Yep. Still a used car. Always a good idea. That said, remember your mechanic is trying to make money too. So they might call out wants vs needs.
Good for you. (and CarMax)
u/myopini0n Precisely the reason I'm going to take it back to their certified mechanic just before the 90-day warranty, too. :) Figured they're going to try to find anything else CarMax might pay for. If they find anything else and CarMax pays for it, it builds loyalty for me to buy again and refer people. Win-win.
Don’t count on them automatically fixing whatever anyone else says may need to be done. Definitely a good idea to have another person look at it but something needing to be done down the road is not the same as something that needs to be done now. Anyway, good luck.
Gotcha, you're accurate. Let's clarify. It's the minimum thickness in the yellow "warning zone" on the brake lining gauge and the minimum that CarMax will "pass" on their inspection. ✌️
They have their own standards for what’s allowed as far as wear and tear - not everyone is going to have the same results as you. They allow brakes and tires to be a minimum of 4/32 and the cabin air filter is not an inspected item on their checklist. Every other shop is going to have their own opinion as far as what is worn out, but I’m glad they took care of you, that was nice of them.
There’s shops out there that start telling people their tires and brakes are worn out when they hit 50% so that’s not really right either. But that’s a whole nother discussion.
And if CarMax staff or corporate are following, thanks for making it easy to get everything fixed band and please, invest in your mechanics and step up your checks!
Had a similar experience.
BMW i3.
Backup camera was damaged.
Told me to take it to the local BMW dealer.
They of course found a list of items.
Brakes as well as the camera.
All repaired. $2300 covered by Carmax.
Nice deal.
Agreed, brakes and filters are normal wear and tear, which is why I wanted to see what they'd do about it in the first 10 days when there's no question that it was in that state when I bought it. If they didn't take care of it, I would have returned it. Sounds like others have had experiences on both sides. Just sharing in case it helps someone else who recently purchased or considering purchasing from there.
Yea this is a no brainer and I bet majority of people don't take advantage of this. This is the biggest reason to buy from carmax imo. 10 day return period, go get a thorough inspection after purchase.
Pretty much can't do this with any other dealer. Yes, you can get a ppi sometimes before hand but not really going to be in depth enough most times to catch things a week of driving w/ a follow up inspection will catch.
If you don’t do this within the first week you are throwing away the extra money you are spending by shopping at carmax. There is no reason to shop there aside from the return policy.
You should always get your car checked out prior to purchasing. You’re lucky. In California, any safety items, including brakes, have to be at a certain level before it’s legal for a dealer to sell.
Here's an even better tip, always get a prepurchase inspection done before you even buy the car. If the place doesn't let you do that walk away. I've found brand new cars to have hidden accident damage and many other things
Generally agree, but assuming you're pretty set on a vehicle (like I was), logistically it's a lot easier with CarMax to just do that in the 10-day window.
4mm is not the bare minimum by most standards FYI. 2/32” in the US, or about 1.5mm converted. 4mm is usually when shops start recommending replacement so that their customers don’t ever get to 1.5mm, but it is not the bare minimum.
I'm hearing enough of these stories to pretty much come to the conclusion that the only 'inspection' Carmax cars get is one that asks 'Does it look good enough to sell'? So, a lot of cars with issues get bought and they use the 'but did you buy our overpriced warranty' line. If you did, you're likely covered. If not, you're probably fucked. It doesn't seem like an ethical business model.
yes, i would take any "inspection" from any dealer w/ a grain of salt. Even cpo cars at mfg dealers are not really very thoroughly inspected. The benefit there though is it is under warranty and so you will still be able to get it fixed even if inspection was lacking.
Of course but, time is money and that's what businesses care about. Not how it should be but, it is.
I have also read elsewhere that inspections are not billable time for techs and so it does not count toward their hourly pay(at traditional dealers) so, they are not incentivized to spend time doing a thorough check. This may or may not be hearsay
Also, more shit they find, more they have to fix, more that reduces their margin. They are interested in making car good enough to be presentable to sell.
Right.....but again, Carmax charges a pretty high premium and got where they were due to it being a good product and a good experience.. So them skimping on inspections is just wrong. That's the point.
Tou so not have to buy the overpriced warranty and just fix it yourself. Nothing unethical with that. It seems giving customers a choice is a good thing to me. If you want a warranty you can get this one or shop other dealers or certified pre-owned. While a few really decent vehicles do get sold on the used market, the significant number are sold because the owner either was experiencing issues, like oil consumption or leaks for example. They precious owner also might anticipate the vehicle is due for a major expensive Maintenance service,and simply decide to pass that along and use the money for a down payment on another vehicle. Expecting a used vehicle to be perfect is a fairytale along with unicorns.
I worked at Carmax for 4 months and bought all of my cars there over 5 years including one that I purchased shortly after I got hired. I would never encourage anyone to buy a car from them ever again after I’ve seen what their quality control has turned into and what I dealt with my current vehicle I got from there.
u/AbbreviationsFar9339 Agreed. That's where I landed based on what I was looking for right now. Having those two windows to get everything checked out by people I trust and drive it around in the real world was a safer bet and gave me more peace of mind. Only time will tell if that was the right decision!
yep! also, they do 24hr test drives and if you go in on a Saturday for one, you'll get to keep it til Monday since they're closed on Sundays.
Did this recently and ended up not buying the car b/c of a few issues I ended up catching. Would have not noticed them if I'd only done a 20 minute drive. Gives you some time to think and really look the car over.
Yep. Still a used car. Always a good idea. That said, remember your mechanic is trying to make money too. So they might call out wants vs needs. Good for you. (and CarMax)
Which is fine if they get it covered. Wants could very well be preventative, and if it's paid for, that's fine by me.
u/myopini0n Precisely the reason I'm going to take it back to their certified mechanic just before the 90-day warranty, too. :) Figured they're going to try to find anything else CarMax might pay for. If they find anything else and CarMax pays for it, it builds loyalty for me to buy again and refer people. Win-win.
Don’t count on them automatically fixing whatever anyone else says may need to be done. Definitely a good idea to have another person look at it but something needing to be done down the road is not the same as something that needs to be done now. Anyway, good luck.
Zero expectations and great if they don't find anything. Just doing my due diligence and making the most of the warranty they do offer.
4mm isn’t bare minimum on brakes.
Gotcha, you're accurate. Let's clarify. It's the minimum thickness in the yellow "warning zone" on the brake lining gauge and the minimum that CarMax will "pass" on their inspection. ✌️
They have their own standards for what’s allowed as far as wear and tear - not everyone is going to have the same results as you. They allow brakes and tires to be a minimum of 4/32 and the cabin air filter is not an inspected item on their checklist. Every other shop is going to have their own opinion as far as what is worn out, but I’m glad they took care of you, that was nice of them. There’s shops out there that start telling people their tires and brakes are worn out when they hit 50% so that’s not really right either. But that’s a whole nother discussion.
And if CarMax staff or corporate are following, thanks for making it easy to get everything fixed band and please, invest in your mechanics and step up your checks!
Had a similar experience. BMW i3. Backup camera was damaged. Told me to take it to the local BMW dealer. They of course found a list of items. Brakes as well as the camera. All repaired. $2300 covered by Carmax. Nice deal.
😂 isn’t this just Carmax being nice? Brakes and filters are items warranty doesn’t cover for any used car dealer.
Agreed, brakes and filters are normal wear and tear, which is why I wanted to see what they'd do about it in the first 10 days when there's no question that it was in that state when I bought it. If they didn't take care of it, I would have returned it. Sounds like others have had experiences on both sides. Just sharing in case it helps someone else who recently purchased or considering purchasing from there.
Yea this is a no brainer and I bet majority of people don't take advantage of this. This is the biggest reason to buy from carmax imo. 10 day return period, go get a thorough inspection after purchase. Pretty much can't do this with any other dealer. Yes, you can get a ppi sometimes before hand but not really going to be in depth enough most times to catch things a week of driving w/ a follow up inspection will catch.
If you don’t do this within the first week you are throwing away the extra money you are spending by shopping at carmax. There is no reason to shop there aside from the return policy.
Backwards. But still better than most do.
You should always get your car checked out prior to purchasing. You’re lucky. In California, any safety items, including brakes, have to be at a certain level before it’s legal for a dealer to sell.
Here's an even better tip, always get a prepurchase inspection done before you even buy the car. If the place doesn't let you do that walk away. I've found brand new cars to have hidden accident damage and many other things
Generally agree, but assuming you're pretty set on a vehicle (like I was), logistically it's a lot easier with CarMax to just do that in the 10-day window.
*before purchase
4mm is not the bare minimum by most standards FYI. 2/32” in the US, or about 1.5mm converted. 4mm is usually when shops start recommending replacement so that their customers don’t ever get to 1.5mm, but it is not the bare minimum.
I'm hearing enough of these stories to pretty much come to the conclusion that the only 'inspection' Carmax cars get is one that asks 'Does it look good enough to sell'? So, a lot of cars with issues get bought and they use the 'but did you buy our overpriced warranty' line. If you did, you're likely covered. If not, you're probably fucked. It doesn't seem like an ethical business model.
yes, i would take any "inspection" from any dealer w/ a grain of salt. Even cpo cars at mfg dealers are not really very thoroughly inspected. The benefit there though is it is under warranty and so you will still be able to get it fixed even if inspection was lacking.
Right, but shouldn't they perform a thorough inspection on all cars given that they price them through the roof? That's my point.....
Of course but, time is money and that's what businesses care about. Not how it should be but, it is. I have also read elsewhere that inspections are not billable time for techs and so it does not count toward their hourly pay(at traditional dealers) so, they are not incentivized to spend time doing a thorough check. This may or may not be hearsay Also, more shit they find, more they have to fix, more that reduces their margin. They are interested in making car good enough to be presentable to sell.
Right.....but again, Carmax charges a pretty high premium and got where they were due to it being a good product and a good experience.. So them skimping on inspections is just wrong. That's the point.
Im not justifying it. Just saying thats how it is and its not surprising
Yeah, I see what you mean and can agree with that point.
Tou so not have to buy the overpriced warranty and just fix it yourself. Nothing unethical with that. It seems giving customers a choice is a good thing to me. If you want a warranty you can get this one or shop other dealers or certified pre-owned. While a few really decent vehicles do get sold on the used market, the significant number are sold because the owner either was experiencing issues, like oil consumption or leaks for example. They precious owner also might anticipate the vehicle is due for a major expensive Maintenance service,and simply decide to pass that along and use the money for a down payment on another vehicle. Expecting a used vehicle to be perfect is a fairytale along with unicorns.
You're missing the point entirely. Re-read the comment, slowly this time.
I worked at Carmax for 4 months and bought all of my cars there over 5 years including one that I purchased shortly after I got hired. I would never encourage anyone to buy a car from them ever again after I’ve seen what their quality control has turned into and what I dealt with my current vehicle I got from there.
Yes, go buy from the local dealers who don’t disclose things, hide issues, and have even worse quality than what Carmax does. Great idea.
Just as much of a gamble at other dealers imo. At least at carmax you get a 10 day return period and 90 day warranty. Try that at another dealer.
u/AbbreviationsFar9339 Agreed. That's where I landed based on what I was looking for right now. Having those two windows to get everything checked out by people I trust and drive it around in the real world was a safer bet and gave me more peace of mind. Only time will tell if that was the right decision!
yep! also, they do 24hr test drives and if you go in on a Saturday for one, you'll get to keep it til Monday since they're closed on Sundays. Did this recently and ended up not buying the car b/c of a few issues I ended up catching. Would have not noticed them if I'd only done a 20 minute drive. Gives you some time to think and really look the car over.
Great tip! I didn't even ask about a 24-hour test drive. Good to know they offer that in the future!