Our New 2016 3 w ATP has Rodent Damage

Purchased this car at a LARGE Toyota dealership in Huntsville, Alabama, for what Carfax indicates is fair market value for a 2016 Prius Three with ATP and about 110,000 miles. Some problems required repair prior to delivery - right rear door wouldn't open from inside or outside, HUD wouldn't adjust properly for viewing, one or two other things, and the car needed re-detailed - the dealership's detail crew must have been hitting crack pipe or something when they attended to this vehicle's interior. After about 12 days, the dealership delivered the car last Wednesday evening, but forgot to include temporary tag. I went over the interior again on Thursday. They provided the tag by Friday UPS. Friday morning I took it on a 45 mile round trip to buy new tires all around, went to a parts store and discovered the difficulty finding wiper blades that fit. In the afternoon, I took it to a local dealership and got wipers, got the rear wiper fixed so it makes contact with rear window, and, because the car had a persistent stench, asked about buying a cabin air filter from parts. The tech must have misunderstood, because he came back to the waiting area carrying a filthy filter with two large holes chewed in it as well as white plastic frame chewed away.

Insurance will cover the damage and the car's at the dealer for a "detailed estimate" that's likely to include upholstery and whatever's been damaged under the dashboard.

I bought the car "as is" and it's my fault I didn't fully educate myself about the common wiring/rodent problem with these cars. The vehicle runs and drives beautifully. I'm fully kicking myself for not knowing to check air filter and for not recognizing when I saw them other telltale signs of rodent damage (rear seat damage, hood padding) - I thought the odor was just that the car had been previously owned by Jabba the Hutt's sister (only part of the problem, I now know).

I'm surprised a large dealership wouldn't check something like air filter when taking a vehicle on trade or prepping it for resale. Maybe they did, and just left the mess in place.

The Toyota guy at the dealership near my home said "the last one of these we did wound up costing about $3900 to repair. You should call your insurance company." My insurance company certifies and warrants for as long as I own the car repairs done by a Joe Hudson franchise across the street from the dealer, but they appear to specialize in body work. I'll get an estimate from the Toyota dealer and another from Joe Hudson's.

I don't expect anything from the LARGE Huntsville dealership and wouldn't trust them, after this, to do any work. I will make a BBB complaint. The only thing that dealership could do to make this right would be to reimburse my $500 deductible. Won't happen, though. Education is expensive, experience is earned, wisdom is priceless but worth any expense.

If you're thinking about buying a used Prius, please check the air filter. So many threads about this problem here I wish I'd seen.

Cheers

 

As expected, the insurance company denied coverage. I'd been up front with them from the time I made the claim stating that I thought the damage had been present before purchase. It took them seven business days to make the decision, though, which delayed our taking action to get the car to an independent mechanic. Attached below is a crop from the local dealership's estimate of repairs. We were planning to have the car reupholstered, anyway, and I'm capable of doing the seat/carpet removal and cleaning. I hate doing that stuff, but I can do it.

I'm working on a timeline of problems with the sale and the vehicle in order to make a BBB complaint, an Alabama State Attorney General complaint, and an FTC complaint. Probably will get no satisfaction from the dealership as I'm guessing they're big political donors in Huntsville and at the state capitol.

Code of Alabama
Section 8-19-5
Unlawful trade practices.
(12) Knowingly failing to identify flood, water, fire, or accidentally damaged goods as damaged goods if they are damaged to the point of decreasing their value or rendering the goods unfit for the ordinary purpose for which they were purchased, provided, that this subdivision shall not apply to accidentally damaged new goods where the goods are reconditioned, reclaimed, or repaired to substantially their original condition and such fact is disclosed to the purchaser.

(13) Knowingly making false or misleading statements of fact concerning the need for parts, replacement, or repair service.

Federal Trade Commission's Used Care Rule
Dealer's Guide to the Used Car Rule | Federal Trade Commission

The car I bought had no "Buyer's Guide" displayed nor was one included after the fact in the dealership paperwork related to the sale. Who knows, maybe the FTC will investigate and fine the dealership?

 

In Alabama, As Is means just that. However, there're some caveats and the dealership failed in a couple of those areas which renders them liable to an FTC complaint (which financially won't do me any good, but may cost the dealership more than retail price of a new Prius) and Alabama's state attorney general's office complaint which may likewise subject the dealership to an annoying investigation and possibly fines. Additionally, a BBB complaint may help inform the public about the dealership's lack of integrity.

 

I certainly don't deny responsibility for my own failures in the matter. Numerous warning signs were present, I didn't put them together in a way that made enough sense for me to walk away from the sale. An expensive and humiliating life lesson.

From the Carfax, it appeared the vehicle had been at the dealership around 21 days by the time I saw it. Plenty of time for it to have been detailed inside and out and for the service department to have found whatever problems their inspection would've revealed.

As to the smell - like socks that need washed - and the interior's general appearance - I reckoned someone like Jabba the Hutt's sister had owned the car, spilled drinks on the seat tracks, fed her baby fast food in the carseat that appeared to have been anchored in back, and so forth. At the time, I thought that was something a good cleaning would address. The dealer agreed to have the vehicle re-detailed prior to delivery.

Regarding social media, my family and I don't use it, don't have those accounts.

As to the dealership, my goals is simply to hold them accountable for those of their failures that violate legal mandate. BBB? That's as close to social media - informing-the-public - as I tend to get.