The below stories are 100% true situations where we firmly believe, if these customers had attended our course, they would have prevented the problems that occurred.
We of course have not printed their names and or addresses for privacy reasons.
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Case 1--Customer Purchases 2001 Mistubishi Galant:
The customer brought their vehicle in just 2 weeks after purchasing from an independent used car dealer. Their expectations were that the vehicle was still under the factory warranty of 3 years or 36,000 miles.
Complaints:
- Right front passenger outside door handle loose
- Right rear door hard to close
Upon inspecting the vehicle we found the car had been re-painted and repaired on the right side. The warranty did not cover the repairs due to the damage was caused by the wreck.
The customer attempted to return the vehicle to the used car dealer they purchased from with out success. Their only option was to seek costly and time consuming legal action.
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Case 2--Customer purchases 2002 GM truck
The customer's truck was towed into the dealership only 4 days after purchasing from another used car dealer.
Complaint:
- Engine died while driving
Upon diagnosing it was found that the engine had locked up and would not re-start. The engine oil pan had a huge hole in the bottom caused by the internal components coming apart. The condition of the oil that was left inside was completely burnt and caked up, causing improper lubrication.
A simple check on the condition of the oil before the customer purchased the truck would have prevented him from buying and consequently being stuck with a truck with expensive engine repairs.
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Case 3--2000 Model Mitsubishi Eclipse
- Complaint of transmission not shifting.
- Mildew odor from inside the car
Upon diagnosing it was found that a wiring connector to the transmission was corroded due to water intrusion. The carpet was also found to be mil-dewed causing the odor from inside.
After running a vehicle history report it was found that the car had a "Branded Title" due to flood damage. The warranty on the car was voided because of the branded title, the cusomer was faced with a large repair bill to correct the conditions.
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As you can see these are just 3 quick examples on what will and can happen if you are not aware or lack the knowledge of what proper steps to take when purchasing used or pre-owned vehicles.
