Typically automobile dealerships can’t assist however be sacks of shit. Over the summer season, a Florida man purchased two used Volvos from a used automobile dealership, it wasn’t till after the deal went by way of that he discovered each automobiles had been in accidents. Nearer inspection from unbiased mechanics reveals that each automobiles had non-functioning airbags and seat belts. When the client discovered, he instantly took them again. That’s all dangerous sufficient as it’s, however because it seems this story will get worse.
The supplier bought one of many Volvos once more, and the I-Crew at ABC Motion Information in Tampa Bay tracked down the proprietor to search out out if the right repairs had been carried out on the automobile. Wouldn’t it, the fixes hadn’t been carried out on Gilbert Santiago’s new-to-him 2022 Volvo S60. An unbiased mechanic regarded over the U.S. Navy veteran’s automobile and located that the seat belt pretensioner and airbags didn’t work. He was additionally by no means informed the automobile was bought at public sale in 2023 following an accident the place a number of airbags had been deployed.
Final yr, Ron Egbert purchased the Volvo from the supplier in query – HGreg. He took the automobile to a Volvo dealership in Sarasota after his airbag warning mild got here on. What they found was reasonably troubling, as ABC Motion Information explains:
A technician found the motive force’s airbag was rusted and had markings from a junkyard. Wires had been tampered with, and the airbag was incorrect for the car.
Egert took the automobile again to HGreg, and that is what occurred subsequent:
“I confirmed them the images. And I stated you’re taking this automobile again. I’m going… this automobile is unsafe to drive. Nobody must be driving this automobile,” Egert stated.
HGreg’s spokesperson stated the corporate “solely purchases automobiles by way of probably the most respected public sale corporations” and “conducts a multi-point inspection,” which incorporates “a evaluation of diagnostic indicators.”
She additionally wrote in a press release, “If, for no matter cause, HGreg believes the car airbags wouldn’t function as supposed, it could not be retailed by HGreg.”
That’s a fantastic sentiment, however right here’s the factor: HGreg did certainly promote the automobile to Santiago only a few months later, and he instantly had critical issues with it. The airbag mild got here on nearly instantly, and that’s when he took it to the Volvo tech. Right here’s what ABC Motion Information says they discovered after some digging and what Santiago did subsequent:
He stated the technician on the dealership informed him used salvage elements had been put in in his automobile.
That technician’s picture reveals the identical junkyard markings as the image taken by Egert’s mechanic at a distinct dealership a number of months earlier.
Santiago paid to exchange a number of airbags and associated parts.
“In all probability across the ballpark of six grand out of my pocket,” Santiago stated.
[…]
Photographs taken by Santiago’s technician present wires wrapped in electrical tape, like these taken by Egert’s technician, who wrote that the wires to the airbag “have been tampered with.”
We requested Santiago to satisfy us at Brazzeal Automotive as a result of his mechanic in Tampa didn’t uncover points with the seatbelt pretensioner we realized about from Egert’s report from the mechanic on the Volvo dealership in Sarasota.
“Now it’s going by way of all of the totally different modules within the automobile,” licensed technician Chris Wallin informed us as he connected a diagnostic device.
“I don’t see any energetic codes,” Wallin stated, which might usually point out all security methods had been working.
Sounds good, proper? Unsuitable!
However when Wallin popped open the inside door panel, he discovered the seatbelt pretensioner system wasn’t plugged into the wiring harness, which might enable it to deploy.
“This must be plugged into right here,” Wallin stated, pointing to wires wrapped in electrical tape. “That is the seatbelt pretensioner. And it seems to be like there’s one thing wired in there. It’s all taped up.”
Wallin peeled again electrical tape to discover a resistor.
A resistor is a passive element in {an electrical} circuit. It may be used to control or restrict the movement of present.
[…]
“What they’ve carried out is simply take a resistor that matches the resistance that the pretensioner is meant to have and simply type of shoved it in that wiring harness to trick it into considering it’s bought pretensioner,” Wallin stated of Santiago’s automobile.
The tech stated it was carried out deliberately, however there’s no means of understanding who put in the resistor. He stated it was put in to maintain the seat belt restraint system from popping up a warning mild. That’s some actually evil shit, of us.
He says he contracted HGreg and so they gave him the runaround, saying “it handed their inspection,” and due to that “nothing was exhibiting that was improper with it. So there’s nothing they’ll do.” Terrible.
Right here’s what HGreg needed to say for itself, which isn’t a lot:
We contacted HGreg on Sept. 19 with a listing of questions, however they didn’t reply them.
A spokesperson replied in an e-mail, “Thanks for bringing the case of Mr. Santiago’s buy to our consideration. We are going to join with the client straight.”
Greater than a month after receiving that response, Santiago stated he hadn’t heard from anybody from the corporate.
“They have to be held accountable for that as a result of we’re speaking about folks’s lives once they’re on the market on the highway,” Santiago stated.
They actually do. You already know, I’ve heard tons of tales about sellers doing shady shit, but it surely normally has to do with monetary offers. It’s very uncommon you get a supplier that goes out of its strategy to promote folks unsafe automobiles twice.
