RENAULT CENTURION SELLING CARS THAT WAS IN ACCIDENT AND DIDNT DISCLOSE

Item: Renault South Africa
Rating: 1
Author: Martin G

Hi Guys, I would like to share my car buying experience with you and perhaps after reading this, you could give your input as well. ############### My wife and I bought a RENAULT Sandero Stepway (Demo 2016, with 7400km) from RENAULT CENTURION a couple of months ago. Since the purchase we had a number of problems and had the car at their workshop a good 3 or 4 times. This then obviously raised some suspicion as to whether or not the car was in an accident. (surely not right, Demo, from a RENAULT dealer, they wouldn't sell you a car like that, would they?) we then decided to take the car to Dekra just to make sure. Dekra came back with alarming news that the car had repairs done both on the front and back of the car. They also mentioned work was done close to the radiator. I then took the Dekra report to RENAULT CENTURION who then claimed they weren't aware that the car was in an accident, however will query it with RENAULT SA(Apparently the car was bought from them) and try and resolve the matter. RENAULT CENTURION claimed that RENAULT SA came back and said the person that drove the car had a run in with a dog and indeed repair work was done on the car. I'm not sure why RENAULT SA wouldn't have disclosed this to the branch prior to the sale (perhaps a lack of communication), however I would think RENAULT CENTURION would have the quality checks in place to pick this up, after all they are the experts we trust to ensure the cars are safe and in good working condition. (I'm not saying the car they sold to us is unsafe, but i'm sure you would agree that it does raise some doubt) I also asked if it was a dog, how come we have damage at the back as well. The sales manager then said it doesn't matter what happened, they will replace the car with a like for like model. After a couple of days, they then proposed a 2017 model with 20 000KM, as the "like for like" replacement. Perhaps i'm too emotionally involved, but proposing a car with 10 000KM more as a "like for like" replacement hardly seems fair to me. I then asked the sales manager to investigate the probability of giving us a new car instead, thinking if I was the branch having sold a customer a car that was in an accident wIthout disclosing it I would go the extra mile to rectify the situation. To give you an idea, the price difference is about 10K more than what we originally paid for the Demo. (R165K vs R175K) and the R175K is retail price. After a couple of days, he then asked me to come in so that we can negotiate. This is what they are proposing now: They buy back "in good faith, according to them" (more like credit me) the car that was in an accident for R155K (charging us for the usage of the current car @AA rates deducting 10K from the original purchase price). Again not fair in my opinion, AA rates include petrol and I paid for the petrol. Once I accept those terms they will structure a new deal on a new car, expecting us to pay in R20K. At this stage I was thinking, let me get this straight. -You sell me a Demo that was in an accident without disclosing it. (At the very worst they were being dishonest, at best process and communication failure within RENAULT) -You offer me an unfair replacement model. -And now you tell me you want me to structure a new deal "as a good will gesture". However, here's the catch, we will charge you at AA rates for the current use of the car and then expect you to pay in another 20K to get a new car. -Why would they think doing another deal through them is a good idea after all this? Most shocking thing was the Sales Manager saying "I've dealt with 100's of these cases" like these situations are something that happen everyday, maybe I missed something, is this an acceptable way to conduct business these days? I can't help but feel that i'm getting the raw end of the deal here? What do you guys think? ################## Some advise for car buyers; -Insist on a Dekra Technical assessment before you buy a car. Roadworthy isn't good enough -Thinking that buying from a dealer backed by the manufacturer like RENAULT means that there quality control is place and that you can trust them is an illusion. ###################

Helpful (0)

Replies (0)