951 605 A
   Component: LIN BACKUP HORN H01 1201

   Part No: 1K0 907 719
   Component: Neigungssensor  003 0003

   Part No: 1K0 951 177
   Component: Innenraumueberw.004 0101

No fault code found.

The parts listed above are the alarm components, if it is not fitted it will be like the one below


Address 46: Central Conv.        Labels: 1K0-959-433-MIN.clb
   Part No: 1K0 959 433 AK
   Component:    KSG              0401  
   Coding: 18C802087F2D0C0F485F018010CC
   Shop #: WSC 00152 210 91233
   VCID: 79FDEB30495F

   Component:   Sounder n.mounted    

   Component:       NGS n.mounted    

   Component:      IRUE n.mounted    

No fault code found.

[MattPoss]

Ahh yeah, I forgot about the switch on the drivers side B Pillar, I'll have a look tomorrow

Cheers Ed

Matt

[no golf clubs at all]

Weren't there motorpoint cars in from the UAE?

Seriously if this came from a main dealer I'd be onto VW. I brought a BMW in from Holland, saved a packet, actually got not too bad a trade in but the dealer said as it was an import they were not allowed to sell it from their uk network.

Squeaky wheel gets the oil etc.

[Eddie-NL]

Weren't there motorpoint cars in from the UAE?

Seriously if this came from a main dealer I'd be onto VW. I brought a BMW in from Holland, saved a packet, actually got not too bad a trade in but the dealer said as it was an import they were not allowed to sell it from their uk network.

Squeaky wheel gets the oil etc.

I thought motorpoint did source from there and malta?
I think a lot of the cars they sold as new had been sitting about for a year or two

[LouCyffer]

The stance here is relatively simple. As a private buyer from a UK dealership, you reasonably assumed that you would get a UK spec car. Unless the HPI check threw something up, and you were made aware of this, the position is that the vehicle has been misrepresented (as under the Sale & Supply Of Goods act). You are therefore entitled to seek full refund from the dealer. If they are not minded to refund you, my advice is to tell them that you will pursue the matter throught the Small Claims Track of the County Court.

I would also inform trading Standards. However, give them chance to act on their own accord before wheeling out the 'big guns'. As a main VW dealer, they act as an agent of VAG group; a phone call to VW UK may not go amiss either. They wiill not want any negative publicity in regard to this.

Finally, go to www.honestjohn.co.uk and take a look through the legal Q&As for help. Emailing Honest John can be useful & replies are received very quickly. Plus the dealer can then be told that as Honest John is on the case, it is likely that this issue will end up in the Motoring section of The Telegraph one saturday. That's a great PR own goal.

Polite but firm. Know your rights. Don't back down. I wouldn't keep this car unless the sale price was equivalent to a similar LHD import. Even then I'd probably want rid; it's worth far less, and an insurance nightmare to cover.

Good luck.