If your car dealer lied to you or sold you a defective car, our auto dealer fraud attorney can help you get out of a bad contract and get your money back.
When looking for a quality used vehicle, it’s easy to be scammed by deceptive car dealers if you don’t know what to look out for. If you find out that your dealer lied to you, an auto dealer fraud attorney can help you to get out of a bad contract, and get your money back. When shopping for a used car, it can be very difficult to know when you are being lied to or if you have been taken advantage of. If you find out that you overpaid or bought a defective car, our dealer fraud attorney can help you unwind your contract and get your money back.
Dealers Selling Over the Advertised Price
In California, it is against the law for a car dealer to sell vehicles at a price over the lowest advertised price. Even if a buyer has not seen the advertisement, the dealer must adhere to this law. Car dealers make up excuses as to why they are selling the car at an escalated price. Some say the car has a protection package installed, or that they have added some kind of special feature or service to the car that makes it necessary to sell for more than the lowest advertised price. However, this is still illegal.
Dealers use all kinds of tactics to trick buyers into paying more for a car than they should. If you ended up buying a vehicle for a higher price than the lowest price you saw listed for that car, or you find out later on that you were taken advantage of, that dealer has broken the law and you should schedule a meeting with an auto fraud lawyer who can help you get back the money you deserve from that dealer.
Hiding Prior Accidents
Some car dealers try to conceal structural damage that has been done to used cars. A dealer must disclose with a car has been rebuilt after an accident or even submerged in water during a storm or natural disaster.
For example, when a car is written off as a ‘total loss’ by an insurance company, because of a severe accident or an event like a flood, the law in most cases requires that that car’s title and ownership be given a ‘label’ permanently indicating to potential future owners that the car is damaged goods. That label is called a salvaged title.
The label is meant to protect unsuspecting buyers from getting a defective car, but there are ways for that label to be removed. Scams for wiping salvaged titles include forging the title and ownership. In other cases, a car can be re-registered in another state and the label falls away.
A lack of national titling law makes it difficult to mark cars and prevent dealers from making them appear undamaged. Consumers are often unaware of the serious danger of driving a car that was previously totaled because the car is usually not safe to drive.
As many as 800,000 cars in the U.S. have been title washed to hide problems. If you’re in a situation where you find you have been hoodwinked into purchasing a car with a washed title, our auto dealer fraud attorney can help to remedy the situation, and help you get your money back for the car, and force punish the dealer by making them pay additional damages.
Hiding Problems With the Engine
When shopping for a used car, the condition of the engine, transmission, and the body are the most important aspects. The car may look clean, and it could drive well during an initial test drive, but you may quickly discover it doesn’t handle as well as you think and the outward appearance could be hiding dangerous conditions under the hood.
When looking at a used car lot, look under the hood yourself. Grab a small flashlight if you can, and look at the state of the battery, look for leaks, and check for the smell of burnt oil or antifreeze or other signs of poor maintenance. Dirty oil is a quick indication that an engine may need work or it has been a long time since anyone has actively performed maintenance on the car.
If you bought a used car, and you are having problems with the engine, an auto dealer fraud attorney may be able to get you out of a money pit and into a better car. An auto fraud lawyer is trained to know what to look for in these instances, so if you’re not sure, call and talk to our team of professionals. We can help ensure that your car is worth your time and money.
