Can you hold a dealer accountable on a used car?

[fast306stang]

Long story short so I may have to add details as we go.

Bought a used Mach 1 with 6900 miles. I asked if it had active exhaust, I didn't know all Mach 1s have it. He showed me the active menu on the dash. All good. I never saw the exhaust modes not available warning since I didn't start the car. Test drove it, all good. Bought it. Left the dealer and didn't see the exhaust modes not available warning bc I was looking at other stuff as I sat in the car with my wife.

The car has aftermarket exhaust and sounds good. I never looked under the car before I bought it.

Get home, obviously can't set the time for quiet mode. It's late.. I'll look for a blown fuse or rubbed wiring in the morning.

Sunday morning I get up and look under the car. Muffler delete. Fuck. Ok I guess I'll live with it since me and the wife love the way it sounds.

1 week later, check engine light pops. Because the harness is zip tied and there's no actuators.

I bought some used actuators and bolted them to the valance...but the car won't read them.

Another dealer I took it to told me it has to be bolted into a muffler so it can read open and closed endpoints and read the resistance.

Mufflers are over $2K.

What are my options? I think the selling dealer should have known this was gonna pop a CEL and they are unwilling to help, although they have told me multiple times there is a $300 check in the mail to cover the exhaust shop if I put other mufflers on. Can Ford CS force the selling dealer's hand to make this right?

I ordered those dummy plugs from Lethal Performance but they wouldn't fit btw so I had to return them...

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[shogun32]

pretty sure I saw a thread on here about putting a resister across the plug for defeating the system, for those who just wanted to pin the exhaust to full open.

If your county in GA requires emissions/sound tests you may need to involve a lawyer and the State Police to weigh in on seller's failure to disclose and then selling a non-compliant car.

There may be a way to toggle 'as-built' or some other FORSCAN parameter to tell the car active exhaust isn't present.

 

[fast306stang]

pretty sure I saw a thread on here about putting a resister across the plug for defeating the system, for those who just wanted to pin the exhaust to full open.

If your county in GA requires emissions/sound tests you may need to involve a lawyer and the State Police to weigh in on seller's failure to disclose and sell a non-compliant car.

There may be a way to toggle 'as-built' or some other FORSCAN parameter to tell the car active exhaust isn't present.

Thanks for the reply! I don't have to worry about emissions where I live. I was actually trying to find some info to figure out what resistance I need and across what pins...

 

[fast306stang]

Can a muffler shop chop the tips off a GT muffler and weld new tips on?

If I wind up covering this myself, I think used GT active mufflers will be the cheapest way but the tips are a downgrade from OEM Mach 1 tips...

 

[fast306stang]

Can a muffler shop chop the tips off a GT muffler and weld new tips on?

If I wind up covering this myself, I think used GT active mufflers will be the cheapest way but the tips are a downgrade from OEM Mach 1 tips...

Looks like the valve is too close to the tip to allow this

 

[fast306stang]

Anyody else?

 

[sk47]

Hello; I will guess the car is out of all warranties that might deal with the active exhaust. I will also guess it was an "as-is" type sale. If so seems you will not have much recourse. I will follow the thread to see if you do get something worked out. Good luck.

Am I correct in my take the car had active exhaust when new but now has an aftermarket exhaust without the active exhaust feature? Would lead me to think the factory active exhaust failed at some point and a previous owner replaced it with something cheaper.

I have been trying to buy a used 2012 Mustang from a dealer. They have come down some but not to where i want to be in the car. My plan, if we get to an agreeable price is to have the car up on ramps for a good look before i pay.

 

[WItoTX]

Without reading the buyer contract you signed, I'd say you are probably SOL. That fact that they are covering $300 is pretty impressive.

Post photos of the exhaust valve simulators. You might be trying to fit them in the wrong spot. The simulators fit on the plug that goes into the exhaust motor itself IIRC, not the plug up above the rear diffuser. So likely that whole part of wiring harness from the diffuser to the valve itself is gone, and you need new ones.

Or, the most correct answer, is probably to just get a factory exhaust, or an exhaust with the exhaust valves on it. Wish I had better answers.

 

[KingKona]

Mufflers are over $2K.

Source? Where did that price come from? And for what, precisely?

What are my options?

You have to educate yourself on your state's laws.

The real answer is to re-instate the factory exhaust. Why anyone would mess with it is beyond me. It sounds fantastic. You might also try to find the previous owner, and see if they still have the AE mufflers/system.

Tell the place you bought it from to call the previous owner and give them your contact info, hopefully they will call you.

 

[fast306stang]

Source? Where did that price come from?



You have to educate yourself on your state's laws.

The answer is to re-instate the factory exhaust. Why anyone would mess with it is beyond me. It sounds fantastic. You might also try to find the previous owner, and see if they still have the AE mufflers.

2 dealers have quoted me over $1K each side, even Levittown told me the same through pm.

Previous owner doesn't have the parts, that was my first course of action to try.

Dealer told me the check is in the mail several times for the $300 so I'm gonna guess I'll never get it. This is the 3rd car I've bought from them in 3 years, I'll never buy from them again.

 

[KingKona]

2 dealers have quoted me over $1K each side, even Levittown told me the same through pm.

Previous owner doesn't have the parts, that was my first course of action to try.

Dealer told me the check is in the mail several times for the $300 so I'm gonna guess I'll never get it. This is the 3rd car I've bought from them in 3 years, I'll never buy from them again.

I would walk into the dealership showroom, and demand the check right there and then. And I'd tell them it's not $300, it's $2,000.00

A nasty Google review with the specific details would probably do wonders.

 

[fast306stang]

I would walk into the dealership showroom, and demand the check right there and then. And I'd tell them it's not $300, it's $2,000.00

A nasty Google review with the specific details would probably do wonders.

I haven't tried these tactics yet but I'm not far from it lol

I've been battling this for a little over a month and been trying to be cordial about it. Now that I've exhausted my other resources, I thought I would post here and see what the general consensus is. I don't think I should be on the hook for over $2K for a problem I think they were aware of when they sold me the car.

OEM Mach 1 mufflers are hard to source on the used market, I keep getting replies from newbie scammers on my WTB ad lol

 

[Jasonb543]

Caveat emptor.

very curious how much you paid also… perhaps you got a great deal and it was priced inline for it’s condition.

buying new or certified may have saved this from being an issue.

 

[skinnyb]

If stock GT mufflers will work for you, I have a complete active cat back system in my building collecting dust (minus the actuators which went on my Borla). You are welcome to it, I don't ever see myself swapping back. DM me if you want it..

 

[KingKona]

If stock GT mufflers will work for you, I have a complete active cat back system in my building collecting dust (minus the actuators which went on my Borla). You are welcome to it, I don't ever see myself swapping back. DM me if you want it..

Good man!!!

OP, do a check on the part numbers. Maybe the GT and Mach 1 AE are the same thing.

Also, we could be helping you if you put your car's information in your signature line. Model year, model, packages, mods, etc.

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