What the manufacturers say
* We probe delivery delay scandal * Some waiting up to a year for their car * We ask car makers why?...
We challenged the car makers with the biggest 'slippage' in delivery dates to tell us what was going wrong.
Volkswagen
'VW is satisfied that the systems and procedures that retailers use in estimating delivery dates are sufficiently robust. We work closely with our retailers to ensure they have the correct information to pass on to customers whose vehicles may be subject to longer-than-anticipated waiting times.
We encourage best practice in keeping customers up to date and managing the vehicle order appropriately.'
Hyundai
'Demand for the ix35 2.0-litre diesel has been unprecedented across the world, placing the supply under intense pressure.
We didn't expect the sheer volume of global demand, which outstripped the production capacity we installed.
Click here to see our table of delaysSupply of components took time to catch up and we have not been able to give safe promises on delivery dates for UK orders until close to the time of production.'
Hyundai has offered loans of 1.7-litre diesel ix35s to some of the longest-waiting buyers of 2.0-litre versions.
It's not all bad news
A few readers have told us how they have been expertly looked after by their dealers, and that, in some cases, received their order months ahead of schedule. Jaguar and Nissan both received particular praise.
What Car? says
We believe every dealer and manufacturer should stand behind the delivery dates they provide and on which customers base their purchasing decisions. Several readers have told whatcar.com that the experience has been so bad that they are unlikely to order from the offending car maker again.
Beat the dealers
Follow our advice to ensure you wont be out of pocket or inconvenienced if delays do occur.
• Ask the dealer to provide a reference from a customer who has recently taken delivery of the car you are interested in.
• Request at the time of order that if the delivery date is missed, a loan car will be provided. Ensure this is stated in writing. If the dealer is not prepared to do this then he probably has no faith in the delivery date you've been given.
• Request that any agreed trade-in value will be honoured should the delivery date slip, and more miles are put on the vehicle to be exchanged.
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