I'm trying to figure out what Honda's definition of "Certified Used" actually is ... When is it that a car has a defect, but they think it's ok to say, "we certify this defect." And while the 150-point inspection looks at several items on the vehicle, what does that mean, exactly? Does the vehicle have to pass all 150 criteria in order to be designated as "Certified Used?"

My Car:
2009 Honda Accord EX Coupe
4 cyl., 53,000 mi.
Purchased: July, 2012

I have not had any mechanical problems as of yet. But I do have a bit of noise in the exhaust. Initially I thought that's how it sounded. It's a little throaty, but it sounds sporty, so I thought that was a "thing" with the model. Turns out that's not the case.

The dealer we bought the car from has not been overly helpful so we went to another dealership in town to have the oil changed. They're the ones who said the exhaust "may" need service soon.

If the 150 point inspection was done on the car, and part of that is to check the exhaust system, if there is a defect, failure, part in need of repair, etc., shouldn't that have been checked off as "fail" on the inspection checklist?

If the vehicle was listed as "Certified Used," then it passed the inspection and was found to be in good working condition. My car was listed as "Certified Used" with a clean checklist. But another dealer is telling me the exhaust is on the way to needing attention. Strange.

Another inspection point is the headrests. A week after having the car I found that the rear headrests were both broken. The dealership fixed them after I pointed that out, then went on to say that the person who did the 150-point inspection on the vehicle was not their "regular guy" and he must've missed it. WTF?

Now we're scrutinizing everything. The worst of everything is the finish of the paint. We didn't see the blemishes on the day we bought the car... it was dusk and about a half hour prior to a torrential rain storm. So we did not notice that the car has an incredible number of scratches that were filled with touch up paint. Poorly at that! These scratches are so ling and plentiful -- and deep -- it looks like Wolverine was the previous owner.

Last week during a wash and wax, I noticed for the first time that the front passenger quarter panel paint has a sever hazy fade behind the headlight, and the finish is dry, rather than smooth. Almost as if there's no clear coat.

Should these defects pass inspection? Should a vehicle with this list of problems be sold as "Certified Used?" I'm trying to figure this out because I want to get this stuff fixed, but my warranties under "Certified Used" don't cover the paint or the muffler, but if these items should never "passed" the 150 point inspection, shouldn't the dealership be responsible and have these items addressed?

Help!

 

You may want to call Honda of America's corporate office and ask them for the list of items done for a CPO inspection. I am pretty sure they officially declare the car CPO. You may also want to explain why you are calling with the defects.

 

Look through your sales documents. I suspect the limits of the warranty offered w/ CPO are spelled out in some detail.

good luck

 

I've gone through the certified pre owned handbook and it clearly points out that coverage does not extend to general wear and tear parts, e.g. muffler, tires, brakes etc. It also does not cover paint. These things are obvious. But what's also clear is that the dealership admitted that the 150 point inspection wasn't carried out by their normal technician. Since then I've been wondering if this vehicle ever should have been advertised and sold as CPO. If that's the case I think we've got a measure of latitude with disputing some of these defects that are not normally covered under the CPO warranty.

I forgot to mention in my first post that after about a week of having the car, I noticed it had a crack in the bumper and mismatched tires. mated pair on the rear and a different set on the front. Also, the front toes were directional tire mounted backwards.

The dealership merry us with much reluctance but finally agreed to match the tires and also had a 3rd party shop repair the crack to the bumper (and have it painted). After that, they gave us this kind of attitude like, "Ok, we're done with you now. Go away."

 

I agree-I received documentation about my car being a Honda Certified Used Car from American Honda on my car about a month after I bought my used Accord in late 2009. This was after the bloodsucker in the finance department said that "you can't get Honda Care (Honda Extended Warranty) or get the car Certified as a Honda Certified Used Car" and insisted that the ONLY coverage I could get was a third-party extended warranty through Fidelity Warranty Services Inc. At least the stupid Fidelity warranty he sold me has paid for everything that I have requested coverage for. But in retrospect, I could have gotten Honda Care coverage as the vehicle was still under the orginal warranty for a week or two.