QuestionHI, I PURCHASED A 2004 XG350 HYUNDAI WITH 16 THOUSAND MILES ON IT IN DEC. 2006. RECENTLY I WAS DRIVING ON A MAJOR
HIGHWAY AT NIGHT IN THE WINTER ALONE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I HEARD A BIT OF A SCRAPING UNDER THE CAR AND THEN THE CAR JUST STOPPED! LONG STORY BUT IT WENT BACK TO WHERE I BOUGHT IT AND THEY HAD IT FOR ABOUT 20 DAYS, THEY SAID THE ROCKER BROKE AND SIEGED THE ENGINE. NEED A NEW ENGINE, THEY PUT IT IN AND GAVE ME A NEW BATTERY. PICKED IT UP TWO DAYS AGO.
YESTERDAY AFTER RIDING ON THE HIGHWAY.....CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON? COULD YOU SPECULATE WHAT THIS IS? IS THERE ANYWAY I COULD FIND OUT IF THIS CAR HAD BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT BEFORE? I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR ANSWERS, EXPERTISE AND TIME.
THANK YOU, PATTI
AnswerThere are a large number of things that could turn on a check engine lamp. Since the engine was just replaced, it's possible something wasn't hooked up properly. Just take it back to where you bought it again. If they're willing to stand behind it enough to put the engine in, they'll be willing to fix anything they've done incorrectly.
To check whether the car has been in an accident, you could try running a CARFAX report. While there's no guarantee it was reported to the database, that's someplace to check. Usually the easiest way for me to tell whether a car has been in an accident is a difference in paint. Someone who's practiced in this can tell differences in paint color and texture, will know where to look for overspray (areas of paint due to improper covering), and will know some areas to look for evidence of disassembly and reassembly.
