I just recently bought a used 2007 Prius from Suburban Toyota in Troy. I looked at the carfax and it said there were no reports of collision or any failures. In fact, it was totally clean except for the fact that there were two previous owners. However, about a month after owning the vehicle I took it into a body shop to have a tiny rust spot on the door panel looked at. The body shop owner pointed out that the whole door panel was at one time replaced, as there are non-factory welds and the painting has been noticeably faded. I also took off the inside door panel and noticed that the plastic cover over the electronics was torn in many places and just looked like a mess in general. He said this inferior repair job was also the cause of the rusting on the door panel. Another issue is that I've replaced all the stock speakers and installed an aftermarket headunit. I'd rather not replace the car, I'd just like the door redone properly. What are my options when it comes to getting some body work to repair the inferior job done on the door? Would I talk to carfax or the dealership for not disclosing that some collision happened for which the door panel was replaced? Thanks in advance for any advice!
I believe that Carfax has a guarantee - your first step might be to locate it and see if it applies in your case. However, my guess is that it will not since memory serves me that the guarantee is for very big title issues only. Carfax typically collects its info from public records - for instance mileage recorded during state inspections and also insurance claims. If the damage on your car was not handled thru the insurance process there would be no record of it for Carfax to display. My guess that Carfax's terms of service outline this so my guess is that you will not have much to fall back on. So - I think the only recourse that you have is with the dealer, and that will be limited at best depending on your state laws and how the dealer marketed the car to you. Based on the age it does not seem like it would be a certified used car so unless they knew about the damage or based on the repair should have noticed I think you will have little recourse. I'd recommend trying to reason with the dealer and see if you can negotiate a discount on the repair if they do the work - if it were me I'd see if they would split the cost.
I suppose Carfax is only as good as whoever reports into it. I'm certain the dealer will not assume liability for inaccurate Carfax reports unless you can prove willful intent. Here's the link for how Carfax gets their information: CARFAX Reports information sources for vehicle history records, report info Short of your expense for legal recourse, Carfax is not stepping up to your repairs. I suppose you could always find an attorney willing to take on the issue, but I don't think you'll recover anything. JMO I assume your car is in great condition, good MPGs, etc.
It was actually a Toyota Certified Preowned car. Everything else seems to be great, I get around 35-40mpg, which should increase once it gets warmer. I just didn't expect a Certified Preowned to have had such major repairs (poorly) done on it. Thanks for the information, at this point is seems like the best thing I can do is talk with the dealership.
The whole idea behind the certified pre-owned programs are that they take only the best used cars, then run them thru a number of inspections and then back it all up with a warranty. It sounds like the damage/sloppy repair was something that should have been noted during a careful inspection - if this is indeed the case I'd bring it back to the dealer.
1. Certified pre-owned is mostly just a marketing gimmick designed to maximize dealer profits. It has less to do with the "value" or fitness of the vehicle than it does getting full used retail value. 2. Yes. The dealership should cover the repair, but I wouldn't count on it. After all, if you-- a novice-- noticed the rust stain, then how did they-- the professionals-- miss it? What they will most likely do is hem haw about it in order to see whether or not you have the tenacity to hire an attorney. Go in and state your case. If they start to BS you, walk out and hire an attorney to send a friendly letter.
Thanks for your replies, I have sent an email to the dealership. With how hostile Michigan roads are in the winter, I know that rust is no joke. I will probably take care of the door in the spring regardless, but I sure do hope that the dealership helps out with it. I expected much more from a certified preown.
Wow, I am glad not everyone is this hostile and assumptive. Learn more about the TCUV program at Toyota Certified Used Vehicles opnsrcaddict, you should contact the dealer regarding the problems... be nice about it but firm. If you are not getting a solution that you are satisfied with then contact Toyota.
the link isn't working. can you tell us more about the toyota certified program? thanks for chiming in, it's nice to have a dealer rep here.
That's true-- although I wouldn't consider my observations "hostile" and certainly not assumptive-- but then not "everyone" actually researches every aspect of their purchase before they buy. In fact, most do not. The certified badge comes at a relatively hefty premium to the customer- a premium designed to fatten dealer margins and little or nothing else. And though to my knowledge there aren't figures collected on this outside of manufacturer's boardrooms, I think it is completely fair to say that for the vast majority of customers (probably > than 80%), "certified pre-owned" merely equates to an emptier wallet. And I wasn't knocking Toyota per se. All of the majors have adopted some variation of this classic routine.
Well after reading this thead, if this happened to me, I would first go to the Toyota dealer you purchased the car from, bring all the paperwork from the purchase, sit down, and explain the situation. I would take photos of the areas of prior damage, and as you are explaining the problem, pull the appropriate photo out. Later, after you have hopefuly piqued their interest, you can go out to the car for a close inspection. If all hope is lost, you can possibly fallback on the Carfax Guarantee.. Hopefully, the following minor little details, won't bollix up the works. I wish you good luck, please let us know how this works, or, not works, out for you!!!
A Certified car is permitted to have a body panel previously damaged or even repainted. Heck, in CA and some states with tight parking lots & never ending freeways and potential ding, dents, and such, we'd never be able to certify anything otherwise! Certification doesn't mean a PERFECT car. One can only go on what's been reported. The service records came up clean, and the car looked good, had no damage reported, and they do use TWO sources for this often: Autoadvisor and carfax. Think of it this way: guy runs into pole. Takes car to xyz body shop for repair. Car is fixed w/o anyone but him and the body shop (and the pole) knowing. If the car looked OK when it was traded or returned from lease, no one knew. Til you, later. As a dealer, we don't remove door panels unless something's wrong. When you bought it, it was fine. No one had any reason to take the car apart, for heavens sake. I'd do two things: Try to get a 2nd opinion on the electronics issue. Some places can be so dramatic in their efforts to make themselves look good. Realize that the selling dealership probably didn't know what transpired before they got or bought the car. Gosh, the things people HIDE sometimes when they are trading cars or returning them off lease. The things I've seen! And, sadly, the things that we have not seen -- till later! I hope the carfax guarantee is of some peace to you... I just wanted to share with you that a car with a repaired body panel is acceptable to Certification. And, that unless there was a reason to remove the door panels, no mechanics take doors apart to see what's in there.
