Mechanic warns of engine light tape scam on used cars

ATLANTA (CBS46/Gray News) – Wanda King-Whitby was cruising by the listings on Autotrader and Craigslist when she uncovered the appropriate vehicle at the appropriate rate.

It was a 2006 Toyota Camry with just over 151,000 miles. When she stopped by the seller, AP Automobile Income, she stated she appreciated it, and when she drove it, the salesman told her there was practically nothing wrong with it. She paid out $4,000 and drove it residence.

“He just advised me that the auto was in excellent shape,” King-Whitby advised WGCL. “It did not want any repairs, I did not need an emission and I shouldn’t have any complications with it.”

Like most car potential buyers, King-Whitby opted to skip a pre-invest in inspection. Just about straight away soon after the obtain, she stated, the car or truck had troubles.

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

A mechanic at Theo’s Automotive in Peachtree City, Ga, performed a submit-purchase inspection and observed concerns that must have saved the automobile off the street. The car or truck had been badly repainted and there had been symptoms the roof experienced been crushed.

But that was just the starting.

Decades back, the only way to reduce a car’s odometer was by taking away the instrument cluster and manually rolling again the miles. But in the digital age, criminals have an simpler alternative.

In King-Whitby’s scenario, the initial instrument cluster had been taken off and replaced with one with fewer miles on it. Samantha Stout, a provider adviser at Theo’s, observed the discrepancy on the vehicle’s Carfax report.

“It says that the mileage was 151,000 with a observe of mileage inconsistency,” Stout stated. “The mileage ahead of that was 248,000 miles.”

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

Glen Berry, a company supervisor at Theo’s, showed WGCL the instrument cluster soon after it was taken off. It appeared typical, until eventually he pulled again the semi-clear go over covering the warning lights. Berry says when you push start off or turn the ignition, automobiles are built to display all warning lights as a self-check out.

On King-Whitby’s Camry, almost everything lit apart from for the verify motor mild.

“Upon making an attempt to see why it does not do the job, we essentially begun peeling the covering back again, and you can see they place a minor piece of electrical tape on it to black out in which that light was on,” Berry stated.

By masking the test engine mild, Berry mentioned a seller could make it show up there was absolutely nothing completely wrong with the car and that it would effortlessly pass emissions.

“This was intentional,” Berry stated. “They understood what they had been executing.”

WGCL went to AP Car Repairs in Douglasville, Georgia, and requested the sellers for an rationalization. Personnel of the company claimed the car’s former seller must have tampered with it.

King-Whitby has because obtained a $4,000 dollars refund from AP Automobile Repairs.

Whitby explained the cash is likely into the lender, but when she purchases her subsequent applied car or truck, she will pay for a pre-invest in inspection.

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