Certified Pre owned damage

[Mandoman]

Hello y’all! So, I purchased a certified preowned vehicle from Ram dealer in Austin. I noticed within a week when washing it that there was a small crack on front bottom bumper. Figured I did it . But, as time past . I slowly noticed parts of paint in same area front bottom bumper , easily chip . No wear else looks same on front bumper with no chips in paint but that area. One day while I was getting truck detailed I asked detailed why just one area looks this bad. He said “probably when they redid paint they just didn’t put same amount of coats.”. At that moment light bulb came on and in my mind it made sense. What I am thinking is dealer repainted it and sold me this without being upfront and honest. Is there a way to look into this? Can I say something? They never told me it had any damage or repainted work done. I believe it had damage that was minor and quick fixed it and sold it to me.. Do dealership do this shady practice ? It it legal? Thank You!

 

[mikeru]

Could have been the dealership. Could have been the previous owner. At this point you're probably stuck with it, and it's not likely the dealership would do anything about it. But there's no harm in bringing it up with them. The answer is always "no" if you don't ask. How long has it been since you bought it?

That's one reason I always try to bring someone along when I'm looking at a used vehicle. As the buyer I can get caught up in the excitement of a new vehicle, and might miss flaws and small issues that someone who's not caught up in the excitement might be more likely to notice.

 

[18CrewDually]

To answer your one question, yes dealerships do this and with brand new vehicles too. My sister's boyfriend at the time was the guy that did this right on the lot. He was a mobile painter and would hit dealerships and either do touch up or paint the entire bumper skin if the dealershipdid not have an onsight bodyshop. They don't ever report it because then it would be recorded and decreased value. He also did certifiable trade-ins. It is only cosmetic so they lump in the process as a detailing.
I wouldn't sweat it but I'd ask the dealer. Maybe they'll cover it if you got a warranty with it. Maybe get it covered under the Corrosion protection warranty.