I bought a 2007 Jeep less than a year ago it wouldn't start. I had it towed from the dealership (not under warranty). They said mice had chewed wires and plastic to the tune of $1100. Before I purchased this car it was garaged for a few years.
Could this damage have been from it being garaged before I bought it? Could it have been driven by me for 8 months with no infestation on my end? Or would it have to be recent? I want to challenge the dealer, but don't want to have this sound totally ridiculous on my part. Any advice?
By Karen
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Your posted question is a little hard to figure out. Which of the following timelines is correct?
You bought a Jeep that had been garaged for a considerable length of time from a used car dealer.
The Jeep wouldn't start at the dealer so you had it towed from there to a garage where you were told there was $1100 worth of mousie nibble damage.
If the above is the correct timeline, did you sign an 'As Is' contract? If yes, you are out of luck-no court is going to give you damages based on that 'As Is' clause in your contract.
But if you didn't sign an 'As Is' contract, you probably DO have a case. Try talking to the dealer and politely point out that without satisfaction you will be taking the case to an attorney (or Small Claims, which is cheaper)
OR
You bought a Jeep that had been garaged for a considerable length of time from a used car dealer.
You drove the Jeep for eight months without any problems but then suddenly (after eight months of carefree driving) the Jeep wouldn't start. The mechanic you took it to found $1100 worth of mousie nibble damage.
If that is the correct timeline, you have no case with the dealer because you were able to drive the Jeep without problems for eight months. Refer to the contract (or bill of sale) to re-read the terms of the warranty (if any)-if a warranty was part of the sale contract it surely has expired, most used car warranties on a vehicle that old expire after 90 days.
If you were offered and then opted to pay for an extended warranty of one year, you still probably are out of luck because the damage is from mice-not a fault of the dealer because mice are a condition of where you 'garage' the vehicle when not being driven.
What you do have is a mousie invasion going on where ever it is that you park the Jeep when not driving it-you need to sort that because those little 'darlings' will simply re-nest in your engine box and repeat the damage.
When mice move into the inner workings of a vehicle they waste no time chewing-within a day you are going to have a problem.
The damage they do is considerable and that damage shows up immediately. This is not something that 'develops over time', this is a 'they moved in on Saturday night and by Sunday morning I couldn't start the car' thing.
If you 'garage' the Jeep at your home, this is your problem, sorry about that.
However, if you are renting a garage or parking space, you may be able to recover damages from the landlord. Check your rental agreement.
(Unfortunately, most landlords have a clause relieving them of any damages caused by pests. Re-read the contract to be sure of the terms)
I would ask to see the old parts before I believed them about this. In fact, ask to see all old parts, when they are removed, and you can explain that you like to keep photographs or a record of all parts you have to have replaced.
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