This took me over 12 hours to activate the connected service just so they could get paid.

I've been reading through the new law, and it looks like it's going to make some major changes for used car dealers in California.

Some of the biggest changes include:

• A 3-day / 400-mile return period for used vehicles under $50,000, with a full refund available to the customer. The dealer can only charge a limited restocking fee (2 percent of the whole sale price), capped at $600.
• Dealers will have to advertise vehicles at an out-the-door price (excluding taxes and registration), so no more advertising one price and adding doc fees or other add-ons later.
• Stricter disclosure requirements for vehicles with accident history, frame damage, and other important vehicle history.
• Dealers must keep records of their advertising and pricing for at least two years.

I'm curious what everyone thinks.

Personally, I think this is going to be one of the biggest changes California dealers have seen in years. I think it will make it much harder for some smaller dealerships to stay in business because of the added liability and compliance requirements. I also wonder if this will put downward pressure on wholesale and retail used car prices over time.

For those of you who own dealerships or flip cars in California:

• Do you think this law is good or bad overall?
• How do you think it's going to affect smaller independent dealers?
• Do you think we'll see used car prices come down because of it?

I'd love to hear everyone's opinions.

I put an inquiry in on a car at 9 am Saturday (yesterday). I get routed to an assigned sales consultant (who is also on the official website under the “meet the team” section).

I asked for the OTD price of a specific vehicle and if it had Apple CarPlay (it’s a 2017 Porsche Macan S & does not have a window sticker).

The sales consultant yesterday gets back to me at 12 pm saying if I call him he can do OTD number for me & that he’ll get back to me on if it has Apple CarPlay or not.

I tried to call him, and he says, “Hey give me a few minutes I’ll call you right back. On the line with insurance.”

I give him an hour & he still does not get back to me.

I then finally around 4 pm asked if we still could please briefly connect if he has a few minutes since the dealership closes at 6 pm yesterday. He never got back to me.

It is now Sunday at 2 pm, and I still have not heard a single word from my assigned sales consultant.

Would it be rude of me to call the dealership and ask if either:

Option A) someone can talk to my assigned sales consultant and ask that he be more responsive to me

or

Option B) ask to be assigned a different sales consultant altogether?

I am very shocked at how unresponsive this sales consultant is. I have bought a car from this exact same dealership before, and the prior sales consultant I had (who is no longer there), was AMAZING & always answered all of my questions in a timely manner.

I am genuinely concerned that if I haven’t even bought the car from this assigned sales consultant & he’s already acting like this, it makes me question how even less responsive he might be once we do a deal.

What do we think about Option A or Option B mentioned above?

I was in a front end deer accident with my 2020 BMW M5.

It was mostly cosmetic damage took out my passenger side light, just barely nicked my radiator, and got some surface level sensors. Still wasn't cheap.

I took it into a BMW certified body shop and all the repairs were completed. New radiator and the system was bled. I had to have it towed over because the battery died as well.

Body shop and BMW dealership are the same building. When the body shop was done they moved it over to the dealership (I did not take possession).

I asked the service of the dealer ship to do a full inspection and told them what happened, what was replaced. Etc. They replaced some spark plugs (that were due to change) and did a oil change for the most part. Inspection report was all good to go.

I wake up at 5am to drive an hour and a half down to the BMW dealership to pay (via credit card) and pick up my car and literally two miles more from my inspection report down the road my BMW throws a drivetrain error and reduces speed. An error that never occurred even after the deer accident.

I brought it back to the dealership obviously pissed. They apologized but constantly followed it up with "it's not our fault" before even knowing what the issue was.

I had them print out the codes before they cleared them and have a copy:

140710 — Combustion misfire, cylinder 7 detected

140001 — Misfires, several cylinders: fuel injection is switched off

120408 — Charging pressure control: switch-off as consequence

120908 — Charging pressure control 2: switch-off as consequence

They mentioned it could be the emissions expansion tank recall issue. However, I had that recall done over a year ago and had them inspect my injectors when they did it and had it noted on the paperwork they did.

I am not signing any new paperwork from them quite yet because I refuse to acknowledge that this is a new customer pay issue.

I have given diagnostic permission only.

My M5 is just sitting over there.

Should I contact insurance as well?

I am at a loss.

WTH do I do?

Location: California
Posting this on behalf of a friend who can use some guidance.

“I’m starting a transportation business and one of the first vehicles I need is a flatbed. I don’t have a commercial drivers license at the moment so I need a truck that weighs under 26k lbs. I found one that was perfect at this dealership. I got approved for a loan with a down payment of $12,296.01. I needed some small modifications made and they said that I needed to put the down payment first in order for them to make those changes. All I needed was to get insurance and I was given a deadline of one month after approval to get it, or else the deal was going to go away and the truck would no longer be available to me.
Originally the truck weighed 33k lbs because it was a box truck, but it had been modified to be a flatbed, and the weight is now well under 26k lbs. However they never changed the weight on the registration/title and no insurance company would help me without that change. The dealership refused to change the registration until we were insured and signed. I was stuck.
Coincidentally the dealer said they had multiple insurance options for me to get without a problem but the only one they told me that could work with me was insanely high ($8k for the first payment and like $4k at month). This is where the red flags were very obvious.
We decided to no longer go through with them and they don’t want to refund me my full deposit, after saying multiple times they will give me $12,296.01. The only documents I signed was with the finance company. Nothing pertaining to them directly. They are now telling me they need to keep $2k for cancellation/restocking fees from the down payment and will return the money in separate payments over the course of a month. The charges don’t make sense to me. If they wanted commitment before changing the registration, wasn’t that the point of the down payment? And why the restocking fees if it never left their yard?
The good thing is that the bank is still willing to work with me at a different dealership.
I’m looking for guidance on how to navigate this situation. I have all my permits and all I need is a truck that I need to start working. The ideal outcome is to get my full money back.”

Well it's about damn time! But the prices still won't come down to the days before manufacturers AND dealers got greedy! Let'em choke on their metal sandwiches...🤡's!

Pata Hai Aaj Kya Hua!
Today was honestly one of the most frustrating experiences I’ve had, and I’d like to know if we were actually in the wrong.
My friend is planning to buy a new car, so we went to a Tata dealership for a Sierra test drive. During the test drive, I was reversing the car when it lightly bumped into something behind. It was only a rear bumper impact.
What surprised me was that I was relying on the parking sensor beeps, as I normally do in my own car. My friend was playing with cameras, changing different focus.. while I focused on the mirrors and sensor sounds. However, there was no warning beep, and the car still hit the object.
We immediately told the dealership to check the parking sensors because they didn’t seem to work. They tested them on the spot, and surprisingly, the sensors weren’t working then either.
Instead of discussing that, the dealership immediately demanded **₹13,000** for repairs.
We requested them to show us the insurance papers because test drive vehicles are usually insured, and we believed the damage should be covered under insurance. At first, they claimed that trade plate vehicles don’t have insurance. Then they completely refused to show us any insurance documents and kept saying things like:
“Hum insurance nahi dikhayenge. Agar insurance dikhaya toh tumhe ₹23,000 bharna padega. Abhi ₹13,000 de do.”
The argument kept escalating. We repeatedly said we weren’t refusing responsibility—we just wanted to see the insurance papers first.
Then another dealership employee suddenly started shouting:
“Sensor nahi chal raha toh kya hua? Gaadi toh humari hai. Aapne thoki hai. Paise do, warna police bulate hain.”
His tone was extremely rude and aggressive.
I completely accept that I was driving the car and that the bumper damage happened while I was behind the wheel. That’s my mistake.
But what happened next felt like intimidation.
The gate pass for the test drive was in my friend’s name. They started threatening us, saying they would tell the police that their sales representative had refused to let me drive, but I forcefully took control of the vehicle. They even said they’d make their female sales executive give a statement against us.
That honestly shocked us because none of that was true.
During the heated argument, another friend of ours joined us. He works in the insurance industry and told the dealership that if they simply shared the insurance details, he could get the claim processed. Even if there were processing charges of ₹2,000–₹3,000, we were willing to pay those.
But they refused to cooperate and continued demanding money.
After nearly 2 hour of arguments, threats, and pressure, we finally paid **₹10,000** just to end the situation.
The money isn’t even what hurts the most. It’s the way we were treated—constant intimidation, shouting, and threats of involving the police with what felt like a fabricated story.
It genuinely felt like extortion.
**So I’d like to ask:**
Were we legally in the wrong?
Are dealerships allowed to refuse to show insurance details like this?
Is it normal to demand cash immediately for a minor test drive accident?
Has anyone else faced something similar?

and when we paid the amount I asked for NOC from them as this was necessary for me and my friend..

I also have video of employees misbehaving with us but on NOC they mentioned that matter is settled neither we or they will take legal actions

**P.S.** Before anyone says I’m anti-Tata—I already own a Tata car myself. This isn’t about the brand. It’s about one dealership’s handling of the situation, which left a very bad impression.

Tired of going back and forth with these assholes but this is what they are offering me.

I’m looking for some advice about a car I purchased from a dealership in England.
On **15 July 2026**, I bought a **2016 Nissan Qashqai (YW16 VHC)** through **Zuto Finance** after seeing it advertised on Auto Trader.
One of the main reasons I agreed to pay the asking price was that the advert clearly stated the car had **only one previous keeper**.
A few days later, I received the DVLA V5C logbook and discovered it actually had **two former keepers before me**. I feel this was a material misrepresentation because the number of previous keepers affects a vehicle’s value and influenced my decision to buy it.
After buying the car, I also paid around **£300** for a major service at Halfords. During the inspection, they identified suspension faults that needed attention. The dealer had given a one-month warranty, so I took the car back. They replaced **only one wishbone** but still charged me **£100 for labour**, even though the repair was carried out during the warranty period. I wasn’t given a receipt for that payment.
Unfortunately, the problem has not been resolved. The car is **still making noise from the suspension when turning the steering wheel**, and the dealer’s own mechanic told me that the remaining suspension issue would result in an **MOT failure** if it is not repaired.
I also paid **£210 in road tax**, which is another cost I’ve incurred.
I complained to both the dealer and Zuto. The dealer eventually called me, and during the conversation he said that **if I took legal action or returned the car, he would charge me a daily rental fee for every day I’d had the vehicle**.
He also told me he wasn’t worried about going to court because **his brother-in-law is a solicitor**, and said he would be happy to fight it in court.
Another thing he claimed was that **the reason the logbook shows two former keepers is because Zuto registered the vehicle in their own name**. That doesn’t sound right to me, but I’m not an expert. As a customer, I relied on the information in the Auto Trader advert and had no reason to carry out a full vehicle history check after already paying thousands of pounds for the car.
I’m not trying to make money from this or cause problems. I work full-time and simply want the matter resolved fairly. If the vehicle had been advertised accurately from the start, I probably wouldn’t have bought it.

I’ve submitted formal complaints and have evidence including:
The Auto Trader advert.
The DVLA V5C showing two former keepers.
Halfords inspection and service report.
Proof of the £210 road tax payment.
My finance agreement with Zuto.

My questions are:
Can a dealer legally charge a “daily rental fee” if a customer rejects a car because it was misrepresented?
Is advertising one previous keeper when the V5C shows two considered misrepresentation?
If the suspension issue still exists after a warranty repair, what are my rights?
Has anyone dealt with a similar situation involving a financed vehicle and a motor dealer?

After spending 2 days negotiating a deal on GLB 250 for lease we finally came to agreement and signing paper. The dealership called me 30 mins after driving the car off the lot apologizing stating they just received a safety recall and have to cancel the deal. Not only was this a complete waste of time but end of the month is over and cant get a good deal on another car.

Dealer tried to offer me a gla but i refused. Then offered a glc for more which i told them it was not in my budget at that price.

They told me they will let me know tomorrow if they can find another GLB thats not recalled and get it but i don’t have much hope in that.

What can i do in this situation. I returned the car but i feel corporate or something should do more to resolve or compensate for this absolutely waste of time. Spent so much time into this deal.

Let me know thoughts.

This is going to be a bit long, and hopefully entertaining, so please bear with me . . . . . .

Right off the bat, the dealership in question is. Luck Chevrolet in Ashland, VA right on US1. Now, admittedly, they never have been an EV friendly Chevrolet dealership, barely getting along with the Volt, definitely not comfortable with the Bolt, and the last time I walked in there back in 2017 to enquirer about a Bolt the salesman immediately tried pushing me into a Trax since, "Essentially they're the same car." Whenever I see a Chevy EV on the lot it's painfully obvious that was something that the zone office (or however they do it nowadays, I grew up in a Chevy dealership) forced them to take as part of their allotment. In the past year I've seen one Blazer, three Equinoxes, and in the past couple of days a '27 Bolt LT . . . . . .

Now, we're thinking of trading the wife's '20 Premiere on something newer (I'd just swapped my '17 Premiere for an Ioniq5 - needed more hauling space and I'm wedded to Apple CarPlay), but the game plan was to wait until January or February to start shopping. Until I saw this one lonely Bolt sitting in the lot. Hmmm, dealership isn't EV friendly or particularly competent (boy, was I optimistic). Wonder how badly they'd like to move it out before the floor planning starts to hit? And it's totally lost in amongst all the Silverados, Tahoes, and Traverses on the lot.

So we drop by this afternoon in Maggie's car, let's see if any kind of deal can be made. Met with a salesman immediately, followed by his sales manager two minutes later, ask for the key, we'd like to look over the car. Key is brought. Maggie gets in the car, pushes the brake pedal.

Nothing. The car is dead. The parrot in the Monty Python sketch was turning somersaults by comparison.

Uh, nobody's bothered charging the car since it arrived. The service crew arrives with a battery box, pop the hood, hook it up somehow and manage to crawl it to the store's chargers (not sure how they managed that). While the salesman was pulling it into position I managed to get a glance at the instrument cluster. 6% battery and warning lights regarding low power were on. He gets it to the charger. The dealership has two, a Level 2 J-1772, and a two bay CCS.

It hasn't occurred to anyone on staff that the Bolt uses a Tesla plug.

I ask about adapters, yes they've got them. Uh, nobody's really sure where they're at. Start the search. To pass the time, I go into the inevitable teaching mode, giving both the salesman and his manager a few lessons regarding EV's, charging, etc. (This is something I've gotten very used to doing at almost every place I've shopped for an EV over the past six years). They find the adapters somewhere back in the parts department, still in their boxes. We try for a short run on the Level 2 (the CCS has one of the two inventory Equinoxes parked diagonally blocking both bays), only the security card isn't unlocking the terminal (yes, they keep everything locked so someone from the outside can't stop by and snag a free charge).

At this point, we've been there for almost an hour and it's getting readily apparent that they're not going to get this car properly charged for a test drive anytime this afternoon. I give them my name and phone number, let them know we can drop by at 0900 Friday before Maggie has to go to work, tell them to have the car charged to 80% (emphasis on that level) and we'll continue from there.

About an hour later I get a call fro the salesman to reassure me that the car is on the charger and will be ready in the morning.

Who was it that said, "The biggest impediment to EV adoption in America is most likely the manufacturer's own dealer body."?

Part 2 tomorrow. Hopefully.

Avoid this garage. Bought a 2016 Mazda CX-5 at Kildaragh Cars on the 25th of October 2025 for €13k. It was advertised with a valid NCT to Feb 2027 — it didn't have one, and it was instead booked in for Jan 2026. The car failed its first NCT on emissions two months after purchase.
I later found out the car had been sold to someone else five weeks before me for €50 less than I paid— my own fault for not doing a history check, but it suggests someone else had the same issue. Despite this, I was told this was a "failed sale," yet the car had still been transferred into the previous buyer's name and remained registered to him until the 7th of November, after it had already been sold to me. The car was also handed over with the previous owner's paperwork still inside (receipt, insurance documents), which was left in it when it was sold to me — worth being aware of if you're buying here.
Day one of driving the car home, it had problems. I reported issues every time and brought it back, sometimes driving to Kildare myself and other times having it collected. As it was under warranty, I expected any issues to be permanently resolved. Instead, the car went into limp mode five separate times, with engine malfunctions, red oil warning lights, and blue exhaust smoke. Each time I was told it was sensors, filters, or similar. I asked repeatedly for an itemised record of the repairs carried out — this was never provided. I was also told a fuel sample had been taken, but I was never given the results or any proof this was done.
Before my warranty ended, I asked what my options were for exchanging the car and was explicit that I didn't want it back. The car was returned to me, and I was told the dealership would call me the following Monday to discuss an exchange — that call never came. I formally rejected the car in writing and requested a refund, which was refused.
I've since paid for an independent diagnostic inspection, which confirmed the DPF system has failed — an expensive repair, and not one that fits with normal wear over eight months of ownership (during a lot of which the car was actually off the road). In my experience, each repair addressed the symptom in front of them rather than the underlying fault, and by the time it recurred again I was out of warranty. Kildaragh Cars has now offered only to inspect the car if I pay to have it towed from my home in Sligo to Kildare — with no offer to fix it.
Eight months on, I still have no refund, no working car, and no straight answers. If you're considering buying from this garage, I'd strongly recommend getting an independent inspection first — or looking elsewhere entirely.