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I looking at purchasing a used car from an infiniti dealer and the only thing i don’t like about it is that the tires look a bit old and the windshield wipers are a bit squeaky. I heard from my dad’s friend that car dealers are required to change the tires/windshield wipers of a used car before selling it. Is this true?

9 Comments »

1. 

   No they are not. If the tires are so bad that they are unsafe according to the law they should change them (you could have a blow out going home). If the windshield wipers streak and don’t clean the windshield good, they should change them. If the tires and windshield wipers are safe according to state law their is nothing you can do. If either or is unsafe by state law I would demand having them replaced (tell them to replace them and if they don’t buy a car somewhere else). Anyway don’t let that stop you from buying the car if you like it otherwise. On the plus side if you are tire picky you can get tires you want for the car instead of being stuck with the ones the dealer put on and if you are windshield wiper picky you can put the windshield wipers you want on the car instead of being stuck with the ones the dealer installed.

   Comment by Kurt — May 29, 2011 @ 4:15 pm

2. 

   used cars are sold as is

   Comment by B B — May 29, 2011 @ 4:15 pm

3. 

   well if they want to sell the car quicker and maybe for more money yes but otherwise its sold as is.

   Comment by Qwerty — May 29, 2011 @ 4:15 pm

4. 

   As said, there is no requirement to change anything at all, or even service a used car if they haven’t said that they’ve done it! Wiper blades are cheap as anything, but you’ll have to budget for tyres and try get them to drop the price if they’re that bad. There is, however, an age limit for tyres so if there is a date of manufacture on them and they’re above 10 years old (I think it’s 10 years) then there is a legal arguement for them changing them due to being unsafe.

   Comment by Neil B — May 29, 2011 @ 4:15 pm

5. 

   Your dads friend is an idiot !

   Comment by whocares — May 29, 2011 @ 4:15 pm

6. 

   Maybe the dad bought a car in which the wipers and tires were bad and it dint pass inspection and the car lot had to change em.

   Many states require a car lot to warranty the vehicle to pass inspection.

   Other states require via Implied Warranty Law that the car lot make the vehicle be fit for its purpose, reasonably safe, and have it priced w/in range of comparable vehicles.

   If the vehicle doesnt meet those standards, the buyer can return it for refund or repair.

   Other states require the used car lot to offer the buyer the right to return the vehicle w/in 48 hrs for a refund.

   So there are some instances where the dad could be right.

   Forget the oft-repeated, old As Is myth. As seen above, state laws vary widely on the terms of used car sales.

   And yes, Lemon Laws in some states do apply to used, and in some areas, used in private deals.

   Comment by Top Source — May 29, 2011 @ 4:15 pm

7. 

   They dont even have to wash it.

   Comment by Stupid Flanders — May 29, 2011 @ 4:15 pm

8. 

   they don’t have to do anything at all, but most will wash and wax and even spray tires to look new otherwise they don’t and won’t do anything. many that have problems they ship of to the car auctions and the ones that are real good they will keep on lot and resale themselves.

   Comment by nap4gbp — May 29, 2011 @ 4:15 pm

9. 

   Your dad’s friend is full of it, sorry.

   Most dealers will do so, as it makes the car indeed more appealing for sale, but it’s not "required". And the costs they incur for the replacements will be added in to the sale price somewhere.

   **Add — Again, TopFarce spews out his bile… I’ll go over it one-by-one on his points that matter to the conversation:

   "Maybe the dad bought a car in which the wipers and tires were bad and it dint pass inspection and the car lot had to change em." – And maybe he didn’t… however, you seem to be clairvoyant in all of your answers.

   "Many states require a car lot to warranty the vehicle to pass inspection." — And the question was "do car lots HAVE to change tires/wipers before sale?" The answer is NO.

   "Other states require via Implied Warranty Law that the car lot make the vehicle be fit for its purpose, reasonably safe, and have it priced w/in range of comparable vehicles." — Funny that you spout this "Implied Warranty" garbage over and over, yet Implied Warranty laws were not fundamentally meant for vehicle sales in the first place… and those states that have them also have dealers that have the buyer SIGN A DOCUMENT that denies Implied Warranties.

   "If the vehicle doesnt meet those standards, the buyer can return it for refund or repair." — Yep, it’s magic! And another assumption, I might add.

   "Other states require the used car lot to offer the buyer the right to return the vehicle w/in 48 hrs for a refund." — Wrong, chief. Only one state does this, California. And that "right" is a clause that is PURCHASED at point-of-sale. You make it sound as if it’s an automatic law that gives every buyer this "right".

   "So there are some instances where the dad could be right." — I’m sure the dad is right in most instances, but not this one.

   "Forget the oft-repeated, old As Is myth. As seen above, state laws vary widely on the terms of used car sales." — Hmmm… most states are VERY strict about "as-is" sales. And I’ve never found one that goes against what is IN WRITING.

   "And yes, Lemon Laws in some states do apply to used, and in some areas, used in private deals." — Yep, true. But, you forget to mention that those that do all have the same caveats in place… the vehicle must still be under the original manufacturer’s warranty. However, folks listen to the "1-800-Lemon-Law" commercials and assume… kind of like you.

   TopFarce, you’re a moron. I’m going to create a blog for each and every person that emails me telling me that you were wrong in their case. I’m building quite a collection.

   Comment by ElGrande — May 29, 2011 @ 4:15 pm

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