My question involves a consumer law issue in the State of: Arkansas
First, thank you for taking the time to read my post. I will do my best to give as much detail as I can.
I found a car on craigslist that I was interested in buying. After making contact with the seller I found out they were actually a used car dealership and we set up a time that I could come for a test drive. 2006 Infiniti G35 Coupe.
When I got to the lot, they had the car ready to go so without much delay I jumped in and took it to the streets. I immediately dove it a few miles away to one of the most reputable shop in the area for a diagnostics scan. The results of the scan were 11 error codes and the mechanic said in his opinion, based on the vehicle type, I should avoid it like the plague. He estimated roughly $6k in repairs to clear the codes. I took it right back and the salesperson was waiting for me. I got out and she asked how I like it and if Im ready to take it home. I told her what the mechanic said and handed her the list of error codes that the mechanic gave me. Told her the estimated repair cost, and told her I am not going to buy this car as is. She told me to wait a sec, her brother works here and they have a private mechanic that does work for them all the time. Would I be interested to buy the car if they made the repairs and kept the asking price the same. Based on that I agreed. She asked for $500 deposit to show Im serious and they will have it put in the shop that day. I paid, got a receipt, and the car was taken away. 3 days later I got a call that its ready. The mechanic had fixed the transmission, but they will not fix catalytic converters because the cost would be too great. I was given a bill of sale, and a warranty paper "As-Is" with 30 days on transmission only.
I did some research on my own and found that I could get converters and install them myself to nearly save $1200. I decided to go ahead and make the purchase based on all the error codes being gone. I picked up the car and noticed that it was very sluggish on take off and had some shifting issues. From what I read, that could be caused from bad converters choking the engine, robbing me of power, and causing hesitation. I order exhaust parts and replaced everything from the headers to the tips. All brand new. Originally I was going to install it myself, but I quickly realized that I dont have the tools and I couldn't even fit under the car even on jack stands. Im a big guy, but I am capable of doing light mechanical work like this. Simply bolt on work. Regardless, I took it to a local mechanic and they did the installation in a couple hours. Upon completion, one of the guys took it down the street to listen for any rattles or leaks. When he got back he said he wanted to run a test because the transmission felt off.
The scan resulted in 3 error codes. All 3 were transmission codes and he said they are serious problems. "Dont dive the car anymore, until its fixed". He said. I told him its ok, its under warranty and Ill get it fixed right away. I texted the dealership and the salesperson I dealt with started to take a day-2 between replies.
This is all within the first 10 days of purchase.
I tried to stay calm and respectful, but I was starting to feel like Im getting blown off. After another week of daily texting to the dealership, only getting replies like " I will look into it" and " the mechanic is super busy, Ill let you know when he can get you in". At about the week and a half mark I sent a text telling the dealership that Im tired of the car being parked in my driveway. It needs to be fixed, so where can I have it towed?" Finally I was told to have it dropped off at the shop and they will start working on it. I had it towed and the mechanic received the car about 2 hours before they closed shop for the day (Tuesday). It is now Saturday and I made a call to get a status update. I was told that the mechanic hasn't even looked at it yet. So they dont know whats wrong with it.
The thing is, the warranty expires in 6 days from the time of this post. I feel like Im getting jerked around to the point that the warranty will expire then they can just tell me to get lost without actually fixing anything.
I have receipts for the deposit, I paid cash for the car and have a receipt for that. Bill of sale, title, warranty papers, towing receipt, and roughly 90% of all communication was via text, so I have time stamped proof that these issues were reported with close to 3 weeks on the warranty, and they still don't know whats wrong with it. Even after giving them error codes that were actually confirmed by 3 separate scans from 3 different locations prior to having it towed in. The scans take maybe 5 minutes each.
What can I do?
First, thank you for taking the time to read my post. I will do my best to give as much detail as I can.
I found a car on craigslist that I was interested in buying. After making contact with the seller I found out they were actually a used car dealership and we set up a time that I could come for a test drive. 2006 Infiniti G35 Coupe.
When I got to the lot, they had the car ready to go so without much delay I jumped in and took it to the streets. I immediately dove it a few miles away to one of the most reputable shop in the area for a diagnostics scan. The results of the scan were 11 error codes and the mechanic said in his opinion, based on the vehicle type, I should avoid it like the plague. He estimated roughly $6k in repairs to clear the codes. I took it right back and the salesperson was waiting for me. I got out and she asked how I like it and if Im ready to take it home. I told her what the mechanic said and handed her the list of error codes that the mechanic gave me. Told her the estimated repair cost, and told her I am not going to buy this car as is. She told me to wait a sec, her brother works here and they have a private mechanic that does work for them all the time. Would I be interested to buy the car if they made the repairs and kept the asking price the same. Based on that I agreed. She asked for $500 deposit to show Im serious and they will have it put in the shop that day. I paid, got a receipt, and the car was taken away. 3 days later I got a call that its ready. The mechanic had fixed the transmission, but they will not fix catalytic converters because the cost would be too great. I was given a bill of sale, and a warranty paper "As-Is" with 30 days on transmission only.
I did some research on my own and found that I could get converters and install them myself to nearly save $1200. I decided to go ahead and make the purchase based on all the error codes being gone. I picked up the car and noticed that it was very sluggish on take off and had some shifting issues. From what I read, that could be caused from bad converters choking the engine, robbing me of power, and causing hesitation. I order exhaust parts and replaced everything from the headers to the tips. All brand new. Originally I was going to install it myself, but I quickly realized that I dont have the tools and I couldn't even fit under the car even on jack stands. Im a big guy, but I am capable of doing light mechanical work like this. Simply bolt on work. Regardless, I took it to a local mechanic and they did the installation in a couple hours. Upon completion, one of the guys took it down the street to listen for any rattles or leaks. When he got back he said he wanted to run a test because the transmission felt off.
The scan resulted in 3 error codes. All 3 were transmission codes and he said they are serious problems. "Dont dive the car anymore, until its fixed". He said. I told him its ok, its under warranty and Ill get it fixed right away. I texted the dealership and the salesperson I dealt with started to take a day-2 between replies.
This is all within the first 10 days of purchase.
I tried to stay calm and respectful, but I was starting to feel like Im getting blown off. After another week of daily texting to the dealership, only getting replies like " I will look into it" and " the mechanic is super busy, Ill let you know when he can get you in". At about the week and a half mark I sent a text telling the dealership that Im tired of the car being parked in my driveway. It needs to be fixed, so where can I have it towed?" Finally I was told to have it dropped off at the shop and they will start working on it. I had it towed and the mechanic received the car about 2 hours before they closed shop for the day (Tuesday). It is now Saturday and I made a call to get a status update. I was told that the mechanic hasn't even looked at it yet. So they dont know whats wrong with it.
The thing is, the warranty expires in 6 days from the time of this post. I feel like Im getting jerked around to the point that the warranty will expire then they can just tell me to get lost without actually fixing anything.
I have receipts for the deposit, I paid cash for the car and have a receipt for that. Bill of sale, title, warranty papers, towing receipt, and roughly 90% of all communication was via text, so I have time stamped proof that these issues were reported with close to 3 weeks on the warranty, and they still don't know whats wrong with it. Even after giving them error codes that were actually confirmed by 3 separate scans from 3 different locations prior to having it towed in. The scans take maybe 5 minutes each.
What can I do?
Warranties: Dealership Stalling on Honoring a Warranty
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