Generally automotive dealerships can’t assist however be sacks of shit. Over the summer time, a Florida man purchased two used Volvos from a used automotive dealership, it wasn’t till after the deal went by way of that he came upon each automobiles had been in accidents. Nearer inspection from impartial mechanics reveals that each automobiles had non-functioning airbags and seat belts. When the shopper came upon, 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-Staff at ABC Motion Information in Tampa Bay tracked down the proprietor to search out out if the correct repairs had been executed on the automotive. Wouldn’t it, the fixes hadn’t been executed on Gilbert Santiago’s new-to-him 2022 Volvo S60. An impartial mechanic regarded over the U.S. Navy veteran’s automotive and located that the seat belt pretensioner and airbags didn’t work. He was additionally by no means advised the automotive was bought at public sale in 2023 following an accident the place a number of airbags have been deployed.
Final 12 months, Ron Egbert purchased the Volvo from the supplier in query – HGreg. He took the automotive to a Volvo dealership in Sarasota after his airbag warning gentle got here on. What they found was quite 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 automobile.
Egert took the automotive again to HGreg, and that is what occurred subsequent:
“I confirmed them the photographs. And I stated you’re taking this automotive again. I am going… this automotive is unsafe to drive. Nobody needs to be driving this automotive,” 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 evaluate of diagnostic indicators.”
She additionally wrote in an announcement, “If, for no matter purpose, HGreg believes the automobile airbags wouldn’t function as supposed, it will not be retailed by HGreg.”
That’s an incredible sentiment, however right here’s the factor: HGreg did certainly promote the automotive to Santiago only a few months later, and he instantly had critical issues with it. The airbag gentle got here on virtually 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 advised him used salvage components have been put in in his automotive.
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 switch a number of airbags and associated elements.
“Most likely across the ballpark of six grand out of my pocket,” Santiago stated.
[…]
Images 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 fulfill 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 completely different modules within the automotive,” licensed technician Chris Wallin advised us as he connected a diagnostic instrument.
“I don’t see any lively codes,” Wallin stated, which might usually point out all security programs have been working.
Sounds good, proper? Mistaken!
However when Wallin popped open the inside door panel, he discovered the seatbelt pretensioner system wasn’t plugged into the wiring harness, which might permit it to deploy.
“This needs to 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 stream of present.
[…]
“What they’ve executed is simply take a resistor that matches the resistance that the pretensioner is meant to have and simply sort of shoved it in that wiring harness to trick it into considering it’s bought a superb pretensioner,” Wallin stated of Santiago’s automotive.
The tech stated it was executed deliberately, however there’s no manner of realizing who put in the resistor. He stated it was put in to maintain the seat belt restraint system from popping up a warning gentle. That’s some actually evil shit, people.
He says he contracted HGreg and so they gave him the runaround, saying “it handed their inspection,” and due to that “nothing was displaying that was mistaken with it. So there’s nothing they will 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 shopper straight.”
Greater than a month after receiving that response, Santiago stated he hadn’t heard from anybody from the corporate.
“They must be held accountable for that as a result of we’re speaking about folks’s lives once they’re on the market on the street,” Santiago stated.
They actually do. You recognize, 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 approach to promote folks unsafe automobiles twice.
