GREENSBORO, N.C. — Reginia Aiken just wanted a reliable car to get her to and from work and around town. It didn’t need to be flashy or have all the bells and whistles. She simply wanted something she could count on.
Aiken acknowledges finding that in the used car market is not always easy.
“It’s like playing Russian roulette when you buy a car, especially a used car,” Aiken said.
After looking at several different cars, she decided to buy an Infinity EX35. The car had all the features she liked and seemed to be in good condition. At first, everything seemed to be okay. But after just a couple of months, the car started to have some serious problems.
“It had a massive oil leak; it was leaking on everything,” Aiken said.
A mechanic also discovered the car had been in a wreck, and some parts were spray painted to conceal the accident. The biggest concern was when the mechanic told Aiken that the engine was shot.
Aiken had just purchased the car a couple of months earlier for $15,000 and is now being told the engine needs replacing.
“I was devastated. I was in tears,” Aiken said.
The only bright spot in all of this was that Aiken bought an extended warranty when she purchased the car. In most cases used cars are sold “as is” which means if they break, the dealership is not responsible for any repairs.
Aiken took the car back to the dealership and told them it needed a new engine. The dealership was not as accommodating as Aiken had hoped.
“They told me they were not responsible for fixing my car, that I was responsible,” Aiken said.
The cost to replace the engine was about $6,000.
“I didn’t know what to do,” Aiken said.
What she did was call WFMY News 2 and ask for help. We spoke with Aiken and reviewed the warranty information. We then reached out to the dealership. A few days later, Aiken called to tell us the dealership reached out to her.
“They reached back out to me and said to bring the car in,” Aiken said.
Aiken had the car towed to the dealership and they agreed to replace the engine at no additional cost.
“I was so relieved,” Aiken said.
When purchasing a used car, ask about a warranty and what it does and doesn’t cover. In this case, the repairs were part of the warranty, but the dealership was trying to claim they weren’t at first.
In the end, Aiken replaced the engine and is now back on the road.