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 via that he discovered each automobiles had been in accidents. Nearer inspection from unbiased mechanics exhibits 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-Staff at ABC Motion Information in Tampa Bay tracked down the proprietor to search out out if the right repairs had been finished on the automotive. Wouldn’t you recognize it, the fixes hadn’t been finished on Gilbert Santiago’s new-to-him 2022 Volvo S60. An unbiased mechanic appeared 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 instructed 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 somewhat 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 car.
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 must be driving this automotive,” Egert stated.
HGreg’s spokesperson stated the corporate “solely purchases autos via essentially the most respected public sale firms” and “conducts a multi-point inspection,” which incorporates “a overview of diagnostic indicators.”
She additionally wrote in an announcement, “If, for no matter cause, HGreg believes the car airbags wouldn’t function as supposed, it could not be retailed by HGreg.”
That’s an amazing 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 instructed him used salvage components have been put in in his automotive.
That technician’s photograph exhibits 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.
“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 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 via all of the totally different modules within the automotive,” licensed technician Chris Wallin instructed us as he connected a diagnostic instrument.
“I don’t see any energetic codes,” Wallin stated, which might usually point out all security programs 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 permit 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 part in {an electrical} circuit. It may be used to manage or restrict the move of present.
[…]
“What they’ve finished 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 obtained pretensioner,” Wallin stated of Santiago’s automotive.
The tech stated it was finished deliberately, however there’s no method of figuring out 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 fallacious 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 electronic mail, “Thanks for bringing the case of Mr. Santiago’s buy to our consideration. We are going to join with the client instantly.”
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 after they’re on the market on the highway,” Santiago stated.
They actually do. You realize, I’ve heard tons of tales about sellers doing shady shit, nevertheless it normally has to do with monetary offers. It’s very uncommon you get a supplier that goes out of its technique to promote folks unsafe automobiles twice.
