bought a used car from a dealer drove less than 5 miles and it started smoking and leaking anti freeze?

Question

what can i do

Answer 1

Depending on what state you are in you have consumer protection laws. Go online to your state's website and see if you can find them. They usually spell out what your rights are as a comsumer.

Good Luck - did you pay Cash??? - if you paid with a Cashier's check you could put a stop payment on the check and take the car back I believe - not 100% on that though.

Answer 2

The obvious answer is to call them, explain what happend and ask them to take care of the problem. You didn't say if this was a used car delaer only or a new car dealership, it shouldn't matter but a new car dealer will probably repair, unless it's something serious and then they may bring up the subject of "as is'.

Contrary to the other post, some states do have a lemon law for used cars, although it's not the same as a a new vehicle lemon law, it's usually 500 miles or 5 days, minimal of course but it does offer some protection. It doesn't inlcude a private sale, only dealers.

Check with you local Attorney General's office, they should be able to inform you if your state has one.

Ok, for those who argue over the lemon law issue, here is some Info concerning the state of Ca. ( Which is where I believe Kathy is from) There are more and more states starting to enact legislation to protect used car buyers, as mentioned above, these are not the same as New car lemon laws, but do offer some protection.

Specifically the law requires car dealers to offer a two-day cancellation option for used cars selling for less than $40,000. The maximum a dealer can charge for the option is $250.



Jerry
http://www.usedcarwise.com

Answer 3

If you bought the car "as-is" then you don't have any legal leg to stand on. It would be worth going back to the dealer and ask NICELY for them to help you out. They're under no legal obligation to do so so you're going to have to play this one carefully.

Don't waste your time on the so-called "lemon laws". Those only apply to new cars that are still covered by the manufacturer's warranty. And even then, only within the first 1 - 2 years and 12k to 18k miles of use. None of the lemon laws apply to used cars that are out of warranty.

If the dealer is not willing to work with you, you're only option is to get it fixed. If you're lucky, it's just a blown radiator hose and you shut the engine off before you did any real damage. That's a cheap fix -- $50.00 to $75.00 or so including fresh antifreeze.

Answer 4

This is called a Lemon. A lemon by definition is:

"Each state has it’s own “Lemon Law.” In simple terms, a Lemon Law is a law that requires an automobile manufacturer to repurchase or replace a vehicle that has not been properly repaired within “a reasonable number of repair attempts.” What is “a reasonable number of repair attempts” is typically measured by how many repair attempts there have been for the same problem, or by the total number of days the vehicle has been in the shop and out of the hands of the consumer for any and all problems. The necessary number of repair attempts for the same problem and/or the necessary amount of days in the shop vary from state to state."

http://www.carlemon.com/lemons.html

There is a link for the "lemon law" summaries state by state. The link will also give you information on your recourse depending on your state. If the dealership does not provide adequate repair (because they are required by law to) then you can persuse it legally.

Answer 5

SO MANY RETARDS.......

LEMON LAW ONLY APPLIES TO NEW CARS, IDIOTS!!!!!!!

AND TO THE MORON WHO SAID YOU SHOULD BLOCK PAYMENT.... THAT'S ILLEGAL YOU TARD!!!! IN SOME STATES, IF YOU DO THAT, YOU'LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR 3 TIMES THE AMOUNT FOR PUTTING A STOP PAYMENT ILLEGALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FACT OF THE MATTER IS, YOU BOUGHT THE CAR WITHOUT HAVING IT CHECKED BY A MECHANIC, SO IT'S YOUR FAULT. YOU CAN TRY TAKING IT BACK AND IF THEY ARE HONEST THEY WILL HELP FIX THE PROBLEM OR EVEN LET YOU TRADE THE CAR FOR ANOTHER ONE. IF THEY ARE CROOKS THEY WILL JUST IGNORE YOU, BUT EVEN IF THEY DO, THEN THEY AREN'T BREAKING ANY LAWS.

Answer 6

you will possibly desire to teach he knew there have been issues of the automobile while he offered it. If he towed it for you loose then you definitely've got a solid individual who will hook you up. some years in the past i offered a automobile that died an afternoon after my paying for it. The broker replaced the engine with a used one. while that engine leaked coolant, he had it replaced at a diverse shop. He did no longer fee me an element. There are respectable human beings accessible. If he tries to jerk you around, get an lawyer. which will regularly sparkling issues up with out something fairly wanting to get filed. no person likes to play around with going to court docket. Be friendly and delightful to the broker. That looks to get issues executed lots extra helpful than getting offended. solid luck.

Answer 7

id call them ,,and tell them what happened to it,,and explain it all to them,,most dealers will help you if you keep your cool,,and don't call and jump on them,,but if you call getting all mad,,and threatening them,,they wont help you at all with it,,really there under no obligation to help at all,,but most good dealers will help,,and may pay for all repairs to it for you,,like i said,,it all depends on how you handle it,,i am a certified mechanic,,and do a lot of work for the local dealers in my town,,and most of them are used cars that they have sold,,and have tore up,but i know they wont help,,if you fly off mad at them,, just keep your cool,,talk nice and plain,,and i think they will help you,,good luck with this,,i think it will work out good for you.

Answer 8

take it back to the dealer ASAP, drive it as little as possible until then...miss work if necessary

Answer 9

Look at your state lemon laws.

Answer 10

call the dealer and complain