[MAMOTH]

I can say it was a “Near Miss” with you, why one would pay 60+ lakhs on a display car.

Congratulations !!!! For your Bluey, she looks nice and good luck for your car, and happy miles with her.

[Zippy_wheels]

Test drive cars are heavily abused (who wouldn't want to floor a 250bhp car!) and thus are well discounted with some kind of warranty protection thrown in when the dealership wants to sell it.

He wasn't being given a test drive car, it was a display car. Display cars are just standing inside the showroom and are not driven. At max people open it, sit in to check out space, check the features, maybe start it etc..

I dont think any dealer would dare pass off a test drive car as new since the kms, tyre wear and tear, smudge marks etc would be very obvious. Even the absence of new car smell would be a clear sign.

I think when a dealer says he can get a car in 2, 3 days to a week then he might be passing off a display car. I think it is more prevalent than people think, that display cars are passed off to customers as new. Why would a dealer suffer a loss on these cars and its easy to pass them off as new - not a lot of people do PDI. I think that is why the dealer got scared and owned up. They must have realized that if the buyer was so knowledgable to ask for PDI, then he might realize the car was not new when he saw the plastics on the seat missing. That would have been a bigger issue for them if they invoiced it and registered it. I think they try and pass off display cars to novice buyers all the time.

[Turbanator]

BMW no longer ships with protective sheets except for some coverings as shown in the later pictures. OP is disappointed with the dealer as he tried to hide something. I too would have been upset if someone tried to do this.

Recently, we bought a car that was on the floor for less than a week but the dealer was frank about the same. Since the allocations for another would have meant waiting until next year we picked the car. I checked the BMW invoice to the dealer as well the PDI they did a few days before. (Apparently it was to be delivered to a customer but for the finance problems).

So there is no right or wrong about picking such cars which were on display and will depend on circumstances.

Glad that the dealer did the right thing and arranged a new car.

[sandeep108]

Congratulations on your new car. I would go an important step further. Looking at the way new cars with temp plates are being driven by these showroom heroes, I would insist on a flat bed showroom delivery. Most new cars have 60-90 km (depending on how far the yard is from the showroom) and are already abused by the heroes.

A flat bed delivery will ensure only a few km on the odo before you drive it. I agreed to pay a few thousands extra (it was waived off in the end) and I got my car with 11 km on the odo instead of 80-90.

[Totoro11]

Finance Problems

Originally Posted by Turbanator

(Apparently it was to be delivered to a customer but for the finance problems).

I saw your post and also thought the about many other ownership/buying experience posts where people got a car early after putting pressure on dealers. I have myself experienced this when a Diesel AT Creta was lined up on a one-day, take-it-or-leave it notice (usual waiting time 3-4 months) and a grey Hector became available within a week instead of the red one i was to receive after 3 weeks.

Being a salaried middle-class person, i would carefully plan for the purchase and make sure that everything is in order including finance (perhaps it is different for business folks).

Considering the long wait times we see for Rs.15L+ cars, i think there is always enough time to get financing done.

My question: How common is it for people to book a car and then be unable to arrange for funds? or it is more of an excuse by Dealers to create artificial shortage and sell cars on their terms?

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by Totoro11

Finance Problems

My question: How common is it for people to book a car and then be unable to arrange for funds? or it is more of an excuse by Dealers to create artificial shortage and sell cars on their terms?

It's true in this case, as the car in question is on a really long waitlist. Even other dealers were after this car.

Generally speaking, it's not uncommon or fake. Sometimes, documents are not in order, or the Bank wants to do some more formalities, and such sales usually happen around month's end. Like ours was billed sometime around 10 Pm on 31st August Of course, with non-saleable models, the dealer has to wait until the finance is approved. But for fast movers, dealers will simply sell and move on.

So, there is no fixed way to find out what's correct or not. The best is not to budge on your comfort. We were okay with picking a car that was in the display area for a few days but someone might not. In another case, I wanted to see the new car getting unloaded in front of me, but since I was away, the dealer agreed to do a video call. There were protective coverings on that which had to be removed before receipt was given to the transporter.

[Rganand]

Team - all Car dealers in Chennai is taking PDI for granted. I had tough time to convince SVM Kia to offer PDI at stock yard and inspection of under chassis initially denied but then after escalating TO KIA OEM , they obliged , did PDI check but electronics was in lock mode didn't want to unlock till the day of delivery. Wanted to understand from people in Bangalore, Zekardo is a popular PDI specialist for new cars. Did anyone took the service of Zekardo and does dealerships allow them to test , they perform 3500 tests on a new vehicle. They are yet to launch at Chennai

[Starwar19]

Dear fellow Bhpians,
I have a question about the Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) for all the car enthusiasts and experienced owners out there. I personally conducted a thorough PDI at my own level before purchasing my Jeep Meridian, following TeamBhp's checklist. The dealership also performed a PDI at their end.

Now, I'd like to hear your opinions: Is a PDI done at dealership level that was conducted approximately 2 months ago still valid for my car?

The PDI by the Authorized Service Center (ASC) was completed on the 17th of February, and I received my car on the 30th of March. During this time, the car was driven for around 250 kilometers, as it was internally transferred among different dealerships. The dealership that eventually delivered my car didn't perform a system PDI, but only checked the car, and this information doesn't appear in the service history.

So, my question is, can a PDI done 1.5 months earlier still be considered valid?

Your insights would be greatly appreciated.

[PaddleShifter]

Originally Posted by Starwar19

So, my question is, can a PDI done 1.5 months earlier still be considered valid?

Yes and No.

The PDI at dealer level is mainly a formality in most cases in my opinion. Leaving how carefully it is done aside, the main objective to do PDI is to identify one last time if anything is amiss in the car, e.g. fluid levels of various oils and liquids, working controls and lights etc, any visible damage, leakages to name a few.

It is not common for car parts, fluids to fail within 200-300km and 2 months so yes a PDI done by the dealer stays valid even after a few weeks.

But, if the car is damaged by the other dealership, such as dents or scratches while it is being driven, that is a situation where PDI is no longer valid.

As per your post, you’ve been having this car since March so enjoy your car and forget about PDI validity etc.

Edit- Just saw your post in the Meridian thread and now I understand the reason for your post.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post5633320 (Jeep Meridian Review)

[Starwar19]

Originally Posted by PaddleShifter

Yes and No.
As per your post, you’ve been having this car since March so enjoy your car and forget about PDI validity etc.

I am currently engaged in an ongoing dispute with Jeep India due to numerous falsehoods told during the car sale and after sales problems. Both parties are conducting a thorough investigation into the matter. Therefore, I am reaching out to seek your expert opinion.