case of the shady auto dealer....what should i do...desperate?

Question

purchased a car appx. 45 days ago from a small dealership. being that this was my first car buying experiance and not being as knowledgable as i should have been i am getting screwed big time. for 1...the day i brought the car home my left headlight didn't work. called the dealer and he said that he would have it checked out the following monday. 1st ques. how does a car pass inspection without the light working. through further investigation later down the line i noticed that the high beam bulbs were missing all together. wth? anyway...the dealer acted dumb and just said that he would just take care of it. the car was not fixed until a month later. (no driving at night...nothin..stressin)j ust when i thought it was over, i got a flat tire. went to sunaco and made a grewsome discovery...tires were not only bald, but split to the point the mechanic would not let me drive w/o putting on the spare. 2nd ques. how did my car pass ins. w/bald and dangerous tirers? i need help...advise!!!!

Answer 1

As far as I am aware their is no mandated inspection for vehicles. Now with that said I am willing to bet their is a law saying that you can't sell a car in a dangerous condition. Call a lawyer and explain the situation, he/she will likely site some law or something saying the dealer can't sell a dangerous car.

Then get the paperwork or a statement from the mechanic saying how poor the tires were and the dangerous condition they were. Take this documentation and play hard ball with dealer, cite the law, tell them that you are giving then one last chance to fix the problems before legal action is taken. Show the letter from the mechanic and cite the law and really impress upon them that they will definetly lose any sort of lawsuit. Just so you are aware if this guy is really as shady as he sounds this probably won't work because he probably hears it alot. If it doesn't work sue him for every repair, also sue any partners or owners of the dealership, basically anybody involved. Odds are someone won't want the bad press and after filing the lawsuit you will probably get a modest check.

Or just chalk this all up to experience and pay the bills yourself.

One more thing don't forget to register the site with the better business bureau, that initiates a formal complaint and that might spark the dealership to take action.

Good luck.

Answer 2

If you purchased the car "as is", you are out of luck, what you got is what you get and you are responsible for the repairs. If there was some kind of warranty on the car look to see what was all covered. As far as the bald tires and lights missing or not working, these are very easy things to check BEFORE you purchase a car. Dealers do not need to have a car pass an inspection, they are selling the car not driving it. Next time you buy a car bone up on what you need to know and/or have someone who is knowledgeable help you out.

Answer 3

I hope and know this was not a new car,, did you not look this car over before you purchased it . It being used it probably came in with an inspection that was still good, and they did not check it over thoroughly, dealers have the habit of passing the buck, and telling you someone else in the dealer was not doing his or her job , we will see that they get written up, and that's about as far as it went ! Next question, Was it a NEW state inspection, if it was threaten them , if they want to jack you around , with reporting it to their inspection trooper, they can get a big fine for that and or lose their license

Answer 4

Demand that the dealer recoup the cost of the tyres as he clearly sold you a car that was not only unroadworthy, but very much illegal.

He may argue that you should have checked over the car before driving it off the forecourt and pleading ignorance may not wash.

You may get a result by threatening him with trading standards or the police if he is selling unroadworthy cars...and believe me.. They are the last people he would want checking over his cars.

Good luck with him.

Answer 5

if you purchased the car "as is" meaning no warranty then theres really not a whole lot you can do....these are not usually covered under warranty anyway but the significance of the awareness says that you knew what you were getting....my advice is this...write a letter to the dealership advising them of the date of purchase and the repair/diagnosis dates....have this mailed certified return receipt requested and keep a copy for yourself...in this letter explain also that you will be following up to schedule an appointment for a complete inspection at no cost to you since it appears that one wasnt done to begin with...also advise that if this inspection is not done to your satisfaction that you will be reporting this incident to the better business bureau (contact your local chamber of commerce for this) and that you will be seeking legal council on the matter to see what can be done civilly - best of luck to you

Answer 6

FIRST THING THAT I WOULD DO IS GET A GOOD MACHANIC AND HAVE HIM GO OVER THE CAR AND MAKE A LIST OF THE THINGS THAT WOULD NOT PASS INSPECTION, I DON'T KNOW WHAT STATE YOU LIVE IN BUT THE VEHICLE HAS TO PASS A STATE INSPECTION BEFORE BEING SOLD . THEN I WOULD TAKE THE CAR AND THE LIST AND TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND TELL HIM HE HAS TO FIX THESE THINGS AND IF HE REFUSES THEN GO TO THE BETTER BUSINESS BURUE AND TELL THEM THE WHOLE STORY AND I AM QUITE SURE THEY WILL HELP YOU OUT.

Answer 7

Question? Why did you purchase a car with "BALD" tires? Are you blind?

Question? Did you check everything out before you purchsed it?
If you didn't have the experience did you try to get
someone that did?

Question? Are you going to go through life making stupid
decisions?

It's called "BUYER BEWARE" because these dirt bags are on every corner in America! If you let your guard down they'll swallow you right up before you can say " Why am I dealing with these sleezeballs??????????

Answer 8

Well you've learned a valuable lesson in car buying ........do your research and examine the vehicule or have another mecanic check it out BEFORE signing anything .

Answer 9

Let the buyer beware. That's what he'll say in a court of law. What state do you live in any way.

Answer 10

sounds like it was a sold as is vehicle...it may not of had a used vehicle inspection, or if it did, there was too much money involved to fix it, so they sold it as is.....