Magnet

Welcome Daniel, Try registering your ‘want’ with on-line breaker link websites such as Partsfinder - there are more. Please let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

That’s Kev. Try on-line breaker link websites, such as Partsfinder - there are more. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Steve, I think that’s very sound advice, but I would add a very important (to me anyway) caveat, and that would be ‘if you know your way around cars’. To me, buying cars direct from a private seller is great, because I feel relatively confident that I can assess its overall condition. If I wasn’t confident ( as I guess a high % of buyers won’t be) then I would only go down that route if I had a professional inspection carried out before committing. Perhaps we can take Steve Q’s recent unfortunate experience in buying from a car supermarket - the plus side has been that despite finding that the car needed work, that work was carried out at no cost to himself - as would have been the case if he had bought the same car direct from its last owner. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kev, Where have you searched so far - to avoid us suggesting where you have already tried? Kind regards, Gareth.

Any new thoughts Dave?

Thank you for coming back on this Wayne. As a matter of interest, what brand of battery was fitted last time? OK, entrusting replacement batteries to your local garage is one way, and you usually get the best deal to them via. their motorfactors suppliers - which might not be the best value for money for you, but…. Just let us know what your Halfords battery check reveals, and what brand you currently have, and we will take it one step at a time if it tests substandard. Kind regards, Gareth.

Sort of thanks Lucy, What has being a socialist - or indeed of any other political bias got to do with it? Anyway, being old, brings with it reduced inhibitions about saying it as you see it, and as I see it in this case, your opening words…’ You’re (that’s me) fining this time consuming’? .. suggests what have I got to complain about in comparison with the time YOU have spent -? The difference is this actually Lucy:- You have spent your time chasing details about this car so that you ultimately reduce your real-time financial risk, whereas all contributors on here spend their time - including weekends - giving free advice on demand, often resulting in financial gain for the poster, and you question the comparison of my for-no-gain time against your potential gain time. Um, not really on, is it? Please bear in mind Lucy, that you have been economical with the full detail until the end, and largely have failed to provide answers along the line. So OK a salesman has told you that the car has FSH - but as far as I can see that fact has not been written into an advert - and I would guess you haven’t recorded your conversation - so his verbal statement cannot be confirmed in evidence. You have hung your hat on a ‘dissatisfaction’ that FSH has not been forthcoming, and potentially lost sight of the vital evidence which suggests the car is likely to have a history of being rejected. Just seems a strange dissatisfaction to me, but good luck with your complaint, and buying what you want privately. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Wayne, I too would want to eliminate the battery as being the culprit, but to charge you £51 to check it is extortionate, and I certainly would be returning to them to check it again. If it were mine, I would take to a Halford’s store and ask them to test it for you. They usually do this FOC. If it does test as below par, then it would generally be to your advantage not to buy one from there, but to come back to us for some recommendations of what brands to buy, and where to buy at competitive prices. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Terry, please return to the forum and provide the information asked for. So far, you have posted your advert and not returned to read any responses.

Thanks Ranabir, but I await your answer before offering any additional advice.

I’m left with the following:- What is the exact (in caps) nature of the complaint? Isn’t it a salesman’s job to sell, and promote the good points, rather than explain all the negative points? Is it reasonable to expect that the vast majority of buyers take all the promoting statements with a pinch of salt? Having read the advertisement, I’m not reading any claim of FSH - assuming we are all talking the red c £19,000 6 year old A3 at Bath Audi - Lucy has neither confirmed or refuted this - and as I recall, the initial enquiry at the forum related to FSH and not anything to do with the car’s history. Personally, I’ve found this thread rather time consuming, and that’s OK, but saying it as I (in caps) see it, getting the full story has been rather like pulling teeth, and even now, anyone reading my responses and requests to provide answers, will see questions still remain unanswered. To conclude, if we have been provided with the full facts from the start, much of my advice and comments would have been different, but we can only work with what we are given piecemeal at the time! Still, got somewhere in the end. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Lucy and Steve, Well it seems I’m out of touch with what Bath Audi are retailing these days - cars up to 9 year old! Strange the salesman should tell you they don’t retail anything older than 2020 as would be expected. I guess the one of interest to you is the 6 year old red Sportback - wait for it @ £19,306! I’d want gas and air to consider paying that, but as I said, it seems I’m out of touch!

Hello again Lucy, To come to your last statement first - if you think buying from a dealer is a minefield, buying privately can be whole new battlefield! Total absence of any warranty, unless it turns out to contravene advertised detail. That’s why some private sellers simply describe the vehicle as ‘starts, stops, drives’. It really is good luck with that. Back to this car:- as I see it, you are now conditioned to look at all the negative points about it, and looking for more; e.g. 8 checks over a period of 1 month is really nothing, still….. May not be our business, but you are not telling us anything about the overall condition of the car, the number of previous owners, the asking price, or the warranty Audi is offering you at the point of sale, or any detail of the weird findings on Motorcheck. You appear to be placing all your faith and judgement on the perceived importance of ‘full service history’, which can equate to the vehicle having spent 2 hrs in a workshop every 18 months or so ( for what that’s worth) and then being gloriously neglected for the remaining 364 days of the year. Of course, the weird findings on Motorcheck maybe significant and a deal breaker, but we don’t know what you know. Anyway, Lucy, I feel I have given you all the advice I can now, and I think we must now accept that buying privately is going to give you an overall, ‘better deal’. Incidentally, what did the DVLA vehicle check reveal about when the last V5 was issued, and what was the MOT history like? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Lucy, This is odd, since as you were first told, main dealers seldom retail anything over 3 to 4 year old. To retail a 6 year old car is highly unusual in my book. My take - for what it’s worth - the salesman’s comment that that they do not retail was correct, and prior to your enquiry, the car was destined ( even sale agreed) to be disposed of to a trade buyer, at trade price, which would have been influenced by its lack of service history. You come along, and show an interest, and he gets himself into ‘few bob to be made in commission here’ mode, and agrees to sell it to you. You now ( understandably) want to see evidence of its service history - but it doesn’t have any! If he had sent it straight to trade, then his life would have been easier. More questions:- Is the price attractive for its age and mileage? If not, I would walk away. An alternative:- Buy it if price and condition attracts, but immediately take it to an independent and get it comprehensively serviced, and ensure it gets recorded on the Audi computerised service history. I don’t want to influence you, but the car may have been serviced under previous ownership by say a local garage, and more often than not, this can equate to better servicing that at a main dealer. I would still enquire about its service history at another dealership. Let us know what pans put Lucy. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Bear in mind, this maybe a nice car under all of this mystery.

Hello Steve, I thought it was called Longlife rather than Lifelong, and on ‘normal’ usage, generally came up with a service-due warning at around 18 months even if c18k hadn’t been reached. Good point on the two year brake fluid. Kind regards, Gareth. Overlapped post.

Ok, but what brand is it, and ideally where did you buy it?

Hello Lucy, Due to the car’s age, I take it you are not buying it from an Audi main dealer - ? Could you please confirm. Where does Bath Audi come into the equation? Taking it you have the registration number, have you contacted another localish Audi main dealer ( by phone) and requested a print off of the car’s computerised service history? The car is now c6 years old, and due to its understood low mileage, the car should have been serviced on an annual basis rather than on a Longlife schedule, but if it had been incorrectly serviced on a Longlife schedule it should have been serviced around every 18 months - so at least 3 services should have been carried out in its lifetime. Is the car being advertised with ‘ full service history’? Apologies for all the questions, but have you checked the DVLA vehicle check to check when the last V5 was issued - also, the car’s on line MOT history? Recently issued V5 may ( in caps) indicate an undesirable short last ownership. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Ranibir, Simple things first - What brand is your replacement battery? Kind regards, Gareth.

We have very few ‘experts’ on here, and it’s certainly a major exaggeration to construe that ‘everyone (in caps) on here is an expert. Having said that, I think it’s been common knowledge for decades, that service-before-sale equates only to an oil and filter change - nothing revolutionary there. Advice has always been - treat it as if it had never taken place - and you won’t go far wrong. Anyway Dave, thank you once again for pointing this out. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Ian, Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Suggest using the phone to talk with them at P in M Raymond. Kind regards, Gareth.

No, Dave not the same ( or better). Just think about it - what you have said is that it has been ‘Solved’ , but you’re not attributing that solution to Steve’s experience and kind response, so please just mark his solution post as ‘Liked’ - it is what should automatically follow and shows your appreciation. Didn’t think we would need to ask, but…. Thank you.

Many thanks Steve, Probably pessimistic, but be prepared that they will check the history and see your complaint has been disputed by the supplying dealer. Fore warned …. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Dave, We thank you for your opinion and experience.

Hello Terry, Thanks for joining and posting your advert, and commiserations on losing your Dad. Could you please add your asking price to the advert. Kind regards, Gareth.