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Impact of Unrepairable Issue on Used Car Price

jogigogjogigog Member Posts: 6
edited November 2021 in Kia
I have a car with cruise control which only works intermittently. It cannot be repaired, so a buyer will have to live with it. If you were buying, how much less would you pay because of this?

The car is a 2016 Sorrento SLX, loaded with all possible options, good condition, very low mileage. KBB private party value is about $27,000.
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  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 241,036
    Why can’t it be repaired?

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  • jogigogjogigog Member Posts: 6
    They've tried for a couple of years and just can't figure it out.
  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 241,036
    jogigog said:

    They've tried for a couple of years and just can't figure it out.

    They being the dealer or an independent mechanic?

    Anything that breaks can be repaired.

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  • jogigogjogigog Member Posts: 6
    The dealer, and per suggestions from the manufacturer
  • jogigogjogigog Member Posts: 6
    It's under warranty, so the manufacturer has been involved.
  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 241,036
    jogigog said:

    It's under warranty, so the manufacturer has been involved.

    Wouldn't it be eligible for a lemon law buy back, if multiple attempts have been made to repair the problem?

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  • jogigogjogigog Member Posts: 6
    The lemon law only applies to cars in the first couple of years - this car is too old for the lemon law statute to apply.
  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 241,036
    jogigog said:

    The lemon law only applies to cars in the first couple of years - this car is too old for the lemon law statute to apply.

    So, what happens when the warranty can't give you a resolution? The dealer throws up their hands and says "we tried?".

    Can you escalate to corporate?

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  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,745
    How often does this problem occur? When it happens is there anything you can do that tends to restore operation such as turn the car off and restart it? If you try use the cruise and it works, is it likely to stop working on its own during the trip or is this a problem that when it happens the cruise simply never turns on?

    Are there any codes setting in any module on the car? If so, what are they?

    What exactly has the dealer said when you picked the car up, has it never acted up for them?

    Did they try anything "as a guess"?

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 236,830
    jogigog said:

    I have a car with cruise control which only works intermittently. It cannot be repaired, so a buyer will have to live with it. If you were buying, how much less would you pay because of this?

    The car is a 2016 Sorrento SLX, loaded with all possible options, good condition, very low mileage. KBB private party value is about $27,000.

    In a vacuum, the lack of cruise control might only be a $500-$1000 hit.

    But, that option has become ubiquitous, on even cheap cars (other than the very bottom trim line). By not having working cruise control, you will halve your possible buyers. You may end up having to drop your price further to gain a buyer that doesn't care.

    Of course, if you trade your car in, no one is going to check to see if your cruise control works.

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  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,745
    kyfdx said:


    In a vacuum, the lack of cruise control might only be a $500-$1000 hit.

    But, that option has become ubiquitous, on even cheap cars (other than the very bottom trim line). By not having working cruise control, you will halve your possible buyers. You may end up having to drop your price further to gain a buyer that doesn't care.

    Have to agree here. Cruise is a very important option for many drivers. Without it, especially on a long commute, it's easy to lose track of how fast one is going and end up cruising at speeds that can earn one of those high-speed driving awards.
    kyfdx said:


    Of course, if you trade your car in, no one is going to check to see if your cruise control works.

    I did some quick research before my first response. I found radar "smart" cruise information a lot easier to find than I did non-smart cruise. So, until it is confirmed which system this car has (if a non-radar system was even available) it didn't make any sense to go much further.

    No matter what is wrong with the cruise in this car it is of course repairable. The only questions are just what will it take to do so. I've outlined the challenges to tackling problems like this many times over the years both from the technical side as well as the personal investment that some technician has had to make to be ready. The last question is essentially what exactly he/she will need to do in order to solve this problem and there is no way to know that in advance. The fact that this may well be one of the radar systems makes someone noticing that it doesn't work much easier as there might be other obvious clues. That possibility "could" impact the selling price significantly.
  • jogigogjogigog Member Posts: 6
    edited November 2021
    @thecardoc3
    So, what happens when the warranty can't give you a resolution? The dealer throws up their hands and says "we tried?". *** They have been willing to keep trying, if I keep leaving my car for weeks on end. Most recently the manufacturer said they can't do anything because it's no longer under warranty.

    How often does this problem occur? When it happens is there anything you can do that tends to restore operation such as turn the car off and restart it? If you try use the cruise and it works, is it likely to stop working on its own during the trip or is this a problem that when it happens the cruise simply never turns on? *** Unfortunately I haven't been able to determine any triggers. It will stop working for a few hours, or work intermittently for a few days, then work perfectly for a week or two. The issue is it will turn on, but not set a speed (so it won't be engaged)

    Are there any codes setting in any module on the car? If so, what are they? ***No

    What exactly has the dealer said when you picked the car up, has it never acted up for them? ***I has acted up for them a couple of times

    Did they try anything "as a guess"? *** They have fixed a few things (cruise control button, clock spring, calibration, possible minor short in brakes) but none of it has worked

    It is a "smart" cruise control which follows the car in front of you.
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