New England AutoMax Ripoff, Sold me a lemon, wouldn't take it back, Didn't fix it, Decieved me, lied to me Malborough Massachusetts

The Lemon Law only covers the period under which the car is under warranty by the selling dealer, which is 1,2, or 3 months depending on the mileage at the time of sale. If the vehicle is still under factory warranty, the factory is responsible for warranty items. The customer said she purchased the car 1 year prior to the problems. That guarantees that it was outside the scope of the Lemon Law concerning the selling dealer. It would have been her best course to attempt to have the factory good will the repair even though it was just outside the factory warranty on mileage.

Most pre-owned dealerships offer an extended service contract available for purchase at the time of the sale or even after the sale. Based on Howard's comment, it sounds like AutoMax does indeed offer them. I have worked in the business so I know there are numerous extended service contract options and companies. It has been my experience that people spend more than they can afford on the vehicle they are buying and quickly decline the extended service contract when offered and recommended by their salesmen because they don't want to spend the roughly $1500.00 on the contract that will save them as much money, or more, when the car needs future repairs. It also sounds like Maria mistook the remaining factory warranty for the extended service contract. She should have been a better educated consumer and found out what was what when she was signing her name.

Concerning the timing belts; They are considered a "wear out" item and are normally not covered by any warranty. It is the customers responsibility to perform regular routine maintenance of which the timing belt is a part. Some vehicles have had problems with components in the timing belt area that can cause premature failure of the timing belt. The factory usually issues a bulletin in these matters. It is up to the customer to follow up on these. In most cases either the selling dealer or the manufacturers repair facilities will also inform the customer of these bulletins.

If the engine was of the "interference" type, which it sounds like it was, the pistons will impact the valves when the belt breaks and the engine loses its timing. This can cause puncture holes in the tops of the pistons and bend valves and may even damage the cylinder head. Until the part fails, there is sometimes no indication of an existing problem, even though the vehicle has been through a rigorous pre-sale inspection process. It sounds like this is what happened to Maria and she was geniunely upset, and rightfully so. However, it seems she needed someone to be angry with because she didn't buy the extended service contract and took it out on AutoMax.

A timing belt is made of rubber and it's not likely it "punctured" the engine. What kind of car is it? Most cars can be repaired for around $600 after the belt snaps. BTW, The dealer has no way of telling if a timing belt is worn out and ready to go without dismantling the front of the engine. You just change the belt regularly according to the manual, and timing belts aren't covered by warranty anyways.

New England Auto Max buys and sells preowned cars. The company does not represent a manufacturer or manufacturer warranty. We do however sell extended service contracts, which are are displayed throughout the showroom. The customer always has the option of purchasing a service contract and we advise them to do so. However,not all customers take this advice.


New England Auto Max also sells these contracts after the sale, for instance this person could buy one now, if they so desired.