One of the most difficult cases to prove under the six-month warranty, as prescribed by the Consumer Act, is driver abuse.

As the diagnosis of driver abuse normally requires a specialist, it can become an expensive exercise, but in most cases it would be worth your while to incur these costs.

‘Cheap’ diesel, expensive damages
The most common example is when a buyer reverts to purchasing “cheap” diesel with the result of injectors then malfunctioning. It is crucial that we point this fact out to our prospective buyer when they purchase a diesel-powered vehicle and also emphasise that the warranty is void if the vehicle has been filled with substandard fuel.

Most new car warranties stipulate this in their special conditions under the factory warranty. It would be advisable to offer this in writing to your customer before delivery. Also point out to the buyer that they should refuel at reputable or recognised filling stations when crossing the South African border.

Pocket-rocket, redline drivers
A second example is the pocket-rocket drivers that redline through every gear from traffic light to traffic light. Many a times have I sat at a traffic light contemplating whether the poor dealership is still responsible for the warranty? This case is the most difficult to prove and would require an expert opinion.

Sometimes though, we are fortunate. A customer recently lodged a complaint with a dealership regarding a faulty DSG-gearbox. Fortunately, this client posted his quarter mile sprint and victory doughnuts on social media, when he participated in an open day event the previous weekend. Case closed.

Another fortunate example was where a customer took delivery of a used 6-speed manual vehicle on the Friday. The Saturday he phoned to inform the dealership that he was stuck next to the road at a convenience store about 200 km away from the dealership. He informed the dealership that he stopped to purchase cigarettes and when he got back to the car, it would not start. The vehicle was towed back to the dealership and upon inspection it transpired that the no 2 and 4 cylinders had disintegrated.

A quick investigation proved that the car was towed to the convenience store by a local tow truck from 40 km away. The dealership could, after further investigation, also prove that the gears were ‘accidently’ changed from 5th gear to 4th at high speed.

In short; we must not always take complaints at face value. It could save you a lot of inconvenience and aggravation to just do a bit of your own investigating and then to maybe call in the help of an expert.

We share the best used car sellers for October

The top 5 used passenger vehicle sales per manufacturer

VOLKSWAGEN
FORD
TOYOTA
BMW
MERCEDES-BENZ

The top three used commercial vehicle sales per manufacturer

RANGER 2.2TDCI XL P/U D/C
UTILITY 1.4 A/C P/U S/C
UTILITY 1.4 S/C P/U

Top 10 derivatives sales

POLO GP 1.2 TSI COMFORTLINE (66KW)
POLO 1.4 COMFORTLINE 5DR
POLO VIVO 1.4 TRENDLINE 5DR
RANGER 2.2TDCI XL P/U D/C
FIGO 1.4 AMBIENTE
POLO VIVO GP 1.4 TRENDLINE 5DR
UTILITY 1.4 A/C P/U S/C
POLO VIVO 1.4 5DR
SPARK 1.2 LS 5DR
COROLLA 1.6 PROFESSIONAL

The average age of used vehicles sold in October was 3.76 years.