New laws introduced to protect used car purchasers

Many of us have experienced the ‘second hand car dealer’ – a shady, crafty character, often found denying responsibility once a vehicle has been sold.  However, legislation has recently been introduced to protect consumers, placing the burden of ensuring a used vehicle is fit for purpose squarely on the shoulders of the vendor. 

Used vehicle dealers now have a legal responsibility to repair any defect noted within the first 30 days following a sale, and remain responsible for items which can’t be considered as ‘wear and tear’ up to 6 months following the transaction.  Further, the consumer also now has the right to reject any repair and obtain a full refund, if the dealer is unable to fix any problem, and can also nominate where the repair or correction is to be performed. 

Our good friends over at the AA have detailed all the information for consumers – take a look at this link to see what protections you can now benefit from when deciding to purchase a used Land Rover vehicle.

On the subject of what protections you can benefit from when deciding to purchase a used Land Rover from a non franchise dealer, we at Rovertune Ltd, strongly recommend prospective purchasers carry out the following:-

If you are offered as part of the sale, or invited to purchase a used vehicle warranty from the selling dealer, please thoroughly read the entire terms and conditions of the offered warranty before accepting and/or purchasing. We are aware that the cost of warranties for Land Rover vehicles is getting more expensive, but recently we have seen an upturn in the number of customers that feel very let down by their warranty company when they have had the misfortune to make a claim, partly because they have not fully understood the level of cover provided.

We suggest that you also question the selling dealer to explain to you exactly the extent of the cover provided and take careful note of their comments. Some very important questions to ask are as follows;

a)    Does the warranty you are providing cover for mechanical breakdown only

b)    Does the warranty cover for replacement of parts resulting from wear and tear

c)    Does the warranty cover for the use of replacement genuine manufacturer parts, or OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts, or if re-manufactured parts, from a company with a proven record of quality and reliabilty

d)    In the event of a claim, can I take my vehicle to a repairer of my choosing

e)    What labour rate will the warranty support

In relation to c) above we are seeing increasing instances where a warranty company will only sanction the use of the cheapest parts available and which are to be purchased from specific suppliers. At Rovertune Ltd we always advise customers not to accept this situation. We have also had a instance where a customer who suffered a catastrophic engine failure was told to transport his vehicle over 150 miles (at his cost) to a named non Land Rover Dealer/Specialist for a replacement engine to be fitted, in order to save the warranty company money and finally with reference to e) we have seen a labour rate fixed at £35.00 per hour. It is situations like these that make vehicle owners think that the warranty they have purchased is sometimes not worth the paper it is written on and leaves them having to pay additional costs for repairs which they were under the impression were fully covered.  

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