I know it's not the car's fault. I also know I make a lot of useless threads in here asking mundane and incessant questions. Here goes another one.

I bought my Neon in February just after Valentines day for my wife. The Dealer seems forthcoming in what's wrong with the car. "That musty smell is from where the taillights leak, Oh and that rattle in the back is the rear struts they're pretty worn". Sure enough the trunk had water in it as well as the floorboards. Nothing doing. Good sweep with a shop vac and we're right as rain. 4 days after buying it we were in a wreck. Though this isn't the point of this thread It actually has to be mentioned.

Fast Forward to 2 days ago. The poor thing needed an oil change. I go to the local auto parts store, Buy a gallon of Pennzoil and a filter. The family decides to go to her parents for a visit and I would change the oil there. I get under the car and BEHOLD what a sight to see.

The oil plug is completely surrounded with gasket silicone and the filter I see looks larger than the one I bought. So, I get the filter and check... It IS larger. Thinking the parts store gave me the wrong number for the filter I unsettle myself from underneath the car. Here's where everything goes downhill. I notice what turns my stomach.. A salvage mark on the block! It reads "98 NeoN". Thinking that the filters are different I do a crosscheck of the numbers.. That WAS the filter that goes with both 2001 and 1998 blocks. I scour the net to find out what filter could possibly be on this car.

SL14670 Fits a Chrysler V6 engine. Why would anyone be stupid enough to do that? I get it home and the next day I decide to go ahead and change the oil. I go underneath the car, turn the oil plug 1/4 of a turn and it pops out with the oil, Portions of the pan still clenched in it's threads.
Another trip to the parts store to buy a rubber temporary plug until I can buy a new pan. Today, I decide to investigate why the car studders and misses while cold and under hard acceleration. ZOMG!!! I pop off the #4 plug wire from the coil pack and am instantly shocked to see a rusty lump where the terminal should be. I then decide to check the plugs:
#4 worn Needs changed Tube intact.
#2 Worn Needs changed Terminal perfect Tube slightly bent(Notice I skipped #3)
#1 Also Worn Terminal perfect Tube bent egg shaped.
I uproot #3 and BOOM the tube is sticking a quarter inch above the valve cover and the plug is completely submerged in what looks to be at least an inch of freshly changed and circulated valvetrain oil.

I don't know what else i'm to expect while digging around doing simple maintenance on this car. As I said in the beginning, I know it's not the car's fault. I love the car actually.

I suppose what i'm getting at is this. Should I confront the dealer about these findings?

Thank you for your patience.

 

I would without hesitation. That's "****," to sum it up with one word.

 

It sounds like it is time to involve the BBB and a lawyer as well. If this were a reputable dealer, they would have never had that car on the lot let alone try to sell it to you. It sounds like you might have to do a engine swap on it. The 2.4 fits nicely.

 

They got a rusty motor out of a junkyard that has probably been sitting in the rain.

 

This. I was going to say it with "legit" in place of "reputable," but same point.

 

The car runs well enough. The point being is that I am going to have to fix their mess.
Needless to say this makes me not so happy.
Moparkyle, The engine bay was clean when I initially examined the vehicle, thus I didn't suspect anything. But looking back the "salesman" did act nervous when I popped the hood. I have it in writing that they are to repair the struts. I'm thinking seriously calling them up and telling them to have the struts ready for me to pick up because I don't trust their mechanical aptitude. I'm sure as it is here in WV it's likewise for most other states.. you have to allow the dealer to make restitution before you can get the BBB involved. I've been through it once a few years back.. I figured with newer cars and some experience under their belt they would have learned. Alas they haven't

 

Did the dealer offer any kind of warranty? If not (and most of them dont on used vehicles) your basically buying as is with buyer beware. Check in to the Lemon Law.

 

Lemon Law only applies to new vehicles.

 

Darthroush is correct. In order to invoke the lemon law you have to have taken the new vehicle in for service for the same problem at least 3 times.
Was there a warranty? Yes, there was one. It was a 1 month 1000 mile engine/drivetrain one. Even though the car spent it's first month and a half of me owning it in a wrecking yard due to fighting with the insurance company, it still expired. That and i've put almost 3k miles on it since then.

 

Thought i'd give a slight update.
I got enough time to get under the valve cover on the Neon and this is what I find:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...ing/tubeup.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...undercover.jpg

The reason it looks dirty under there is because it had been raining and I went through some puddles.
Silly me