Problems with a new car, what do i do?

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N1sh

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In July I purchased a brand new Golf 6 from a particular VW dealership in Durban, during September I noticed the radio turning itself off and on every few minutes, it was apparently an issue with the ignition. After 4 visits to the dealership and much inconvenience this was sorted out by installing a transponder.

A few weeks ago my boss mentioned that my passenger door looked a darker shade of colour than the rest of the car. With closer inspection I have also noticed this, although ever so slight the difference is noticeable if you look carefully.

I really find this unacceptable considering the price I paid for a supposedly new vehicle. I plan on taking it to a paint specialist to confirm that the door has either been replaced or resprayed.

I would just like some advice on what to do in these circumstances considering how long ago I purchased the car as well as how the CPA applies to my case.
 
Interesting question though as when you buy a new car you sign off that you inspected the car, I.e taking delivery that the sales rep went through the car with you etc. keep us dated.
 
You have 6 months to return a product under the new CPA. Also, 'voet stoots' no longer applies under the new CPA and if the seller does not tell you of the defects, the sale is deemed invalid and you are entitled to return the product and get a full refund. Please contact the department of trade and industry for further information. But yeah, you have lots of protection under the new CPA. Google is your friend, plenty of summaries out there hey.
 
D3x! said:
Interesting question though as when you buy a new car you sign off that you inspected the car, I.e taking delivery that the sales rep went through the car with you etc. keep us dated.
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That's exactly where my problem is. After signing the inspection agreement, what are my rights after noticing these issues 5 months later. Believe me the difference in colour is extremely slight but noticeable under the right light conditions.
 
N1sh said:
That's exactly where my problem is. After signing the inspection agreement, what are my rights after noticing these issues 5 months later. Believe me the difference in colour is extremely slight but noticeable under the right light conditions.
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Well you answer your own statement. You bought a NEW car! New cars don't have these defects.
 
N1sh

How many times have you seen damaged cars from the Vehicle carrier transporters these cars are simply repaired by reputable panelbeaters and put back on the showroom floor. Pretty sure the VW car would never of left factory with different colour door so the responsibilty lies with the dealer, he will of been given a hefty discount by VW for the vehicle to sell damage would of been covered by factory or carriers Insurance. You have recourse with the CPA don't wait to lay your case.

Good luck with your claim
 
Quality of VW has been shocking of late. Apart form the standard feature of electrical problems since the first golf, it seems that the quality of manufacture has dropped.

Its not only VW, it seems Mercedes, BMW and a lot of the other established brands are selling sub par products. I wont be surprised with the Koreans are making more reliable cars than the Germans now.

The CPA's got you back. Based on what you have discovered so far, I think you are within your grounds to demand a new car.
 
You can't do much. You have been using the car for 5 months already! You could have damaged the car and now want a new one. Why 5months to see the fixed door? You are not the first one to try this. The CPA is not ment to protect the consumers from them self!
 
N1sh said:
In July I purchased a brand new Golf 6 from a particular VW dealership in Durban, during September I noticed the radio turning itself off and on every few minutes, it was apparently an issue with the ignition. After 4 visits to the dealership and much inconvenience this was sorted out by installing a transponder.

A few weeks ago my boss mentioned that my passenger door looked a darker shade of colour than the rest of the car. With closer inspection I have also noticed this, although ever so slight the difference is noticeable if you look carefully.

I really find this unacceptable considering the price I paid for a supposedly new vehicle. I plan on taking it to a paint specialist to confirm that the door has either been replaced or resprayed.

I would just like some advice on what to do in these circumstances considering how long ago I purchased the car as well as how the CPA applies to my case.
Click to expand...

Take it to the AA, have them check it out thoroughly and give a report. I have two friends who bought new cars that turns out had been in accidents. It happens!
 
D3x! said:
Interesting question though as when you buy a new car you sign off that you inspected the car, I.e taking delivery that the sales rep went through the car with you etc. keep us dated.
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You sign off in good faith that you are buying a brand new car - it's not voetstoets! There is a difference!
 
SoWhat said:
You can't do much. You have been using the car for 5 months already! You could have damaged the car and now want a new one. Why 5months to see the fixed door? You are not the first one to try this. The CPA is not ment to protect the consumers from them self!
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Of course you can do something about it - that's what a warranty is for.
 
MyDogHasNoNose said:
You sign off in good faith that you are buying a brand new car - it's not voetstoets! There is a difference!
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I know that is why I said it is an interesting question as this could end up being quite the fight and a month is a small amount of time to get this resolved and the dealer will try drag it out
 
SoWhat said:
You can't do much. You have been using the car for 5 months already! You could have damaged the car and now want a new one. Why 5months to see the fixed door? You are not the first one to try this. The CPA is not ment to protect the consumers from them self!
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I agree.

You really should have noticed any imperfections sooner than that.

The possibility is there that the car was damaged in transit to the holding area, and then fixed before even getting to the dealer. Many new cars are damaged in transit unfortunately, it happens.

I would say that it will go down to your word against theirs if they honestly didn't know about the door.

That being said, CPA is not going to help you get a new car if all it needs is some paintwork on a door. Also have you even thought about going to the dealer first before running off to paint specialists and the CPA? Going that route is simply going to get the dealer's back up and then you will have a fight on your hands.

Go to them, show them the car, and voice your concerns. If you have exhausted all possibilities with them, only then do you go to the CPA.
 
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Fazda said:
I agree.

You really should have noticed any imperfections sooner than that.

The possibility is there that the car was damaged in transit to the holding area, and then fixed before even getting to the dealer. Many new cars are damaged in transit unfortunately, it happens.

I would say that it will go down to your word against theirs if they honestly didn't know about the door.

That being said, CPA is not going to help you get a new car if all it needs is some paintwork on a door. Also have you even thought about going to the dealer first before running off to paint specialists and the CPA? Going that route is simply going to get the dealer's back up and then you will have a fight on your hands.

Go to them, show them the car, and voice your concerns. If you have exhausted all possibilities with them, only then do you go to the CPA.
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I cant argue with noticing the imperfections earlier, guess I was just not expecting this and did not want to believe it since this is the first car I have purchased by myself.

I just want to confirm if there really is a different colour on the door before I take it up with the dealer. I dont want look like a fool and waste their time in case its just the lighting around the car or angle of door.

As far as the CPA is concerned I'm not running to them, I'm just checking all my options, if I have any problems with the dealership I will need to work fast since the 6 month period is almost up.

I am well aware that cars do get damaged, and have to be repaired, although I don't think its fair to sell one of these damaged and repaired cars without telling me first.

I have no problem with the door as its only slightly noticeable. But when it comes to resale, I don't want buyers to assume the car has been in an accident, since the door is a different colour.
 
The dealer will never admit to selling a damaged and repaired car. So you won't be able to tell whether they knew about the damage.
 
Sorry to say but I think you are stuck with this car. Best thing you can hope for is that when you trade it in they will not notice it. Maybe you should go round to the same dealer and pretend you want to trade it in, see if they then notice the busted door.
 
So... here's the situation. You buy a brand new TV set. Months later you discover a feature that is faulty that you've never tried... or... you discover that it's been opened. Do you not take it back and holler for your warranty?
 
MyDogHasNoNose said:
So... here's the situation. You buy a brand new TV set. Months later you discover a feature that is faulty that you've never tried... or... you discover that it's been opened. Do you not take it back and holler for your warranty?
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that exact thing happened to me, realised only after getting a pvr (5 months later) that my hdmi port was not working with sound, took it in, replaced board. So bad example :p
 
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