I recently purchased a 2017 Dodge Durango GT that is a certified pre owner. Or so I thought. I am now finding out that it more than likely does not pass certification standards. As far as I know there two pieces of criteria it does not meet. 1. It is missing a piece of trim around a fog light. 2. To correct an issue with the number, all they did was paint over it. Now, I have had an EPIC amount of issues with this dealer, but all I am wondering is if anyone knows if these two things are acceptable for a vehicle to be a CPO, and if not, besides the check list does anyone know where to direct me to find out?
Explain āissue with a numberā?
Unfortunately certified pre owned only means the car is certified to be pre owned. There is no industry standard a car has to meet to be certified. A reputable dealer usually only ācertifiesā the better cars on the sales lot.
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Hereās what Certified Pre-Owned supposedly means for Dodge vehicles, according to Edmundās site.
If there was a piece of trim missing, Iād say it should have failed the appearance inspection.
Edit: I see @bing posted a link to a full inspection list below.
From the link above there appears to be an āappearanceā standard. But that doesnāt state all the trim pieces need to be the same as when it rolled off the manufacturing line. The implication of the phrase āappearance standardā is that it appears to be the same as would be expected for a new car or at least of that vintage. Since the dealership painted the area to make it appear correct, Iād say the dealership wouldnāt be responsible for doing any more about the missing trim piece issue. If you post a photo I might change my mind, but otherwise, Iām with the dealership on this one.
Paint an area where there is supposed to be trim is acceptable ? You canāt be serious.
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Only problem with this list is that it does not say, what constitute a certification failure. A small missing trim piece, how about a few scratches on the bumper? I doubt that these minor issues would be considered a failure.
I wonder if OP purchased the vehicle from a Dodge dealer or some other place that used their own interpretation of certification.
Are you suggesting the OP sue the dealership then?
CPO is mostly just a marketing trick to make you feel more confident buying a used car from untrustworthy people. Used car dealers have a reputation for dishonesty and used cars have the stink of somebody elseās problems.
It was a replacement for the used car salesmans claim that the car was owned by a little old lady who drove it to church.
BTWā¦ I buy used cars rather than new. I (and others here) recommend that you take any used car you want to your mechanic, not the sellers, to inspect it before you buy.
Buyer Beware.
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Please explain what this number was that was painted over . What does epic amount of issues mean. Did this come from an actual Dodge dealer . If so then you need to talk to the General manager about your problems.
This is something a hack shop would do . . . I would like to think a reputable dealership wouldnāt do this
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Hello, number was an autocorrect failure. It should of been bumper. Here is a list of the issues:
- They damaged my car while it had it to finish the ācertificationā 10 days after I purchased it. When it came back from them there were chips and gouges with a residue in them down all three windows of the drivers side. When I asked about it they told me to bring it back in and they would look at it. Only to be called and told that it was āprobably a neighbor mowing grassā in February, on a cold and rainy weekend, in Illinois. They of course will not return my phone calls.
- To be certified all trim must be in place according to appearance standards. It is missing the trim around a fog light.
- I was told it would have BRAND new tires on it during the sale. It does not. The salesperson called myself and my fiancƩ a liar over this.
- They have took it back in on two different occasions per their request, to finish the detail job, and each time it has come back dirtier than the first time.
Now, I will say, I am usually not a complainer or someone to complain over something small. Honestly, as far as the fog light goes I was just going to spend the $20 and buy the trim. Same way with the detailing, Iāll do it myself at this point. Butā¦ after the damage, and the tire thing, I want to know if there is anything I can do before I get a lawyer.
Who did you buy this car from?
Dodge new car dealer?
independent used car lot?
all these things that you were promised . . . do you have that anywhere in writing?
Okay, but I think you are āmissing the forest for the treesā.
If I was to buy a used vehicle (full disclosureā¦ I am not) I would be much more worried about its mechanical systems, as opposed to trim items.
A used vehicle that is ācertifiedā by the manufacturer has to meet certain standards, and that usually results in an extended warranty on the engine and transmission. A used vehicle that is ācertifiedā solely by a dealership is usually only certified to beā¦ used, and all bets are off at that point as to what will be taken care of by the dealership.
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I bought it from an actual Chrysler Dodge dealer.
Yes, but is is ācertifiedā by Chrysler, or is the ācertificationā solely from the dealership?
The difference is potentiallyā¦ huge.
Right, and I agree with you. And like I said, it was all fine and I was understanding, even as far as the tires go. I didnāt like the answer, or being called a liar, but whatever, I can accept that people make mistakes (even when they donāt admit to them)ā¦ butā¦ the damage down the side of the car is unacceptable. And at this point itās just going to have to be there I guess. Iāve filed a complaint with the BBB and called Chrysler. Iāve called other dealerships in the area about the certification guidelines and they all say it shouldnāt be certified and canāt believe that they wonāt so much as return my phone call. Oh, Iāve also emailed the owner. And called the finance manager. And Chrysler has called them as well, and they are rude to Chrysler too. So Iām stuck. And I donāt like it.
That I donāt know. The dealer does the actual 125-point inspection and submits it through Chrysler. But of course, you canāt find any information on what fails certification standards. Only what passes.
That is almost surely going to be an exercise in futility.
The BBB (frequently referred to as the Better FOR Business Bureau) is a private, for-profit entity that has absolutely no regulatory or punitive powers.
On the other hand, you should consider contacting the Department of Consumer Affairs in your state. Those agencies are usually a branch of the Attorney Generalās office, and they actually DO have both regulatory and punitive authority.
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