Recourse if you bought a dud used car

Q: In September 2006, I bought a used 2001 Sebring LX, with V6, at a Chrysler dealership with a six-month warranty.

Over the past year, I've had $3,500 of repairs done on this vehicle – including many safety-related items.

I'd like them to buy back the vehicle and compensate me.

How should I proceed?

Susan Doan, Aurora

A: Jim Hamilton, manager of mediation services for the Used Car Dealers Association of Ontario (ucda.org), replies:

It's the goal of any dealer to sell a reliable used vehicle and have a happy customer – who may buy again and refer others.

Unlike private sellers, most dealers will assist a customer with problems within a reasonable time after purchase. Here, the first complaint apparently came four months after the sale and it seems the dealer tried to address this concern free of charge.

The next complaint arose eight months into ownership of this used vehicle. Needless to say, the maintenance needs of a five-year-old used vehicle (sold with 160,000 km and driven a further 14,000 km to date) will be higher than on a newer vehicle.

This customer might like to try free mediation from the UCDA. We offer fast, fair and effective dispute resolution with any Ontario dealer, whether or not they happen to be a UCDA member.

While we can't guarantee a solution, we do have a good success rate.

To contact the UCDA mediation department, call 416-231-2600 or 1-800-268-2598.

Eric Lai adds:

Owner Doan advises that the dealer involved, who is not a UCDA member dealer, was unwilling to participate in UCDA mediation.

At this point, she may choose to file a complaint with the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (www.omvic.on.ca, 416-226-4500 or 1-800-943-6002), which regulates car dealers in the province. Another option would be to pursue a small claims court action.

To avoid such troubles, used-car buyers are stongly advised to have their own mechanic inspect the vehicle prior to purchase.

Q: I took my 2002 Camry SE V6 to a Toyota dealer to check a vibration that occurs between 100 and 120 km/h.

After a four-wheel alignment and replacing a bent control arm and rim, the vibration was worse than before. They later replaced two Michelin tires, installed just a month earlier, with two identical new tires.

In April and May 2007, I made eight more visits to the dealership. Finally, they arranged to have specialists from Michelin Tires and Force Balancing Equipment look at the problem.

These experts confirmed the tires were not defective, and simply rebalancing the wheels cured the vibration problem. I had a specialty shop examine the replaced rim and they concluded that it wasn't bent.

Apparently, the vibration problem could've been fixed right from the start if the dealership had only used their equipment properly.

Do I have any recourse in this matter? They're still seeking $440 for the tires, which I've not yet paid.

Edwin Chan, Toronto

A: Toyota Canada advised that this was a dealer issue and forwarded this inquiry to the dealership involved, which, in turn, acted swiftly to resolve the issue with the consumer.

Update from Edwin Chan:

I truly believe Your Beefs' involvement in such matters makes a great difference to the average car owner out there.

After contacting Your Beef, I received a call from the dealership's general manager. We later met and went over my concerns over their quality of work, customer service, and the inconvenience I had incurred.

He agreed to waive the outstanding invoice for the two Michelin tires, in order to offset the $1,029 I had already paid for the new rim and upper control arm.

I appreciate Your Beefs' assistance and the dealership's goodwill gesture to close this matter.

Wheels' Eric Lai seeks solutions to your auto grievances.Send an email of 300 or fewer words to wheels@thestar.ca.

Include year, make, model, VIN (vehicle identification number), relevant dates and dollar amounts, full name, address and telephone number.

Letters may be edited. Letter volume prevents personal replies.

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