Ethical Question

That means "we haven't found any easy answers and frankly we'd rather just go back to changing cabin air filters, please go away"

 

I agree.

Maybe I am just different?
I’d rather someone tell me they don’t know, than make something up.

I’ve even paid people for their time to tell me “We just don’t know why your truck pulls to the right.”
In the end, it was tires. But that’s another story. I figured it out after replacing the tires.
Anyways, they were honest. And I paid them 1.5 hours time. Which was fine with me, since they kept it a full day trying to figure it out.

I tried everything I knew to check. Ball joints, tie rod ends, bearings, multiple alignments, shocks.
I was “tried out”. I know it sounds strange, but it kind of made me feel “better” knowing I wasn’t the only one that could not figure it out.

 

I agree. I have no idea how they jumped on the ECU.

 

To answer you initial question without reading all the posts, no. You do not sell without disclosing an issue that you know about. But, the ethical side does not get to the majority of people in your "friends" shoes.
Think of it this way. If you have to ask if something you are thinking of doing is unethical, then it most likely is.

 

We’ll, I said I wouldn’t report post 7, but I guess somebody did,
Because it got deleted. I Xed out the words referring to his post in my quote. Rules is rules.

 

Lots of suggestions to choose from, you’re in a tough spot ethically. I would sell it to a different dealer and then very casually mention it to them after their check to you clears. It could be one of those “oh I forgot to mention that once or twice in the past couple years the truck wouldn’t start, not sure why.”
Hopefully the person they sell it to will have some kind of warranty if the dealer sells it as ‘certified’…

 

I retired from a corporation that made use take ethical training from our computers. I always thought it was funny as I thought the managers were the least ethical. As one manager put it, situational ethical. I just assumed he meant if it benefited him it was okay.

 

If you were looking to replace the truck, I’d trade it in at a dealership and let it be their problem.

 

I can relate, a former friend who is rather high at my job too is the type who will and has screamed and foamed at the mouth if he feels cheated, but sees zero issues with doing the same or worse to people at work and outside too. Like I said, former..

 

Got to...

 

Those are the same guys that squeeze past you in the merge lane, but will always retaliate against anyone who changes lanes in front of them.

 

That would be this one in a nutshell. The type who I don't mind seeing pleasure in them falling on their face.

 

Looks like most are on the side of doing the right thing, which suprises me. I assumed the same rule would apply as far as honesty and stupidity. Ya know the one, think about how stupid the average person is, half of them are stupider than him.

 

Sell it to me for $5k.

I have the same exact year and model truck. I could just swap the ECU and see if it works.

 

Love that one, not sure if an original but I heard it first from Carlin

 

I wouldn't do it to anyone else, because I wouldn't want it done to me.

I'd personally disclose it and drop the price.

 

Reminds me of a situation. I had a 87 Buick grand national. Someone I worked with wanted to buy it but I didn't want to sell it to someone I worked with because it had multiple problems. He quit, I sold it to him for super cheap and gave him the full list if everything that was wrong with it. He was very happy, I was glad to be rid of the money pit.

 

I had a Volvo 745 that had a no-start problem related to the CPS: Intermittent "crank-crank-crank" no start. Heat soaking was the cause and it could take 45 minutes or more to recover so you could be on your way again: with the two little kids in the back. Ya. I finally took it to a recommended Volvo wizard (mechanic) an he predicted the issue before he even worked on it. Common problem, but an absolute nightmare to get at it to R&R it. (sounds like a lot of like items on our beloved Tacoma's.)

 

I had another thought on the ethics question, and the answers given. None of us want to be seen in a bad light, whether we're able to admit it to ourselves or not, the answers we have given here are to some degree self promoting, if not damn lies. Ask all the questions you want, conduct all your anonymous polls, you're not going to get straight answers from, I'll say probably a surprising percentage of responders. So, what was my answer? Well, my answer was post #42, and you'll see that I artfully dodged the question. Truth be told, I have both been open and forthright on some transactions, and have told half truths on some others, depending on situation and parties to the transactions. I have never out and out lied on anything, but do have my regrets from a couple of times for which to this day I make excuses for myself.
Full disclosure, I am not nor ever have been a salesman, a preacher, a politician, nor a union boss. I do self identify as Paternalistic, and as a Male Chauvinist, both in a positive sense. I am an Atheist, although in my 82 years, I have considered myself to be an Agnostic at least twice.

 

To an extent, I disagree with this part. None of us, ok, possibly. If you had said nobody, then I would completely disagree.

I’d like to believe people want to be good, I’m constantly proven wrong.

I have spoken with a used car salesman or two so, yeah people like that do exist.

One guy I worked with, the foreman, lived to create chaos. He said something just to piss someone off, the guy laughed and walked away. So he never turned away from his desk. The next guy got mad, so he turned and rubbed it in further, just to make the guy angrier.