‘I’d return it.’
Buying a used car from a dealership is supposed to come with some peace of mind, at least more than if you buy it directly from the owner. You expect a clean Carfax, an accurate service record, and for anything that needs to be fixed to have already been addressed.
This man paid a pretty penny for a used car, only to end up with a ton of problems. Now, viewers are urging him to get his money back.
In a TikTok with more than 987,000 views, mechanic Mattie (@mattieflips) walks through everything wrong with a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado his friend just bought from a dealership the week before.
“Scammed from the dealership,” the text overlay reads.
Mattie says he could tell things were off before he even got under the hood. By just looking at it, he spotted that the panels are completely different colors, which he says is a telltale sign of past collision repairs that the Carfax didn’t note.
Mattie shows that the front bumper had been repainted so poorly that it was already chipping, and the front fender was pushed back. Additionally, the headlight had condensation inside, which he says is a sign of a crack that will eventually cause it to burn out.
“It’s only a matter of time,” Mattie says, “and when it does, it’s gonna cost him $2,000 to replace.”
Then, he got into the nitty-gritty of the car. While he says the dealership told his friend they’d done a complete service on the truck, the rear brakes told a different story.
“His rear brakes are almost on metal,” Mattie says, pulling them off.
He replaced the rotors and pads and found the axle seals were leaking oil. The leak was significant enough that Mattie flagged it as a potential fire hazard.
“The worst-case scenario is your entire car could catch fire due to the oil reacting with the high-temperature brakes,” he says. “Extremely dangerous and something a GM dealership should have definitely replaced before selling it.”
Mattie fixed it and replaced the seal, reassembled the differentiator, filled it with fresh oil, and put the new brakes back on.
But there was yet another problem. When he did an oil change, black tar came out. And when he pulled the old filter, it wasn’t a dealer-issued filter but a Napa Gold one.
“That’s not a dealership filter,” Mattie points out.
Mattie says that two days after he finished, his friend’s check engine light came on for an O₂ sensor. Mattie ended the video asking viewers what they’d do in his friend’s situation.
It depends on the state and whether the car was new or used. According to Kelley Blue Book, all 50 states have lemon laws on the books, but most of them primarily cover new vehicle purchases.
A handful of states (including California, Texas, and New York) extend those protections to used cars as well. If you’re in a state that doesn’t cover used vehicles under its lemon law, your options are significantly narrower. That’s where federal law comes in.
The National Lemon Law Center notes that the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act protects consumers who purchase products worth more than $25 that come with a written warranty. And unlike most state lemon laws, it covers both new and used products without mileage restrictions. If a manufacturer has been unable to repair a defect after a reasonable number of attempts, a buyer may be entitled to a replacement or full refund. Attorney fees can also be recoverable if you pursue a claim.
The first step in any situation like this is to document everything: repair attempts, communications with the dealer, dates, costs, etc. The statute of limitations for lemon law claims typically runs from one to four years from the date of purchase or the date of the first repair attempt, depending on the state.
“Did he…. Look at the truck?” a top comment read.
“Why didn’t he have you look it over before buying??” a person said.
“Sue the dealership,” another wrote.
Motor1 reached out to @mattieflips for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct messages and to General Motors via email. We’ll be sure to update this if they respond.
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