I personally would write the required explanation, take it with an unsealed envelope and a prepared receipt to my local DVLA office and explain that as the previous communication appeared to have been lost by Royal Mail, hand it in against their date stamp. The object of the envelope being unsealed is that the counter staff can satisfy themselves of the appropriatness of the content for onward transmission in their internal mail. This is how I send my V5's I have never yet had a problem.

:violin:Oh dear Blacknight. You have my upmost sympathy, anyone specializing in Evo's and 4x4's either has self esteem issues or has developed a business death wish. If we did not use a warranty the prices of used cars would increase - again you confuse the warranty that the seller puts on his purchasing acumen with that of a purchased insurance to abrogate their responsibility. So I could see used cars sold going up by £1000 (good news you think for px) but also trade-ins dropping by a similar amount to cover refurb costs. - you may see that, but I see that vehicles would display their true value, rubbish would have low value (serving the previous owner right for failing to maintain or care for the vehicle) and well presented ones would show a good, higher return. SOGA and courts would grind to a halt as dealers and customers would be arguing all the time about blame - and do you not think that the courts are having to deal with so called Warranty Companies who seek to wriggle out of the claims? Warranties are a necessary evil I'm afraid. Correction - Warranties are an evil (third party ones, that is)

There is a big difference between a Motor Trader warranting the product that they are selling, and an insurance policy taken out against possible fault. If the Motor trader is unable to devolve their responsibility onto a third party, they are more likely to present vehicles properly to the satisfaction of all. SOGA provides a basic framework for the protection of retail buyers and guidance of sellers, but for the better and ultimately more successful businesses, customer satisfaction through professional dealings is worth more than all the advertising revenue and should go beyond its provisions. Purchased warranties are so full of exclusions, ranging from electrical/electronic faults, to the wear and tear 'catch all', mixed in with the servicing requirements as to render them of such poor value that only the gullible would consider them 'peace of mind'. My background includes being Sales manager of a dealership (one of the big five) where we funded our own warranties on used vehicles. As a result we were careful about the condition and history of those vehicles that we presented for retail use and when things did go wrong, decisions regarding repair, or very rarely buy-back, were pretty much instantaneous and very much appreciated by the customer.

I will leave the legality to others. You should understand that the object of the change from a layby is to stop traffic. This is a deliberate ploy to enable buses to maintain their timetables and frustrate the motoring public in a mistaken belief that it will drive the car driver off the road and onto the buses. Bus drivers complained that other traffic would not allow them to pull away from the kerb or out of a layby thus slowing their service. Now in towns we are subject to the (s)lowest denominator with extended bus stops.

By publishing this questionable data, they are attempting to set themselves up as the Industry Standard. Their raison d'etre is to sell as many policies as possible (obviously with your help) and pay as few claims as possible. The majority of those selling the policies do it for two reasons. 1) They like the commission. 2) They think that it absolves them of responsibilies under SOGA. Clever marketing makes the purchaser of the policy think that the seller is doing them a favour, whereas if buying a well founded vehicle,using the premium to pay for good servicing will reduce the likelihood of needing the repairs that come under the aegis of the very restricted, small print conditions.

heliosuk, perhaps I am taking your post too literally, what I should have said is that I am 2/3rds through a novel 'wot I rote' . I must read the Warranty Direct novel to pick up some tips on creative writing although 'Pulp Fiction' is not my gendre. Back to Honda, Conniff, my brother-in-law ran an early Civic that he called Armitage-Shanks as after any rain the driver's seat looked like a bidet. If he drove it in the rain he said it was like having a cold shower, blamed his baldness on the drips. I remember that the Accord had serious rear brake issues for many second-hand owners and most of the 80's models needed regular (as in more frequent than schedule) oil and filter changes if the cam-shafts were not to wear prematurely. Rather like the Vauxhalls of that time, until you modified the oilway.

Post #22, are you saying that I am too succinct, that my verbosity needs to be increased? That I could do, how many words do you recommend? I am 2/3rds through a novel set in 1950's-60's currently with 156k words:-D

I have no medical qualification which would enable me to form a worthwhile opinion. I imagine however, that consideration would be given to what effect medication would have and whether the proposer was likely to maintain medical treatment. I would also imagine that you would be required to supply a medical certificate covering the above points and your doctor only would be in the position to do this. The underwriter would employ a medical advisor whose expertise could indicate to him if higher premiums for any extra potential risk were in order. This would satisfy the requirements of the DDA.

BTW can one of the kind site team explain why my signature is no longer showing on my posts? The box is still checked!

They are perfectly entitled to set their tariff according to the information provided by the proposer, they are also entitled to decline the proposal, this is called risk analysis. Likewise you are entitled to decline to accept the quoted premium and or conditions, this is called free choice. Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, insurers can only charge disabled people higher premiums if: the extra charge is based on factual or statistical data there are other relevant factors which indicate that a disabled person is a higher risk As any entry concerning medical condition or restriction/condition on a driving licence would mean that it would be referred to the underwriter, an individual assessment would be made, and the above would be born in mind.

I am not too sure why you have posted this thread as you already have an insurance policy as described in your other thread posted today. http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?316599-Car-insurance You must know, having already filled in a proposal (either written or verbal) that a quote for premium is based on the individual's age, driving experience, location and any medical condition, as well as the vehicle concerned. It is both illegal to obtain insurance by failing to divulge all relevant information and foolish to attempt to so do as any claim on the comprehensive part of the policy would be repudiated when they found out - which they would.

Conniff, Thank you so much for posting this thread, it have given me almost as many laughs as Michael MacIntyre. Perhaps blacknight is one of his script writers? Same fantasy land.

And we know how warranty companies never, ever, change circumstances to their own benefit i.e., in relation to refusing claims, don't we! Ouch, just bit my tongue!

Did she need to park that far forward in order to gain access to the boot to manipulate the disabled scooter? Might be a further aspect of the mitigation. Obviously do not lie about this, or 'over egg' it, but the comment about her being very concerned about her elderly(?) mother in a strange place and as a result had not noticed how much she had encroached on the zig-zag lines, might also help. Good luck

Sorry Conniff, couldn't resist that. I looked on your profile and you just describe yourself as retired, so did not appreciate that you hold some of that 'practical opinion' to which I referred!

Does my bum look big in this. Voovoom

Robbie1944, what I omitted to ask in my previous post #5 was, when you rang to discuss the vehicle and eventually paid the deposit, did you mention that you were needing to fund it through a deal with 'webuyanycar.com' and needed time to complete that transaction? This would make your placing a deposit conditional so that the dealer would know that there was a possibility that you might not be able to go through with the purchase. Also, did you request that the vehicle be ready for you by a certain day, as anything that could be taken as an instruction to commence their usual pre-delivery preparation, servicing etc., would increase his right to retention of some or all of the deposit?

But surely having a vehicle for 15 years there is a danger that your experience of using other models may not be very far ranging? For practical opinion it is better to rely on those who do not have personal attachment, i.e independant motor engineers. The buyers of Landrover and RangeRovers are more likely to complain if they have a problem, due to the higher financial commitment. There may well also be a tendency for these vehicles to have covered a higher mileage, with greater potential for things to break. As heliosuk has said, it is necessary to compare like for like if 'tables' are to be realistic. The danger with 'tongue in cheek' comments is that if you sneeze, the tongue can become bitten!

Robbie 1944, one of the important considerations regarding the Distance Selling Regulations is that the 'cooling off' period is really intended to facilitate the opportunity to examine the goods. If you went to see the vehicle first, then rang to ask the dealer to keep it for a certain time, the DSR may not apply. If you only came across the advertisment through a newspaper, or via a website, then DSR is more likely, provided that this is a regular occurrence for the dealer. I am not sure that he can only issue a credit note as no invoice has at that time been raised. To my mind, the dealer should repay the deposit as he will not have been put to any extra expense in the intervening 2 hours and unless you were told during your original telephone call to him that the deposit would be non-refundable, it is in the nature of an informal arrangement, but I am sure that those more experienced in this field will be along soon to advise you. Regards

crem, There are only three local DVLA offices who carry out the premium checking service for those whose licences have been issued outside the EU, EEA or designated countries, as the OP has indicated that he is. These are, Wimbledon, Nottingham and Glasgow together with the main reception at DVLA Swansea. I wonder manuelaux if you are close enough to one of these? Obviously we are not privvie to the details of your employment, but could not your employer assist by only requiring you to attend UK work for the short period of time that you are without it? You would of course still have your immigration work permit for identification purposes and it might be possible to obtain emergency travel documents from your embassy/consulate. Someone more versed in this subject will no doubt put us right on this point. I would very much doubt if you could sue the DVLA for a potential loss of earnings consequential to carrying out the requirements of UK legislation.

Traffer, the simple answer is no, I do not know if 2 hours was excessive, as I was not there to observe. Neither were you. In my original response to the OP's thread, I was simply pointing out the possible reasons for this length of time from my experience with the model range. You may not have read my suggestion that they speak to the Service Manager. 'Ask to speak to the service manager and explain that you were not told that the 2 hours that you were quoted 'for the door' would apply even though the job could not be completed.' etc With the greatest of respect, your comment about the 2 hours being excesive, 'I certainly do, and that is based on more than 25 years on working with the design and development of products related to doors and how they can affect ease of opening/closing, noise, rattles, etc etc etc.' really does not answer my question as to whether you are familiar with the model (as am I) or of working on any Mercedes (as do I ), or to be able to bring anything other than academic thoughts to the situation.

Traffer, the steps that you describe are what most experienced mechanics/bodyworkers would naturally undertake. However, you must have superb iconic memory if you can look at one door, walk to the other, mirror image what you first saw and detect the subtle difference that could be the cause of the problem. You would also have to mentally analyse what was long term wear (typically the driver's door is opened and closed 10 times more often than the passenger side) and if there was sufficient difference to cause the problem to appear at this time. The OP has not responded to other questions, so is unlikely to tell us how long they have owned the vehicle and for how long there has been the difficulty. So if there were some signs on the seals, you would automatically order a new one at about £70? Without knowing that this would solve the problem? You were not there, I was not there, so we do not know exactly what was required to determine unacquivocally the cause of the complaint. I still maintain that it was good practice to remove the door panel (which you have previously admitted are notoriously difficult to take apart) to test the closing without the seal. You cannot remove the seal (other than tearing it off) without removing the panel. They would then have been in the position to reinstate the seal if the cause was elsewhere. You mention, 'If the vehicle has a frameless door there is also the possibility of the glass being out of alignment due to a guide/window reg problem'. Were you talking hypothetically, or because you are unfamiliar with this model without googling it?I am not making excuses for the Mercedes dealer, merely pointing out that (a) we do not have all the facts and (b) what might appear simple on some vehicles can be more complicated on others so relevant experience is important.

I am sure that some of the SOGA specialists will be along shortly to advise you, but in the meantime, can you post the item number so that we can look at the seller's listing? There are significant differences between private and business sellers. Sometimes a little detective work is necessary to determine that a 'private' seller is in fact a dealer (no vat being paid or self assessment declaration to HMCR). If you have not already done so, visit the eBay discussion board, > ebay motors here http://community.ebay.co.uk/forum/Ebay-Motors/2004 and you will see that there are many threads relating to sellers reneging on the deal and the sanctions that can be taken by eBay if you raise a non completion claim. The theme running through them is that the price attained was not high enough, or someone made a higher post auction offer. Many excuses are offered, 'engine blew up on the way to the Mot station' 'my dog chewed all the leather seats' 'the car was stolen last night and crashed'. Take your pick! I am sorry that I personally cannot advise you, it is not my area of expertise, but others will be along who can. Best regards

I agree that a good bodyshop would be able to deal with this problem possibly quicker and most likely cheaper, but the fact is that the vehicle was put in for a service at a main dealership with the additional complaint of the door closure problem. Traffer, I agree that in the majority of cases, misalignment in particular, result in signs of wear to be observed. 'It is very obvious when a seal is misbehaving as there are usually wear marks here there should not be.' IF there are no wear marks where there should not be, what do you then do? After all it is 15 years old, so distinguishing new marks from age related ones becomes more difficult. What further investigation would you enter into, at what cost? It is easy to be critical of other workmanship when you are not in the firing line. One failing of the forum is that we only have the OP's side of things. This thread should be read in association with the OP's other thread posted 20 minutes later. Not told about Servicing Special Offer The OP has not yet responded with the means for us to look at the terms and conditions of that website special offer, so it is difficult to formulate an opinion as to the fairness of the dealership.

AMMEJELAD, I imagine that you started your thread without fully reading the notes which explain the forum and how best to benefit from it. Whilst there are many caggers who have years of experience in their given field, they are contributing on a purely voluntary basis. It is not a matter of cross examining you, but to obtain specific information so that a considered opinion as to what you can or cannot do, may be provided. From your posts, I get the impression that UK English may not be your mother-tongue, so it is possible that you do not appreciate the humour that some responders have displayed. You would perhaps be best advised not to take offence to them, it can easily turn into a rant; as you may now have noticed this canresult in others calling you to task. It is also helpful if you break up your posts into paragraphs so as to make reading easier and in particular being able to deal with each point in a logical manner. As honeybee13 has pointed out, the forum is a very supportive place, but you do need to respect other people's efforts without suggesting bias because of their profession now or in the past. I imagine that the 'bugs' that caused you distress were Thrips which appear when their habitat is disturbed at harvest time. They are terribly irritating and I can imagine that having them inside your top could have made you less than even tempered when dealing with the official. Your posts would indicate that you become upset rather easily and perhaps can become a little irrational, so matters escalated to this current situation. As honeybee13 has also pointed out, this is not a trivial matter, you could end up with a criminal record. You must take note of the advice from the sector experts as indicated by the number of green bars under their name, without contradicting them because you do not like what you read. I am neither intending to be judemental, nor patronising in my above, merely suggesting how you can get the most from the forum Regards