I Motors

by Dana123 on 10/31/2016

So I initially saw a 2006 Volvo S80 listed by I-motors on craigslist, and after reviewing the listing it appeared to be a an incredibly fair deal at $6k and about 3-4 days later I went too look at it and discovered it was currently in their shop being worked on, I asked what was wrong and asked if I could look at it, the salesman stated that it had failed inspection for the front drivers strut, that it makes noise on the highway and I was free to have a look at the vehicle, so I went into the garage and gave the vehicle a good look over and talked to the mechanic, he stated that the strut was bad and that he had a quick change strut (entire assembly)on order. I really liked the car, I listened to it run and it appeared to be a sound vehicle, I again spoke to the salesman and indicated that if they finish the strut and get a passing sticker put on I would purchase the vehicle now and return to pick it up upon completion. I complete the purchase and call the next day to inquire about the parts, the salesman I speak to states they received the wrong parts and needed to return them for the correct parts “but the good news is, the car passed its inspection and I can come pick it up if I want to”, Red flags immediately go up, and I question why they would put the car back together, pull it out of the shop and take it to an inspector the same day we agreed that they would repair it first, I-motors tries to explain that it was only taken back in for a second opinion, but I have never met an inspector that would pass a rejected vehicle with-out some type of repair being conducted, which leads me to believe they scraped the rejected sticker of the car before taking it to be inspected, I demand they repair the car and end the conversation. After 3 days of fighting to get the vehicle repaired I finally get a call saying it is ready for pick-up, I go and get the car, it’s filthy, and it’s on empty and it turns out that the only key they have is the valet key, I am angry at this point and just want to leave, we put the plate on and I am off. First day commuting to work after filling it up and I start to smell something bad, when I picked it up it smelled okay…. I make a mental note and complete my work day, on the way home I notice the car still makes a strange humming noise, ( I don’t believe they ever fixed anything) the “alarm servicing required” and the Check engine light come on and the smell is getting worse, I cross my fingers and get home noting to put the car in the garage and have a look at it, I borrow my neighbors code reader and it tells me I have a p0027 & p0026, a quick google search indicated that the most likely scenario is that the oil has not been changed in a very long time and has clogged both CVVT solenoids, I clear them and plan an oil change, now I am determined to find the cause of the smell, so I start digging through the car and discover a WA-WA bag under the passenger seat, I pull it out and open it to find and extremely old breakfast sandwich (I think) that completely covered in mold. So the following weekend I decide its time to do a complete tune up, the car has 80k on it and given the rest of the issues it would give me better piece of mind. I also decide to rotate the tires while I am at it, make a long story a little shorter, I discover the front wheel lug bolts are little more than snug, changing the oil fixed the P0027&P0026, I also discover that the car appears to have been wrecked, upon close inspection to can see minor flaws in Bondo work on the R/R QTR. It was an acceptable repair, however they did not disclose it when I asked about the body. I honestly believe that I-motors would readily put the safety of you and your family on the line in order to save a few bucks.

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