ComplaintsforBenjie's Auto Sales

• Initial Complaint

  03/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dear Better Business Bureau, I am writing to formally lodge a complaint against Benjie's Auto Sales regarding the recent purchase of a vehicle. As a young, first-time buyer who had just turned *** I saved diligently to purchase my first car to facilitate transportation to and from school. Despite my clear communication regarding the purpose of the vehicle, within a mere three weeks of purchase, the engine malfunctioned. . Additionally, the warranty prominently states in bold that systems covered include Engine/Transmission/Internal lubricated parts, leading me to believe that engine repairs would be included with no charge under the warranty. Upon contacting ******** a representative of the dealership, I was initially assured that the issue would be resolved promptly, with the vehicle being towed and repaired at the dealership's expense. (This has been unresolved) This situation has left me feeling deeply misled and unfairly burdened. As a first-time car buyer, I relied on the dealership's transparent representations regarding the warranty coverage. It is only reasonable and just that the dealership honors the warranty agreement from what I understood by fully repairing the engine at no cost to me. I kindly request your assistance in facilitating a resolution to this dispute with the dealership, ensuring that my rights as a consumer are upheld and that I receive the necessary repairs to restore my vehicle's functionality without incurring additional expenses. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, ****** 

  Business response

  03/25/2024

  On February 26th, 2024, ****** ******* purchased the **** ***** *** *or $*******. He had $****** in sales tax bringing the total paid to $******** He was giving the opportunity to test drive the vehicle which he did indeed drive. He was not given any time limit on the test drive and was able to drive the vehicle until he was satisfied and ready to purchase. *** ******* was given a 30 day or 1,000 mile warranty whichever comes first, that covered the Engine and Transmission Internal Lubricated Parts only. The dealer (Benjie's Auto Sales) is responsible for 10% of parts and 10% of labor of covered components. I have a included a copy of the warranty where *** ******* had initialed where coverage is listed. In his complaint he states that the covered components are listed in bold but he failed to mention that so is the amount the dealer is responsible to cover which is 10% of labor and 10% of parts. We let *** ******* know that if he wished to pursue the warranty that we would tow his vehicle free of charging using a company known as *** ***** which is over $300. It is unfortunate that *** ******* has experience difficulty with the vehicle but it is an inexpensive, high mileage vehicle. We provided a warranty but it does not in any way cover repairs in full. I've only spoken with Mr. Nichols once and that's when he brought the issue to my attention and in no way did I imply that I would take on full responsibility of the repairs. I went over what his warranty covers and that we would tow it and he stated that he would get back to me. I do not have the current mileage of his vehicle but if he as put over 1,000 miles since time of purchase then his vehicle is no longer covered.

• Initial Complaint

  08/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We purchased a car on June 23rd from Benjie’s Auto Sales. On July 2nd the check engine light came on, the car was driven to an auto parts store to have the codes read, which said cam shaft sensor codes. The bill with the mechanic was $400+ and Benjie’s would not pay this bill either. Benjie’s auto sales was called and asked if they covered cam shaft sensors and they said no, so we took the car to our mechanic. Sensors were changed and mechanic drive the car and checked sensors and there were metal shavings in the the sensor and oil. Mechanic stated the motor was bad. Contacted Benjie’s who stated they wanted to look at the car, the car was picked up by them, they had it for 10 days and did not make a claim with the extended car warranty but they did agree the motor needed replaced. After approximately 10 days we towed the car on our own back to our mechanic. He made a claim with the warranty who stated if it is determined a pre existing item caused the failure they will not cover the damage. Mechanic stated it is a pre existing as we drive the car 9 days and 1,057 miles and nothing could have damaged the motor that quickly. Called Benjie’s back to request they buy the car back and they stated only **** deals with the warranty information. Benjie’s will not do anything to replace the car that we paid $8,669 for. It is a 2013 Kia Optima and the car was driven prior to buying. Can you please assist us in getting a resolution.

  Business response

  09/22/2022

  To whom it may concern regarding case# ************ ******** *** ***** ******.
  Prior to purchase vehicle was test drove by ******** and ***** ****** and they were satisfied with the test drive
  and purchased the vehicle on 06/23/2022. It was originaly priced at $7995. The ******** decided they wanted to
  negociate price and so we agreed on 7601.23 sales price, $253 doc fee and $745.77 in sales tax totaling $8600.
  Customer was given the dealer limited warranty of 30 days or 1000 miles whichever comes first on the
  engine/transmission/internal lubricated parts(See attacthed document Buyers Guide) they were also given a 90 day
  or 4,500 mile Power Train warranty through ******** ********** **** *See attached for details **** ********** ****) and had declined to purchase additional warranty. Within the first 9 days of owning the vehicle the *******
  state that they put 1056 miles on the vehicle which voids/exceeds our dealer limited warranty. On July 2nd They
  called and let us know that the check engine light had come on and asked if that was covered. We told them that if it
  was a sensor or something similar it would not be covered and they would need to pay out of pocket. They decided
  that they would take it to a shop of their choosing rather than pay our dealership to work on it. The shop that they
  took it to determined that the vehicle would need a motor. As far as the balance to Logans Auto Repair of 437.34
  for the cam shaft sensors goes we had discounted the vehicle close to $400 and we agreed in writing that Due to
  Discounted Price, No Futher Repair or Reconditioning Due, Expressed or Implied. (See attached We Owe Form)
  The ******* are responsible for this cost. We sent a tow truck to pick up the vehicle at no cost to the ******* and
  brought it back to our shop. They did not have an appointment since this was unexpected so we did our best to get
  the vehicle worked in. Our shop also determined that the vehicle did need a motor and qualified for the Power Train
  Warranty through ******* ********** ****. We had left a message with ******** but they had not returned our call
  so we did not get a claim started. The ******* believed we had the vehicle too long and they wanted to take it back
  to Logans. We assured them we were in their corner and were waiting on the warranty company to contact us back
  and we had also let them know that we would only charge them the deductible and sales tax for the job as well as
  work for the labor rate of $60.00 per hour even though our shop labor rate is $100 per hour and not charge them for
  diagnosis or tear down. With that being said they decided that we had the vehicle long enough and they picked the
  vehicle up during the weekend of July 23rd, 2022 and took it back to Logans. Logans did not start the claim with
  ******* until August 18th, 2022 and had made the decision for the warranty company that the motor was not
  covered the warranty company had not denied the claim for pre existing damage. An inspector from ********
  inspected the vehicle on September 2nd and the claim is still open. If we were giving the same time frame that the
  ******* allowed ***** **** ****** we would most likely have the job complete. We have done all we can to
  accomodate the ******* but they did not allow us the time to help them. We did not charge them at all for the tow or
  time spent diagnosing the car. The vehicle had been literelly taken off of our hands and we do not intend on a
  refund.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩