Junction 17 Peterborough - My Experience

[ConnorW06]

I'll apologise for the length of this topic before I start, but I wanted to share my experience from Junction 17 cars - Peterborough for everyone to see.

 

 

3 months ago I purchased a 350z, 09 plate from Junction 17 – Peterborough…

 

And like the majority of others on this forum and the Internet, my experience wasn’t great. So here it goes….

 

Upon looking online and in local dealerships for months and months, for my ideal car, the right colour combo, mileage, age and spec came up and the dealer was Junction 17 cars. I phoned them up to enquire about the car, and spoke to a very friendly, polite member of staff who answered all my questions and suggested coming down for a look around the car and a test drive. At this point the very friendly and welcoming attitude made me think I was onto a good thing with Junction 17, having never been spoken to in such a laid back and easy-going manner before from any other garage. I went down there almost expecting to find fault, as it was almost too good to be true from the initial phone call.

 

Arriving at Junction 17 Peterborough you are met with a fantastic looking showroom, with a wide variety of cars ranging from £4,000 beemers to £70,000+ Ferraris. All parked neatly in the outside parking area, with the more expensive vehicles inside a very clean, and well-kept showroom. Grinning from ear to ear I walked around the cars trying to find my 350z I’d been viewing online, very happy as my presumptive vision of Junction 17 after the phone call was now being reflected in the flesh. Walking inside the showroom, I spotted the 350z and started to look around it. I was then met with another friendly salesman who started speaking to me about my chosen car and commenting on how lovely the colour combination was, teamed with it being one of the last 350’s registered as it is an 09 plate. I started to feel certain this was the car I wanted and couldn’t wait to tell everyone about how fantastic my first experience at Junction 17 Peterborough was.

 

Fast forward a few weeks and going to view the car another 2 times, and having a successful test-drive. I was almost sold on the fact that this was the 350 for me. Looking over the car, 3 of the 4 wheels had awful curb rash and had bad lacquer peel on all 3. The rear tyres were bald where I presumed the previous owner was creating some clouds before he traded the car in. The paper work showed that the tyres were less than a year old, teamed with only around 5k miles in his owner ship; which only reinforced my initial presumption. It had a sizeable dent in both the driver and passenger door, and lastly its MOT was just about to run out but they insisted that they cover all their vehicles with at least a 6 month MOT. Upon agreeing that if the dents were removed, wheels refurbed, new tyres added on the backs and the MOT renewed I’d go ahead and purchase the car, advertised for £13,000. Once I had explained the terms I wanted, I was told there was absolutely no room for negotiation on price, which I thought was completely understandable considering the list of work I had created. The staff were also so friendly I didn’t want to muck up what I had already managed to get out of the deal – it was substantial enough.

 

Returning a week and a half later, I viewed the car and all the little niggles had been sorted, and once again met with the same very friendly salesman who told me it had passed it’s MOT with no issues, other than a slightly worn lower control arm bush but it wasn’t causing any issues. Looking around the car I was impressed with the quality of the wheel refurb and how much better they had made the dents look, I then went into the office to do the deal. Still smiling from ear to ear I was offered an “Ultimate Protection Warranty Package†which I was told covers absolutely everything mechanical and electrical, replaces items like for like and was the best on the market. I ended up purchasing that for my own peace of mind, constantly being reminded that this was the best on the market and that it would cover you for items that other warranties simply do not. With £500 slapped on top of my £13,000 bill I walked out incredibly happy with my purchase and the service I received – thumbs up all around!

 

Like nearly everyone else, this is when the issues started to arise and Junction 17s true colours started to show…

 

Within the first 2 weeks of ownership my brakes started to squeal badly and looking online, I saw that it could sometimes be down to the shims indicating the pads are getting low. I brought my 350 to a mechanic, and we got it up on the lift and checked out the brake pads, the rears had under 1mm left on them. I rung Junction 17 up and asked to speak to the salesman I had brought the car from as he suggested any queries or questions come directly to him. Unfortunately every single time I rang I was met with the same “Sorry, he’s busy with a customer at the moment, can I get him to ring you back?†which never happened. I rang again, and asked to speak to the manager and after waiting on hold for around 20 minutes I asked why they were so low considering it had just blown through their MOT without query. (Anything below 1.5mm should have been brought to my attention?) I was told that they were fine when they were checked, and it must have been down to how I’ve been driving it since my ownership, receiving a much more brash and unpolite attitude than what I’ve had first experienced. I told them I’d only driven the best part of a few hundred miles and it wasn’t from my driving, going back and forth between emails and phone calls I told them that I wanted replacement pads for the rear as I needed to use the car for work in a few days time. I was offered a brand of pads that were £17.50 and that’s all they were willing to offer. In addition to this, if I wanted the pads, I would have to drive the 160 mile round-trip to have them fitted at their workshop only. I insisted that I didn’t want the cheap pads and wanted a better make, and trying to take a whole day out of my schedule wasn’t going to be easy as my local garage is only a 15 minute drive away so it’s much more convenient. I was told these £17.50 pads were as good, and more than up to the OEM standard Brembo pad quality. Starting to feel frustrated, and needing the pads to be fitted ready for work, I ended up paying for genuine Nissan Brembo pads to be fitted at my local garage. I was getting absolutely nowhere with the general manager and after numerous conversations; I gave up completely with the brake pad issue.

 

Fast forward to the past couple of weeks which is around 2 months into my ownership, and I start to get a knocking noise coming from my front passenger side wheel while going over bumps in the road. Having it booked in at the garage to be looked over, I was told it was the lower suspension control arm bush that had completely deteriorated on both sides. Both needed replacing but it was only the passenger side that was making a noise while driving. It was an advisory when I purchased the car but appeared to be in a lot worse condition than explained on the MOT. Having found out the brake pad issue previously and for it not to be picked up on the MOT, I was inclined to get some advice from trusted parties. I spoke to Mark at Abbey Motorsports, my local garage and a main Nissan Dealership, they all advised me not to buy aftermarket bushes as they either make the ride more uncomfortable than standard or don’t last nearly as long, both things I want to avoid as using the car daily I just want to get in the car and for it to work as intended. Taking their advice from parties whom I trust, I was advised to buy the whole arm assembly, which was fine. Also looking online and speaking again with the Nissan dealership I was told that you cannot buy genuine bushes, only the arm assembly. Thinking back to the warranty that “covers everything like for like†and not being able to purchase the genuine bushes I thought I’d ring this incredible warranty company that I’d paid the “ultimate cover†for and see if they could assist with purchasing 2 new arms. Long story short, after numerous phone calls with the warranty company, I was told to receive new arms I should have taken out the additional “OEM additional pack†that should have been offered with the warranty from Junction 17, which categorically was not offered. If that had been selected they would replace the arms for me no quibbles, all I am being offered is 2 PRI racing bushes as replacement; which, bushes being offered as a replacement from a warranty company is good, but isn’t what I’m after. Especially after receiving the advice from all the parties that work with these cars day-in day-out, suggesting that aftermarket bushes aren’t the best bet.

 

I rung up Junction 17 to ask about this “Ultimate cover†that I took out and to ask about the so called OEM additional pack that I should have been offered, and spoke to the general manager who was incredibly abrupt and didn’t want to help me what so ever. Defending the warranty to the hilt and telling me there is no such thing as OEM additional pack that they can offer. It was implied that the advice I had gained from these other garages was on false pretentions, they merely wish to make as much money as possible from everyone and the PRI racing bushes would be more than sufficient as an alternative. My argument was that I didn’t take the warranty out to get alternative items; I took it out because I was told I would receive like for like replacement parts, which obviously wasn’t the case at all.

 

 

 

In conclusion: I have a car, which is fantastic, I adore my 350 and couldn’t ask for a better car. The service I received and how I have been spoken to from Junction 17 and The Auto Group warranty is diabolical, considering the amount of money I’ve spent at both parties. After the initial service from Junction 17 I genuinely believed the after sales would be equivalent, how wrong was I. As soon as you have tapped your pin in the machine and paid, you’re viewed as a completely different person and treated like an outsider. Issues that should have been resolved simply like sorting out the brake pads, which were illegal, and explaining the warranty in full instead of speaking jargon before being misled into buying warranty that covers everything “like for like†have ruined the initially inviting atmosphere and has made me quite sour towards Junction 17, truly a shame. If they had carried on the customer service they provided from the start, after my purchase, I wouldn’t be writing this now.

 

I ultimately wouldn’t suggest Junction 17 to anyone looking to purchase a car, whether it be £1,000 or £100,000. Neither would I suggest the warranty as, from my experience, it doesn’t cover the items you hope it would. This is primarily down to how Junction 17 sell it. A true shame after all the fantastic service I received to begin with. I just wish I had done some research before purchasing a car from them, as it seems a lot of people have had even worse experience than me!

 

Unbelievable from a company selling such high-caliber cars.

[Ricey]

I really do wonder why people keep using guys likw this

[ConnorW06]

Evening Ricey.

 

I honestly wish I would have done some research before hand and given them a Google, instead of being blinded by the initial impression of the showroom and how polite and helpful they were. It is a shame but I just wanted to share my experience like many others have too. Hopefully it may help someone make the decision to not use them in the future.

[Ricey]

This is why I like Tradelink even though they're much maligned.

 

People moan about how they occasionally sell the car because they dont get treated like theyre buying a Bentley but they never moan about the car once theyve got it.

 

Subtance over style always wins out in the end.

 

At least you've ended up with a decent motor pal.

 

Enjoy

[ConnorW06]

100% with you mate. I've always been a firm believer of people telling the truth and not beating around the bush. It's understandable that a warranty can't cover everything, and a garage can only offer so much, but to say one thing to a customer and once they've signed the dotted line change what they've said and promised you entirely, isn't on, and they should be brought to light for it.

 

Other than the pads and bushes compared to some on here I've read, it seems like I got off fairly lightly. See there's a chap with a tear in his roof that never got sorted, absolutely disgusting.

[Sargara]

ConnorW06, you should post this in the pinned Junction17 topic at the top of this forum too:

http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/95950-junction-17-cars-peterborough-a-review-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

 

Keep all the feedback centralised.

[iamtheoneneo]

£13K for an 09Z with a dented exterior and no tyres? sounds like a bargain to me!

Genuinely confused as why you would put your hard cash down on something that clearly has been treated like crap.

[Sargara]

£13K for an 09Z with a dented exterior and no tyres? sounds like a bargain to me!

Genuinely confused as why you would put your hard cash down on something that clearly has been treated like crap.

 

Could have got a 370z for £750 more too

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201504132560103/sort/default/usedcars/page/1/quicksearch/true/make/nissan/model/370_z/radius/1500/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/price-from/500/postcode/ng116jw/channel/cars?logcode=p

[ConnorW06]

Hi guys, the tyres had been replaced as requested and the dents almost completely removed when I went to pick the car up. So on that front and before paying for the car all was going perfectly well, and I was impressed with the service I had received. It was once I had paid for the vehicle the service changed dramatically. The price I paid for the vehicle isn't my concern, as it was exactly what I was after with low mileage and one of the last years, not to mention only being 19 at the time insurance for a 370 was going to be £8000 a year haha! I have absolutely no issue spending money on something I think is a good deal, and I still believe the car was. It was the service that followed that has me truly disappointed, especially after being so different from what I experienced all the way through.

 

Any way I can get this copied to the other topic? Or should I just copy it over?

[MIGWEL]

Hi connor. I agree with you. I bought my 350z 8 months ago. A 58 Black gt313 manual. With all the gadgets. I paid a lot £13'500.00 but its only done 8000 miles so had to have it í ½í±í ½í±í ½í±

[ConnorW06]

Afternoon Migwel, I was in the same boat. After seeing the car with the different alloys (I believe they are GT4 alloys but I could be wrong) and with low mileage, sat nav and the alezan leather I knew it was the car for me. It's just come as a real surprise how much they lull you into a false sense of security before purchasing the vehicle, I usually don't get suckered into that sort of thing and unfortunately this time I did.

Edited May 29, 2015 by ConnorW06

[MIGWEL]

Probably because you fell in love with the car as soon as you saw it and your mind was telling you it will be yours whatever .. Its bad how they treated you but life is a learning curve and we all learn by our errors.. At least your happy with the car and thats what matters. Im not sure where you are but i may be close. Im in horley

[ConnorW06]

Yeah exactly, my thoughts were reassured by the salesman and their false promises about their stellar after sales helped seal the deal for me. Its a shame a business can still be operating after all the bad feedback they've received.

 

But looking onwards, I've learnt from my mistake and created this review just so everyone can see from start to finish what my experience was with them. Hopefully it will help someone make a decision to use them, or not use them for purchasing their car. Truly love the car and compared to some on this forum it does seem like I got away lightly, as the repair was work carried out. As I know some have been left with empty promises which is terrible.

 

I live in the Sudbury/Bury area so not sure how far away that is from yourself?

Edited May 29, 2015 by ConnorW06

[bamdc2]

A 6 year old 350z for £13k....wow I would have wanted a proper immaculate garage baby or show car!!

[rabbitstew]

TBH your experience doesnt sound too bad and very typical of most garages ive dealt with in the past. I bought my 07 Roadster from a Nissan main dealer for 16grand. There was zero negotiation on the price. They did throw in a "full service" and a new MOT. When the MOT certificate was shown to me I noticed that it said "has advisories" but craftily they had removed the adisory sheet. Luckily I went online and found out that the only advisory was that the brake pads were getting low. I tried to use this as a bargaining point, but the main dealers policy was that as long as they had enough tread on to pass an MOT then thats it. In actual fact there was only about 1mm on the pads when I checked them a few weeks later and so I swapped them out for Ferrodo 2500 at a cost of £250 to me. In addition within a month I realised that one of the rear shocks was leaking - again I replaced that myself at my expense. But it should have definitely been picked up on the MOT.

 

I too had a warranty albiet the Nissan approved used cars one. I went back twice to try and get something done under warranty. Firstly the drive belt on the front of the engine. Mine stredded itself after 20k which was strange. Nissan said it should last 90k easily. They replaced it, charged me nearly £100 and said that because it was a "consumable", even though it has worn unusually quick that its not covered under warranty. That belt actually only lasted 20k again, but the next time I bought an uprated Gates belt for £15 and fitted it myself in about 5 minutes. The other warranty item was the roof, it started sticking and I could see one of the metal cross beam things in the hood was pealing away from the frame. They said that the roof wasnt covered by the warranty either. But at least with that they fixed it as a "good will gesture" - the fix being them to simply drill holes in it and rivit the bit back on.

[david85williams]

Sorry dude you have had a crap experience with J17. Feel free to join the anti-J17 club, there are plenty of us! Your experience is pretty standard unfortunately....

[KyleR]

There is no excuse for how they've treated you since they got you're cash and possibly mis selling you the warranty, but to be fair, both of your failure items are consumables and I'm genuinely surprised the warranty company even offered to supply any kind of replacement bushes at all.

[ConnorW06]

Afternoon all,

 

My issue with the warranty wasn't that they aren't willing to replace the arms or bushes like for like, it's that they have said they would replace the whole arm for a genuine article if this "OEM additional pack" option was offered and selected when the vehicle was purchased, and that option wasn't offered to me.

 

-------------------------

I do have an update though:

-------------------------

Jamie from Junction 17 has been in contact, and he is trying to resolve the issues mentioned above with the directors which I truly appreciate. As the bad service wasn't induced by him or the sales team what so ever, it was the management side.

- They have agreed to forward the cost of the brake pads replacement as a good will gesture, for the bad service I have received. For which I am very grateful for, as I wasn't expecting any compensation what so ever. And after speaking with the general manager originally, I thought his verdict of the £17.50 pads was the bottom line which I didn't accept.

- As i'm getting the replacement genuine Nissan arms with bushes fitted tomorrow, they have asked to be forwarded a copy of the bill I'll be getting so they can ring the warranty company and investigate why the OEM parts option wasn't offered. As I've been told, Junction 17 have never heard of this option, and as far as they know cannot even offer it to their customers. I've been told they will be fighting my corner, as they were also under the impression genuine parts were included with the ultimate cover. As the warranty can go through main dealerships, If I would have brought my car to Nissan, they wouldn't have used after market parts would they?

- I've also been told the General Manager is going to be spoken to, regarding the way he has communicated with me, and how brash and unprofessional he has been. Also the reason why he didn't even offer a middle ground, or better option when I refused the £17.50 pads after the MOT didn't pick up the sub 1mm rear pads.

 

 

I'll be sure to keep everyone updated as and when I get updates from them. But for now Jamie and the directors seem genuinely bewildered why both situations I have had were handled in such a poor way, when they should have been rectified with a matter of a few phone calls.

 

 

Fingers crossed they keep to their word!

Edited June 1, 2015 by ConnorW06

[Ricey]

Can't say I hold out total hope for resolution but it does appear to be a step in the right direction as J17 tactic previously has been total stonewall so perhaps the endless bad reviews are finally hitting home.

[david85williams]

I hope they resolve your issues. Maybe they will change but it's only by people speaking out on this 'malicious forum' (yes they call it that) that J17 can see what damage they are doing to their already questionable reputation.

[ConnorW06]

Can't say I hold out total hope for resolution but it does appear to be a step in the right direction as J17 tactic previously has been total stonewall so perhaps the endless bad reviews are finally hitting home.

 

I know what you mean, I'm not holding my breath with any of these promises but i'm genuinely hoping that they can reclaim what little is left of their after sales reputation. And that my review isn't considered the 'norm', fingers crossed! I've just posted an update which unfortunately is looking a little bleak to say the least!

 

I hope they resolve your issues. Maybe they will change but it's only by people speaking out on this 'malicious forum' (yes they call it that) that J17 can see what damage they are doing to their already questionable reputation.

 

Thanks David, I sure hope so too. I can believe they call this a malicious forum, I think its mainly due to them not having any positive feedback on here, but they're the only ones responsible for their reputation and after sales feedback. It's truly a shame that someone like myself and others would even need to go to somewhere like this to get our issues resolved, even though many people have been left out to dry it seems! I've posted an update as to where I am currently, and i'm not really any further forward unfortunately.

[ConnorW06]

------------

Update:

------------

- I received the cheque covering the cost of the pads I had fitted, due to the ones that came with the car having under 1mm left. Which was good, thumbs up for that..

 

Which was a good start, but the main concern which was the warranty and how it was sold to me, unfortunately hasn't been sorted...

 

- I got both lower control arms fitted at a garage on the 2nd of June as the knocking noise became more apparent, and also started on the drivers side too. I obviously paid this out of my own pocket, as I was told conversations were still happening between Junction 17 and the warranty company.

 

- I spoke to Jamie again soon after they were fitted, and he assured me they were still in conversations with the warranty company, and that I needed to forward him my invoice for the arms (which I did immediately after the phone call) and then I would receive an update soon after.

 

- Fast forward a few days after the phone call, and I still haven't heard anything back. I ring up Junction 17 and ask to speak to Jamie, and I was told he was ill and wasn't in work. I then spoke to Neil who told me they were going to have a meeting with the directors of the warranty company on this Tuesday (16th) and would bring my concerns up, and get me an answer there and then. I would then receive a phone call after the meeting with the outcome with my control arms and my warranty that apparently doesn't cover genuine parts.

 

- So here I am today (19th) having just rung up Junction 17, after still not hearing anything back from this directors meeting. I spoke to someone on reception who tells me Jamie doesn't work with Junction 17 anymore (quite convenient considering he was the one sorting my concern out) and then passes me onto Neil again.. I ask Neil what was the outcome of the meeting on Tuesday, and was told that they "didn't turn up" so the meeting didn't happen. Obviously wanting an answer after having to fork out for both control arms I asked when I will receive an answer, and he wasn't too sure as the warranty directors "hadn't rearranged the meeting they were meant to have with Junction 17". Neil tells me they are hoping to have the meeting before the end of the month, and he will have an answer for me then.

 

So for now I'm left hanging hoping that this "meeting" will ever happen, or if I will ever receive an update or closure on my issues with the warranty and Junction 17.

 

I'll be sure to post back again when I receive another update.

[Sargara]

No surprises there really Connor and It does reek of "being fobbed off".

 

First the person who was trying to sort out the mess goes ill, then quits/fired. Now the so called warranty company directors don't show for a meeting? I don't know about the car dealership world but if one of my suppliers (warranty company) failed to attend a meeting I would be changing suppliers!

[ConnorW06]

No surprises there really Connor and It does reek of "being fobbed off".

 

First the person who was trying to sort out the mess goes ill, then quits/fired. Now the so called warranty company directors don't show for a meeting? I don't know about the car dealership world but if one of my suppliers (warranty company) failed to attend a meeting I would be changing suppliers!

 

Exactly my thoughts when I was on the other end of the phone! I actually found it quite comical, I'm in two minds.. One of which is saying perhaps they are genuinely being messed around by the warranty company, but from past experience of Junction 17, and reviews from genuine customers on this forum and others, I'm siding towards the other frame of mind. Which is that they're simply playing the game of, "see who holds on the longest" and after an amount of time I'll simply give up and say 'I can't be bothered to waste any more time on this issue, or the company' and be done with it.

 

In my line of work i'm in conference calls and meetings quite often with important members of companies, and I have yet to go on a call, or go to a meeting and be 'stood up' by the company and its members joining me; and for them to simply 'not show up' with no pre-warning simply doesn't happen. Especially with people in the position of directors, as they're busy and have tight schedules. Not to mention if they genuinely didn't show up, If I was Junction 17 I'd be straight on the blower seeing what the heck has happened and why its happened, as I've got incredibly important customer concerns at hand that need sorting ASAP - But I guess that's the difference between us, and them!

 

I found it quite disappointing that no one had rung me to inform me of what was happening, but having a poor experience with the General Manager before hand, it didn't surprise me after hearing Jamie had left and wasn't working there any more.

 

Like I said before, I'm not one to try and damage any companies reputation, working with customers on a daily basis I understand that issues arise, but it's totally down to how you handle them. I never try and leave bad feedback of any company I deal with, and always try to find a positive outlook on my experience.

 

I'm just hoping they can resolve this issue, but it's looking bleak and I'm definitely not holding my breath!

[NeilMH]

Maybe I'm missing the point or haven't read everything but why would a meeting be necessary to resolve this issue? Isn't the meeting a bit or a red herring?