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Sold a friend my car, it died! Help?

Todd33

Todd33

Diamond Member
2010 Hyundai with like 35k.

His wife was driving it and it died, lost all power and all lights. They jumped it twice and that lasted all of ten feet. It was towed to the dealer. What can I expect?

They were already Honda fans, brand loyal without good reason. I know this is just a random unpredictable thing and should be under warranty, but they are going to be paranoid and irrational about it I fear.

Any theories, can it really be something like the alternator or can I hope for just a bad battery?
 
Not sure why you are concerned about it. The car only has 35k miles on it. As long as you took care of it then what are you worried about?

Stuff happens... not your fault.
 
Did you have an aftermarket stereo or alarm in it before you sold it to them? A couple cars ago, I bought a used car that I insisted they take the junky alarm out of before I bought it. They must've just ripped it out, and something wasn't grounded or hooked up right, thing died on the freeway on the way home. That left a bad taste till they fixed it in 5 minutes the next day.
 
LTC8K6 said:
A bad alternator should have caused a dashboard indication of a problem.
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th


Yea like most people know what the hell the lights on their dash mean.
I had one girl when I was a mechanic think the Oil light on her dash meant it was time to get a oil change. Luckly the car still ran when it got to me so i had to inform her of that error.
Another girl thought her oil was good for 100,000 miles since that was when the first tune up was due.
 
waggy said:
and this is why you don't sell to friends/family.
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Meh. I disagree here.

I know how I've cared for my cars. When I sell to family, it's because:

1) Selling any car that is in good shape, I'd rather pass the quality on to someone I know when I lose money on selling it. (And you always lose some money when selling a car.)

2) The ones I would sell it to would be bright enough to realize that it is sold as-is, and future problems are not my problem.

I was about to sell my dad my old Jeep for 1000 less than I wanted for it. He was happy with the idea, as was I. He preferred that I take my time and try to get my money out of it first. Low and behold, I found a buyer. Funny thing is, the buyer asked if I would budge, and I really had no intention of budging. I wouldn't take 100 less even if it was 900 more than what my dad would give me. I just said, "Nope. I've already got my lesser offer. Since it's my family who would be buying it otherwise, I don't want to take anything less than what I am asking." He agreed to give me asking price, and that was that.

Anyhoo, if I have a car with a fading transmission, or some problem I know to be expensive, I'll unload it as a trade in and take whatever they give me, or I'll sell it with that disclaimer. But any other issues are just a result of it being a used car.
 
Ya, sounds like a bad alt. You shouldn't even need the battery once it's started, and since it's dieing on it's own that's what I would look at. Though you it could also just be the belt got loose.

That actually happened on one of my vehicles out of nowhere it just dies. Here I go thinking "o shit" this is gonna cost me. Some guy drives by, helps me out by taking a broom stick shoving up the alt. and tightening the bolts, presto fixed (took him a whole 5 minutes! lol). That was when I was really young and didn't realize to always look for the simple shit first.

I could only imagine what a mechanic would've charged to do the same thing.
 
even these "reliable" cars do break once in a while.

the one car that left me stranded and had to be towed that i've ever owned was a honda (or well an acura). starter motor died.

i've had german cars that would never leave you stranded, but they'd still have things fail progressively. but i guess being stranded is a pretty crap feeling. if your friends are pretty logical they wont hold it against hyundai, i mean every car company no matter how reliable a reputation has cars that break down, the statistics for how often it happens should still be followed anyway
 
Not your problem. Exactly how long are you responsible for problems.(hint, 0 miles) It's under warranty so unless you did any modifications that would void it there's not worry.
 
The company that made the alternator and supplied it to Hyundai (if it is the alternator) could have shipped a bad part, so it's not like it's Hyundai's fault entirely.
 
I buy and sell cars all the time. All my friends, neighbors and relatives know this. Rule number one. NEVER, sell a car to a friend, neighbor or relative. It can only go bad. They will not remember that they had no trouble from the car for 8 years, but they will remember even a burnt out light bulb.

Keep you friends, neighbors and relatives personal. Never sell a care to them. Its the quickest way to lose a friend, neighbor and relative.
 
Raizinman said:
I buy and sell cars all the time. All my friends, neighbors and relatives know this. Rule number one. NEVER, sell a car to a friend, neighbor or relative. It can only go bad. They will not remember that they had no trouble from the car for 8 years, but they will remember even a burnt out light bulb.

Keep you friends, neighbors and relatives personal. Never sell a care to them. Its the quickest way to lose a friend, neighbor and relative.
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I know a lot of people say this. I'm a reasonable guy, but I have to say somewhere deep down in my unconscious irrationality if I bought a car from a friend in good faith and he was 100% legit and I knew it, and after a year it started just being a piece of crap over and over I honestly would start associating that crap with him. Not because I think he ripped me off but because he was a part of the chain of its existence. I think it's a weakness in my nature as a human, so it's probably good advice 🙂
 
waggy said:
and this is why you don't sell to friends/family.
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This. It's usually not worth the aggravation. Back in college I bought a friend's Subaru Legacy wagon and the thing turned into a money pit, culminated by the complete destruction of its transmission. That car really put a strain on our friendship. Not because I was blaming him, but because he'd hear about my problems with it and then avoid me (he felt ashamed).
 
It was the alternator. I hope he or his wife don't freak out. Do alternators just die this easy with low miles? Never had one go myself. I wish this happened before I sold it to him.

BTW it was his idea to buy it, I just mentioned I wanted to sell it for something smaller.
 
Todd33 said:
It was the alternator. I hope he or his wife don't freak out. Do alternators just die this easy with low miles? Never had one go myself. I wish this happened before I sold it to him.

BTW it was his idea to buy it, I just mentioned I wanted to sell it for something smaller.
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That means it was almost certainly driven for a while with a warning light on.
 
Todd33 said:
It was the alternator. I hope he or his wife don't freak out. Do alternators just die this easy with low miles? Never had one go myself. I wish this happened before I sold it to him.

BTW it was his idea to buy it, I just mentioned I wanted to sell it for something smaller.
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Usually Alts last 100k+ easy now. But if there is a problem is usually will fail while under warranty.

So very minor problem IMO. They may need to replace the battery sooner than later now due to the hard drains it had put on it.
 
Sucks, but there is nothing you can do.
I pretty much ONLY sell my cars to people I know because people know I take care of my stuff.
One of my old Saturns I sold to a buddy to use as a cheap commuter mule and a week later the serp. belt tensioner shit the bed and he had to have it towed. (it drives the water pump on those cars) Not a single reason for me to feel responsible. I felt bad but I knew it was not my fault, it is not a typical service interval part. They rarely fail. It was just bad luck and awkward timing. He knew that and it was no hard feelings. Something like 60 bucks later he was back on the road.
 
Todd33 said:
It was the alternator. I hope he or his wife don't freak out. Do alternators just die this easy with low miles? Never had one go myself. I wish this happened before I sold it to him.

BTW it was his idea to buy it, I just mentioned I wanted to sell it for something smaller.
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why would they freak out, it is just a bolt on accessory? an alternator is a mechanical component. they will fail eventually. Not a big deal at all
 
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