K & G Cars

My son and I bought ***I from K&G Used Cars on 2/8/19. Since it was beyond the age where CT requires the inclusion of a warranty, we said that we would only be interested in buying the car if we could get a power train warranty on it. As part of the sales price negotiation, K&G agreed to pay for a 3 month / 4500 mile power train warranty. They purchased the warranty from *** and it included coverage of the turbocharger. We had taken a test drive and noticed no issues. When back at the dealership, I noticed a puddle of oil under the car and asked the salesman (also the owner) about it. He replied that it was not from this car; it had no leaks. We purchased the car and headed home (2.5 hrs to ***).

By the time we arrived home, the car had lost a quart of oil. A few days later and after only 265 miles since purchase, the check engine light came on and the car started having severe trouble running. We had it towed to a VW dealer. They started troubleshooting the ignition problems and recommended replacing the after-market coils and plugs. I had asked them to also look at the oil leak and they said the rear main seal was leaking. Neither of these were covered by the PT warranty so I told them to go ahead and fix them. It was estimated at 455 for the coils/plugs and 1536 for the rear seal and 540 for a new oil pan to fix the oil leaks properly.

Replacing the coils and plugs did not fix the problem and further troubleshooting showed the turbo waste gate was severely worn and rattling and noted that the wrong antifreeze was in the engine. They said the turbo needed replacing and would be covered by the PT warranty. I agreed with proceeding. While waiting on the turbo to arrive, they did the repairs on the oil leak and also replaced the engine coolant ($159).

When the turbo arrived, they had difficult getting it to fit the engine. Further investigation showed that the engine was not original and wasn't even an engine made to fit that car. It was for an *** and was force-fit to install and the VW technician said that the engine and turbo did not mate properly with the rest of the car's exhaust and components and was likely why the turbo failed. They said there was nothing else they could really do except replace the engine. At this point, the warranty would not apply to the turbo or the engine since they were not original equipment. Since I now had over 2000 in repairs and an engine that wouldn't work, I really had no option other than to replace the engine. If I stopped at that point, I would be out the money invested so far with a car of no value. We agreed to a used VW engine with a limited warranty on it. The engine replacement cost $6778 including about 1000 for the work on the turbo before they figured out the engine was wrong.

After the engine was replaced, the test drive showed a front wheel bearing needed replacement. I agreed ($312). The rear brake pads and rotors also needed replacing in order to pass NYS inspection. The total bill upon leaving was $11,177 (car purchase price was 6700). 5 days later, the starter failed ($595).

Through the process of replacing the engine, we reached out to the selling dealer. They said they were sorry that we were having the problem but said that they didn't know about the faulty engine and they paid for a warranty so they had no more responsibility for it. I explained that we had agreed to buy the car based on a contract with a power train warranty. I explained that what I received was a car without a valid PT warrant based on the engine. I believe that K&G has some responsibility for honoring the intent of the contract, even if they didn't know about the replaced engine. The said they would send me $1000 but I said that didn't seem reasonable and no money was exchanged.

Although I am very disappointed about some of the items that I needed to repair like replacing the incorrect coolant and fixing an oil leak after they said no leaks, I acknowledge that I bought a used car "as is" with the exception of the PT warranty, and therefore, I am not looking for any compensation for those non-PT items. However, I do consider that K&G has responsibility for honoring the intent of the contract which implied that I am buying a car with a warranty that covers the engine and PT, including the turbo. The total paid that "should" have been covered by warranty if original equipment would be:
$6778 engine replacement + $595 starter = $7373. I believe K&G should be responsible for some if not all of this and the $1000 that they offered does not seem reasonable.

Purchased a ***. Had it 2 weeks and engine light went on. Owner said he would fix it. Got it back 2 weeks later. Drove 10 miles light went back on. He said to bring it back in. 4 weeks later he brought it back with accident damage. I told him I refused to take it until it was fixed and I also learned there were 2 life threatening recalls on the car they never had done. He said he would have it done. Got the car back 2 weeks later front bumper was repaired but there is still a dent on the right front side. Also got a urgent notice in the mail that recalls were never done. So obviously he lied about it. *** could have been seriously injured up to and including death! I also kept asking him to put windshield washer in the car as it was checked off on the inspection. He never did. So I took it to my mechanic because the windshield wipers were not working. He never put washer fluid in. Becausethe bottle was broken and it cost me $500 to have it fixed, it would have been covered under the small insurance policy that was issued with the purchase of the car but because he had it for 6WEEKS it had expired. We also never got 1 piece of paperwork for all these visits. Would like the $500 for the repair and someone needs to look into his business practices!