Our 3 year old Ford Demo Purchase - was in a rear end accident

Hemihunter · 21-08-2023, 03:24 PM

We purchased this 3 years ago from a Ford Dealer knowing it was a Demo with 2,500 klms, still under factory warranty, turns out the car has had a rear end accident before we purchased it, is this something the dealer should have advised before purchase? do we have any recourse on the dealer at all? Haven't bought it to the dealers attention as yet, just curious how to proceed.

Itsme · 21-08-2023, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hemihunter

We purchased this 3 years ago from a Ford Dealer knowing it was a Demo with 2,500 klms, still under factory warranty, turns out the car has had a rear end accident before we purchased it, is this something the dealer should have advised before purchase? do we have any recourse on the dealer at all? Haven't bought it to the dealers attention as yet, just curious how to proceed.

Ethically it would be nice to be told but being a demo will have its drawbacks to its cheap price.
Also depends on what type of damage, I'd have a talk with them especially if the repaired damage is going to have ongoing concerns

MrEL · 21-08-2023, 04:58 PM

If its taken you 3 years for it to become an issue it obviously isn't really an issue is it?

simon varley · 21-08-2023, 05:21 PM

yes, as it affects it's resale value

XR Martin · 21-08-2023, 05:40 PM

I've known dealers repairing brand new vehicles with aftermarket parts, unbeknownst to the purchaser.

If it's a repairable write off I'm pretty sure they have to mention it. I imagine if you confront them they'll just deny knowing anything.

Hemihunter · 21-08-2023, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrEL

If its taken you 3 years for it to become an issue it obviously isn't really an issue is it?

Its not something i like to find , id rather be told up front

deesun · 21-08-2023, 07:28 PM

Morally wrong, but unless it was a repairable write off and reported as such it isn't illegal for them not to tell you.

Interceptor · 22-08-2023, 08:29 AM

How did you find out after 3 years?

**Polyal** · 22-08-2023, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hemihunter

We purchased this 3 years ago from a Ford Dealer knowing it was a Demo with 2,500 klms, still under factory warranty, turns out the car has had a rear end accident before we purchased it, is this something the dealer should have advised before purchase? do we have any recourse on the dealer at all? Haven't bought it to the dealers attention as yet, just curious how to proceed.

Well this is very interesting because I have the same issue! I am yet to bring it back up with the Dealer in QLD because I havent had the time to understand how bad the issue is.

We picked up a ex-demo Pajero Sport, I drove it from the dealer in brissy back to Rockhampton and half way into the trip I went to fuel up.

Start to put fuel in it and next thing you know the fuel is pouring out onto the ground.

I think take the inner wheel guard off and low and behold the fuel filler was not connected to the tank! I think get it home and follow up and they said they had some vandals in the area stealing fuel and that would be it. I then pushed them for a longer warranty period given I was worried about injector life and got that.

So....the other month I install a HD tow bar on it, well, what a sag that was. The local Mitsu dealer installed and there was a rattle..exhaust was touching the mount.

So I took it back and said fit it, they took days then got back to be and apparently the exhaust was out of alignment! A deeper look and at some point the car must of had a hit on the rear and it was fixed but they didnt align the exhaust and reconnect the filler pipe! (my assumption).

So now I also have some contact with the driveshaft when we go over very deep/long bumps so I need to get that looked at.

I am freakin furious because it only had 13,000kms and I did a check on it and nothing on the register.

Given we have had it for 5 years I a not sure if I have a leg to stand on but I will follow it up next week. But we had no idea until I put that HD tow bar on, otherwise it drives perfect but if I cant tow properly then that defeats the purpose of the car.

**Cav** · 22-08-2023, 12:37 PM

Look at it another way

The vehicle must be roadworthy at the point of sale for the dealer.

This should be supplied at the time of sale.

If there are safety issues, then this casts doubt on the person giving the roadworthy certificate.

A check on your state govmint website may give you some more info.

Rather than relying on the warranty issue, it may be more fruitful to threaten that you will report them for issuing a dodgy roadworthy.

I'm not a lawyer, I am just a big-noting smartarse.

bangm001 · 23-08-2023, 02:10 PM

This should have been picked up by you or someone else upon pickup of the vehicle, before even driving it off. Repairs are usually pretty easy to spot, even just from the outside. 3 years on is a bit of an ask IMO.

arm79 · 23-08-2023, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simon varley

yes, as it affects it's resale value

Only if the prospective purchaser knows about it.

prydey · 24-08-2023, 12:12 AM

Plenty of people buy cars that have had accident repairs done. I've sold cars that have had accident repairs done. I've bought cars that have had accident repairs done.

As long as the car is roadworthy there is no obligation to disclose the history of the car, unless its a repaired write off or such like.

**FairmontGS** · 24-08-2023, 01:52 AM

My XB GT coupe has bog in the driver's side rear quarter. Prior owner didn't tell me. I'm livid!

ford71V8 · 24-08-2023, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FairmontGS

My XB GT coupe has bog in the driver's side rear quarter. Prior owner didn't tell me. I'm livid!

I can take that off your hands.
You dont want to be left with something like that

Dr Smith · 24-08-2023, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangm001

This should have been picked up by you or someone else upon pickup of the vehicle, before even driving it off. Repairs are usually pretty easy to spot, even just from the outside. 3 years on is a bit of an ask IMO.

True story, a panel beater business that I have needed all too often over the years bought an new M3 coupe years ago...at hand over refused to accept delivery...when asked obviously why, he stated "as you know, I'm a panel beater that occasionally does work for your dealership....let me know when the replacement car arrives and do you want me to quote the re-spray for this one"?

Edit: Ooops..Forgot to explain, the M3 had rear rhs quarter panel repair that he picked up immediately.

bangm001 · 24-08-2023, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Smith

True story, a panel beater business that I have needed all too often over the years bought an new M3 coupe years ago...at hand over refused to accept delivery...when asked obviously why, he stated "as you know, I'm a panel beater that occasionally does work for your dealership....let me know when the replacement car arrives and do you want me to quote the re-spray for this one"?

Edit: Ooops..Forgot to explain, the M3 had rear rhs quarter panel repair that he picked up immediately.

I also know of a few people who have rejected "brand new" cars, albiet just mazdas / holdens etc. I also know of a very high end ferrari that had repairs done which was brand spanking new (near on a million dollar car). I would never buy a car without looking at it properly first.

Dr Smith · 24-08-2023, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangm001

I also know of a few people who have rejected "brand new" cars, albiet just mazdas / holdens etc. I also know of a very high end ferrari that had repairs done which was brand spanking new (near on a million dollar car). I would never buy a car without looking at it properly first.

Sometimes an expert can only spot the issues..the same panel beater I referred to was once repairing our Territory and called me to ask "who had repaired our car previously". I was shocked as I answered no-one, it's never been damaged before. He asked me to come down and proceeded to show me the paint lines on the inside of the front driver's door skin and around the lock etc where it was obviously taped off and painted but some scratches were still there at the bottom....I did actually find out it was repaired at the factory before shipping to the dealer after a favour by someone with some "mates". Initially I thought it was the dealer however they were adamant it wasn't and they too got the same response from FoMoCo. until my contact dug deeper.

**FoxtrotGolfXray 5.0** · 24-08-2023, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Smith

Sometimes an expert can only spot the issues..the same panel beater I referred to was once repairing our Territory and called me to ask "who had repaired our car previously". I was shocked as I answered no-one, it's never been damaged before. He asked me to come down and proceeded to show me the paint lines on the inside of the front driver's door skin and around the lock etc where it was obviously taped off and painted but some scratches were still there at the bottom....I did actually find out it was repaired at the factory before shipping to the dealer after a favour by someone with some "mates". Initially I thought it was the dealer however they were adamant it wasn't and they too got the same response from FoMoCo. until my contact dug deeper.

And this is the quandary, in my mind. When does a repair become unacceptable? The vast majority of purchasers would never be aware that their vehicle, purchased new, may have gone through a repair at the factory prior to delivery. And even if they did, most would not be too concerned by it and would happily pay full asking price, even if that was below RRP.

At the other end of the scale, you have repairs that are obvious, have been shoddily executed and/or are down right shonky. In this case, a reduction in asking price over a non-repaired vehicle would be expected and probably reasonable.

So, with that in mind, back to the OP's post. If the repair has been carried out professionally, and has no impact on the roadworthiness of the vehicle, does it warrant a price reduction? Extra warranty? What if it was repaired as a result of being transported here? Does that make a difference?

Tough one, IMHO. I really don't think it's black or white. At the end of the day, if the repair is professional, doesn't result in the vehicle being considered unroadworthy (not that I have much faith in that system alone), and don't have an impact on the cost of ownership (ie doesn't impact on sale price or cause additional maintenance costs over the life of the vehicle) then I think it's time to enjoy the ownership of the vehicle and move on.