Answers to your car questions
QUESTION
I purchased a used 2017 Ford about two months ago and I am disputing the speedometer reading on the car. Can you give me some idea as to what chances I would have in a court of law or with the manufacturer? I received a speeding ticket the other day and where I believed I was doing fewer than sixty kilometres per hour, the officer told me that I was doing sixty-four. The officer did oblige me when I asked him if he would clock my speeding again and I would keep the speed at fifty. What I found out was that the speedometer was registering four kilometres under fifty kilometres when it should have read fifty kilometres. That meant, that when I thought I was doing fifty, I was actually doing fifty-four kilometres. That did not make any difference to him other than he told me to try and bring that up in court and he would verify that the speedometer was out four kilometres per hour. I asked my salesman and he told me that he cannot do anything for me but that I would have to be conscious of the speedometer knowing that it was out four kilometres per hour. Is this something that you can approach the manufacturer with and if so, what else would you like from me? Marion from Brampton
ANSWER
You will not get any sympathy from the court because it is up to you to make sure that your speed is within the posted limits. The manufacturers never do say that their speedometers are correct but they do say that their speedometer speeds are estimate speeds but never do they say they are one hundred per cent accurate. There are some countries where the law stipulates that a speedometer cannot read slower than the car is actually doing but Transport Canada doesn’t have any regulations on speedometer accuracy.
There may be other things that are giving you a false reading on the speedometer. Check to make sure that the tires now on the car are the correct size for the car. If the tires on the car are larger than what the car is designed to have, that will make the speedometer speed read slower than you are actually going. In some situations, the wrong tires will actually affect the odometer reading.
The same goes for the gas gauge. I have seen situations where people had run out of gas when the gas gauge indicator is not fully on the empty mark and the computer says that they have twenty more kilometres before they run out of gas. Again, the manufacturer says that the gas gauge reading is only an estimate and should not be fully relied on to be accurate. I would however approach the dealer service manager and ask him to look into recalibrating your speedometer or replacing it. If you want to test your speedometer speed, one reliable source is your GPS.
QUESTION
I purchased a used 2016 Toyota from a friend of a friend and the last two rainstorms have filled my trunk up twice with water. The person, from whom I purchased the car, has taken it back both times to try and fix the leak but after the last rainstorm, there was still water getting into the trunk. That is when he told me that a small tree had fallen on the trunk of the car. He had to replace the trunk lid and he is trying to get it sealed for me. The last time, that I took the car back to him, I suggested that he take the car back and give me my money back and since then, I have not heard from him. My friend is now telling me that they are no longer talking but that does not help me. Is there anything that you can do for me? Kim from Waterloo
ANSWER
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if you had asked for a Carproof before you purchased the car, you would have found out that the damage to the car was far more serious than a tree falling on the trunk. The insurance company actually wrote the car off because it required a rear window, left rear quarter and the trunk lid, as well as repairs to the trunk floor. The car also had rear frame damage. As a result of you purchasing the car privately, I cannot help you but you could seek a legal opinion from a lawyer. Your only option, if the lawyer says that you do not have any legal recourse, is to take the car to a body shop and ask them to check on where the water is entering the truck area. It may be an easy fix. Also, remember in life, try to make and keep good friends. Your friend may not be such a good friend after all. The person, from whom you purchased the car, is a body man who is the brother-in-law of your friend. To my readers: If possible, it would be appreciated if your emails would indicate the town, city or village that you live in. Please be advised that not all emails can be answered. Send your questions (be sure to include your address) by email to:: dennis.osullivan@ cogeco.ca