Overhaulin'

Can you take legal action if a car dealer removes the check engine light from your car?

Bought a used Mazda6 from a dealership my family has been going to (also a mechanic) for about 15 years and they are good friends. We have previously purchased 2 cars from them so we had no reason to not trust him when purchasing this mazda when he said it was in good coniditon. Fast forward about 3 weeks after buying the car, the check engine light would come on ALL the time. Wed bring it in for them to check out, they'd say they 'fixed' something and I was all set. This happened about 8 times, then after the last time I went in I noticed when I started my car and all the lights in the instrument cluster illuminated, EXCEPT the check engine light, as if it were taken out. The car started having other problems so we took it to a different mechanic to look at and give us an estimate. Turns out the car basically needs a new engine, and the check engine light was not removed, BUT blocked with black silicone so it would not be visible when it comes on. Isn't it illegal for a dealership to do that!? Its like changing the odometer to sell the car. Can I take legal aciton for this? I have all the documentation of when the car went in for check engine lights and I also have pictures of the check engine light and silicone blocking it from when the new mechanic took apart the dashboard to see if it was true. Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to make it clear. Thanks for any help!!!!

Public Comments

1. well that really depends on the dealership and whether it was an "as-is" purchase..... ** if it was private sale then u are SOL.... *** in the future no matter what or who u know ALWAYS have vehicle inspected by independent mechanic BEFORE u purchase it....
2. If the dealer did that, or knowingly sold it like that, it's highly illegal. Get a lawyer.