How to word confrontation of used dealership for the danger they put me in by leaving lug nuts loose on two wheels after putting 4 new tires on car I bought?
May I have advice for contacting the used car dealership who put 4 new tires on the 2012 Mazda3 I bought from them last week, but they neglected to torque the lug nuts to Mazda specifications?
It's been exactly a week since I bought the car. I noticed that there was a clunking/thunking noise coming from the left side of my car when it wasn't braking or accelerating. I thought it could be a transmission issue so I brought it to a repair shop for a more thorough inspection.
I've already contacted the mechanic that did my PPI and they've apologized for not catching the loose lug nuts. Apparently they neglected to tell me they offered two tiers of PPIs and the one I was only told about was their "kick tires and check for frame damage and rust" tier of PPI. (I've already told them I was disappointed that I was mislead about how thorough the PPI was and they've issued a refund.)
The inspection done by the mechanic close to my home found that in addition to the loose lug nuts, my power steering fluid level was low and so was my brake fluid. Most of the used cars I've bought have been from dealer lots and have always had their fluids checked and filled before I drove off the property. Is this not common?
I was advised by my mechanic to see if I could get an apology for the loose lug nuts (which could have resulted in severe damage and injury to the car and myself!) and maybe they could pay for the fluids I need drained and replaced in my car.
Do yall have advice for wording this to the dealership?
Posted May 12, 2026, 2:56 PM UTC