When you purchase a car, you want to know that it is clean and safe. One thing you may do to try to make this possible is to approach a dealer who only sells certified pre-owned vehicles. Unfortunately, even when a vehicle is certified pre-owned, that doesn’t mean that everything wrong with it has been disclosed.
One of the issues that sellers should be disclosing is if the vehicle has ever had any major infestation. This infestation could be anything ranging from spiders to mice, fleas to bees. The reason they should disclose this is because buyers have a right to know if there could be damage caused by an infestation or if an infestation could recur in the future. For example, while a flea bomb might have cleared obvious signs of fleas from a vehicle, the vibrations of a vehicle moving could result in further eggs hatching and a real problem for a new owner.
How can you avoid problems with bugs or insects in a used vehicle?
It is always a good idea to have a mechanic of your choice inspect a used vehicle before you decide to buy it. By law, all dealers in Connecticut must allow you to do this when a vehicle is being sold used.
When you have a mechanic look at the vehicle, try to find one who can also look for signs of infestations by bedbugs or roaches. Pests inside vehicles can damage the seats, be problematic in the engine or radiator and more, so they should be disclosed before anyone purchases a vehicle.
While it may not seem like this would be a problem in most vehicles, you do need to be cautious. Vehicles with fabric inside are more likely to have issues with bugs like bedbugs that could get onto your clothing or items and come into your home. Dealers should be responsible and treat vehicles for issues like this, but not all will. As a buyer, you need to take steps to inspect the vehicle and know as much about its history as possible.
If you do purchase a vehicle with a serious infestation of bedbugs or other insects, you may be able to hold the dealer responsible for failing to disclose the issue.