Some of you may have seen my post from several weeks ago where I mentioned selling my car and the aggro the buyer gave me in an unjustified attempt to get money back from me . Following on from that 1 of our girls asked me to sell her car as she was worried she may have similarly aggressive blokes attempting to intimidate her . I said yes of course but this time kept the car at my work address so no home visits.
Car listed on Autotrader, an old but good Audi Q5 at a sensible price. Within a few hours I get a call from a foreign sounding bloke wanting to view, he duly turned up with another guy who had given him a lift. Both Middle Eastern if I had to guess but both quite friendly. I had parked the car so 2 CCTV cameras could clearly record the viewing. All seemed to be going well and we all went for a short test drive around the industrial estate. As we pulled back in to the yard a huge oil puddle where the Audi had been parked was visible. I knew they had done something as the puddle was too big to be a leak and there was not a drop anywhere from the previous days parking on site.
One of the 2 claimed to be a mechanic and on a brief examination told me the head gasket was gone and oil was leaking into the cooling system . He opened the radiator cap before I could stop him, put his fingers in and then pulled them out coated in oil. It was obvious he had just done this. They then suggested that I greatly reduce the price and they would do me a favour and still buy it as they needed it for parts. I told them I was not prepared to sell it to them and sent them on their way. Watching the CCTV back later I could see that 1 distracted me for about 30 seconds during which time the other opened the bonnet and tipped the oil on the engine .
I managed to get the oil out of the radiator by leaving a face cloth poking in to the coolant reservoir , I cleaned up the oil spill and left cardboard under the car overnight. The next day no new oil leaks and the car was driving well. Autotrader meanwhile contacted me to advise me not to deal with the person using the number I had been called on. I explained it was a bit late , they then gave me another number to block which was connected. This other number had already contacted me and asked identical questions to the first caller. I explained that it was not possible to view the car that day as a previous buyer had attempted to sabotage the car which luckily was caught on CCTV and the matter passed to the police. I then called the police who did ask me to forward all details and footage. The police were very helpful and told me that what had occurred is now a very regular occurrence and suggested that I have someone with me for future viewings. I did actually have a similar experience several years ago which is why I was more careful this time. Obviously not careful enough though. The car is now sold I`m pleased to say.
Apologies for the long post but if any of you are selling cars privately I recommend you have company and point out CCTV cameras if available .
Car listed on Autotrader, an old but good Audi Q5 at a sensible price. Within a few hours I get a call from a foreign sounding bloke wanting to view, he duly turned up with another guy who had given him a lift. Both Middle Eastern if I had to guess but both quite friendly. I had parked the car so 2 CCTV cameras could clearly record the viewing. All seemed to be going well and we all went for a short test drive around the industrial estate. As we pulled back in to the yard a huge oil puddle where the Audi had been parked was visible. I knew they had done something as the puddle was too big to be a leak and there was not a drop anywhere from the previous days parking on site.
One of the 2 claimed to be a mechanic and on a brief examination told me the head gasket was gone and oil was leaking into the cooling system . He opened the radiator cap before I could stop him, put his fingers in and then pulled them out coated in oil. It was obvious he had just done this. They then suggested that I greatly reduce the price and they would do me a favour and still buy it as they needed it for parts. I told them I was not prepared to sell it to them and sent them on their way. Watching the CCTV back later I could see that 1 distracted me for about 30 seconds during which time the other opened the bonnet and tipped the oil on the engine .
I managed to get the oil out of the radiator by leaving a face cloth poking in to the coolant reservoir , I cleaned up the oil spill and left cardboard under the car overnight. The next day no new oil leaks and the car was driving well. Autotrader meanwhile contacted me to advise me not to deal with the person using the number I had been called on. I explained it was a bit late , they then gave me another number to block which was connected. This other number had already contacted me and asked identical questions to the first caller. I explained that it was not possible to view the car that day as a previous buyer had attempted to sabotage the car which luckily was caught on CCTV and the matter passed to the police. I then called the police who did ask me to forward all details and footage. The police were very helpful and told me that what had occurred is now a very regular occurrence and suggested that I have someone with me for future viewings. I did actually have a similar experience several years ago which is why I was more careful this time. Obviously not careful enough though. The car is now sold I`m pleased to say.
Apologies for the long post but if any of you are selling cars privately I recommend you have company and point out CCTV cameras if available .
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