maxxteezy

Bought the car used, CEL was on, dealer sent me to Alan Automotive in Richardson, jackass mech runs obd and its the O2 banks. Long story short, he couldnt remove it so he pulled my check engine light out and told me everything was ok. Now a year later, i go to get inspected and they say im throwing the same codes, except no CEL....any legal issues here? They inspected the car before i got it with obd codes thrown too.

LuxuryGS3

iTrader: (12)

Ok there are so many questions to be asked here.. You got me kind of lost.

So you bought the car with the CEL.. They send you to a mechanic in Richardson to FIX the CEL, correct? As in run the code and tell you what the code is and what it is that needs to be replaced? So he runs the code, TELLS YOU that it's the O2 Sensors and then you said what to him...? Did you tell him to fix it or what? You lost me when you said 'he couldn't remove it'. Do you mean he couldn't remove the O2 sensor or he couldn't turn off the CEL? Of course the CEL won't go off, it's your O2 sensors that monitor your air/fuel ratio.

So anyway... You allowed him to remove your CEL bulb and actually believed that everything was ok?

Dude if you're throwing a CEL it means that something NEEDS to be replaced.. It's never good to just ignore it..

SaiyanGS3

iTrader: (8)

+7! It's the OP's fault for this happening. His story just doesn't add up at all.

rogzballz

iTrader: (9)

Thanks for contributing to global warming and climate change =p

I would just suggest you talk to a lawyer from your area and file a civil lawsuit for selling you (that you believe) to be a malfunctioning vehicle by falsifying the mechanics and law. However your car must've been able to pass the inspection before in order for you to get a registration sticker last year. You must also have actual evidence that the O2 sensor was malfunctioning at the time of purchase or you don't have a case. They can also argue that any vehicle's catalytic converter can go bad within a years time frame. Good luck and hope justice will be served.

maxxteezy

Ok sorry about the early morning Tablet typing rant. Heres the story. Went to purchase my 2000 GS300 had 124k on the OD. I noticed the CEL at the time I test drive it, and it had no driving issues so I purchased the car with the agreement that they would fix whatever issue it had that was throwing the codes. So the GM of the lot gave me a work order and sent me to his affiliated shop to repair it. The tech at the shop ran the codes, and it was the O2 sensors, banks 1 AND 2. So he says they will have it repaired and that was that. So after I got a call saying that they couldn't get the sensor out of the manifold, they told me to bring it back the next day. So after I took it back, they called me and said that the repairs were finished and to come get my car. The tech even had the nerves to say "All fixed, and if that CEL comes on again, then you know you have a real problem. So I ride around all year, thinking that my car is fixed, wondering why I get such horrible gas mileage. So comes time for my inspection, I go to my personal service station and they say I am throwing 2 codes, the same ones from last year, but the CEL wasn't on.....So I went to Toyota of dallas and a tech pulled my gauge cluster to find a missing screw at the bottom and a MISSING CEL!!!!!!!! I went back to the station who screwed me and they sayed I'm a lier and they didn't do it. The car lot also says I"m a lier and my car is just old and I should expect problems. They never fixed the car, and they won't fix it now. It was inspected when I purchased it, so they did it illegally knowing that the codes where tripped. I am not a scam artist. Why would I want to NOT have my CEL? That could cost you an engine. Any case there? I don't have any paper work though...that part sucks.

maxxteezy

By the car having the CEL when I purchased, and it was already inspected, isn't that illegal? I purchased in October 2011, and its inspection was new for that month before I purchased. The car has an OBD freeze frame telling when the codes were tripped.

maxxteezy

Read again my friend. How is it my fault? What did I do wrong?

77i9

iTrader: (14)

you know you could have avoided all this headache by doing one simple thing. You should have checked that the CEL actually went away. That the CEL still illuminates and then extinguishes after engine start. Another thing that you could've done was to ask the repair technician if you can visually check that the OBD reader is no showing any codes after the repair was supposedly done. A reputable repair shop should never hide anything from the customer.

thanhvu

iTrader: (1)

OP stated that the mechanic pulled out his CEL bulb so there was no way he could of known

rogzballz

iTrader: (9)

Idk about TX, but In MA the new owner has to get the inspection done after buying the car. We also have laws that help the buyer if they cant get an inspection sticker after 30 days after purchase.

Anyways, I think you're SOL. Hope its just the O2 sensor and not the Catalytic converter. If the ladder, Straight pipe it, lol. I think all you can do now is write a bad Yelp review ...

porn-adkt

iTrader: (37)

Rule to Live by;

1. Dont trust anyone but your Mom, even then keep an eye on her..

Code reader would have saved you this trouble.

sakataj

iTrader: (182)

its the he said/she said problem....if u try and sue you will get no place with it for a few reasons one you cant prove they did it, they will say YOU did it and two, why do you not have any paperwork? i have receipts from when i bought this car back in 2007....if i ever paid a shop to work on it, i have all that paperwork. i mean its not 100% your fault but you cant just blame it on them. you should have checked the shops credibility via the BBB (better business bureau) nowadays you can find reviews on just about every shop online..... also invest in a scanner if your a DIY guy. i got a decent one for like $80-100 and it does everything i need except SRS (of course) even has live data graphing.

sLOWaristo

iTrader: (4)

Damn that sucks bro, sorry to hear about that, stupid sketch peeps will get their kharma

lexusdog

iTrader: (1)

What 77i9 is trying to say is that all cars 96+ illuminate every idiot light on the dash when you turn the ignition on, prior to starting it. If you know this, then when the OP picked up his car he could have done this trick and noticed that the CEL light was not illuminating with the other lights because some turd pulled the bulb from the cluster. At that point he would have had a good argument that they fuc*ed him and an attorney could have ***-raped that shop.

One year later, it's going to be tough to prove that a shady shop screwed you over. Easy solution, cut your losses, put the $1.00 bulb back in, spend the $250 for the two o2 sensors through one of the discount vendors on this site, spray those old sensors with PB bolt blaster for a few days, get an o2 sensor socket ans change them out. You should have improved fuel economy and a working CEL light when all said and done. Pick up a cheap obd2 scanner with live data for future inspections and purchases.

77i9

iTrader: (14)

thank you for explaining what I meant lexusdog