Kevin Buys Car That Is Falling Apart
Joseph from New York submitted this Car Dealer Horror Story about how he bought a used car that was falling apart…
“I bought a 1996 Pontiac Grand Am SE with 47,000 miles on it with an extended warranty. Four months later the engine light came on and the dealer fixed it and said he put in a brand new catalytic converter. Five months passed and the same engine light came on, but now the car was undrivable. The mechanic said it was the #2 and #4 fuel injectors and distributor coil. He told me he replaced all those parts. Another five months went by and now the extended warranty has expired. My mechanic looked at it and said they never put in a new catalytic convertor and whoever fixed the fuel injectors did such a bad job that gas was going into all the wrong places in the engine so it totaled the engine! It was going to cost me four thousand dollars to fix it! So now I’m left with no car and two more years to pay on the loan and I’m left to buy a junk car for five hundred dollars that could be another nightmare and a sure car dealer horror story!”
Hi Joseph,
I can’t give legal advice here because I’m not a lawyer, but I suggest you file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and your states Attorney General. If you have documentation for all of this, or can get it (like a signed and written statement by the mechanic that told you the fuel injectors weren’t repaired or installed correctly), then I would consider filing a suit in Small Claims Court for all damages. It would be really great if you can get your mechanic to come into court with you as a witness too. Small Claims Court will take some time but its cheap to file a suit there and the defendant has to pay all damages and court costs if you win. You also win if the defendant doesn’t show up in court although collecting from them can be a hassle.
Sorry for the troubles and hope that helps a bit.