Complaint Review: Eastside Automotive

Hello, I am writing to alert you about a fraudulent used car dealership in Cleveland. It doubles as an auto repair shop. I went to Cleveland on Jan.5th, 2012, to go and see a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport for sale. It was a small used car dealer called "Eastside Automotive", located at 18901 1/2 St. Clair Ave., Cleveland. Their phone number is
216-812-4292. The salesperson's name is Jay Munitz. Jay showed me the van and
informed me that although the body had 166,000 miles, Eastside Automotive had
recently replaced the engine, which had around 80,000 or 90,000 miles on it. He
was unable to give me the exact mileage, but assured me that he would get it to
me. My girlfriend and another friend were there to witness the entire
transaction. He assured me that the vehicle had been inspected by their shop,
and that there was nothing wrong with it. We agreed on a price of $2,500., and
I purchased and drove the van home that day. I live in Rittman, Ohio.
Almost immediately, I began experiencing problems with the van. The heat
stopped working on my way home, and when it got dark, I discovered that one of
the headlights did not work. I stopped at Auto Zone to replace the bulb for the
headlight, and was told by the Auto Zone rep. that the bulb wasn't the problem,
after he changed it and was still not working. The problem turned out to be the
wire running from the fuse box to the headlight, which I later had to replace.
While at the shop, it was also discovered that one of the tire rods was bent,
some bearings were bad, and that the rack and pinion was leaking power steering
fluid. I called Eastside Automotive to alert them of these problems, and Jay
Munitz told me that I purchased the van "as is", therefore there was nothing they would do. Since then, I have had to replace the stereo, which was defective, as it remained on all the time, and was draining the battery. I had to have the van towed due to bad battery connections, which I had to replace. The brakes went out on me, and I had to replace 2 brake lines. I also had to
replace the alternator. Now the engine is leaking oil from 2 different places,
and the serpentine belt also needs replaced. I began to suspect that Jay Munitz
had lied to me about the engine being replaced. So, I took it to an auto shop
near me, called McCall's Auto Service, located at 400 College St., Wadsworth, Ohio,
in order to determine whether or not my suspicions were correct. The owner,
Bill McCall, informed me that there was absolutely no evidence that the engine
had ever been replaced. He showed me many things which were consistent with it
being the original engine. He was unable to find the VIN number on the engine
so as to compare it to the VIN on the body. It is highly unlikely that anyone would
have put an engine leaking oil in 2 places and with a bad belt into a vehicle.
I then called Eastside Automotive and expressed McCall's findings. Jay Munitz
became very nasty with me, and told me that whatever mechanic I took it to was
lousy, and stuck to his story that the engine had been changed. He insisted
that it was not leaking fluids while it was on the lot. I asked him again for
the actual mileage of the engine, and he said he was unable to find it. This
was perhaps the third or fourth time I had asked him for it. He said that it
did not matter, because I purchased the van "as is". I have since
contacted an attorney named David Truman (216-539-7073), and he assures me that
I have a solid case for a lawsuit. I paid $2,800. for the van with tax, and I
have put about $1,500. worth of work into it thus far. I am told that the van
requires another $1,500. worth of work just to make it safe. I and my
girlfriend (whom I live with) share this van, and use it to go to work and to
transport her 2 young daughters, ages 4 and 5. My girlfriend is now pregnant.
All I want is to return this lemon to Eastside Automotive, and get my money
back, and to be reimbursed for what repairs I have done thus far. This van is
not worth putting any more money into, considering the extremely high mileage
of the engine. I have seen your broadcasts which expose fraudulent businesses
in Cleveland, and wanted to alert you about this one, before anyone else falls victim to
Eastside Automotive's deception. I hope that you are able to investigate and
inform the public of this fraudulent business.