My new car made a ‘grinding noise’ & stopped right after I bought it – I had to get it repaired but dealership won’t pay

A DRIVER hoped his new car’s warranty would cover the repair cost after his vehicle wouldn’t turn on, but a court ruled in the dealership’s favor.

The driver brought home a new Kia under warranty, but his car maintenance decision prevented him from receiving the free fix.

Getty

Getty

A Canadian Civil Resolution Tribunal ruled that a British Columbia dealership group isn’t responsible for the car’s repair, according to Automotive News .

In June 2023, Michael Graber took his vehicle to Kelowna Kia for some brake and wiring work.

When the car was in the shop, a technician also suggested Graber get a new ignition switch.

However, the driver opted out of the additional repair.

On his way back home to Quesnel, nearly 350 miles away, Graber noticed a grinding noise.

Within a month, the vehicle wouldn’t start.

A car with a faulty starter may struggle to start or fail to start altogether, leaving the engine unresponsive when the ignition is turned.

When he called Kelowna Kia, they offered to fix the car’s starter, but required Graber to pay for the towing cost to the dealership.

Graber declined the offer and brought the car to a local NAPA auto shop to fix the ignition issue.

The shop replaced both the starter and the ignition switch.

Kelowna Kia later offered to replace the faulty starter under warranty if Graber returned the part to the dealership himself.

But according to the lawsuit, Graber declined to bring the part to the dealership 350 miles away.

Tribunal member Mark Henderson dismissed Graber’s claim.

In the final decision, Henderson stated returning the starter to Kelowna Kia for warranty service was “an implied term of the warranty.”

He concluded that it wasn’t too inconvenient for Graber to wait for an appointment at a closer dealership.

Dealership Tips

Here are some expert tips when purchasing a car from a dealership lot:

• 1. Set your price: Ensure you’ve calculated your monthly budget before going to the lot. You should include the car’s loan payment, insurance costs, fuel, and regular maintenance.
• 2. Research: Make sure you know which cars you’re interested in test driving before you reach the dealership.
• 3. Pre-approval: Secure financing before you go to the dealership. Dealerships may give you a better interest rate if they are competing with an outside bank.
• 4. Test away: Get behind the wheel before making any payments. A car purchase will be worth thousands of dollars – drivers should ensure they like the drivetrain, steering feel, and comfort of the car before taking it off the lot
• 5. Haggle: Drivers should always try to negotiate the price. There are so many good cars on the American market – buyers have a strong hand when negotiating price.

Source: Kelley Blue Book

The decision also pointed out that allowing customers to make car dealerships pay for repairs done at other shops could challenge the company’s business model.

“A [dealership’s] repair shop cannot replace an automotive part if a customer takes the vehicle elsewhere,” the decision added.

“If the customer takes the vehicle to a third-party shop and seeks reimbursement from the original shop, then the original shop misses the opportunity to find the source of the problem or seek compensation from the manufacturer.”

The U.S. Sun contacted Kelowna Kia for comment on this story.

The dealership didn’t immediately respond to the request for comment.