Well I recently purchased an 07 acura tl type-s and was really happy with what I thought was a good purchased. It was also sold to me as a CPO vehicle on the 31st of March. The car fax was clean but they are not always 100%.

But today is when I discovered what looks like signs of a previous accident. In the very edges of the front bumper there are very slight clearcoat runs and the driver side front fender flexes a lot with slight pressure as if replaced with a cheap aftermarket fender.

I want to take the car back and get my money back or get put into another car because I think they already sold my car that I traded in. I think they are going to have to give up a lot to make this right.

So I need your opinions or advice or something.

D

 

Unfortunately after you sign those papers it's yours. Unless there is a mechanical problem with it then you can TRY to claim it's a lemon. Cosmetic problems are preference...not the dealers fault you didn't look it over. Any time a motorist is in an accident if the damage is under $1000 there is usually no accident report filed with the DMV so it won't show on Carfax. But what's the worst the dealer can say? "No"

Go for it! Maybe you can get SOMETHING from them if you complain enough...

 

Well I have the personal cellphone # of the finance guy of the cpo dept and he said to bring the car in tomorrow and let them look at it and maybe find a resolution. I really hope this ends well. I purchased this car because I am about to start a family and needed to get something more reliable and safe. But I don't feel safe in a car thats been in a previous accident.

D

 

I agree with the posting above mine...unfortunately dealers can be sneeky but try to see if you can get anything out of them.

 

is the car certified?

 

I think Dealership will saying that fault on you. Maybe They can say, you had accident and replaced, cause they don't have any accident records...

Worst case, buy a lawyer. Its not a cheapy $$ car. You have right to get a car for right $.

 

When buying a car, new or used, you really should ask - actually ask out loud - "Has this car been in an accident?", "Has this car sustained any non-accident damage and/or been repaired?", "Has this car had any history of mechanical problems?", etc.

Why? Because of something called "disclosure". If asked directly, *especially* a dealer, they MUST tell you. There are usually limits on the amount of damage before they are obligated to volunteer information, but if you ask, they have to tell you if they know.

 

one of the MANY reasons to have a private shop- away from the dealer- look any car over that you are interested in
and call acura corp with the VIN to see what they know of its history
1-800-382-2238 x5

 

yes it was sold to me as a CPO car

D

 

I did ask if it had ever been in an accident, they said no.

D

 

The car was sold to you 11 days ago, so go to the dealership and show them the problem and see if they will do anything. I would advise next time to look over the car more carefully, used or new just to make sure you are getting what it was advertised to you. Good luck!

 

oh yea, you mentioned that
well Acura cannot certify a vehicle if it has a history of any accident, so if there isn't an accident on the carfax then the dealer wouldn't have known about it (unless the damage was under $1000 and they did some repair themselves)

 

Ok I think the dealership and I have come to a resolution. Upon further inspection at the dealership they found some evidence on the subframe that the car had been in some kind of accident. As if ran up on a curb extremely hard. They wanted to check the alignment and came back saying something about the rear camber being out of spec (is that adjustable in tl's?) but didn't tell me the results of the car being on the frame rack.

Anyways they have agreed to put me into another 07 tl type-s black on black this time but it has a few more miles than the silver one. 8400 miles on the silver 10100 on the black. Anyways the agreement was that the financing and everything will remain the same just a switch of the VIN #'s on the financing paperwork. To help offset some of the extra miles they are throwing in the trunk tray thing.

Also just so you know just because its certified doesn't mean its never not been in an accident. I found out by talking to everyone I could at the dealership and Acura Care even talked to some consumer rights lawyers and they said I should probably take the deal since in GA the law seems to protect the seller more so than the buyer.

So do you all think I will be making the right choice? Again the car will go through their certification process and be a CPO car. It has more miles but I believe the in-service date is a bit later. So I may have less miles on the warranty but I have a couple more months on the warranty. Does that make sense? I hope so.

I eagerly await your replies.

D

 

Good job, glad to hear it. Take the car to a body shop as they can tell you if it's had any work done to the car. The dealer knows very well if the car was in an accident by looking at it. They are in the business and know what to look for. Yes, a CPO is not always going to be accident free. You pay more money for the warranty and the new tires, etc. Sounds like the dealer stepped up and took care of you. A few more miles is ok as long as the car is clean.

 

Glad to see the dealer is working with you. On a different but related note, can't you get something else thrown in to offset the miles other than a trunk tray?

 

Thanks. I do agree that I think the dealer is doing the right thing. Would I have liked a brand new 08 for the same price? Sure who wouldn't but I didn't ask for that. I just asked for a solution that would work for us both. I am not sure what made them give on this but hopefully it had to do more with my expressed concern about the safety of the car for my future baby and wife (due on Aug 1st) than that little bit of rear camber that was off or something like that (frame rack?). You know more of a goodwill gesture than a legallity issue.

I do think the fact I never yelled raised my voice and just remained as calm as possible while being direct and inquisitive by asking alot of questions that pressed the safety issue and their CPO procedures.

In some ways I feel like I ended up with a better deal. Because I got the color choice I wanted originally. It does look oh so sexy in black. Anyways I'll wrap it up, big to Ed Voyles Acura. I will be picking the black type-s on Monday Afternoon.

D

 

It was a legal issue- they sold a car that had a bent something!!!, as the camber is not adjustable on a stock TL. So much for thorough inspection etc
I tell people all the time- certified means NOTHING - about the cars actual condition
Always have a private shop put it on the lift for you and really inspect

 

is it different for a type-s? or non adjustable for all models of the tl.

D

 

ok talked to the CPO manager today i am also getting them to throw in some all weather mats at cost. i know thats not free but still cheaper than online or anywhere else.

D

 

Camber is not adjustable on any 3G TL model. At least not stock. You can buy and add camber kits, but the majority of the time it's really not necessary.

 

same for gen2
The rear camber kit is for when you lower the car a huge amount and the camber goes negative- something past 1.5 degrees.
neg 1 is limit spec, 0 is normal spec
Its a replacement upper control arm in the back with a threaded midsection - that allows movement of the wheel in a certain direction to adjust the camber back towards stock-

 

Good for you and glad to hear that you liked the color better. I just got back from the meet and saw a brand new black tl-s (Jeown) and it was hot in that color. It looked down right sexy. Well, good luck with the car and good luck with the baby!

 

Thanks and I like your wheels. I've always thought double looking five spokes looked good on our cars. Sort of have that OEM look but better.

D

 

Last month I bought an 06 and found myself in your same shoes.I took it back showed them that it was indeed painted to a less than satisfactory finish and asked them to get out of this car and into another.I had no problem getting into an 08 types S.I also put 1000 miles on the 06 and had to put no extra cash down.My payments a re a lot higher but Im happy im not in a beat up 06.

DO NOT TAKE A "NO" FROM SOMEONE WHO IS NOT IN POSITION TO GIVE YOU A YES....my .02