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- Brooks1sr
- Member Since: 22 Jan 2019
- Location: Cheshire
- Posts: 17
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- Blackfly
- Member Since: 15 Jun 2017
- Location: Up North
- Posts: 466
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- Dangerdave
- Member Since: 15 Feb 2017
- Location: UK
- Posts: 600
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Okay, here is the information. Rejecting a car can be a long and bitter process. Don’t expect the garage to agree with you and they will try to repair it ad infinitum. I’ve done it and it took more than 6 months and really wears you down.
The below gives you time limits. Remember that any dealer induced delays can be subtracted from the 30 days, 6 months etc. For instance you reported the fault on say 1st December, but they couldn’t book you in until 1st January, you can deduct 31 days.
Be clear exactly what you want and don’t wavier from it.
Expect them to refer you to their Compliance Officer and/or a Solicitor. They will argue on the interpretation of the Consumer Law Act. You can read it on line and in particular the explanatory notes. I found for every argument they quoted, they were taking a sentence out of context and in its entirety meant something different.
Give time limits and stick to them. Don’t make idle threats about taking the matter to your own solicitor or court. If you say it, do it! They will sniff a bull s
ter a million miles off. Do not loose your temper, be calm.
Finally, most vehicle and household insurances include Legal Cover. If you tell them, they will assess if they will take the case on. Tell the car dealership they have until a specific time, date or you will instruct your Solicitors and it will be out of your hands. My dealership only then agreed to rejection with 2 hours to go.
If you purchased the car with finance, e.g. Black Horse, the matter should be referred to them in the first instance.
If you wish, you can refer to the Ombudsman before legals. Their decision is binding on the Garage, it’s not binding on you in that you can still go to legals after that.
The Consumer Rights Act allows for three options:
Your short-term right to reject, which lasts for 30 days after taking delivery of your car
Your final right to reject, which covers you for six months from purchase
Your final right to reject after the first six months
Short Term
If your new or used car has a significant fault that was present when you bought it (as opposed to developing afterwards), you can reject the car within the first 30 days and get a full refund.
You do not have to accept a repair or replacement vehicle (although you can if you want to).
If you have part-exchanged your previous car on the new one, you will not get it back. Instead, you will be entitled to the full invoice price of the car (including road tax, VAT, etc).
You are entitled to a full refund by the same method in which you paid for the car. The dealer cannot charge for usage, wear and tear, collection of the vehicle or anything else.
It is the dealer’s obligation to collect the vehicle, unless your sales contract includes a clause obliging you to return the car. You only have to make sure the car is available to collect.
Be reasonable about this and work with the dealer if you want to get your money back with minimal fuss. Make their lives difficult and you can be sure they will return the favour…
Over 30 days, under six months
If you have had the car for more than 30 days but less than six months, you have to give the selling dealer one attempt to fix the fault before moving to reject the vehicle. If the repair has not fixed the fault, you can reject the vehicle.
If you part-exchanged your old car on the new one, you will not get it back. Instead, you will get a cash value for the new car. However, unlike the short-term right to reject, it may not be the full value.
In this instance, the dealer is able to claim a reduction in the value of the vehicle. This is based on the mileage covered and time elapsed. There is no guidance on how much they can charge you, so be prepared to negotiate this with the dealer. If it goes to court, the judge will decide.
As above, it is the dealer’s obligation to collect the vehicle under the Act. You cannot be charged for return costs or be forced to return the vehicle yourself.
After six months
You are legally entitled to pursue a rejection after the first six months, but the law swings from being in your favour to being in the dealer’s favour.
The onus on you is now to prove that the fault was present when you bought the car, and that is difficult when you have had the car for a reasonable length of time and probably covered thousands of miles in that period.
In practice, this is difficult unless you have some solid proof that the fault was there at time of purchase – which is not easy. Trying to prove that a fault was present at time of purchase rather than occurring the day afterwards is very difficult when you’re several months down the line.
Rejecting a car should not be your first move
If you discover a fault with a car you’ve just bought, don’t automatically move to reject it. The fault may be relatively easy to fix. You’ll save a lot of time and hassle compared to trying to reject the vehicle.
Despite the Act providing a clear right to reject a faulty car, it isn’t as simple as going back to the dealer and walking out with a nice fat cheque. The dealer will want to conduct their own assessment of the vehicle. They may well not agree with your contention that the vehicle should be rejected.
If they refuse to accept your rejection, you will need to take some form of action to pursue the matter. Some dealers are signed up to a voluntary Ombudsman’s code, which allows for independent mediation. But usually you will need to take legal action against the dealer. You will probably also need to get written reports from another garage to back up your claim.
When you are rejecting a car, the dealer has to buy it back from you for the same price you paid for it. You have to sign the registration forms back over. If you have finance on the vehicle, that has to be cancelled as well.
A car purchase can be complicated to unwind, and you might not get your money back for several weeks.
The dealer may offer to repair the fault and potentially even offer you some form of compensation as well. This may be a better result than pursuing a rejection. It may save you a lot of hassle as well, since you won’t have to go through the process of buying another car. -
- StinTov
- Member Since: 22 Aug 2018
- Location: Warwickshire
- Posts: 66
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I had the same sort of issue, but the windscreen had let go from the body and was leaking water over the drivers sun visor and into the cabin. I called LR customer care and they arranged for a dealer to sort it. I was told the screen where on back order and to expect 4 weeks, plus if the wiring loom was water damaged expect 12 weeks as they are hand made to order.
They gave me a basic Discover Sport for two weeks after which it was fixed and all dried out, I got a payout from LR for £500. I complained bitterly about the crappy RAF (Rescue Assistance Fleet ) loaner and was told this is all they had. I know that's as I saw other drivers being given Velars and fully loaded Evoques.
I also insisted on a full showroom valet inside and out and not just the standard wash and vac.
I got told that the longer they have your vehicle the bigger the payout so it's in their interests to get the vehicle back to you.
I love my D5 to bits but you do have to wonder why LR can't shift it's 50 year reputation for issues.
All the best!
HSE Lux, MY18, Silicon silver 3.0d -
- Dangerdave
- Member Since: 15 Feb 2017
- Location: UK
- Posts: 600
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Land Rover normally don’t want to know regarding faults/rejection. They argue your contract is with the garage NOT them and of course they are right, but you expect some support as a manufacturer.
I found LRCS and even their Executive, had little interest. Their idea of compensation involved them touting arranging a lovely round the table meet between me and the directors of the main dealership for a reconciliation.
What were we going to do? Hug it out, become Besties? Swap phone numbers?
Told LR I’d rather poke my eyes out with a red hot poker and eat my own vomit.
The dealership was rude, obstructive, unapologetic, unsympathetic wits and LR wanted us to kiss and make up. Go figure. 
Mind you a friend of mine had similar trouble with his new Volvo until he threatened to return it via driving through their showroom window. The guy is a North Sea Oil Rig Bear from Glasgow, he would have done it. -
- Russell
- Member Since: 26 Jun 2016
- Location: Lydd
- Posts: 1102
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- Equilibrium
- Member Since: 26 Feb 2019
- Location: Bristol
- Posts: 754
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- Dangerdave
- Member Since: 15 Feb 2017
- Location: UK
- Posts: 600
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Maybe my rejection was different.
This one involved delivering a new LR to which they had fitted a dealership tow bar. They scratched the rear bumper. Lots of little marks which weren’t evident on inspection without my glasses on in a dimly lit handover booth.
There was also other faults from rucked rear seats to marked wheel arch plastics. I discovered the faults when I got home the same day and it was suggested by the DP that I’d had an accident on my way home. Great start, accuse your customer of lying and deceit.
Anyway, car went back in to fix. Three weeks later it came out with more faults than it went in with including paint runs from respraying the bumper. Bumper not fixed properly to the surrounding bodywork, the list is endless.
Went in a second time for a week for 6 faults to be rectified and despite phoning me up the night before and going through each faults and saying they’d fixed it, discovered at the garage upon pick up, they’d fixed one fault, five remained. The Workshop Manager even went round the car with me and told me they’d sorted the pain run and pointed out to an area that wasn’t effected to start with. I had to point out where it still was. He looked a right clown.
At what point do you then reject the vehicle? I’d had enough, I have them chances I didn’t have to, they screwed up. All along LR and their Executive were informed and did absolutely sweet FA.
I didn’t get any apologies, sympathy, treats, discount, sod all.
Your experience may well be different, but then from what you say you had the support of the dealership. I didn’t and my beef was with them.
LRCS and the Executive were useless and 18 months down the road, I am still annoyed.
I recall Speths Executive Customer Relationships Director phoning me up and telling me they were closing the matter bar the hug it out session and that was the last I heard from them. I’d already purchased a new D5 by that time, if not, I wouldn’t have gone near the brand based on that. I was that incensed, I’d have happily taken it down to WBAC and flogged it.
Can they really be that cavalier with an established customer? To give you an idea either SWMBO or I have had 7/8 new LR cars over the last 10 years! An absolutely disgraceful way to treat a customer and after this car, they won’t be getting my business again.
I’ll have to dig out the paperwork I have on it, makes very interesting reading. -
- Equilibrium
- Member Since: 26 Feb 2019
- Location: Bristol
- Posts: 754
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- Brooks1sr
- Member Since: 22 Jan 2019
- Location: Cheshire
- Posts: 17
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So update after no contact from dealer finally got a call to say carpets have bin dried out and rebuilding the interior asked them did they find the leak said no you will have to have it back then to be told by service manager well it is a known fault they leak asked if she would like carpet dried out in her new house to be told it is what it is jokers now just waiting for jlr to get back to me
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- mordred1973
- Member Since: 08 Jan 2019
- Location: Northamptonshire
- Posts: 758
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- Equilibrium
- Member Since: 26 Feb 2019
- Location: Bristol
- Posts: 754
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- Dangerdave
- Member Since: 15 Feb 2017
- Location: UK
- Posts: 600
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Mordred.
I know of a lot of other people that have had problems with not only their dealership, but LR.
One person rejected their new LR immediately after the dealership sliced the whole main wiring loom putting on an additional security device prior to hand over. Another because of a B pillar problem that was welded several times to get rid of a squeak, another oil dilution problems, the list is endless.
I’ve told SWMBO I am not getting another LR, much to her dismay, but she understands because of the problems we’ve had in the past. I don’t really care what I get so long as it does what it’s meant to and the after service from the dealership and manufacturer is spot on. -
- mordred1973
- Member Since: 08 Jan 2019
- Location: Northamptonshire
- Posts: 758
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- jimbg
- Member Since: 23 Jun 2016
- Location: Devon
- Posts: 1472
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