I purchased a 1998 Dodge Durango from Aviator Auto Group in York, PA about a month ago. Before I decided to purchase the vehicle I noticed there was no state inspection sticker on the windshield only a brand new state emission sticker. I asked the guy from the dealership who was helping me, why there was no inspection sticker on the windshield. He told me that they (The dealership) inspected it and it failed because it needed 2 lower ball joints and new tires to pass. He also said that they were going to replace the ball joints and tires and then they would pass it for inspection. I live an hour and a half away from the dealership and they said they would sell it to me the way it is for $400.00 less. I took the vehicle for a test drive and I noticed the steering had alittle play in it but I thought that was because of the bad ball joints. I decided to purchase the vehicle the way it was under the impression that it just needed new ball joints and tires to pass inspection. I also asked the guy if the vehicle was safe to drive home the way it was and he assured me it was safe to drive home even after I told him I have an hour and a half drive home. I got the ball joints fixed and put tires on it and I took it to my mechanic to have it inspected and he had a list of items that need to be fixed on it before he even got it on the lift. I do trust my mechanic he has known me ever since I was a kid and my parents have been using him for a very long time for all their vehicles. My mechanic informed me that to pass inspection this vehicle would need a new right front inner tie rod, a new steering intermediate shaft(from the column all the way to the gearbox), there was no battery hold down and the battery was to big for the mount so it didn't fit so it would need a battery hold down and a new battery that fit in the mount, the front brake pads were almost worn down to the metal and they were also cracked and badly chipped and the hole on the right front steering knuckle for the caliper mounting bolt was totally stripped so the caliper was only held on by one bolt not two. And all this was even before he got it on the lift, he just drove it into the garage and found all these problems. I called Aviator Auto and told them all this and they just gave me the run around and said that if I wanted to bring the vehicle back they would give me a discount on the repairs and inspect it. I'm sorry but when they first inspected it they missed all these items so why should I trust them to do it again. I have a 19 month old daughter and her safety is a big concern for me so no I will not trust them to do the work and no I will never give them anymore of my money. I have now had all the items fixed that needed to be fixed and it is now at the mechanic again for state inspection. I posted an ad on the local Craigslist explaining what happened and Aviator Auto Group also posted a rebuttal. The following statement is exactly what they said in their rebuttal, I just copied and pasted it:
AVIATOR AUTO GROUP SELLS GOOD CARS FOR GOOD PRICES!!! READ BELOW Here at Aviator Auto, we have range of different vehicles to offer. All of them are reliable. Most of them have current and up to date inspections. For the few that don't have current and up to date inspection, they're in the process. We strive to make sure customers are getting the best for their money!!! Google us to see our full inventory. We offer financing for any kind of credit. Good Credit, Bad Credit, it doesn't matter.
Recently a unsatisfied customer posted a ad slandering our dealership with false allegations. To correct his story, the customer decided to purchase a vehicle for a price lowered than what we were asking under the agreement that the vehicle will be sold "as is" without up to date inspection. We offered to inspect the vehicle for the price we had listed, customer insisted that he would take it for a lower price. Before he purchased the vehicle it was pre-inspected and in order to pass it required new tires and ball joints. We relayed the info to the customer. He takes it to another inspection station to get it inspected and they told him that the vehicle needed tie rod, steering shaft, and a battery holder. Under no intent, did we deliver false information. Had he let us inspect the vehicle, he would not be in the position that he's in. If we inspected the vehicle for him for the agreed price, we would assume full responsibility for any missed defects or failures.
Even with the "as is" circumstances we agreed to give him a discount on the repairs needed to pass inspection. Customer denied and said very aggressively that he did not have any money to pay for the needed repairs and would therefore post an ad about Aviator Auto Group on Craigslist saying we sell bad cars. In conclusion, this matter is about an unsatisfied customer who intends to shatter our reputation and wants us to be fully liable for the matters that's beyond our control.
When you or your loved ones come to buy a vehicle from Aviator Auto Group, we'll take great care of you. If it makes you comfortable to bring a mechanic or take one of our vehicle to your preferred mechanic before deciding to make a purchase, that's fine with us. Call or come in today.
Aviator Auto Group
5210 n. Susquehanna Trail
York, PA 17406
717-384-8898
They said in this statement that they did a pre inspection on the vehicle and it needed new ball joints and tires to pass. What exactly is a pre inspection and if they did a so called pre inspection how did their mechanic miss all these problems when my mechanic noticed the problems just by driving it. Also they must have done an actual state inspection because they did the state emission inspection on it and passed it so why would they pull it into the garage and just do emission on it and not the full inspection. Their motto is "We are all about making the customer drive home happy and safe" that statement alone is a lie because I am not happy and I did not drive not safe in this vehicle(even though the guy at the dealership said the vehicle was safe to drive home). As bad of shape as the steering intermediate shaft was I am lucky the steering didn't lock up on me and put myself at risk and other driver's at risk. True I did buy the vehicle "as is" as they say but they also told me the vehicle was safe to drive the way it was and they also said all it need to pass state inspection is lower ball joints and tires. Had I known this vehicle was unsafe to drive and all this work would be needed to pass inspection I probably would not have bought it. If you would decide to buy a vehicle from Aviator Auto Group and if they did the inspection on it I would definetly have it checked out by your mechanic. I pesonally don't think they truely care about the poeple buying their vehicles all they care about is selling them so they will tell you anything to sell a car even if it puts you and your family at risk. I have already reported this dealer to the Better Business Bureau and it is under investigation. Do not buy a vehicle from Aviator Auto in York, PA they are a bunch of lier's and rip off artist's.
Jeremy
Fleetwood,#2Author of original report
Tue, June 11, 2013
Now which did you do... Did you do a Pre Inspection (as you stated on Craigslist) or did you do a state inspection (as you stated on rip off report) or don't you know? It seems like the employee's of this company are not real good with communicating with each other or with the garage next door or with the customers. In your original craigslist posting (which I copied and pasted to the original rip off report) you say that a Pre Inspection was done and in your rip off report rebuttal you said it was an actual state inspection. It doesn't sound like you people know what you are doing there and if you are having communication problems between yourselves or between you and the garage that does your inspections and repairs than yes you are liable because you are not relaying information correctly.
Your company is selling the vehicle not the garage next door therefore you are responsible for the accuracy of the information you relay to the customer and if the garage next door is not relaying information to you correctly than I suggest you should have a talk with them about that. The garage next door did not tell me what needed to be done to the vehicle to pass inspection, you did. If the garage next door would have gave me the wrong information and not you, I would be going after them, not you.
You said in your rebuttal "Freedom of speech is one thing, but to slander our reputation with claims that remains untrue is another." You are proving yourself wrong (and that I am not lying) in you rebuttal by saying "Before he purchased the vehicle it was state inspected by the repair shop next door to us and in order to pass state inspection it required new tires and ball joints. We informed the customer based on the information we was given." These statements alone prove that I am not making false accusations about anything you are basically saying you told me what I said. These are statements I copied and pasted from YOUR ripoff report rebuttal, so I did not change them in any way or make them up.
Even if the garage next door did the inspection and did not find all of these other problems, or did not tell you about these problems with this vehicle, how many other vehicles did you sell that they inspected or repaired and they might have missed something on those vehicles also. This garage you use does not sound to competant and if you continue using this garage to repair your vehicles and inspect them, you are just basically saying you do not care about your customers too much. Which also makes you liable because you do not care about the work being performed on the vehicles you sell.
You also stated that "Im sorry for his additional and unexpected expenses, but are we to blame?" Yes, you are to blame because you relayed false information to me and as I said before you are selling the vehicle therefore you are responsible for the accuracy of what you say about that vehicle. If your not sure about something then you should either say "I'm not sure" or "I can find out" or something like that. If your salesman would have said "I don't know what is wrong with it exactly" or "I think it needs ball joints and tire to pass I'm not sure." then I wouldn't be mad about the whole thing. When I asked your salesman why it did not pass inspection he told me because it needs ball joints and tires and he didn't say nothing about anything else.
Bottom line is, the only mistake I made throughout this whole thing is I trusted your dealership with what you told me about the vehicle. That was the only mistake I made, I should have never trusted your dealership and thanks to you I will never trust another dealership ever, which is how I should have been this time.
Aviator Auto Group
York,#3REBUTTAL Owner of company
Mon, June 10, 2013
Recently one of our customers posted a ad slandering our dealership with false allegations. The gentleman purchased a vehicle from Aviator Auto Group. The customer decided to purchase a vehicle for a price lowered than what we were asking under the agreement that the vehicle will be sold "as is" without up to date inspection. We offered to inspect the vehicle for the price we had listed, customer insisted that he would take it for a lower price. Before he purchased the vehicle it was state inspected by the repair shop next door to us and in order to pass state inspection it required new tires and ball joints.
We informed the customer based on the information we was given. The customer decided to take the vehicle to another inspection station to get it inspected and they told him that the vehicle needed tie rod, steering shaft, and a battery holder. Under no intent, did we deliver false information. If we inspected the vehicle for him for the agreed price, we would assume full responsibility for any missed defects or failures. Even with the "as is" circumstances we agreed to give him a discount on the repairs needed to pass inspection.
Customer denied and said very aggressively that he did not have any money to pay for the needed repairs and if we was not going to fixed them he would post an ad about Aviator Auto Group on Craigslist saying we sell bad cars. Freedom of speech is one thing, but to slander our reputation with claims that remains untrue is another. In conclusion, this matter is about an dissatisfied customer who intends to shatter our reputation and wants us to be fully liable for matters that's beyond our control. We care about all of our customers and do the best that we can to help them. This is a case where's our best did not meet this customer's satisfaction.
If I had any knowledge of the additional parts that his mechanic discovered before he purchased the vehicle we would have mentioned it and offered different options. Im sorry for his additional and unexpected expenses, but are we to blame? It's no way that our business have made it this far carrying out the actions that Jeremy depicted us as. We've conducted a vast amount of good business with neighbors of the community as well as out of town residents. When you or your loved ones come to buy a vehicle from Aviator Auto Group, we'll take great care of you. You're more than welcome to bring a mechanic or drive one of our vehicles to your preferred mechanic before deciding to make a purchase, it works for the both of us. Call or come in today. We take questions and concerns very seriously. In regards to this response, if anyone has any questions, complaints, or suggestions please feel free to contact us via email at [email protected].
Aviator Auto Group
5210 n. Susquehanna Trail
York, PA 17406
717-384-8898