Long-time customer betrayed
Long-time customer betrayed – dangerous car sold with false inspection report
I’ve been buying from Manheim for over 10 years, and I’ve even left positive reviews in the past. But after this experience, I feel genuinely betrayed.
I recently purchased a Ford Grand C-Max through Manheim’s online platform, relying entirely on the vehicle description and their SureCheck Silver report a service I paid extra for. What I received was nothing like what was advertised.
• The car has a severe gearbox fault loud “dhug” noises when shifting into Drive or Reverse, harsh engagement, and it barely moves.
• It should have been sold as a non-runner.
• The DPF pressure sensor was missing, the oil dipstick was left open, and the engine bay was covered in oil.
• The smell inside the car is unbearable, and no normal person could sit in it for more than a minute.
• The car took four attempts to start, misfired badly, and clearly has major mechanical faults.
None of these faults were mentioned in the SureCheck report. That report gave me false confidence to commit to the purchase.
When I filed a SureCheck claim, it was immediately dismissed with technicalities: “fault not covered because it was reported while stationary.” This is a textbook example of how SureCheck staff are trained to deny genuine claims, no matter how obvious the issue is, while carefully wording responses to protect themselves instead of the customer. I’ve seen other buyers face the same tactics.
To make matters worse, workshop said it looks like engine appears to have been swapped because all the major wiring and pipes are not connected in order and clamps are either open or different which doesn’t even show on the HPI report. And now I’m stuck with a dangerous, misdescribed vehicle. They knew everything about car, because car had few stickers from previous sales that confirms they have been trying to sell it but couldn’t get anyone hooked up to it. Further investigation shows cars been off the road for last 6 months. So they charged massive amount in terms of fees but can’t tell truth after even charging for it.
For those thinking of buying online from Manheim be extremely cautious. The SureCheck report is NOT reliable. It’s not a real protection it’s a checkbox exercise designed to avoid liability. You’re paying for a false sense of security. Perhaps this is their new business model lie to sell, if it turns out bad we can lie more and no need to own it anyway, technically this is how businesses go down so quickly and they just wonder the cause of business failure. If you can’t tell the truth, if you can’t respect people who have been with you for years, if you don’t respect yourself and own it. Then it’s a big lesson to be learnt for people who are thinking about purchasing anything from this place. So disappointed that i can’t describe in words
Funny they replied after a year when they had people in their customer service to bark at me, their branch refused to attend phones and did not reply to emails, i bought another car, fake report i asked to confirm if certain things are what they say are but in photos they were not, it was a provisional bid wasn’t even confirmed sale, and he said i can’t confirm then i told him i can’t be a victim again i am sitting 300 miles away i can’t come to see things all you have to say is yes or no, he said well it is what it is, 2019 golf, and he sold it to me without confirming but i refused to pay, guess what same branch started calling me , emailing me they responded to all emails, they carried on send me threats but didn’t want to confirm what i asked, pressurised sale by sending me storage charges almost everyday then said we will have to close the account, it’s only this Colchester branch and certain individuals in leeds in their customer service but rest are fine, never had issues at Bristol Birmingham and many other branches, but these two places are shocking that has no explanation now they want me to get in touch. I tell you the couldn’t sell that car for 6 months obviously mt suspension were right. All they had to do is to tell truth and nothing would have happened.but business model has changed to dishonesty.
Reply from Manheim - Colchester
Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that your experience didn’t meet expectations. All inspections are completed in line with BVRLA standards to ensure consistency and fairness. If you’d like to discuss your concern in more detail, please contact our team directly at ukca.customercare@coxautoinc.com, and we’ll be happy to help.