Posted: 8/3/2008 9:25:08 AM EDT
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Let's say you sold a 98 Nissan truck to a guy a few days ago. He and his friend drove the truck before he buys it and then pays for it with cash. He calls 3 days later and says the throwout bearing is bad and wants you to do something. He says he is sorry he bought the truck now. i.e. pay for the repair or take the truck back, etc etc. What would you do? |
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Did you know about the problem? Was any warranty implied or stated? What are your state laws on this? I say if you honestly didn't know, and he didn't do his due diligence by having a mechanic go over it, he is out of luck. If you knew it was bad and likely to go, man up. |
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Whenever I sell a vehicle, the Bill of Sale says something along the lines of "This sale is final. No warranty stated or implied." I'm also as honest as possible about the condition of the vehicle. I always allow the buyer to get it checked by a mechanic. If they decide not to, or if their mechanic misses something, it's their responsibility to get it fixed. |
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It is an 11 year old truck. If he wanted one in perfect condition, I'm sure any of the local dealerships would have been happy to set him up with one. If you didn't know there was a problem and you didn't give any sort of warranty, you don't owe him anything. I would tell him to enjoy his new truck. |
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I am the person who sold the truck and didn't know about it, but the truck made noises for the year I had it, but it drove good. I am no mechanic and would know a throwout bearing from a rocker panel gasket. No warranties were implkied. The guy is a stranger to me. |
| If the mileage is not way above what it was when you sold it, and it does not seem he abused it, offer to split the repair cost with him. Seems a cheap fix to save a friendship with no hard feelings. Tell him the only reason you are offerinh that as apposed to just sorry you bought it as is, is because he is a friend. |
At the Nissan Stealership.  Couldn't find anyone else to do it in a reasonable amount of time. (Less than 2 weeks)
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| A throwout bearing is fairly rugged, it you were experiencing transmission troubles before and did not tell the guy....well take care of the problem. If no problems then like someone said try to see if they drove the hell (mileage) out of it or was rawhidingit by 4-wheeling etc....then use your own judgement |
Never told him the truck was solid, no issues. In fact, I told him the only issues I knew about. That the tailgate didn't open and the muffler might need replacing. |
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verify that it's even bad, to begin with. just because he calls you up saying "the throwout bearing is bad" doesn't mean it is. have him take it to a mechanic that you trust for an inspection and go from there. split bill if necessary. but make sure it's not something minor before giving him a refund or any money. but get proof before doing or commiting to *anything*. I've heard people say some crazy shit was wrong with their vehicles just by not knowing any better. it might have been some highly technical diagnosis, that it made some rattle and some buddy of his is all "oh it's the throwout bearing, that guy ripped you off". hell it could be the universal joint for all you know, if that's what it ends up being, go buy him one from AutoZone and tell him to get lost. |
Yep. My step-daughter bought a car some time ago, and asked me to test-drive it first. I told her the clutch was going, and if she bought it, she'd have to baby it for awhile, and replace the clutch first chance she got. Well, guess what? She bought it, didn't baby it, the clutch went out in a couple months, and she blamed me for "letting her" buy a crappy car. They bought your truck as is - unless there's some compelling reason why you want to give your money away, then it's their bad luck. (If there IS some compelling reason why you want to give money away, my address is...) |
| A throw out bearing doesn't go bad in a three day period. You would be able to tell by the sound when you push the clutch, or even ride the clutch slightly. The dealer price is way over what any other mechanic/repair shop would charge. Probably by 25-30% more. I would have sold the vehicle with no warranty, neither implied or either expessed verbally or in writing. This vehicle is sold in an "as-is" condition and the buyer assumes full responsibility, including any emmissions/smog-related compliance. If it's a border-line issue and the buyer seems honest and fair-dealing, and the sales price was reasonable or high, I would offer to to off-set the cost by $200-250. If you would have replace the bearing, pressure plate and clutch, you would have sold it for more money. The buyer is reaping the benefit of the repair. Just throw him a bone to keep him happy. It's called KARMA...just my .02 |