I bought a 2020 Kia Optima this past Saturday. As I drove home, the passenger airbag light turned on. The dealership said it would cost at least $500, including labour, and they’d need to keep the car for three days. Then, the next day, I found out the passenger side speakers are blown.
Now, because I didn’t go for their ridiculous warranty, my car—less than five years old—can’t even play music properly.
Most dealers, even the sketchy ‘buy here, pay here’ types, usually offer some limited warranty. It’s common to see something like 5-7 days or a few miles covered. Check your window sticker and paperwork—maybe it applies here.
If it was sold ‘as-is’ with no warranty, then yeah, you might be stuck. Did you test drive it? That airbag light should’ve shown up right away. Always do a thorough test drive for used cars: brake hard, brake soft, hit bumps, test it at city and highway speeds, blast the music, press every button, and make sure the HVAC works.
@SoulSeeker
In my state, dealerships have to offer warranties by law. My dad used to include one as a professional courtesy before that became a requirement.
@SoulSeeker
If you reset the codes, it usually takes one or two starts for the issue to show up again. Assuming they didn’t reset it while the car was running before you got there, though. 
madisonwilson said:
@SoulSeeker
If you reset the codes, it usually takes one or two starts for the issue to show up again. Assuming they didn’t reset it while the car was running before you got there, though.
Resetting codes to hide issues? That’s straight-up fraud. If that happened to me, I’d seriously consider taking action against the dealership.
So you bought a car ‘as-is’ and didn’t check it out properly? That’s on you.
Certified pre-owned cars are the only way to go.
pancholo said:
Certified pre-owned cars are the only way to go.
It was certified pre-owned.
pancholo said:
Certified pre-owned cars are the only way to go.
It was certified pre-owned.
Every certified pre-owned car I’ve bought came with a bumper-to-bumper warranty.
pancholo said:
Certified pre-owned cars are the only way to go.
It was certified pre-owned.
Then it should be covered under warranty.
Didn’t a mechanic catch any of this during the pre-purchase inspection?
lindalaureb said:
Didn’t a mechanic catch any of this during the pre-purchase inspection?
You live and learn, I guess.
lindalaureb said:
Didn’t a mechanic catch any of this during the pre-purchase inspection?
Nope, nothing.
lindalaureb said:
Didn’t a mechanic catch any of this during the pre-purchase inspection?
Nope, nothing.
Sounds like the mechanic let you down.
lindalaureb said:
Didn’t a mechanic catch any of this during the pre-purchase inspection?
Pre-purchase inspection? What’s that? Never heard of it.
lindalaureb said:
Didn’t a mechanic catch any of this during the pre-purchase inspection?
Pre-purchase inspection? What’s that? Never heard of it.
It’s when you have a trusted mechanic look over the car before buying it. They check things like fluid levels, brake wear, tire condition, and even test the battery. Some shops will also hook it up to a code reader to see if any issues have been recently cleared. They’ll also test-drive it to check for engine noises or other problems.
If a dealership won’t let you get a third-party inspection, that’s usually a big red flag. A good dealer will let you do it, even if they grumble about it.