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Car Mart review: car issues 3

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We purchased a 2001 Jeep from the Carmart in Paducah, KY 3 month ago. We have had nothing but problems out of it since day 1. I have tried to talk with the Ky store numerous times about it. I have returned it to them 3 times already. Once to replace the radiator after we had only had it for a day. They then keep the car for 6 days. When they picked it up from the mechanic it was returned to us with a busted windshield that we are still waiting to be repaired. The crack is at least 2 feet long at this point in the line of sight of the driver.

The Jeep would stall out at red lights and at one point we were almost rear ended by a semi with our children in the car. It would also jerk as we were going down the road. At night the windshield will foggy on the inside and we constantly have to wipe it with a rag just to be able to see. The heat would just make it worst. The vents in the floor have smoked since day one. Smoke will billow out of the floor and smell of a burnt engine. We recently took it back to them with a letter explaining everything that was wrong with it (they ignored the letter) and did not fix the majority of the problems. As far as they told us they replaced the MAP sensor and the heat/air hoses. However, the smoke is still billowing out of the floor.

We have only had it back for 2 days now but the oil pressure is still a little high. (Before it was time to change the oil we had put in 3 quarts of additional oil) The day we picked it up we commented on it and the technician in charge of repair told us that every time we change the oil after a couple thousand miles, that we will need to add a quart and a half of oil because the manufacture’s are making thinner oil (and we are supposed to buy that) It has also been missing an air filter since we bought it that we just recently became aware of and replaced it.

Carmart of Paducah has blamed all of these problems on everything else except themselves, even though we have had theses problems since day one. Carmart of Paducah has taken no responsibility for these problems since day one and has blamed everyone from us to their own outsourced mechanic.

We have repeatedly called to report these problems and since we have bought the car we have had to rent a car and spend money we don't have and we have had to borrow cars to be able to get back and forth to work and it is very hard to get another car worked out to use when we are paying over a hundred dollars a week for this car. We are paying too much money just to have a vehicle between renting one and borrowing from family.

At the bottom of this page is the exact letter that was sent to the Paducah store (that they paid no attention to)when we dropped the car off for the 3rd time. We just want a vehicle that we don’t have to worry about endangering the lives of our family if it stalls out. I just can't believe that I am paying so much for a car with all of these problems that no one seems to care about. We originally came to your company for the warranty that was offered and because we are wanting to buy a house and didn't need the marks on our credit report from shopping around at different dealers.

At this point we are so frustrated with the whole situation that my husband is about to get a attorney involved, but I wanted to give corporate a chance to resolve these issues before it goes that far. However, if these problems are not corrected in a timely manner, we will have no choice but to pursue legal recourse.

03/26/2010

Repair Issues with the Jeep Purchased from CarMart:

1. Since day one, the heat has not worked right. It blows out black partials when the heat is running. There is also smoke coming from the heating and air vent. I have no idea about the air conditioner because it has been to cold to try it but I’m going to guess that it doesn’t work either.
2. The “check engine” light is on.
3. The engine has died over 10 times at stop lights or stop signs during the last 2 weeks.
4. We have looked in the engine to try to determine the problem we have noticed that the air filter is missing. We are sure that this crucial part missing could be causing some of these problems to persist.
5. The oil was changed after we bought the car. Since then we have put a quart and a half in it. A week and a half later all the oil we have put into it is gone and the oil level is low and needs another quart and a half again and it’s not even time to change the oil yet.
6. The windshield was damaged by an employee of CarMart on the 7th day after we purchased the car. Six of those days it was at the mechanics to have the radiator repaired.
7. When the car is in motion and it starts to slow down. If you remove your foot from the gas pedal it jerks and tries to stall out. This problem is extremely dangerous as the car, of course could die while traffic is oncoming.
8. It sometimes smells like the engine is burning.

Since we purchased the Jeep we have had multiple problems with it. The Jeep originally overheated and needed a new radiator. We were forced to wait 6 days because they ordered the wrong part. After the Jeep was returned to us, we once again, had to take it back the next day and do without it for several more days because the power steering was damaged during the radiator repair.

While Carmart had position of the Jeep the windshield suffered a 2 foot crack on the driver side. I’ve tried to get that fixed and have not got anyone to help me fix it even though they took full responsibility for the break and told me that we didn’t have to leave it with anyone and/or be without the car again that we could have the repair man come to us. That has yet to happen and the crack is now almost 4 feet long.

The heat barely works we thought once the radiator was fixed that the heat would fix itself. It will shoot out black partials from the vents when it is first turned on and it smells like its burning. I haven’t checked the air yet because it’s so cold outside. We have had to replace the battery 3 times.

We have had to put more oil in it since we drove it off the lot and it will not hold the right amount of oil. It dies at stop signs and lights and in the last couple of days it has been jerking and sounding like it is trying to die as we are driving down the road. Now the engine light is on and the car is stalling and the oil is low again.

We need this car repaired properly this time. We are a one car family of four and live 30 minutes from everything. We continually have to bring it back to the lot and make arrangements to be without a car which is impossible since we do work for a living in order to pay for the car. I am VERY upset about this ordeal and need these matters resolved PROPERLY this time. We simply can not afford to take more time off from work to deal with these issues and not have a vehicle.

According to our contract with CarMart, this vehicle is covered under warranty. Something must be done ASAP to resolve ALL of these issues once and for all. I fully expect these issues to be resolved correctly and in a timely manner.

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3 comments
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dpech66
Big Rock, US
Apr 15, 2012 10:03 am EDT

We bought a 1999 Ford F150 in March of 2011 from Clarksville TN Carmart. These people did nothing but lie to us about everything, passed the buck, said "we put a note in the computer" and of course there was no note left. The driver side controls never worked right. Carmart sent it to a shady mechanic and it never was fixed after he had it for three days (and it was returned filthy and greasy) so we gave up. Last October after having the truck only 6 months we had to spend $700 to completely replace the brake system. The exhaust pipe in the middle of underside cracked so it was really loud (and we learned not to even bother calling Carmart about getting it fixed). We found out it had been wrecked and that was never disclosed. Even so, we loved the truck and it was our only transportation anyway. We fell just $400 behind in payments (due to unemployment) and called to make arrangements and "corporate" told us "no problems, come in and pay and we'll work out something. We offered to make double payments until caught up ($200 per week). When we went in they happily took our money then promptly reached into the truck (with my 17 yr old daughter sitting in the back seat), yanked the keys out and said they were repossessing it (while my husband was on the phone with "corporate"). How convenient, after taking our money for a year (which mostly went to interest payments). We paid probably $8000 on the $9999 sale price (it was $14, 000 with interest, etc) so they more than made their money on it. Guess they'll just turn around and sell it to some new set of suckers and triple their money and keep doing this over and over again. Just wish they hadn't taken our money right before taking the truck. We could have paid on something else that needed our attention. Bad thing is that we live in a rural area and my husband works 30 miles from home and there is a really strong possibility that he's going to be once again unemployed due to no transportation. You can see where this is going. We would have been caught up if they'd just given us two weeks. Needless to say we are spreading the word for people not to do business with them if this is how they treat a customer who has been pretty good up until this past month. What a crock!

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bayshbe2010
Paducah, US
Sep 30, 2011 3:06 am EDT

My husband and I purchased a 2000 cheverolet s-10 from the paducah carmart with a aftermarket truck bed and rims We are paying 10, 000 dollars for it. After 3 days of having the warranty to get another vehicle expired and then all hell broke loose. We noticed that the power steering would start locking up. May I mention this was in the middle of a winter storm about 2 or 3 feet of snow and ice. so we sent it to them for a 50 fee thing on the warranty and they kept it for a week and we got it back and there was a dent in the hood that they said was already there and there definately was it. They put a bent power steering pulley on it so it still doesn't drive rigt. The driver side door also use to come open while driving.if my husband didn't slam it and lock it in place, it leaked when it rained too. He told them and.they wouldn't do.anything bout it. So he.ended up fixing it himself. He also told them it had a leak coming from underneath and they said they had not found any leakage. Lucky my husband is a mechanic and took the entire transmission out and what was leaking was clutch slave cylinder which was 70 bucks out of our pocket. It took him 8 hrs to get it in and out and it hasn't leaked again. We had looked into getting an attorney to dispute all.the damages and try to make them pay for what to had to pay out of pocket but we havent got the extra cash to pay for it since we are paying bout 90 bucks a week for a truck that was worth maybe 4000 to begin with. I mean it was a need cus my husbands other truck ###ed up after many many years it was his late grandfathers but it lasted a good while. But as I was saying the truck was really only worth bout 4000 really even with the aftermarket truck bed that had been damage in the rear fender and back bumper. If everyone that has had problems with vehicles from a carmart stood up and sent numerous letters to corporate and got a attorney that specialized in carmarts way of deceit and fraud we could have a.chance to fix all our problems financially and with the pos automobiles they 3 day guarantee.

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Mikeyc1980
Bowling Green, US
May 16, 2010 3:21 pm EDT

I am in a similar situation with the Carmart in Bowling Green, KY. I purchased a 99 Isuzu Amigo from them in October of 2008. When my service warranty ran out conveniently enough, I have had nothing but problems with the car. It constantly over heated, even after repairs to the radiator, and a new clutch fan. I had to put a new axle, drive shaft, wheel bearings, altenator, and starter. About 3 months ago, my engine blew. Up until then I had never complained to them at all. And made all my payments on time. They said they would work with me on getting a new engine put in. If I paid 1000 they would refinance the rest. I said ok. I dropped the car off at their mechanic, and then went to them and put 500 down. I told them when the car was finished I would pay the other 500. Every week I called and asked when the car would be finished, and every week they told me that the mechanic was busy, and that he would hopefully get to it the next week. This went on for about a month and a half. Finally they told me that the car was not being worked on because I had not paid the full 1000. I paid the remaining 500, and then it took another 2 and a half weeks to get the car finished. When I picked the car up, the mechanic told me that the transmission was messed up. Then they tried to blame the transmission for the engine locking up. I took it to a mechanic that I know, and he fixed it. He informed me that when the transmission was put back in, it was not wired correctly. So after all of that, I started a new job, and had a gap in being paid. I informed them that I would not be able to make my payment until the end of the month, and asked if I could have an extension. They would not work with me and they repossesed my car. I have never dealt with such unprofessionalism and such a horrible company. If I had been consistantly late on payments, and been a bad customer then I could see them not giving me the extension. I have made all payments on time even through the repairs, and unreliability of the car, and never complained. When I ask for a 2 week extension they reposess my car. Im at my wits end with what to do, I do not want to pay for something that I am getting no use out of. And they make it out to be my fault. They have given me mis information, and have dragged this situation out for months, but its my fault. I understand your frustration, and can totally relate to it. I hope you situation was cleared up with them. Im not sure what will happen with mine. Oh' and to add insult to injury, I need a new exhaust system, and the convertible top is dry rotting, and has cracks in the plastic.