Parks buyers & clients be aware! I have owned a vehicle that I purchased ?pre-owned? from the Parks at the Lake dealership for three weeks. I paid close to $38,000 on February 20, 2012 for this SUV ? not a cheap purchase ? it is supposed to be our family car. It is so recent that I still do not yet have permanent tags for this car.
It started having significant trouble two weeks after the purchase. A local mechanic specializing in that type of SUV found the following problems, totaling over $2,900:
1. Right rear shock leaking fluid, bushings saturated (rear suspension carriage ? VERY expensive repair)
2. Cam solenoid and left cam position sensors leaking (prevents oil from wicking up the main engine harness)
3. Power steering reservoir leaking fluid (leaks can cause steering pump to fail at any time)
4. Transmission service with filter past due
5. Dirty brake fluid
6. Dirty engine filters
When I followed up with Parks management, David Ziegler, I was told that my warranty that came with the car covered none of the above and that they were not responsible for having repaired any of the above in their pre-sale inspection before putting the car on the lot to sell. Ziegler also commented that ?there are probably a lot of used cars on his lot that have needed repairs and leaks...I can?t pay the service department to fix these?we would lose too much money.?
It is also obvious that they do not periodically check the cars for sale on the lot to keep up maintenance between test drives (no matter how long the car sits on the lot ? in our case, it was 6 months).
To quote owner Sissy Parks? response to my concerns that they sold me an unsafe SUV that has left me stranded for several days without a vehicle to drive my children, ?When we go over a pre-owned car for sale, we only look to make sure the vehicle is safe and it must pass a North Carolina state inspection. We do not completely refurbish the car?You bought a four year old vehicle with over 50,000 miles. It was priced accordingly. It is normal to see seepage at the seals in a vehicle of this age.?
Well, not only do they not take care of major repairs, they do not take care of minor ones, either, before putting them on the lot. And, these are significant leaks, NOT SEEPAGE. I would also very much argue that this vehicle was priced according to the amount of repairs and maintenance needed.
Some readers may feel that I should have purchased my own inspection ? the offer to take the vehicle and have it examined was not extended. I was also handed a report from the service department through sales consultant, Greg Clayton, with the assurance that it had undergone a thorough inspection and refurbishment process. The defense that this is a four year old vehicle, and that I needed to buy another warranty, in addition to the one that came with the car, and implying that it is too old for them to repair prior to my purchase, is insulting and a poor business practice.
Overall, we are very disappointed (and still do not have a car) with Parks and their lack of care or concern for their responsibility or customer service.
Shop somewhere that will back their cars for at least 30 days! Parks has no problem, morally or ethically, with selling you a $38,000 lemon. I would have to assume that the only way they stay in business is tricking all of us one-time clients. I cannot imagine that this was what the initial founder, Hubert Parks, intended for the future of his dealership. Sissy Parks? and the Parks? management way of handling modern-day customers should catch up with them!
more