Timmay2

This is gonna hurt admitting the problems with chevy.. but yall may get a good laugh even if no help is provided.. hah.

Long story short.. after losing my truck to a total loss mishap, family on my behalf purchased this 2007 chevy impala. It was purchased out of state (huge mistake) so i cannot return it to the dealer easily.

I have taken it in locally and called chevy's customer care, and no one seems to give a hoot. I have been calling and complaining for a month now and all i get is "i'll look into it" and then someone else calls me back, goes over the whole thing again, then says "i'll look into it."

The car was sold as "certified" with a clean car fax.

Since purchasing it has had:
2 alignments
intermediate shaft gear
steering column repair
#6 injector

they also recommended cut/new rotors, as per my description of shaking under steep braking. (26,000 miles at the time.. new rotors already!?)

I did not purchase the car personally, so these next items were overlooked:

A corner of paint peeling, obvious clearcoat repainting, and many fish eyes in the paint. Paintlines on inside of door jambs. The car has been in an accident serious enough to need a good amount of bodywork and paint work, though not obvious to the eye at first glances.

Since being "certified" for its appearance and mechanical function, I have discovered its been wrecked and its mechanical function appears to had the turn-key inspection. "Yep, key turns it on, youre good".


Because it was sold as certified with mechanical defects, the dealer was aware of the accident, and provided documentation saying it had no accidents, are they in the big wrong here?

nirion

You may want to check this out since it had a clean car fax:
http://www.carfax.com/manifest/bbg/termsConditions.cfx

jbjarko

Yup. As far as I know...and this is regarding Chrysler's....a car cannnnot be a CPO if it has been in a wreck. Demand to talk to the Service Manager of the selling dealer, as that is where it becomes a CPO. If not, I'd be walking into the owner's office in a hurry. Yet again, If not, get a hold of their District Manager.

Timmay2

I've looked into the carfax thing, but carfax has a great loophole. Their guarantee only applies if the vehicle has been totalled/salvaged, AND if the state shows the title as bad but carfax doesnt. So, carfax themselves is in the clear if the vehicle has a clean state title period. They dont care about "private accidents" either.

However, when you look at the big picture, providing a carfax that says "accident free" to you at sale, knowing it has had an accident, should be a crime.

jbjarko, Thanks for reminding me about that. That's one reason I was looking only at "certified" cars because i thought they had such a clean history and inspection. I'll try to dig up, and I think I will call and ask them and record it as a different person, to see their answer.

This is what their website says
"Vehicle History ReportWe offer a detailed vehicle history report for every vehicle we sell—so you don't have to worry about major problems like accidents, fires or hidden titles. CARFAX, the most trusted name in vehicle history reports, is the preferred supplier of GM Certified Used Vehicle history reports."

Sounds to me like i shouldn't have to worry about accidents with a preowned car.

RickG

There is a`better service than CarFax that is listed with cars on eBay . It shows miles recorded every time the vehicle was sold and every time the title was transferred and registration renewed as well as accidents recorded by state agencies ,and title liens . It costs $7.99 per vehicle . http://www.autocheck.com/?nf=3&nf=4&siteID=0&WT.mc_id=0

Timmay2

Thanks for the link Rick, i'll run it through there.

Someone tipped me off to http://www.naca.net/, which is national association of consumer advocates. They said "certified" used cars with defects and previous damage can be strong cases, so I'm probably going to start working with an attorney after presenting Chevy their option tomorrow.

Options: Take this back and replace with brand new. Or take to court. Been spending way too much time on this!!

RickCJ

I've read thru this post and it sucks that the car isn't perfect but you have a used car. A brand new car could have paint work done if it was scratched in transport, this wouldn't be on a carfax nor should it be.
As far as brakes go they are a wear item and maybe you get 26k and another gets 100k, you must use your brakes harder. Same with alignment, must of hit a pothole to knock it out or it wasn't aligned properly the 1st time.
If you don't like the car sell it and get another. The dealer didn't twist your arm to buy it.

ramlovingvet

Sheesh a used car can be a lemon too.. Maybe thats why it was for sale again.

RickCJ

I don't believe there are lemon laws for used cars.

stinkindiesel

Yeah, but the car was represented as "clean" and accident-free. My cousin bought a 1-yr old Buick Regal that had a new front clip, engine and all, before she bought it. It was also a certified vehicle. When the dealer was informed of the extensive rebuild, they quickly offered her a trade.

Two weekends ago, I looked at a 2008 Wrangler for the Dear Wife. The first I looked at had fresh overspray on the rubber doorseal at the front of the door. Of course it was "clean". Across the street, we looked at a used 2008 Patriot that was missing trim screws in the grill and an obviously reworked wiring harness. Also "clean".

The way dealerships (and private individuals) repair cars and leave it unreported, you really need to go over a prospective purchase with a fine-tooth comb.

Clayten

Yea I took a dealer to court. In the end the judge's ruling was caveat emptor.

12valve@heart

If the dealership won't work with you and you don't think that you can win in court, I've heard of people exercising their "free speech" rights by publishing (newspaper ad, billboard, sandwich board, flyers) the FACTS of the case in a manner to decrease the business that the dealer gets. Key word is FACTS or you'll get sued for slander & libel but they can't keep you from using your free speech rights to publish the facts. Sometimes negative publicity is the key to action. Just a last-ditch thought.

Palmetto_kid

Get it running good, sell it, and move on with your life. Litigation will cause you more grief in the long run that it is worth jacking with. It's just not worth it IMHO.

12valve@heart

or if it's as good a car as they claimed, trade it back in to them for one that you personally inspect.