# Salvaged parts 4 warranty work **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [June 21, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702 "2019-06-21T14:05:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![geo\_mac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9fc29f/32.png) [@geo\_mac](https://community.cartalk.com/u/geo_mac)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/1 "2019-06-21T14:05:47Z")
Toyota matrix 2007 147 000 I just bought a used car with a warrantee of inspection. I had my mechanic check the car, it failed due to a bad strut. The dealer agreed to repair the strut, but with a salvaged part. Also, only one side, and with no alignment. This also means he put a on bogus sticker in the first place What would someone do in this situation? Is this leagle? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![It\_s-Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/it_s-me/32/12660_2.png) [@It\_s-Me](https://community.cartalk.com/u/It_s-Me)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2019, 2:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/2 "2019-06-21T14:11:15Z")
> [@geo\_mac](#): > > What would someone do in this situation? That’s why you have the car inspected by your mechanic BEFORE you buy the car. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2019, 2:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/3 "2019-06-21T14:12:20Z")
> [@geo\_mac](#): > > Is this leagle? Is it **legal**? Probably Is it either safe or ethical? Absolutely not, because struts should always be replaced in pairs. The chance of that salvaged strut having the exact same amount of wear as the one on the other side is somewhere between slim and none, and that means potential handling/road holding problems. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2019, 2:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/4 "2019-06-21T14:21:02Z")
Note for the future - many used car ‘warranties’ are pretty much worthless. Unless you have something in writing that says they have to repair worn suspension items with new parts, you’re out of luck. I wouldn’t want one used strut. How about you ask them to replace both with new parts you buy? Not ideal, but better than one used part. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2019, 5:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/5 "2019-06-21T17:44:45Z")
Why would he do this? Because doing it right cuts into the bottom line and he can’t have that. ---
**Author:** ![mperry\_153483](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@mperry\_153483](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mperry_153483)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2019, 7:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/6 "2019-06-22T07:38:26Z")
It happens. The alternative would be to give the car back to the dealer. (That’d probably get you a pair of struts.) I dropped State Farm insurance for this same reason. My wife’s car was hit by another SF client. They wanted to put a junkyard bumper, that had been straightened (still had grind marks) on a car with 6,000 miles. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2019, 11:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/7 "2019-06-22T11:59:57Z")
> [@mperry\_153483](#): > > The alternative would be to give the car back to the dealer. If this dealership pulls stunts like replacing just one strut and using a junkyard part, do you **really** think that they would give the OP a full refund? Very doubtful, IMHO… ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2019, 1:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/8 "2019-06-22T13:21:56Z")
maybe they replaced 3 things like that the day before you appeared? this is how they do business. they probably wont put new parts on just for you. they sell strut assy’s at the local boneyard for $25 or so. lots of cars there have been picked over. so there is evidence of folks using worn struts. ---
**Author:** ![wentwest](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wentwest/32/6073_2.png) [@wentwest](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wentwest)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2019, 4:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/9 "2019-06-22T16:00:49Z")
When you buy a car with 148,000 miles on it you have NO idea what’s been done to it. For all you know there are salvaged parts from 16 vehicles already. What’s one more? And even if some parts are actually original equipment, they are certainly very used at this point. ---
**Author:** ![mperry\_153483](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@mperry\_153483](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mperry_153483)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 2:50am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/10 "2019-06-23T02:50:12Z")
I don’t know what the law is there or if he had it in writing. We returned a car 2 days after purchase and got a full refund. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 3:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/11 "2019-06-23T03:36:35Z")
> [@mperry\_153483](#): > > We returned a car 2 days after purchase and got a full refund. You were very lucky, or have very unusual laws where you live. There is normally no right to return a car. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 4:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/12 "2019-06-23T04:51:22Z")
Many extended warranty contracts are written to allow for the use of used parts, this is only practical for engines and transmissions. When dealing with suspension damage caused by curb or median impact some insurance companies will only pay for a used “corner assembly”, strut, control arms, spindle, hub and bearing. A corner assembly for a late model vehicle can be purchased for $200, factory parts can easily exceed $1000. > [@VDCdriver](#): > > If this dealership pulls stunts like replacing just one strut and using a junkyard part Given the age and mileage of the vehicle I doubt that a dealership sold this vehicle. This is one of those two bit warranties that skimp on repairs. ---
**Author:** ![mperry\_153483](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@mperry\_153483](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mperry_153483)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 8:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/13 "2019-06-23T08:55:16Z")
Not at all. Depends on what guarantee he had… but one should always have a car inspected before purchase. We almost learned the hard way. I had to contact corporate headquarters. It’s a huge chain and had problems with that dealership’s sales tactics. (The salesman “accidentally” forgot to write his guarantee in the contract, until I pointed out his error.) ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/14 "2019-06-23T14:05:21Z")
You were very lucky, like I said. The vast majority of car sales have no guarantee of buy back. And you got your money back? Or credit on a different vehicle? That’s different. ---
**Author:** ![mperry\_153483](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@mperry\_153483](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mperry_153483)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 3:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/salvaged-parts-4-warranty-work/142702/15 "2019-07-22T03:38:30Z")
Oops, didn’t see your reply. Yes, we were fortunate. Sorry… got 2 stories mixed. The one I caught was a windshield and corrected the contract before sale. The first was a used car where we had (I think it was) 72 hour satisfaction guarantee, then the dealership balked and tried to do in-store credit. I contacted corporate headquarters and they straightened it out… then changed wording of their _printed_ ads. That was on a K car and they made a moderately expensive repair. It’s what you have in writing that counts.