capital auctions inc kenton merrihew failed to disclosed a serious problem that existed from day of purchase and has refused making payment of $3,500 toward repair of the transfer case payment Salida California

On advice from friends and relatives, I recently bought a 2005 Nissan Murano from Kenton Merrihew [dba KM Motors, Captal Auctions, Inc.] for my granddaughter.  His offices are located at 4400 Salida Blvd., Salida, Ca.

The vehicle smelled of oil burning from Day One, but we were assured it was a cleaning fluid or some such innocuous thing and that it would go away. The smell persisted; we complained some more and were told the same thing, "Nothing to worry about". 

When it finally snowed near our residence and the all wheel drive was called upon to function, it did not. That's when we learned that the transfer case which should have switched the drive train to all wheel drive, was dry and the necessary gears sheared off; in fact, the transfer case housing was cracked and had been fixed with a glue called JB Weld, a repair unknown to us, and one which we certainly had not made.

The cost to repair the transfer case problem ran about $3,500 in addition to the $16,400 we had already paid for the car. So, our $20,000 Murano, which we believe Merrihew bought at auction for under $10,000, was an ill-advised purchase. Muranos often have these problems and it would seem as though Merihew should have known of this fact, inspected the vehicle and disclosed the problem rather than selling us the vehicle in disrepair at a price well above retail. He had promised to supply a Navigational CD, which he has not done. He also offered to pay toward the necessary repairs, another thing he has not done.

Our experience with this dealer and his operation was a major disappointment and an expensive lesson; we thought we were dealing with a friend's trusted relative. Evidently Merrihew is interested solely in his own profit, rather than in providing a good product to his customer.

Buyer Beware: You might want to check the Stanislaus County Civil Court Records where his name appears as a Defendant in Fraud and Small Claims Actions.