CAR AUTO PARTS 2007 2008 - USED CARS AUTO PARTS - BUY USED CAR AUTO PARTS ONLINE FROM JUNK SALVAGE YARD

Buyer may have been taken for a ride with used carBy CLICK AND CLACKDear Tom and Ray: Please, please help! When my single daughter wanted to buy a car two years ago, I advised her to buy a manufacturer's certified used car, as she didn't know much about cars. She bought a 2003 Toyota RAV4 from a Toyota dealer in Maryland.
Fast-forward to today -- she is getting married in three weeks, and she wants to sell the car. As the father of a busy daughter who's preparing for a wedding, I took the car to CarMax for appraisal and possible sale there. To my surprise, I was told there are several indications that the car had been in an accident, including missing under-hood decals and identification plates, and having several clamp marks on both sides of the frame.
My daughter, of course, didn't have an accident. So, I took the car to the Toyota dealer from which my daughter bought the car. Its used-car department's manager took a look at the car and insisted that the car had never had an accident. He also said that as a Toyota dealer, it doesn't make any sense for him to risk his reputation by telling a lie just to sell a used car.
So, I went back to CarMax and told the story to a senior buyer there. He took a look at the car and emphatically declared that it had indeed been in an accident and had been repaired. Caught in between, I took the car to a separate Toyota dealer for his opinion. The verdict was that the car had had an accident and was repaired. What should I do: Sue the dealer who sold the car to my daughter, talk to Toyota USA or just forget the matter?
Father of the Bride
TOM: Well, first things first, FOTB. Your No. 1 priority in the next three weeks is to enjoy your daughter's wedding. Your daughter's wedding is something that happens only once in a lifetime.
RAY: Or, in my brother's case, two or three times.
TOM: And then, after the wedding, start by having a heart-to-heart talk with your daughter. Tell her that if she actually did crack up the car and didn't tell you about it, this would be the time to spill the beans (before you raise your hand and tell it to the judge). But let's take her word for it, and assume that the accident preceded her ownership of the car.
RAY: You could sue the dealer, FOTB. And with the facts you present, you'd probably win. But even if you win, that's a real pain in the butt. So keep that as a last resort. Start by giving Toyota a chance to make this right. The national customer-assistance number is 1-800-331-4331.
TOM: Tell them the story. Tell them that you've already hit a brick wall with your dealer. Tell them you'd like to make an appointment to have a factory representative from Toyota come out and inspect the car.
RAY: And while you're waiting for the appointment, go back and ask for written appraisals of the accident damage from the folks at CarMax and the second Toyota dealer. Also ask them for their estimates of what the car is worth to them now -- with the accident damage -- and what it would have been worth had there been no accident.
TOM: If Toyota sends someone out, they'll first want to see if there actually IS evidence of a serious accident. Assuming they agree it's there, they'll want to make sure that it wasn't you -- or your daughter -- who had the accident. So make sure you go through the car and remove any receipts in the glove box from Frank's Auto Body.
RAY: But if they agree that there's been damage, and they have no reason to believe that you caused it, then the only conclusion is that the dealer is a sleazeball. In that case, you can ask Toyota to buy back the vehicle from you at the price that it would have sold for had it not had accident damage.
TOM: Now, if Toyota stonewalls you, you still have options. One is to take the written appraisals you got from the two other parties back to the dealer, present the facts to the dealership's general manager and give him a choice: Tell him he can either buy the car back from you at a fair price, or you're going to use this evidence to take him to court for fraud.
RAY: If he refuses to make a fair deal with you, that's what you'll have to do. Contact your local bar association, and ask for the name of a lawyer who specializes in just this kind of issue.
TOM: Then sue for the lost value of the car, your legal fees and the cost of the wedding cake (just for good measure).
RAY: This is a good reminder to everybody that ''Toyota Certified'' (or any manufacturer certified) or not, you MUST get a used car checked out by your own independent mechanic before you buy it. Good luck, FOTB, and whatever you do, don't let anything spoil the wedding!
IS IT OK TO BUY SALVAGED PARTS?
Dear Tom and Ray: I've been having a debate with my boyfriend about the possible defects in parts salvaged from cars that have been totaled. We were thinking of buying front-end parts (tie rods, idler arm) from an old, rear-ended Firebird. The car had rear-frame damage, and I thought it might be better to buy new parts instead of getting cheaper ones off the totaled car, since they could have damage from the accident, or might at least have endured a lot of stress. He says this could not be possible. Who's right? -- Joley
RAY: Well, it's unlikely that a rear-end accident would damage front-end components, Joley. Those parts in the front are pretty tough.
TOM: Even if the car was hit from behind and got spun around so that the car pivoted around the front wheels, those front-end parts wouldn't necessarily be damaged by that. They're designed to take a pretty good shot.
RAY: On the other hand, if the car was pushed from behind over a curb, or pushed up over the hood of a Good Humor truck, then stuff upfront could have been bent. So, it's important to check the specific parts before you buy and not take anyone's word about the details of the accident. If any of the protective boots are ripped on the ball joints or tie rods, or if there are other obvious signs of bending or wear, keep shopping.
TOM: In general, deciding which parts are OK to buy used is a complex calculation -- factoring in the amount of money you'd save, how easy it is to assess the used parts before you buy them, and the amount of labor involved in replacing them AGAIN if the used parts fail. We've done the calculations on a number of parts, and have posted the Savings-Risk Matrix on our Web site (www.cartalk.com). You'll find it in our Guide to Junkyards. In general, front-end parts have low risk and high savings potential.
RAY: Right. On some cars, the control arms and ball joints are expensive, one-piece units. You can save a considerable amount of money if you can find good used ones. So, despite the fact that this idea came from your boyfriend, Joley, it's actually not a terrible one.