Just because a rebuilt car has passed inspection, it doesn't always mean the repairs have been done properly. That alarming discovery was made after a CTV W-Five investigation of Metro Vancouver's used car dealers. Consumer reporter Chris Olsen is on your side with the government's reaction and advice for used car buyers.
Mystery shoppers from the Automobile Protection Association found a 2007 Toyota Matrix on sale at Brillyan Auto as part of their annual survey of Vancouver-area used car dealers. When the shoppers met with the salesman Shams Premji, he told them the car had had an accident but had been completely repaired –a rebuild.
"The car is perfect. There is no structure damage," he said on hidden camera.
But when an APA mechanic looks over the vehicle he finds a litany of problems and says the car shouldn't have passed a road worthiness inspection.
"Not even close," he said.
CTV's W-Five went back to Brillyan Auto and was given the inspection paperwork showing it passed a safety inspection. Premji said he was surprised to learn that the car was actually in such poor shape it probably shouldn't be on the road.
"In Vancouver, what APA found was that the rebuilding and re-branding, salvage process is broken," George Iny of the APA said.
BC car dealers are overseen by the Motor Vehicle Sale Authority. President Ken Smith says he relies on the same inspection reports as the dealers.
"If we have safety reports that are going out on vehicles that aren't safe, we have a very serious problem in this province," he said.
It's the BC Ministry of Transportation that licenses and inspects the inspectors. The minister was quick to respond to the APA's findings.
"We want to build a new set of tools in addition to the ones that are in place to ensure that if people are going to chose to do shoddy work that's not going to happen in British Columbia," Shirley Bond said.
Last month it cancelled the licenses of two shops and all vehicles inspected there will have to be re-inspected.
Even if the inspection system was perfect it only means the vehicle meets the minimum safety standard -- it doesn't tell you the vehicle is worth buying. So you need to do a Car Proof check to determine the history.
Take it to an independent mechanic of your choice and a body shop for inspection if it was rebuilt. And if a dealer won't allow the inspection -- shop somewhere else.
Consumer reporter Chris Olsen said that virtually all the complaints CTV receives about used cars have one thing in common: the buyers didn't check the vehicle out thoroughly until problems came up after they bought it.
His advice -- the best consumer protection is the steps we take to protect ourselves.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen
