WE BUY CARS: DEKRA REPORT DEFICIENT, UNSYMPATHETIC, CUSTOMER CARE

DEKRA DEFICIENCIES AND UNSYMPATHETIC CUSTOMER CARE NB. READ THEIR SMALL PRINT -oh there is a couple of miles of it !!! I purchased a 2015 Land Rover SDV6 on the 23rd of January 2025. I WAS AWARE OF CERTAIN ITEMS THAT NEEDED ATTENTION / REPAIR, AS PER THE DEKRA REPORT, NO PROBLEM !!!! DONE !! I took delivery of the car and took it for a full service on the 25th of January (at my Land Rover specialist), as no service records were available. The service entailed the replacement of all filters of the vehicle, replacement of all lubricants / flush and associated procedures for all components of the vehicle ie. diffs, transfer case, engine, cooling system and attention to malfunctioning aircon system, etc. Suspect clamps on the cooling system were replaced and also the water bottle cap. (Water bottle cap is extremely important - it is a torque device) By the way, the malfunctioning water bottle cap and air conditioning were not indicated on the Dekra vehicle report. None the less, I had these issues addressed ! Also the centre console fridge, left passenger door actuator, ABS cover installed, battery box and cover installed, correct battery fitted, bonnet sensor replace, frayed water hose replaced, about all I can quickly think of now.

I noticed oil marking on my driveway that was progressively getting worse - I took the LR back to my specialist - his finding was that the gearbox sump cover was leaking and further noticed that the exhaust support brackets on the top of the gearbox were, well, NOT THERE !!!! (Not made mention of in the Dekra report - in fact the Dekra report attests to NO LEAKS (obviously they did not remove the protective plating covering the gearbox and the engine !!!!! The gear box sump cover had to be replaced, obviously, the lubricant as well !! The exhaust support brackets (albeit used ones) were installed. The exhaust cannot support itself and will crack on the bent sections.

After fetching the vehicle I noticed that the oil marking on the driveway persisted. (I had washed this area......and all my mates drive Toyotas) I took the car back to my specialist, who, upon inspection found that the oil cooler was leaking. Replacement of the oil cooler was necessitated. Once again, the Dekra report was of NO VALUE ! The car had not covered more than 4000 kms !!!!! According to my specialist, both these leaks had existed for quite some time. In fact, the oil cooler had left a fountain of oil on the block - enough to create a Guy Fawkes spectacular, given the right set of circumstances !

I approached We Buy Cars Brackengate on the 11th of April, escalating further to Customer Care, as the oil leaks are road worthy issues and the exhaust brackets were missing !!!!! Needless to say, their correspondence, eventually received on the 25th of April refers to the terms and conditions : We Buy Cars must be informed of such issues, otherwise the warrantee is void, oh of course, their Offer to purchase contains more indemnification than an ANC parliamentarian !!! Amongst others, a clause exists alluding to your inspection of the vehicle - surely one has to rely on their word and the Dekra report !! I will have to study the CPA on this. In final, I have had these repairs carried out most cost effectively, now, without any assistance from WE BUY CARS. I need my vehicle and do not have 14 days at a time to wait for their various process'

Amazingly, the sales process is chased with huge pressure, then, well ......

This was the second vehicle purchased from We Buy Cars - the last !!

In short, if you consider We Buy Cars, you will have to take the vehicle to a dealership for full scrutineering and evaluation. The Dekra report you can take and ................ If you encounter issues with the vehicle, don't touch a thing, understand what you have signed and good luck !!!!