Mechanic warns of engine light tape scam on used cars

ATLANTA (CBS46/Grey Information) – Wanda King-Whitby was cruising by way of the listings on Autotrader and Craigslist when she found the correct vehicle at the proper price.

It was a 2006 Toyota Camry with just about 151,000 miles. When she stopped by the vendor, AP Vehicle Revenue, she mentioned she preferred it, and when she drove it, the salesman told her there was practically nothing erroneous with it. She paid out $4,000 and drove it property.

“He just instructed me that the motor vehicle was in fantastic form,” King-Whitby advised WGCL. “It did not require any repairs, I did not will need an emission and I shouldn’t have any troubles with it.”

Like most car or truck buyers, King-Whitby opted to skip a pre-purchase inspection. Virtually right away immediately after the buy, she claimed, the vehicle had problems.

“It appeared like the transmission slipped or the motor slipped,” she said.

A mechanic at Theo’s Automotive in Peachtree Town, Ga, carried out a write-up-order inspection and uncovered concerns that must have kept the automobile off the road. The vehicle experienced been improperly repainted and there had been signs the roof experienced been crushed.

But that was just the starting.

Decades ago, the only way to decrease a car’s odometer was by eliminating the instrument cluster and manually rolling again the miles. But in the digital age, criminals have an much easier selection.

In King-Whitby’s case, the primary instrument cluster experienced been eradicated and replaced with one with less miles on it. Samantha Stout, a support adviser at Theo’s, observed the discrepancy on the vehicle’s Carfax report.

“It states that the mileage was 151,000 with a be aware of mileage inconsistency,” Stout mentioned. “The mileage right before that was 248,000 miles.”

By changing the instrument cluster, somebody reduced the car’s mileage by 97,000 miles.

Glen Berry, a support manager at Theo’s, confirmed WGCL the instrument cluster soon after it was taken off. It looked normal, until finally he pulled back the semi-clear address covering the warning lights. Berry claims when you push start off or switch the ignition, vehicles are designed to exhibit all warning lights as a self-examine.

On King-Whitby’s Camry, every thing lit apart from for the check out engine mild.

“Upon making an attempt to see why it does not work, we really started peeling the covering again, and you can see they put a very little piece of electrical tape on it to black out where that light was on,” Berry reported.

By covering the check out motor light, Berry reported a vendor could make it surface there was nothing improper with the automobile and that it would effortlessly move emissions.

“This was intentional,” Berry stated. “They knew what they were performing.”

WGCL went to AP Car Repairs in Douglasville, Georgia, and questioned the sellers for an rationalization. Workers of the firm claimed the car’s earlier seller must have tampered with it.

King-Whitby has since been given a $4,000 funds refund from AP Car Repairs.

Whitby stated the funds is heading into the bank, but when she buys her subsequent used car or truck, she will shell out for a pre-obtain inspection.

Copyright 2022 WGCL through Grey Media Team, Inc. All rights reserved.