Why Use us
ALL of our stock is sourced privately, prepared exquisitely and sold by enthusiasts, and as such we believe our vehicles are some of the finest examples on the market.
In order to be able to offer this level of service, a variable preparation and support fee is chargeable depending on your circumstances.
Why is this chargeable?
Here at Unit One Automotive, we always strive to offer our customers excellent value for money in the products and services we provide. We work hard behind the scenes to ensure that if you have an issue with your car, or even need to be updated, that we have the robust systems in place to take care of everything.
We have listed some items covered within the Preparation and Support fee, so you have confidence knowing that it offers excellent value and we only charge it for the right reasons.
We are proud to be one of the larger independent dealers in the South East and are proud of our Aftercare and Customer Service. We have hundreds of five-star reviews for your reassurance. Read on to discover more about our intensive vehicle preparation, and for the journey ahead.
97% of our cars are already advertised in line with Auto Trader’s “GOOD PRICE OR GREAT PRICE” indicator, and we check our prices daily to ensure that our cars are priced to market. Auto Traders price indicators are based upon, make, model, age, fuel type and optional extras. The price indicators don’t include the cars condition, colour, availability in local area, special modifications (body styling kits – tinted windows), number of owners, service history and preparation.
All cars are supplied with a 90 days back-to-base Silver Warranty, Even though we do everything possible to prepare our vehicles to the highest of standards prior to a customer taking delivery – nobody can foresee the unexpected which can ruin even the best planned motoring budget.
Our included Silver Warranty is designed to ensure that you have a basic level of protection in the unlikely event of a fault, and we can get you back on the road as quickly as possible.
Our optional Gold warranty provides a more comprehensive cover, including electrical items for example, and ensures that you will experience minimal inconvenience to yourself should an issue occur. We would always recommend choosing Gold warranty cover should you want peace of mind.
Further warranty information can be found via this link: Warranty information
Every car leaves us with a minimum of 6 months MOT and 3 months until the next service required. Our servicing is carried out by manufacturer-trained technicians who know your vehicle intimately. All our servicing is to Manufacturer Schedules and using genuine or original equipment (OE) quality parts.
This ensures that even if a vehicle has outstanding manufacturers warranty, this is preserved.
As part of the preparation of our cars, our trained technicians take each car on a long test drive. They use the same designated route which takes the cars over roundabouts, speed bumps and up to 70 mph on the major roads to ensure the car drives correctly with no knocks or rattles or faults. This test drive is enough time to identify any faults before the service, MOT or wheel alignment is carried out.
We have our own on-site
7000 sq ft preparation service centre and a team of experienced technicians and support staff that have all benefitted from in-depth training and development, and are all experienced in their fields.. We have dealer level diagnostics from Delphi, Snap-On and Autologic. We are also approved by BMW, VW Group and Mercedes Benz as well as Jaguar/Land Rover to be able to update their service system on your behalf.
Many independent dealers do not have their own workshop and use independent garages for preparation. This leaves you with no choice but to find your own garage if your car develops a problem. When you do find a garage, they have no obligation to deal with your warranty company, or even support you as they did not supply the car. We are able to take all this hassle away by offering a complete range of services from mechanical repair to bodywork under one roof.
We use only the best quality parts on your car during preparation. We use only approved Oils and parts on every vehicle and when we need to re-new brake parts, we use Pagid or Brembo, supplied to Porsche, Mercedes and used on many high-performance cars. We fit the same quality of parts regardless of the car and its price. From a VW Golf to a Range Rover Autobiography, all parts are equal quality. We use only the best quality parts for our cars, so you can be assured of their longevity. In extreme cases when there is an issue, all parts we fit are guaranteed for a minimum of 12 months by our suppliers. This is not the same at many independent dealers, who use cheap Chinese sourced parts to keep costs down, with little care for longevity.
In addition to the standard Service Checks, we also complete an in depth digital vehicle health check and appraisal. This appraisal aims to delve deeper into the condition of the vehicle and its fine workings including but not limited to the turbo and related pipework, the DPF system, the transmission and gearbox system, fuelling system and injectors. Each major component is meticulously checked to an exacting standard ensuring all our vehicles are suitable and ready to drive away for many happy miles of motoring.
All our cars come fitted with brand new number plates, the reason for this is that number plates can fade and tarnish. Subconsciously, one of the first areas your friends and family will look at when they first see your new car is the number plate. We feel the number plates should be as sparkling as the car, and represent the vehicle in it’s finest light.
If you have a private number plate, our sales executive will guide you on how to complete the online transfer. We will also provide free of charge new private number plates to be printed and fitted to your car, with your private registration printed.
Our own indoor detailing centre methodically and meticulously prepares each car to the cleanest condition possible using the finest cleaning chemicals. There are 3 core stages which form the process, the detailing of a car can take as long as 3 days to complete by our skilled team. When you visit to see our stock, you will see why.
Stage One
Vehicle is decontaminated with arches, doors, engine compartment and boot shuts cleaned. This “wet work” takes around 2.5 hours and ensures the vehicle is ready to enter the detailing department, dirt and grime free.
Stage Two
The paint is then treated to a two-stage machine polish correction process which includes the use of rotary and dual action polishers. This ensures that any historic marks or imperfections are removed or at the very least significantly reduced. The interior is deep cleaned to ensure the vehicle is in as “close-to-new” condition as possible. Seat Leathers are restored, and often soft surfaces such as boot carpets are wet-vacuumed to ensure that any stains are removed entirely.
Stage Three
We have an in-house alloy wheel refurbishment centre on site so we can quality control the finish of each wheel, making sure all our vehicle’s wheels are perfect, this includes diamond turned wheels. Whilst the wheels have been removed from the vehicle for refurbishment, the brake components including brake calipers are cleaned and painted where required.
Stage Four – Photography studio and social media creation
Once the vehicle is ready, it’s taken into our bespoke photo studio to have a full detailed photoshoot and video work done. Then the website is updated along with all our social media outlets. The vehicle is now ready for appointments, all our vehicles are ready to drive away, the same day!
Some dealers charge admin fees with little or no benefits. Some dealers promote the fact they don’t charge admin fees, yet their cars are overpriced! In these cases, fees are built into the price of the car with minimal pre-sale preparation and minimal support for the journey ahead.
We are so confident in our Preparation + Service Support package that if you can find a like for like car at another garage with the same level of preparation and service support, we will refund/waive the £199 fee entirely.
We know that it can be a pain if your car is off the road due to mechanical issues, or even just booked in for a service or MOT. We have 3 courtesy cars available, with extras available from our sister branch if required, meaning you are not inconvenienced in any way whilst your vehicle is with us. The courtesy cars are charged to customers at a cost of £22 + VAT per day but is FREE of charge to anyone who has purchased a car from us, as we cover this cost ourselves. You will require your own insurance cover; our policy does not cover customers. Most policies nowadays allow customers to drive our courtesy cars “third party” without having to speak with your insurer. Please state upon making any bookings if you would need the use of our courtesy cars, and remember when possible to book in advance as all courtesy cars are in very high demand.
We have an internal warranty team in place to process any claims efficiently, meaning you get your car back at the earliest available opportunity. There is no waiting around for independent assessors to check your car over and validate claims. In addition to this, we also process all the paperwork, meaning a quick and simple process for customers with no money to hand over and no need to chase warranty companies for payment.
Like car insurance, warranty companies charge an excess whenever a customer makes a claim. Our warranty company charge £30 excess meaning customers are usually responsible for the first £30 of any claim. As part of our Preparation / Service Support fee we will pay the warranty excess, regardless of where you are located in the UK or whichever garage you choose to complete the repairs.
Knocks, rattles and warning lights provide a clear sign to drivers that something is amiss with their vehicle. If you see a warning light appear on your dashboard, it may be simply due to a small insignificant and easy to repair fault, or it may be a sign that there is a serious underlying problem with the car. Even if you aren’t experiencing any performance issues, it’s essential to get the cause of the fault checked and rectified ASAP. Our Preparation and Service Centre has all of the latest and up-to-date diagnostic equipment including Autologic, Snap-On, and Autel Systems. The team also have access to the latest manufacturer bulletins and known common repairs, as well as factory support and wiring diagrams.
Therefore, if a fault appears on your car, from a simple rattle to a warning light, our team have the right equipment to diagnose the issue. Most faults can usually be diagnosed within a short time.
As part of our Preparation / Service Support fee, if you bring your car to our Preparation and Service Centre once your warranty has expired, you will not be charged for any investigation work during the first 30 minutes. Any additional work required outside the 30 minutes will be discussed with you by your Service Advisor before any time is spent. This is valid for the length of time you own the vehicle.
Our Service Support customers enjoy their MOT test free every year whilst they own the vehicle.
One of the most daunting aspects of car ownership is MOT time! Will it pass? Will it fail? Will I be recommended to replace unnecessary parts? Fortunately, we have a sister branch with the latest one man testing lane from Liftmaster, and we are here to take away the uncertainty. Our state-of-the-art system gives our technicians accurate and up-to-date information for every car. We take photos and even a video straight from the system and send you details of failures and advisories via text and email with detailed commentary from the technician, so you can see the issue for yourself (if any)! Furthermore, we never complete any work that will cost you money without your prior authorisation.
Choose to have your car serviced by us at the same time and benefit from a service stamp in the book, with all online manufacturer records updated too. Something that is particularly relevant and essential to modern prestige German and prestige cars (BMW / AUDI / MERCEDES / JAGUAR – LAND ROVER) for example.
Service Support customers can exclusively benefit from 10% discount on Bodyshop repairs and our paintless dent removal service.
We also offer 10% discount on alloy wheel repairs. If you have picked up a scratch or stone chip not worthy of the full Bodyshop experience we have you covered…. You can enjoy completely FREE minor touch-ins to chips and scratches on us.
Free puncture repairs for life are included in our Service Support, not only saving time and inconvenience but saving a great deal of money too!
In our experience, the best way to avoid big repair bills is to spot potential problems before they can become real problems!
It’s for that reason we give all customers that have purchased a car from us a FREE fully documented Winter and Summer check. This multipoint inspection checks all areas of concern such as brakes, suspension, tyres and all fluid levels. The Service Centre prepares a detailed report with any remedial work recommended as necessary including pictures, videos and advice directly from the technicians.
The usual price of this comprehensive check is £30 + VAT. As part of our Preparation / Service Support fee, we cover the cost of this inspection.
When you book your car in with our Preperation and Service Centre for a Winter health check, you will receive a FREE Car Plan Winter Essential Pack. This includes a large can of De-icer, Screen wash and a handy Ice Scraper for those frosty mornings. (rrp £9.99)
Not only do we want to supply you with a new car, but also your friends, family, neighbours and in fact anyone you associate with.
We are both proud and very fortunate to receive many referrals by our delighted customers. To recognise and reward this, customers who refer a new customer who purchase a vehicle will be supplied with an amazon voucher worth £150!
We have a service admin team in place who send you reminders when your car is due for a service, MOT and also confirmation of bookings you may make to the Service Centre via text straight to your mobile, and also via email, meaning you never have to worry about missing your MOT due date or going overdue on your service (which can lead to warranties becoming void). Due to demand, we recommend you book in early.
Your new car has already benefitted from our full detailing process listed above for display in our showroom.
To keep the car looking as good as possible, we recommend our GEN-3 ceramic protection coating is applied. This protects both the interior and exterior of the vehicle from dirt, grime and debris as well as spills and stains inside. Our GEN-3 package is normally £795 inc VAT, but is available at a discount to sales customers at time of handover for a reduced £495 inc VAT. That’s a £300 saving! We can offer this as the car will be in a “ready to apply” condition in our showroom. We also administer the lifetime warranty that covers the product on your behalf.
V5 registration documents are completed by us and sent to the DVLA at no extra cost, again taking out the hassle for you of registering your new car in your name. We also help you with your new car by administering your tax for your new vehicle on-site on the day of collection, meaning when you leave your car is road legal.
We take care of the HPI on your new car as a matter of course and we also HPI check your part exchange (if you have one) at our expense, typically in the region of £10-15. You do not need to HPI a car you are purchasing from us. Please consider that when we purchase cars, we think the same as our customers and we are very picky about our stock. We look at service history, owners, condition and more importantly mileage checks and HPI (which we also must pay for). If you would like a copy, please ask and we will be happy to provide you with one.
We do a great deal of work behind the scenes with our partner finance provider Santander. From negotiating excellent rates to bringing additional finance companies on board if we feel they have a great product for our customers.
We process all your finance needs in-house, setting up your new package including all relevant identification checks and completing all paperwork on your new agreement from initial set-up to completion phase. We fully settle any existing finance on your part exchange, meaning you don’t have to do anything. All part exchanges are settled usually within three working days depending on the finance company.
A £395 fee applies to customers using a third party finance broker outside our official panel of lenders.
With help of our partners at Automotive Compliance, we work hard to ensure we have robust compliance policies and procedures for our finance products – this makes sure we stay up-to-date with the FCA’s regulations.
We complete SAF training and certification via Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) for all sales staff. This gives all our sales staff the knowledge to help our customers choose the right finance product for them.
We have worked with Motor Trade legal experts Lawgistics for over 5 years, giving us an unrivalled understanding of the legal issues and compliance regulations.
Our legal team are on hand to advise and inform ourselves and our customers on current and upcoming changes to consumer law, ensuring we can offer the best advice.
*If you would like to opt out of our Preparation / Service Support you can do so, please speak to a member of the sales team before you reserve the car.
