2015 IAA Frankfurt Auto Show (Photo : Hannelore Foerster/Getty Images)
A car dealership is currently under investigation after selling a car to a man in Washington that has a duct tape on its check engine light.
John Thomas spent $4,500 to buy a 2000 BMW 5 Series from dealer Car Craft Auto Sales. Before buying the car, Thomas checked everything and found out that it is okay and decided to pay for it.
But a few days later, the BMW failed which left him stranded on the road with his girlfirend, Candice MacDonald and daughter. Since Car Craft failed to send help, he brought his car to a mechanic who discovered the duct tape.
While diagnosing the problem, mechanic Dave Eames of Pittman Automotive in Seattle wondered why the vehicle’s check engine light never appeared because the signal warning was not visible. When they opened the dash, they saw the problem.
“The check engine light will usually come on and tell someone there is something going on that should be corrected before you have catastrophic damage,” Eames said, according to Jalopnik.
After knowing about the situation, King5 News reached out to the car dealer and were told that the owner Gaston Trefault is out of town and will be away for several weeks. Trefault denied the return of the vehicle because he claimed that Thomas did not report the issue immediately but only a family member called him.
The owner also said that he would be glad to give a refund for the car but according to Thomas and MacDonald, they were told that it is "not their problem. "
Although the couple bought the car for only $4,500, it would cost $18,000 to replace the engine. This angered them because the car is now nothing but junk since it will no longer start.
This is not the first time that the dealership got involved in a shady practice. They were already involved in four other issues recorded by the Department of Licensing. With that, The Lynnwood Police Department opened an investigation on them.
Because of shady dealership like this, Car Buzz advice buyers to have an independent mechanic to check on your potential purchase before deciding to buy it.
