Used vehicle, damage not reported?

[Mk19]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? - Maryland

I'm sorry if I put this in the wrong category, if it's wrong can mods please move it to the correct category

To keep it short, I purchased an used vehicle and the left side of the bumper was disconnected a lil bit. Not too bad, mainly only noticeable if you really analyze the car. But it was disconnected and I'm buying the car, so of course I've inquired about it. The dealership then had the bumper replaced and told me a lot of the same cars bumpers are like that so I went ahead and bought it, like I said it wasn't a deal breaker. Months later it's been getting to me so I took it to a Chevy dealership, a bodyshop and another dealership. All said it's been in an accident and the main problem was never fixed. Wrote me an estimate of $2,300 to get everything fixed the way it should be. They showed me things I NEVER noticed before. The dealership never told me it was in an accident nor did the carfax. I've tried contacting them, but I feel like they're trying to ignore me. I haven't took my anger with them to the next level just yet, but I'm wondering are there any steps I should take?

 

[Zigner]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? - Maryland

I'm sorry if I put this in the wrong category, if it's wrong can mods please move it to the correct category

To keep it short, I purchased an used vehicle and the left side of the bumper was disconnected a lil bit. Not too bad, mainly only noticeable if you really analyze the car. But it was disconnected and I'm buying the car, so of course I've inquired about it. The dealership then had the bumper replaced and told me a lot of the same cars bumpers are like that so I went ahead and bought it, like I said it wasn't a deal breaker. Months later it's been getting to me so I took it to a Chevy dealership, a bodyshop and another dealership. All said it's been in an accident and the main problem was never fixed. Wrote me an estimate of $2,300 to get everything fixed the way it should be. They showed me things I NEVER noticed before. The dealership never told me it was in an accident nor did the carfax. I've tried contacting them, but I feel like they're trying to ignore me. I haven't took my anger with them to the next level just yet, but I'm wondering are there any steps I should take?

The steps you take depend on what you want to do. If you feel the car needs to be repaired (or if it needs to in order to prevent further damage or safety issues), then by all mean, get the car fixed.
Otherwise, if you can live with the car the way it is, then do so and save the $2,300.00.


If your question is whether or not to pursue the seller, then my response would be that it seems you have no case.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

Pay for any of the estimates that required payment. Otherwise they can put a lien on your car.

 

[sandyclaus]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? - Maryland

I'm sorry if I put this in the wrong category, if it's wrong can mods please move it to the correct category

To keep it short, I purchased an used vehicle and the left side of the bumper was disconnected a lil bit. Not too bad, mainly only noticeable if you really analyze the car. But it was disconnected and I'm buying the car, so of course I've inquired about it. The dealership then had the bumper replaced and told me a lot of the same cars bumpers are like that so I went ahead and bought it, like I said it wasn't a deal breaker. Months later it's been getting to me so I took it to a Chevy dealership, a bodyshop and another dealership. All said it's been in an accident and the main problem was never fixed. Wrote me an estimate of $2,300 to get everything fixed the way it should be. They showed me things I NEVER noticed before. The dealership never told me it was in an accident nor did the carfax. I've tried contacting them, but I feel like they're trying to ignore me. I haven't took my anger with them to the next level just yet, but I'm wondering are there any steps I should take?

Understand that unless the dealer offered you a written warranty or guarantee of fitness, the sale was considered "AS IS" - meaning that you bought that vehicle exactly as you found it.

You already knew there was a problem with the bumper when you bought the vehicle. You decided to rely upon the dealer to fully repair the vehicle when you didn't even know fully what was wrong with it - so you had no clue what it even meant to fix everything "the way it should be". If you wanted to know the extent of the pre-existing bumper damages, you needed to get an independent mechanic of your own to fully inspect the vehicle and report back EXACTLY what was wrong with that car before you bought it. Once you signed on the dotted line, that car became yours along with all its problems - both disclosed and undisclosed.

As for whether or not Carfax disclosed the damage, it's entirely possible that the damage was never reported to authorities. Carfax is OK, but it doesn't disclose information that hasn't been reported to the MVA or by other legal authorities.

The steps you should take at this point all depend on what you expect to happen next. Do you expect the dealership to pay the $2,300 or so to fix the used vehicle you bought? Don't count on it - especially if you got nothing in writing from them saying they would do so. They are LEGALLY under no obligation to fix YOUR car now. If you want it fixed "right", you're almost certainly going to end up paying for it yourself. But hey - as you said, it wasn't a deal breaker, so having to put a little extra cash into the car shouldn't be a problem for you, right?

 

[swalsh411]

There are 156,743 articles online about the right way to buy a used car. Every single one of them says you should have the car inspected by an independent mechanic.

What happens to you is what happens when you ignore this advice.

 

[ecmst12]

How would the bumper have gotten "disconnected" if not from an accident anyway???