Jonathan K

Avoid Please!

Avoid and please read all reviews I didn’t! Purchased a used Skoda Octavia from Winner Garage, yes it was high mileage but looked very tidy. I noticed the front brakes were worn out and the brake fluid cap was missing, service due sign on dash and bonnet barely opened, plus it was out of Mot (but fully validated and on sale) Willow the sales representative assured me it would all be done and said it had not been in long. I was told the car had a full service history (not all by Škoda but still full) and one owner. On road test I noticed a knock and it seemed like it needed a service or something but was generally a very good car. Before coming I had looked up the old mots and seen a lot of advisory, discussed all this with Willow and again she assured me it would be right as I was buying a car from Skoda. I had to wait a couple of weeks for it to be done, which I thought was a fair time for work to be done. ( and in all fairness the front brakes, brake fluid cap and oil/filter service was done) As soon as I drove it home on the motorway I felt the car wasn’t right. Got home and check all the paperwork and found it was not a full service history, it had done at least 30,000miles without a service. Looked at the new Mot and no advisory’s, like the Mots before. Had a local independent garage check it as I was traveling soon and they said the front suspension arm bushes were worn and shocker had a slight leak but safe to drive. ( these advisory were down on previous mots but not now) Emailed the sales team and service, I was told they would check into the missing paperwork ( never received an email back to this day) I was told they had not done any suspension work and offered a free health check. At this health check which took all day, I was fobbed off with the usual used car sales talk. I will now have to get the suspension work done at my own expense, because Škoda don’t think all the other mechanics and mot testers who advised the car were right. So my advice is, if you must purchase a car from Winner Škoda have an AA inspection done. Check every bit of paperwork and use every switch in the car ( volume button didn’t work on mine) because once you have brought it you are on your own!! Buyer beware! You might as well be buying a car off a two-bit-side-of-the-road car sales