used car dealers!!!!!!!!!

Bought a second hand car back in February this year from a used car dealer, in Maidstone, I live in west London. It was a car I’d identified that I’d like to own, the color I liked, it was 5 years old, it was top end of the book price. I test drove it seemed fine so bought it. It came with a 6-month warranty.

In the sales bumf I was given it included an auto group brochure so assumed my warranty was with them.

Drove well for about 4 months and then developed a knocking sound drivers front wheel / corner. It could only be heard when accelerating from a low speed. Once it was up to cruising altitude it was quite.

As the warranty was coming to an end in a few weeks decided to contact the dealer, talked about the noise, he tried to fob me off with, nothing to worry about, wait till you take it for a service then mention it to whoever is doing the service. I reminded him it was under warranty still, so he reluctantly arranged a time for me to drop it off and for them to test it. While waiting I took my dog for a walk. Received a phone call within an hour from them to say, it had been road tested, there was a noise, as if I didn’t know that but they couldn’t find any damaged parts, so couldn’t do anything about it. When I collected the car they also said that warranties wouldn’t replace parts that weren’t broken, I don’t know if that’s true or not and as an aside said sometimes cars just develop a noise and don’t worry.

I called auto group when I got home to find I wasn't registered with them and therefore my warranty wasn’t with them. Called the dealership, heard some muffled voices in the background, clearly looking for some input in what to say. I was then told that the warranty was with them and I was better off that it was.

The car has been back to them on a further two occasions, on the first of those they kept it for 4 days to investigate more. I was told they’d rectified it, picked it up and within approx 2 miles the noise came back. The last time they said they’d ordered a shock absorber and that was the likely problem. It was supposedly test-driven but again, I did get half way home but the noise returned.

So my thoughts:

1. I don’t trust them; they lied about whom I had my warranty with!
2. Tried to fob me off with a cock and bull story.
3. Twice they told me they’d fixed the problem and road tested the vehicle and that it was fine. Supposedly replacing parts but I wonder? I hadn’t driven very far before the noise returned!

4. Had they just greased up the parts that could have been causing the problem and hoped to get away with it, as if?
5. Are they just pissing me around, hoping I’ll get fed up with the inconvenience of travelling to Maidstone and take the car somewhere local to me and pay for the work to be done, so that they can get out of paying out themselves?
6. Are they just cunts!

Any thoughts, opinions, similar stories and advice welcome, sorry for the ramble.