tcinla

At the very least, the 'Selling Dealership' needs to explain why the engine what replaced since they did not disclose that. Go in upset and try to get some freebies.

mschuyler

You were sold a brand new car with 7 miles on the odometer that has a brand new engine in it, all done by GM authorized service personnel. The car has a full bumper to bumper warranty, which will cover whatever rattle you have going on right now. And you want compensation why? I don't see how you have been damaged in any way.

DWS44

I think Foosh made a good point about potential difficulty (and valuation) come resale time, given the new engine is now part of the GMVIS record for that car. Every time someone comes on here asking about used Vettes, one of the first recommendations is go find a copy of the GMVIS.

How do you think potential buyers would react to that when they see "engine replaced" on that report?

YO-EL

I disagree with some of the other posts here...

This is 100% deception by the Selling dealer!
I'd be pissed beyond compare..

Not disclosing that a NEW MOTOR was installed in a NEW car with 7 miles was ABSOLUTELY intentional.

Would the OP or ANYONE buy it if they were honest about it?
Full warranty or not... Who wants a car with that on the service record, engine replaced at 7 miles,,, Talk about a hit on resale, forget about it!

When you buy a new car, you expect it to never have been in for service until you take it there yourself after purchase. If something was found on a PDI by the dealer, something as major as a MOTOR, well, this isn't something that can be swept under the rug.

I feel the OP should DEMAND a refund or another brand new car with NO service history.
This is utterly ridiculous!

There was non disclosure, collusion to commit fraud, outright withholding of critical information to the buyer..

This deal either gets nixed or the car replaced.
Lawyer up my friend....

You have EVERY reasonable expectation to have bought a brand new car, not a car where the MOTOR has been replaced...


You would NOT have purchased that car had you been informed that the engine was replaced, you would have selected another car!

You went there to buy a brand new car, not a car that had major service with the motor replaced!

Rooster OG

Since you’re in Northern California I can only hope your car is at Abel. They hopefully can find the problem and fix it, they are definitely the best servicing dealership in NorCal. I would stress about that showing up on a trade or sale though, I know I would take a hard pass on that car if I was shopping when so many more are available.

Good luck!

Neil Baker

Yes, this is what you need to do. Dealer sold you a used car as a new car. That is against the law.

muncie21

Don't engine components have the VIN or portions of it on them?

mschuyler

It had 7 miles on it. How is that a used car? Lots of cars come from the factory with way more than 7 miles on the odometer. Are they used cars? The engine was replaced, apparently, though no on knows why. Has anyone even asked the dealer why? Are you sure the database entry is correct? If the car had come off the assembly line at Bowling Green and gone through QA, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced, would it THEN be a used car? And why have QA at all if it isn't to find and deal with issues? There is a "garage of shame" at Bowling Green where cars that have failed inspection go to be further diagnosed--and fixed. Are THESE cars then used cars? Here we have a car that was never out of the custody of the umbrella of GM. And you're saying it is now a "used car." OK. Who was the previous owner? Nobody has done any research here at all. It's like the guy who today went on a long rant about how the weather was getting cold in Bowling Green and his car was bayed, and he was sure it wouldn't get to Canada before March, so the tires were sure to crack, so, oh, what should he do? But oh wait....It's on a truck and will be delivered tomorrow. So how about wait long enough to determine what the facts are here before you start invoking lawyers? Because right now no one has any idea at all what the real issues are--if any.

C6_Racer_X

It's not a used car, but it's also not quite the new car that the buyer thought they were getting. It's more of a "dealer refurbished" car with a full warranty.

What bothers me is the poster wouldn't trust the selling dealership to repair a minor issue with a rattle noise, so I doubt that the poster would trust the selling dealership to replace a defective engine if he owned the car when the defect was discovered.

Not disclosing the engine replacement was a major violation of trust. It might be against the law as well (I don't know California laws in this area).

boraxman

Totally unacceptable to me, I would be fit to be tied spending tens of thousands of dollars on a new car thats been torn apart....and then with a branded GMVIS to boot...I would skip right past your car if I was looking to buy...Good luck what ever direction you go...

Corvette#2

I'd be scared there was still metal particles in the dry sump that would contaminate the new engine. Or if the dealer just didn't install it properly. Not to say all dealers aren't capable of successfully swapping an engine, but I'd rather have a car with an engine installed by the factory. Especially a new car ! When I was shopping for a used C5, I ran across a car that had an engine replaced under warranty. The seller tried to act like it was a positive, 80k on the chassis but only 30k on the engine or whatever, but I immediately wrote that car off and kept looking.

WelderGuy

Perhaps the engine was damaged during an earlier test drive by a potential buyer at the selling dealership. If that's the case, some other part of the drive train could have been messed up, leading to troubles and inconvenience down the road.

Snowwolfe

Bullshit. The last two cars I traded in the dealer had me fill out paperwork stating if the vehicles were ever damaged, had any repairs, performance modifications including changes to the exhaust system, etc.

And you don't think it is a big deal if a dealer sells a new car that had its engine replaced without telling the buyer? This is pure deception on the dealers part, plain and simple.

Crossed Flags Fan

Yup as always posted on CF rush to contact an attorney before you do anything else.....Jeeze.....

phileaglesfan

What would potential buyers think if they were considering buying this car later and found out the engine was replaced already, which means non matching numbers? Would they value it as the same as a similar car with original engine. While it may be legal by the dealer IMO it is not right. Pretty bad we need to ask for a VIS report on a new car with a few miles on it.

Red C8 of Jax

WOW, the dealer knew if they disclosed that the engine had been replaced, they would have a very, very difficult time selling this car. Unless they discount it big time, I can't see anyone buying this car when they can get one which has not had major surgery. I know all mechanics are not the same and I would rather have an engine replaced at the factory and NOT at the dealership. Sounds like dealer collusion.

rmorin1249

This is going to be a long and interesting thread.

Gearhead Jim

And the Internet Lawyers will have a field day with it.

Me, I'm just smart enough to know that I don't know beans about what California law says on this subject.
If OP doesn't feel satisfied with what the dealer(s) is doing to make him happy, he needs a real lawyer to tell him what his options are.

VroomAB

Thanks everyone for the inputs / commentary. I have been in contact with the selling dealer and am awaiting their response. I will definitely keep this thread updated.

Steve_R

Are new car engine block numbers still “matched” to the car? Does “matching numbers” mean anything now?