S4 Avant Salvage Horror Story

[S4MORE]

If you think you have ever had any nightmares in buying a car then read on.
I saw an S4 Avant on Autotrader in November last year which was advertised as Salvage and 'kerbed'.On the advert was the URL for the sellers company site which I then went to to get more details on the car
and look at the photographs. There was some text describing the car as kerbed and unrecorded. There was also some photographs showing the damage to the car which looked like it had been severely kerbed. I thought it could be repaired quite effectively by a specialist so got a friend who owns a very high quality automatibve repair centre to call the seller to go through what might need doing and what actual damage there was to the car which may not have been visible on the photographs.

He duly did this and the seller told him there was not too much non-visible
damage and the repairs would be fairly straight forward.

So I then phoned the seller and agreed a price for the car.I also asked the seller at this point to confirm that the car was unrecorded because I was buying this for my wife and I did not want her driving around in a Cat D car.I asked him if this was unrecorded three times during this conversation. He confirmed it was. I then organised with the seller the transportation of the car to Surrey where the work on the car would be carried out. The car was delivered to Surrey on the 28th November (My birthday) and as soon as it came off the transporter in Surrey my friend (repair specialist) called me to say that the car has far more damage underneath then the seller had described and urged me to do an HPI check almost immediately.
I did an HPI Check instantly and and to my HORROR it came back with outstanding finance against a private plate that had been on the car AND was a Category D Insurance write off. I instantly telephoned the seller who said that the HPI report was wrong and that they were 'trying to sort
things out' with the Insurance company.

Anway after many phone calls the sellers attitude changed very quickly to
"we look forward to hearing from your lawyer."
I then phoned the police in Sheffield (where the seller is located) to report this as fraudulent trading. I also did this with the Consumer Direct (Trading Standards) . With both the police and Consumer Direct I may as well have phoned the Julie Andrews appreciation society because they would have probably have been more concerned.

I have decided not to go down the litigation route because of the time scales involved and because I run a very busy company.

So if you ever think of buying any kind of salvage car get it HPI checked before you do anything and do not believe a word that the seller says.

I have an Audi S4 Avant (04 reg with 30,000 miles) on it sitting in Haslemere,Surrey at the moment.The outstanding finance has been removed but it is Category D.

It will be going on Autotrader soon as very accurately described salvage.

Final point, do not what ever you do go anywhere near this company:
Carwood Auto Salavge as you might be posting the same kind of
thread as me.

 

[Broken Byzan]

I am sorry to hear that your Audi ownership has not been a good one. I hope you get it sorted

 

[TDI-line]

Hello and welcome S4More.

That sounds really aweful, but as you are well aware you are just another victim of these ****** conman.

Good luck with your next Audi.

 

[KoFidee]

sorry to sound a bit stupid but aint the basics on buying any car to do a full hpi check before purchasing.
sellers always mislead description ,to get a sale!
h**p://vpc.autotrader.co.uk/consumervpc/check-vrm-form.action

 

[simch]

Hang on? You go to a salvage company to buy a car and yet you dont wnat your wife driving a "cat d"? Now I know that you say the seller told you it was unrecorded, of course it could have been at that time or the time he checked (ie when he bought it!) But if it was a normal car and the seller said it has a sunroof, would you take his word for it, or check? What about a servi e history, or general condition of the car? Sellers say things that are not allways 100%, sometimes a barefaced lie, but the caveat emptor situtation we have allows this! So buyer beware is always the watchword, and you should have HPI'd it! I mean its surely more of a likelihood that it is reorded as it had been in an accident, you knew that, and you bought it forma salvage dealer. I could understand it if it was a repaired car, that looked mint, you may take a risk and not HPI it, but for 25quid, is it worth the risk anyway.
Sorry you feel you have been done, but in all truth, at least you know exactly what this car has been through and exactly how well it has been repaired now. There is absolutely nothing woring in driving a properly repaired cat d car, why you would not want your wife in it, having had it repaired by your trusted source i cannot fathom! What you are saying is that if it was same damage and unrecorded you would be happy her driving it.......that makes no sense.
If the car is properly repaired, it will still be a valuable and useful car, and one whihc should provide you with many years of use. At least you knwo this car's history, I can guarantee that unless you buy your neighbour or dad's car, you will never knwo the full history of any car you buy!! Maybe "better the devil you know" is applicable here.
How much does th car stand you now, compared to a "straight one" of same mileage. Again, dont give up on the thing now. (BTW, why is it only just repaired now, beraing in mind you got it a year ago?) With salvage the key is to gett them fixed quickly, then you maximise its repared value, a year down the line, now fixed, its worth a good deal less due depreciation, even if its low miles now!

Have a good think about it and maybe run it about for a while. You may actually end up liking it and think you have a real bargain!

If in the cold light of day you feel genuinely agrieved you should trace the car's HPI history back and contact the insurance company to see WHEN the category D status was put on. Then trace when your salvage dealer bought the car and sold it you. You may then find that the status was put on the car AFTER he sold it you, meaning it is bad luck but he has done nowt wrong, and also thre was NOWT you could do to have spotted it (as an HPI at point of sale would have not shown it. In which case, C'est la vie! If not, and it WAS cat d when you were dealing with the seller, (when he said itr was not) then I am afriad you have to accept you cold have spotted it and walked away, for the sake of £25.
Cheer up! You should read the "car taken off me what can I do" thread on the s3 8l forum if you realy want to see how dangerous buying a car can be!!

 

[S4MORE]

Simch

Thanks for your lengthy comments.
I purchased this car in November 07.
The seller had also advertised it as 'unrecorded' on their web site.
HPI values the car at £27k (04 with 30,000 miles).

The car has NOT been repaired at all.

The car is now sitting at the Repair Centre but I am going to sell it as salvage as I have now lost all interest in it.

If you know anyone who is an Audi repair specialist and can get parts at a reduced price then this would be a good project.

Once again thank you for your obeservations and comment.

 

[L1 HCS]

crikey what a story, welcome to the forum S4more.

 

[ash_s3]

They should put a stop to people buying un-recorded damaged cars and putting them back on the road, its not fair on the next person who gets lumbered with it then finds out its been in a big smash.

Too many people are doing this just to make a quick buck and ****-over the next person who buys it.

 

[The Doc]

Same issue with me with the same company.

And funnily enough the same "We look forward to seeing you in court" comments.

I bought a XKR Convertible off them and it had a dead engine on arrival. Though I was assured it didn't when I viewed the car with a flat battery. Even got it in writing.....

Car turned out to be a Cat C and a Cat D on the HPI.

To$$ers the lot of them.

Spent the money on the car though and it turned out to be a fantastic car, just spent more than I should of on it.... Court would of cost more. Solicitors, then the fees, then the time off to goto court to contest them..... And they knew it.

Feel for you pal, seen the car on Autotrader. For that money get it repaired, it will be worth it.

 

[docurley]

Someone pointed me at this and I have to say my old car was a CAT D which was only a Stolen & Recoverd but was good bar that.

1st rule alway go and have look at the car.
2nd Make sure it's running if your told it runs if they wont start it leave it.
3rd Always HPI check them for the little money it cost it could save you loads in the end.

4th When buying an Audi Audi UK will have sevice history on the car just in case it's been clocked.

 

[S4MORE]

Just thought I would add a final note to this story. The Audi got stolen along with my Porsche Cayenne on the 6th March this year. Letter box job where they managed to get one set and then let themsleves in to get the other set.

The Audi has been recovered so now it is Cat D AND Stolen and recovered. Insurance has paid out.

All you people who have Cat D cars and have them insured take note. The insurance company will give you a premium quote based on a non-Cat D car (so the premium charge is higher and they get more money) even if you tell them the car is Cat D when you set up the policy with them. When it comes to paying out GUESS WHAT, the settlement figure is based on - 20% of the market value because the car is Cat D.

Audi should be on a salvage site soon.I won't be buying it though. In fact I won't be going near a salavage of Cat D car of any kind EVER again.

 

[scott b]

my last car was a cat c, it came on a low loader and i had to get a fork lift to get it off, repaired the car mechanicly, bodyshop round the corner did the body work, car was fine and had it for around 8 years, sold it last year to get the audi

 

[khyberpass]

so you did end up having the car repaired and driving it for 3 years...what damage did they do to the car when they stole it?

Very good point you raise about insurance and payout...

 

[olds_kool]

i have a cat d car, the price i paid for it 3 years ago was probably 60-70% of the market value,
so if they paid out 20% less id be happy, thats the whole point in buying it as a cat d

the price you pay for insurance has alot more to do with risk than the actual value of the car

and you bought the car thinking it was unrecorded, so im guessing you would have sold it on with out telling the next owner it was accident repaired so as not to lose any money

 

[S4MORE]

Just had a thought, keep an eye out on the Carwood Auto Salvage site (they are based in Sheffield) because the S4 Avant they originally sold me as unrecorded (and kerbed) might be on their web site very soon (again) when the Insuarance company sells it on. So just to let everyone know, if they do advertise it it is CAT D AND STOLEN & RECOVERED.
They will probably have it advertised as unrecorded (again).
Just a quick response to OLDS_KOOL, there is no way in a million years that I would EVER try and sell a Cat D car to someone without telling them it was Cat D car. I will never have a Cat D car again so this will not be a problem. I will leave the selling of Cat C and Cat D cars to people like Carwood Auto Salvage in Sheffield as they are specialists in this field. They are also scum.

 

[S4MORE]

The final,final point. When the Audi S4 Avamt was recovered recently it was in pristine condition on the exterior. The car theives had ripped out some of the rear interior panels in the boot to see if there was a tracker
(which there was not).
This it is finally it for now.Some point to note:
1. Do not ever deal with Carwood Auto Salvage in Sheffield
2. HPI any car you are thinking of buying (from anywhere)
3. NEVER leave any keys near or close to your letter box
4. Contact me if your car is stolen or written off and you need help
with the negotiation settlement with your Insurance company.
I now know all the things they don't want you to know in terms of settling with them AND what your rights are. They are nearly as bad as the car theives in terms of 'theft' and trying not to pay you what you are actually owed.
5. Do not ever deal with Carwood Auto Salvage in Sheffield

 

[S4twiggy]

fair play mate that is some story and bad luck you have had over these past years with that car. hope everything works out for you in the end

 

[nwmlarge]

3. NEVER leave any keys near or close to your letter box

gotta disagree about this.

car thieves are bad people, make no mistake.
would you rather they come into your house and have to hunt about for the keys ?
you might fancy yourself in that sort of situation but do you fancy your kids, wife or dog in that situation ?
do you think they will neatly rifle through the drawer and then put everything back? or will they get wound up and smash the place up ? or take something else of value as they can't have the car ?

leave the keys next to the front door, as long as the door is shut you are covered for theft.

 

[abblettm]

Agree with above I got burgled last week and they took my car keys and car luckily keys on side downstairs so they didn't come upstairs to to disturb me wife or kids

 

[andybnwc]

Yep have to agree about that , my house had the doors picked and keys were in a jacket in a closed room without access from outside . this didnt stop them routing around and taking every possible set of keys bar the garage door key with the other car inside. We was all asleep and kind of glad i didnt wake up and come downstairs. I prob would of ended up in jail or a coffin.
The thing is if they really want a car they will get it no matter what

 

[S4MORE]

Seems I am not the only who has had the scummy car thieves actually come into their house and get car keys.
When I do buy a decent car again I am going to buy some heavy duty wheel clamps for both mine and my wife's car. Does anyone else on this site use wheel clamps to secure their cars at night or if they go on holiday? Does anyone also know a situation where a car has been fitted with a tracker but the scummy thieves have actually fouind the tracker either physically or with some kind of scanner?

 

[AndyMac]

It's just a car, if they want it let them have it. As galling as it is to have some lowlife scum take your pride and joy, you really don't want the psychological damage of a confrontation in your home, as it won't seem like your home ever again, let alone the possibility of something far worse.

 

[nwmlarge]

install a remotely activated smart water bomb
you could hook it up to a mobile phone in the car and then boom!

 

[S4MORE]

install a remotely activated smart water bomb
you could hook it up to a mobile phone in the car and then boom!

This is such a good idea!!!!!!! A bit of a 'add on' though. It could be a smart petrol bomb. There could also be a small hidden video camera in the car linked to the bomb which sent back the pictures to your PC at home. SO, you could watch the scummers burn to death in agony and then post the video on this site. How good would that be.

 

[Matt82]

it wasnt that nogaro blue saloon thats been for sale for about a year was it?

as for not HPIing it, thats seriously youre fault, doubly so considering how "important" it was to you even knowing it was a smashed up car to start with