Complaint Review: Star Auto Mall

On December 18. 2022 I traveled to Bethlehem, PA, to purchase a 2015 Cadillac SRX from Star Auto Mall. When I test-drove the vehicle, it was apparent that something was wrong with the headlights. Although the lights appeared to be on, they did not provide enough light to see more than 4 feet in front of the vehicle. When I asked them how they would handle addressing the repair, they indicated that I send them an appraisal of the work and they would pay for it. I proceeded to drive back to MD on high beam lights. It is now May, and my headlights have not been repaired; I cannot drive at night, my car cannot pass inspection, and my registration expired in February. I understand it is illegal for a retail dealership to sell a car that cannot pass inspection.

I submitted two estimates for Star Auto: The dealer - Miller Chevrolet in Ellicott City and Paradise Auto in Catonsville. The dealership quoted $2000 to fix the headlights, and Paradise Auto quoted $1400.  

When I made a follow-up call to sales, they said nothing was wrong with the lights, and it was probably just poor vision due to my advanced age. After several months they still refused to pay. They asked me to bring the car to Bethlehem to have it fixed. I agreed but had to reschedule my appointment for this week. The day before I was to drive to Bethlehem, I emailed my contact to confirm that he would be at the dealership. I was distressed that he would not be there, so I canceled the appointment. He sent a follow-up email to me, indicating that I should take the vehicle to an auto shop and have the headlights buffed, and it should be, at most, $100. He also said to take the vehicle to an inspection and assured me it would then pass inspection. Based on this response, I suspect getting me to PA was to me with a false inspection report to rid themselves of this problem. I also came to this conclusion when I insisted that he be prepared to repair the car, and he refused to commit to a repair. My response was to send him information about the class action suit by the owners of this make and model due to the defective headlights. GM agreed to reimburse owners for replacing the headlights; however, when I contacted GM, they said they would not honor this agreement since I did not buy my car from a GM dealer. I am still awaiting a response to this last email dated Friday, May 12, 2023.

The attempted inspections by Miller Chevrolet revealed that in addition to the headlight problem, the car had three bald tires and needed a purge canister solenoid, and a rear window wiper, for a total of $3155 to make all the repairs; however, this quote did not include the tires. I informed Star Auto that I could purchase three used tires for $400. They did send me a check to purchase the tires. They refused to pay for the repairs without seeing the car. I hesitate to spend money to travel to Bethlehem when they do not commit to fixing the car. It is too much money for them to look at the car or buff the headlights. I am 66 years old and live on a modest fixed income. Even given these restrictions, I offered to settle everything for $1,000. I suggested they contact the dealer directly if they have any questions. They refused.