WV Dealership / 2005 Kia Optima

[Jeremy]

Recently my significant other purchased a 2005 Kia Optima from Arkay Dealership in Martinsburg, Wv. After one day of driving the vehichle the car stalls while driving and takes awhile to turn back over and there's a vibration when you accelerate.

Question:

Is there any Law that protects a Car Buyer in the state of WV when something like this happens?


OR

Does anyone know about these cars and maybe have an idea of what's going on? (im no car guy lol)

Thanks!

[Willis]

There seems to be some info by googling "lemon law wv", among them:
http://www.lemonjustice.com/lemon-la...n_law_used.php
But it seems that link doesn't hold much help for used vehicles
I'm sure others will have better info, Jeremy.

[Tony]

Generally the best deals on used cars are the ones only a year or two old. A seven year old car may have a very interesting history - more than you might be willing to accommodate. Anyway, I hope she not only had it checked by an independent mechanic prior to purchase, but also ran it through water to make sure the frame is straight.

I can't see the lemon laws at that previous site (it's using some odd coding), but generally lemon laws don't kick in until you've given them repeated attempts to fix the problems. Keep a diary and all paperwork!

[derricksonb]

Jeremy- Unfortunately I have way too much experiences with KIAs and had a recurring issue with my 2004 Optima which after several diagnosis', hundreds of dollars and countless man hours spent turning wrenches under the hood we finally determined that there was short in one of the coil packs that was grounding out to the motor. Aftermarkets are available at Autozone for about $125.00. Unfortunately, and because of the nature of most used car dealers in WV, most sell vehicles AS-IS with a tail light to tail light warranty, which simply means that once the vehicle gets far enough down the road that the two tail lights start to look like one the warranty is void.

[cbuck725wv]

but also ran it through water to make sure the frame is straight....how dowes that tell you any thing??

[Tony]

but also ran it through water to make sure the frame is straight....how dowes that tell you any thing??

It's an old trick I learned many years ago. Use a hose to wet down a section of pavement and drive through it holding the wheel straight. If the frame is bent you'll see more than two tire tracks.

I'm not a mechanic so I can't vouch for the technique. But I see it's lived on these many years and is all over the internet now:
http://www.ehow.com/how_7599360_dete...-used-car.html

[Willis]

Apparently the water test was common practice on the Shenandoah in 1964: