Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  04/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Leased the car from owner on Jan 12,2023 was having minor problems with car and as far as breaks , alignment, power steering leaking issues and tires and emissions on April 5th 2023 car wouldnt go pass 40mph and he said its engine problems due to the fact that the oil wasnt changed in 3 months and I purchased the car 3 months ago which means service wasnt done to the car before I got the car Service engine light came on a week after I purchased the car and we made appointments to check the car out but I didnt have no other transportation because he stated that they had to keep the car for a couple of days and they didnt offer rental services. Now owner is stating that I have to pay for an engine that was already messed up at time of purchase , will not put me in another car or give me a refund for my down payment so Im out of work without transportation and as of April 5th car is at the dealership with the owner .

  Business response

  04/14/2023

  On January 12, 2023, customer entered into a retail finance contract (not a lease) with our company. This paperwork included a sold as-is, no warranty disclaimer. A copy of which is attached. Approximately 2 weeks after purchase, customer informed us that she would like to have her brakes checked and that her check engine light had come on. We asked the customer to bring the car in so that we could diagnose what the issues were. The check engine light code read to be a catalytic converter code. We told the customer that we would be happy to work with her to resolve these issues. As the customer states, multiple appointments were made with the customer to bring her car in, however, customer showed up for zero of those appointments. When questioned as to why she did not show up, she continuously gave excuses such as I was busy and I had to go to court. Customer was told that the repair could be performed within the same day as drop off, as long as the car was dropped off in the early morning hours.Customer was unwilling to make arrangements for herself, so that her car could be fixed. As to the emissions issue, the car passed emissions on November 11,2022, so there was a valid emission on the car at the time of the sale.

  
  On April 5, 2023, customer brought the vehicle in to our location due to the vehicle shaking and not going over 40mph. Customer stated that this issue had just started that morning. Upon our mechanics inspection on April 5, 2023, the vehicle had low and very dark oil. When the customer was questioned as to whether she had changed the oil at all since the time of her purchase, she stated that she had not. On January 12, 2023, the car was sold to the customer with ******* miles on it. When the customer brought the car to our location on April 5, 2023, the car had ******* miles on it. From the date of purchase, 1/12/23, to the date the customer brought the car to our location,4/5/23, the customer has put ****** miles on the car in less than 3 months.This is well above the average of ****** miles per year in Metro Atlanta. For every ***** miles the car was driven, the car should have had an oil change.Therefore, the car should have had an oil change a minimum of three times since the time of purchase. Due to the customers lack of getting the oil changed a minimum of three times, there has been engine damage caused by the lack of oil changes. When a car is driven as excessively as this one has been, it is imperative that the oil is timely changed so that the car continues to operate as it should. This issue is in no way related to or caused by the original issues the customer addressed with us, but refused to take any time to resolve.

  
  Given that the car had been driven by the customer ****** miles in such a short period of time, we are only left to assume that customer did not feel any of the issues she wanted to be fixed were much of a concern for her. If the customer would have originally taken the time to bring the vehicle in for any of her multiple appointments, this issue may have been discovered and addressed sooner, before this damage was caused. When the car was brought to the lot and inspected on April 5,2023, the cars overall appearance was that it has been very poorly taken care of, both mechanically and cosmetically within a short three-month period of time. In addition, we found that the customer has been driving the vehicle with no insurance coverage since March 17, 2023.

  Customer response

  04/14/2023

   
  Complaint: 19915380
  
  I am rejecting this response because, if the engine went bad in the short period of time of 3 months that means that the engine was bad at the time of purchase and being that I need transportation I am out of a car so with that being said I would like a refund for my down payment back thats it thats all either I can get that back or get put in another car . The issues that was stated before was regarding the shaking of the car with the alignment, tire pressure monitoring systems and emissions which he has a copy of && they do not offer rental services so again I need a refund for my down payment or to get put in another car at the time of purchase he said that the car was serviced .
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  04/14/2023

  The present issue with the vehicle has absolutely nothing to do with the original repair requests. Due to driving the vehicle for over ****** miles in less than 3 months, with no oil changes, has caused engine damage. With the 3 simple oil changes throughout your less than 3-month ownership, these issues would not be presenting. If there was an issue with the engine on the day of purchase, the car would have never gotten you over ****** miles driven. Again, all the requested repairs in the beginning (as shown in customers picture) were offered many times to be resolved for customer,however, customer refused to provide her vehicle on multiple occasions.
  
  Due to the present issue being caused by the customers neglect of adequate oil changes, there can be no refund, nor another vehicle offered. Our company must now bear the expense of repairing the engine damage caused by the customer.

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