When you go to the dealership and you buy a brand new vehicle, or you order one to be shipped to your location, one of the benefits that you’re counting on is that it’s going to be in perfect condition. You may intentionally be avoiding a used car because you don’t want it to have prior damage. You’re investing a lot of money, and you want to know that the vehicle you’re getting is pristine.
Unfortunately, even though many buyers take this for granted, the fact of the matter is that a lot of brand new vehicles already have some form of damage.
How do these cars get damaged?
There are a lot of ways that this damage happens, but the biggest thing to remember is that any new vehicle is not driven to the lot. Dealers absolutely do not want to put extra miles on the cars. They need them to be brand-new, and that means they have to be trucked to the location.
In a lot of cases, damage happens when these vehicles are being taken off of the transport truck. They could also be damaged when they’re loaded on the other side of this operation, or even when they are on the truck for transport. If the driver doesn’t secure them properly or is involved in a minor car accident while transporting those vehicles, they could suffer damage that the dealership will then try to cover up.
What can you do?
Clearly, you did not intend to buy a damaged car when you bought a brand new vehicle. If it turns out that that’s what’s happened and you suspect fraud, you need to know what legal steps to take to protect your rights.