I bought a used 2006 Jeep from a small non-Jeep dealership a month and a half ago. This past weekend I noticed I was missing a motor mount bolt so I brought it by a Jeep dealership to have it repaired. I was notified that my engine had a restriction placed on it and was not under warranty. I was confused as to why because it should have had the balance of the factory warranty like the dealership I bought it from told me. Today I learned the engine is a junkyard replacement. I spoke with a non-helpful calling service individual from Chrysler and was given no information as to why Chrysler knows about the engine and as to why the warranty is voided. I’m sure it was one of those centers in a country like India where they have no information. I have learned the Jeep was a lease vehicle in Stuart, FL before I bought it. The Carfax shows a perfect clean record. Do I have any course of action with the dealership I purchased it from because I was not notified of this? I feel like I have been duped.
Clearly carfax missed something, or rather something was not reported to them They are far from 100% accurate. Certainly if the engine was replaced it would not be under warranty. I would guess it suffered damage for some reason that would not be covered under the warranty and the prior owner cheaped out and got a junkyard engine after he failed to check oil or something that totaled the original engine. I doubt if there is anything you can do about it.
I need to find out the age and mileage on the replacement engine. The odometer reads 35,000 miles, but have not idea how many miles are on the engine itself. There should be some way to find that information.
Sadly you have been possibly duped. Carfax will likely never show an engine replacement. The truth is the selling dealer may never have known anything about the vehicle as they likely picked up at auction or as a side sales from another dealership.
Have you tried contacting the dealership who sold it to you and seeing recourse if any? Used car dealers vary and there are some good guys but many bad. I hope for the best.
You’ll need the engine number to establish the year of manufacture, using that you could guesstimate the average mileage for that year car, that’s about all you could do.
Your only possible get out would be if the engine was significantly older and therefore did not reflect the mileage advertised with the vehicle unless the dealership could prove otherwise. Other than that their could be further ramifications if either the leasing company were unaware of the engine change, were aware but didn’t report it or did report it and of course as above the dealership didn’t disclose it.
You have a little investigatory work on your hands, don’t expect any help from the Florida DMV though unless you go to litigation.
If you have in writing that you have the remainder of the powertrain warranty (it costs $150 to transfer it to a second owner, and is NOT transferable to any subsequent owners, BTW), you have been defrauded. But, as pointed out, the dealer from whom you bought it may not have been aware of the situation. Bring it back to them with any documentation you have from Chrysler (or have them call Chrysler in your presence), and see what they are willing to do for you.
It seems strange to me that Chrysler would know that the original engine was replaced with one from an automobile recycler. If the person who leased the vehicle damaged the original engine and slipped an engine from a salvage yard into the vehicle to avoid paying damages on the lease, then how did Chrysler obtain the information? In my state, we have to sign a sworn statement that either the mileage is correct or that the mileage is unknown. In your case, it may be possible to trace it back to the person who signed the document about the mileage. I suppose there must be a record of the recycler who sold the used engine and the vehicle it came from.
On the bright side, if the present engine functions as it should, your situation may not be too bad.