Typically automobile dealerships can’t assist however be sacks of shit. Over the summer time, 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 vehicles had been in accidents. Nearer inspection from unbiased mechanics reveals that each vehicles had non-functioning airbags and seat belts. When the shopper discovered, he instantly took them again. That’s all dangerous sufficient as it’s, however because it seems this story will get worse.
The seller bought one of many Volvos once more, and the I-Group at ABC Motion Information in Tampa Bay tracked down the proprietor to search out out if the correct repairs had been achieved on the automobile. Wouldn’t you realize it, the fixes hadn’t been achieved 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 advised the automobile was bought at public sale in 2023 following an accident the place a number of airbags have been deployed.
Final yr, Ron Egbert purchased the Volvo from the seller in query – HGreg. He took the automobile to a Volvo dealership in Sarasota after his airbag warning gentle got here on. What they found was moderately troubling, as ABC Motion Information explains:
A technician found the driving 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 automobile again to HGreg, and that is what occurred subsequent:
“I confirmed them the images. And I mentioned you’re taking this automobile again. I am going… this automobile is unsafe to drive. Nobody must be driving this automobile,” Egert mentioned.
HGreg’s spokesperson mentioned the corporate “solely purchases autos by way of essentially the most respected public sale corporations” and “conducts a multi-point inspection,” which incorporates “a assessment of diagnostic indicators.”
She additionally wrote in a press release, “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 automobile 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 mentioned the technician on the dealership advised him used salvage elements have 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 special 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 mentioned.
[…]
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 satisfy us at Brazzeal Automotive as a result of his mechanic in Tampa didn’t uncover points with the seatbelt pretensioner we discovered 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 automobile,” licensed technician Chris Wallin advised us as he attached a diagnostic software.
“I don’t see any energetic codes,” Wallin mentioned, which might usually point out all security methods have been working.
Sounds good, proper? Improper!
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 mentioned, pointing to wires wrapped in electrical tape. “That is the seatbelt pretensioner. And it appears 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 manage or restrict the circulate of present.
[…]
“What they’ve achieved 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 pondering it’s received a superb pretensioner,” Wallin mentioned of Santiago’s automobile.
The tech mentioned it was achieved deliberately, however there’s no means of realizing who put in the resistor. He mentioned it was put in to maintain the seat belt restraint system from popping up a warning gentle. That’s some actually evil shit, of us.
He says he contracted HGreg they usually gave him the runaround, saying “it handed their inspection,” and due to that “nothing was displaying that was improper 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 an inventory of questions, however they didn’t reply them.
A spokesperson replied in an electronic mail, “Thanks for bringing the case of Mr. Santiago’s buy to our consideration. We are going to join with the shopper immediately.”
Greater than a month after receiving that response, Santiago mentioned 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 after they’re on the market on the street,” Santiago mentioned.
They actually do. , 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 seller that goes out of its strategy to promote folks unsafe vehicles twice.
