seller claims vehicles are certified pre-owned

[cobrapete302]

The seller chooses the certified pre-owned classification for some vehicles, but that's not the intention of the category. "Certified Pre-Owned" means it's manufacturer certified by Ford, Mercedes, Toyota, etc.

seller may be intentionally misleading buyers by using this term.

It only provides a 3000-mile warranty through the dealer. If I buy a certified pre-owned vehicle from Ford, it has a 60,000 mile bumper-to bumper warranty and 100,000 powertrain warranty. Ford's new factory warranty is 30,000 mile bumper-to-bumper and 60,000 mile powertrain warranties. I hope eBay takes note of this misrepresentation.

[autopartspuller]

I am not a dealer however it is my understanding that CPO does not HAVE to certified by the manufacturer, as you are stating.  That, even though that was the original intention, a Certified car can be one that is just certified by the dealership.  There is no law that states a dealership can not certify thier own cars outside of the Manufacturer.  It is up to the buyer to inquire about the terms of the Certification and if it is certified by the manufacturer or by the dealership.

As with all things, read that fine print!

[tony1963]

I have been certifying, inspecting and repairing vehicles sold by my dealership for 20 years.  

[ripsmc]

I've worked for 2 new car franchise dealers over the years who sold CPO cars and not a one of those cars ever entered the service bay doors for an inspection by a mechanic.

It can be rightfully assumed that any inspection (if you want to call it that...) were done by the washroom guys who generally know little if anything about car mechanicals.

Check the oil, looks good, send 'er out to the front line......

[tony1963]

Or, you might have a dealership that actually did a full service:

Service and Inspection Report – Value Added

We brought this clean Mercedes in for service and decided to go around the entire car giving it a full service. Here’s what we did:

The battery seemed low, but still started the car. We tested it and since it was several years old, we installed a new battery.

After that, we did an engine oil and filter change using the proper Mobile 1® oil as specified by Mercedes. 

Continuing under the hood, we changed all 12 spark plugs. Mercedes designed the M112 engine with two spark plugs per cylinder. It is a very innovative design and we have the tools required to access the stainless steel plug wire insulators so we took care of that service item.

Finishing up under the hood, we installed a new engine air filter and vacuumed the debris from the air cleaner box that accumulates during driving. We also installed a new upper radiator hose since the original appeared to be a bit soft.

Continuing with the drivetrain, we decided to perform a transmission oil and filter change. When we do an oil and filter change on the 722.6 transmission we replace the computer plug adapter that can, over time, develop a leak. The redesign is much more robust and it is all part of service that we do. We filled the transmission with the proper amount of the recommended fluid and put our service markings on the transmission pan.

When we drove the car, we noted some vibration that is a sign of the engine mounts needing replaced. Mercedes designed the engine mounts with a hydraulic fill and over time the fluid can leak out. We replaced the engine mounts and also the transmission mount while we were there. The drivetrain is now whisper smooth.

Moving our attention to the chassis, we inspected both front and rear brakes and found them in need of service. So, we replaced FRONT AND REAR brake rotors, brake pads and wear sensors. To finish off a full brake job, we changed all of the brake fluid using our vacuum tool which extracts all of the old brake fluid and replaces it with fresh DOT-4 like Mercedes specified. Brake fluid changes every two years are recommended by Mercedes.

The climate control system worked fine so we changed the cabin air filter for you.

Finishing off around the car, we changed a few burned out bulbs and installed a new wiper blade. Mercedes designed the W210 with a single wiper blade that sweeps across the glass. It is another innovative design and the wiper blade finishes off the car for you.

[legitimate_bidder]

Hahahaha! Yeah.....CPO means you pay a lot more, and for the added price, you get an aftermarket warranty....same as you could bought yourself if you had bought any old car for less money and spent the difference on a warranty.  Only they're counting on you not scrutinizing the CPO as thoroughly as a plain old used car, " 'cause after all, it's certified pre=owned"!

When are people going to learn that people who sell things for a living often lie, and that the only way to ensure their own interest is to always assume the worst and do one's due diligence and test/inspect the heck out anything, and negotiate the best possible price. (As opposed to paying more because it's called something special like "certified pre-owned"?)

I certify that ALL of my used cars were pre-owned! 😄

[ripsmc]

Regarding the 2 dealers I mentioned that sold CPO cars, those cars never set foot in the shop for even an oil change. The detail crew was the final word.

One of the dealers (we found out later the hard way) sold extended service policies. The catch was that the car had to be returned to the selling dealer for repairs.

A lady bought a VW Golf and a month or so later the engine gave up.

Digging into the service contract we discovered that the dealer was essentially self-insuring and there WAS no outside warranty provider as claimed.

The legal shenanigans began and I left the dealer before it was resolved. I'm sure the lady got hosed badly. The dealer got on shaky ground and I left to go elsewhere. Not long after the dealer closed and of course the number of people suing them had piled up pretty high.

We came in one Monday morning to find that over the weekend someone had broken into the safe and stolen 10 grand in cash.  The thief (or thieves) had broken into a storage room and dragged a huge cutting torch setup all the way through the shop, up 2 flights of stairs, and spent who knows how much time using a welding tip to cut the safe open; not a cutting tip.

Funny business? They waited until Wednesday to call the OK City PD and report it.........

The cop rightfully raised his eyebrows and like the rest of us thought it was an inside job.

They also sold off a bunch of leased equipment before bailing out....

That illustrates the difference between weasels and Tony's way of doing business. I've been at odds with Tony before but I feel he is competent and honest and would never worry about a car sold by him.

[cobrapete302]

Car and Driver breaks down the definition perfectly:

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/what-you-need-to-know-about-certified-pre-owned-cpo-car-program...

[legitimate_bidder]

I think the best definition of Certified Pre-Owned is:

"Magic words which, when attached to a used car, cause the purchaser of said used car to pay within about $1000 of what they would have paid for a brand new one, while forgoing the scrutiny which they would normally give to a used vehicle".

[ripsmc]

Brilliant definition of CPO by legitimate bidder. Tragically funny.....

I'm sure some dealers do have their cars thoroughly gone over by a competent mechanic in their shop (meaning NOT a lightly trained lube tech or one of the washroom guys....) but as I used to say at the 2 dealers I worked for who sold CPO vehicles....

"They may be certified but who's doing the certifyin' because it sure ain't us"......

Over the years  I've worked for 5 dealers. Only one had every trade-in or auction car sent back to the shop for a stem to stern inspection. Any major problem off they went to the wholesaler. All others received a full service with any repairs needed done on the spot.

One dealer sent a fair number back for oil changes and various other repairs.

The other three? We never, ever saw a trade or auction buy sent back for anything unless there was a prospective buyer who found a glitch and wanted it fixed before they signed the papers.

[Anonymous]

I think the whole "certified pre-owned" thing was dreamed up by the major car dealers as a solution for what to do with all the 1-1/2 to 2 year old cars that were either lease returns or trade ins by customers. The dealers didn't want to eat all that depreciation a new car suffers in the first few years so they came up with a solution "certified pre owned" and they pass all the loss onto the next guy - 96

[cepclpi_ecwztwxzvc]

you are mistaken about the warranty on certified pre owned from a Ford dealer-i just recently retired from a Ford dealer (32 years-master certified)

[cepclpi_ecwztwxzvc]

CPO are certified by dealer-but the factory is the one that sets the specs.-factory is the ones that warranties these CPOs -no previous accidents/no paint work/tires-brakes near new/zero leaks of any kind/etc.-i was a master tech at a Ford dealer for 32 years.

[autopartspuller]

I can assure you that there is no legal grounds that forbids a dealership from calling a car Certified Preowed.  Even if it is just a dealership certification.  Your dealership may have done it the right way.  And that is good for their rep.  Also if it is an actual Ford dealership, that does not surprise me.

however, not all dealerships are that honest.  You should take a good look at the fine print on some of the smaller dealership programs.  the states mandate those laws and some states just dont give a flying f.  CPO is a general term that ORIGINATED as a factory warranty but, it does not mean it is.  What is in writing is what actually counts in court if something goes wrong.

[ripsmc]

I can't speak for Ford dealers but can speak from experience at multiple import brand dealers.

Several of them sold CPO cars. Not one of those cars EVER entered the service department.

Odds are a late model, low miles car needs little if nothing. So instead of digging into the profit margin the car is put on the line with a 98% certainty that issues will not surface.

As for CPO there's also the possibility of....

A. The mechanic may miss something that is not  visible to the naked eye or by feel.

B. The mechanic just go shafted on flat rate so he takes out his frustration on the next vehicle through the door which just happens to be a soon to be CPO car. His frustration translates into "pencil whip".

Those in the trade know full well what that means and believe me, it happens. And not just with CPO inspections. When Oklahoma used to have a state vehicle inspection the job was supposed to take a full hour. For this the mechanic got paid 2 bucks. So guess what happened? Pencil whipped.....

I've read a number of horror tales of people buying CPO cars and discovering at some point the engine was bad or that the car had been repaired after a severe collision. In some cases the car should have been written off as a total. Instead, a clean Carfax and CPO designation.

That means the car was given a poor inspection or none at all before being placed for sale. That in turns means the car never visited the service bay or the mechanic pencil whipped it.

Since we're batting around qualifications I'm ex ASE certified, many factory certifications including Maste Tech, and still hold an FAA A & P aircraft mechanic's license. That combined with a buck will get me a cup of coffee....maybe.  🙂