GaryCHoffmann
Junior Member
Hello, and thanks for taking the time to read this. I'll describe everything and the situation as best as I can. I live in Missouri which may or may not make much of a difference. Well, My fiance bought a new car so I was helping her sell her car. I posted it on the local craigslist. I gave a very thorough description of the car and the things that were wrong with it. I actually included in the sale the parts needed to correct the car. It was a 1996 audi a4. It had a tempermental climate control lcd screen. The lcd would sometimes go blank. So I included another in the sale. The window was loose in the door and would make a clunk when you slammed it. I also included a new window regulator in the sale. The coolant reservoir had a small pinhole leak so you would have to fill it up every couple of months when the low coolant light came on. I included a new one in the sale. I also included a bunch of parts that I had for the car that were aftermarket parts not needed, but I had no use for them.
I talked to the kids mother and she wanted me to bring it to a mechanic so I dropped the car off at a local repair shop. I told them that I was selling the car and wanted to make sure everything was good to go. They checked the car over, did an inspection and emissions on the vehicle. In order to pass inspection the car needed a couple tires so I went ahead and put 4 new tires on the car. The car then passed the inspection and emissions.
My fiance and I took the car to meet up with them. It ended up being her son and her ex-husband that came to look/purchase the car. They took the car for a lengthy drive and were impressed with how well it drove and wanted to buy it right there on the spot. So my fiance and I walked around the car a few times with them and pointed everything out on the car that may be a defect. We pointed out everything down to scratches and dents in the car. I showed them the extra parts and pointed out what was wrong. They were content and we made the deal. My fiance signed her car over and we took the cash home.
I received an e-mail from the mother telling me how grateful she was that I worked with them on the price and her son was extremely happy. They have been driving the car and they got it licensed and registered.
I get a call from the mother a day or two later. Her ex-husband and son had tried to replace the coolant reservoir and discovered that the one I had given them had a wrong sensor connection so they tried to put the old one back on and ended up breaking it so it wouldn't hold coolant. The son drove the car anyway and ended up over heating the car badly and they ended up leaving the car at a friends house. I told them I would go over there and take a look at it and see if I could help them.
The nest day I go over there and the car has little to no coolant in the engine. We bring the car back to there house and I put the new coolant reservoir back on and modify the sensor so it will work. We try and get the car to run again and the car keeps overheating and it's pressurizing the coolant system. The son said he had pegged the temperature gauge when he was driving it home but drove it to his friends house anyway. I told them the bad news that the car probably blew the head gasket or worse since he overheated it so badly. I felt bad for them so I told them to bring it to my friends shop and I'd see if I can get him to give them a deal. They thanked me for my time and I went home.
The next day the mom called me and said they were bringing it to there mechanic and I told them good luck and I hope it works out for you. She calls me again and says that her mechanic said he needs to replace the whole engine. I told her that was not necessary, but do whatever it is you feel you need to do.
I hadn't heard from them so I figured she had worked things out. I get an e-mail saying that there were prior issues that I knew about and she either wants the money back for the car or she wants me to pay for replacing the engine. She says her lawyer talked to her mechanic and she has a case. I reply basically saying she is crazy, that her son and ex are the ones who messed up the car. I remind her my fiance drove the car everyday for 2 years with no issues. I also ask her to tell me about these prior issues.
I haven't heard from her so I don't know what she is cooking up. I can't see how I could be liable for her son messing up the car. I really just want to know if there is any step I should take or if there is anything I need to worry about. The car wasn't sold with a warranty so I have no idea why she thinks I should pay for this.
Thanks for your time and sorry for making it so lengthy, I just wanted to make sure I pointed out everything.
I talked to the kids mother and she wanted me to bring it to a mechanic so I dropped the car off at a local repair shop. I told them that I was selling the car and wanted to make sure everything was good to go. They checked the car over, did an inspection and emissions on the vehicle. In order to pass inspection the car needed a couple tires so I went ahead and put 4 new tires on the car. The car then passed the inspection and emissions.
My fiance and I took the car to meet up with them. It ended up being her son and her ex-husband that came to look/purchase the car. They took the car for a lengthy drive and were impressed with how well it drove and wanted to buy it right there on the spot. So my fiance and I walked around the car a few times with them and pointed everything out on the car that may be a defect. We pointed out everything down to scratches and dents in the car. I showed them the extra parts and pointed out what was wrong. They were content and we made the deal. My fiance signed her car over and we took the cash home.
I received an e-mail from the mother telling me how grateful she was that I worked with them on the price and her son was extremely happy. They have been driving the car and they got it licensed and registered.
I get a call from the mother a day or two later. Her ex-husband and son had tried to replace the coolant reservoir and discovered that the one I had given them had a wrong sensor connection so they tried to put the old one back on and ended up breaking it so it wouldn't hold coolant. The son drove the car anyway and ended up over heating the car badly and they ended up leaving the car at a friends house. I told them I would go over there and take a look at it and see if I could help them.
The nest day I go over there and the car has little to no coolant in the engine. We bring the car back to there house and I put the new coolant reservoir back on and modify the sensor so it will work. We try and get the car to run again and the car keeps overheating and it's pressurizing the coolant system. The son said he had pegged the temperature gauge when he was driving it home but drove it to his friends house anyway. I told them the bad news that the car probably blew the head gasket or worse since he overheated it so badly. I felt bad for them so I told them to bring it to my friends shop and I'd see if I can get him to give them a deal. They thanked me for my time and I went home.
The next day the mom called me and said they were bringing it to there mechanic and I told them good luck and I hope it works out for you. She calls me again and says that her mechanic said he needs to replace the whole engine. I told her that was not necessary, but do whatever it is you feel you need to do.
I hadn't heard from them so I figured she had worked things out. I get an e-mail saying that there were prior issues that I knew about and she either wants the money back for the car or she wants me to pay for replacing the engine. She says her lawyer talked to her mechanic and she has a case. I reply basically saying she is crazy, that her son and ex are the ones who messed up the car. I remind her my fiance drove the car everyday for 2 years with no issues. I also ask her to tell me about these prior issues.
I haven't heard from her so I don't know what she is cooking up. I can't see how I could be liable for her son messing up the car. I really just want to know if there is any step I should take or if there is anything I need to worry about. The car wasn't sold with a warranty so I have no idea why she thinks I should pay for this.
Thanks for your time and sorry for making it so lengthy, I just wanted to make sure I pointed out everything.