Mother helps buy son a used car; four engines later, they’re done

Click here for updates on this story

    ATLANTA (WANF) — Jacob Solomon, 22, and his mom Jackie thought they had the situation covered when they found a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe at AutoNation Volkswagen at the Mall of Georgia.

They test-drove the car and bought three service warranties to cover any surprises, but they got more surprises than they bargained for. The Solomons said the dealership replaced four engines plus a transmission.

“I’m exhausted, I don’t want to say hopeless, but it’s been a long 10 months,” Jackie Solomon said.

The sale included a $2,500 service contract, a maintenance plan, and a tire and wheel protection plan. The deal totaled $17,937.

“I have every warranty on the books to make sure I was safe for however many years I had the car,” Jacob Solomon said.

Jacob Solomon said he had trouble with the transmission two days after they drove the vehicle off the lot. Four months later, the engine blew.

“I heard the car grinding on something,” Jacob Solomon said.

AutoNation Hyundai, also located at the Mall of Georgia, confirmed the damage, and the Solomons made a claim with their extended warranty company.

The warranty paid for a used engine, but about a month later, Jacob Solomon said engine number two blew and he broke down on I-985, where he waited five hours on a tow truck.

The Solomons haven’t seen the car since August, but an AutoNation employee confirmed they’d tried four different engines. The car dealer also replaced a transmission.

The Solomons asked for a refund and said AutoNation offered to return the car as a trade-in for $6,000. They declined.

The offer went up after Atlanta News First Investigates got involved.

“I will give you $10K towards trade in on any car on my lot,” an AutoNation general manager told the Solomons in an email. They declined the offer.

“Financially, it’s not a feasible offer,” Jackie Solomon said.

Earlier this month, AutoNation’s corporate office in Ft. Lauderdale raised the offer again.

“We have been working with the warranty company to finalize the necessary repairs to the customer’s vehicle,” a statement from AutoNation Public Relations said. “The vehicle is now repaired and operating correctly with all costs of the repair being covered by the warranty company.

“Although the vehicle is now repaired, the process took much longer than could have been anticipated, and as such we understand the customer’s frustration. To help resolve the situation, we will offer the customer the option to keep the vehicle, or we will work with the customer and the warranty company to facilitate a return.”

AutoNation also has since offered to assist the Solomons in purchasing another vehicle, an offer which the Solomons have accepted.

Takeaway Even if the dealership says it inspected the car, it’s still your job to take the car to the mechanic. The Solomons are very lucky because because the warranty company only paid for one engine.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.