Home

News

Trending

'You Would Have Been Better Off Going to Carmax': Woman Buys Car From Carvana. Then She’s Hit With A $7,000 Repair Bill

'Horror story.'

carvana $7K repair bill

Photo by: AdobeStock

Steve Ecker

By: Steve Ecker

Dec 30, 2025 at 6:00pm ET

Add Motor1.com as a preferred source in Google

Comment

A Carvana customer has revealed how she ended up with a $7,000 repair bill, even though she believed the car was under warranty.

In a TikTok that’s generated over 4,700 views as of this writing, a purported Carvana customer (@upnorthlivn) shares what she says Carvana has been doing to deny her warranty and the absolute nightmare it’s been to deal with.

Carvana Horror Story

On TikTok, the customer says she bought the car from Carvana the day before Halloween and was having issues with it 2 days before Christmas. She says Carvana promotes having a seven-day return policy and a 100-day warranty, but alleges she was unable to use either after finding an oil leak.

The woman says she took the car in for an inspection during the seven-day return period and found the oil leak. She then reported it to SilverRock, the company that handles Carvana’s warranty.

Carvana offers a 100-day or 4,189-mile warranty. SilverRock is a warranty partner with the company and has over 10,000 repair facilities nationwide, according to Carvana.

That policy didn't help, @upnorthlivn claims.

"Found an oil leak, documented it, relayed it to SilverRock, SilverRock opened up a claim, and had us take it to a dealership," she explains. She says the dealership found the leak and documented it by putting dye in the oil and taking photos. Well, apparently, this wasn’t enough evidence, as SilverRock denied the claim.

"The leak wasn’t significant enough for them to cover," the woman reports. Then she claims she got hit with a shocking repair bill. "It’s about $7,000 worth of repairs, parts, and labor," she says. This high tab is due to having to take apart the engine, she claims.

"So yeah, they're refusing to cover it," she shares.

Experience Sours Customer on Carvana

She explains that during her research phase, she didn’t find any significant issues with Carvana online.

"I didn’t find enough videos deterring me from it," she says.

However, her mind has completely changed after having to go to the mechanic six times for hours at a time, @upnorthlivn alleges. She claims she's complied with all SilverRock's requests, only to be denied again and again.

"I’ll be calling them back and disputing it because they are contractually obligated to repair this. Their warranty extends to this issue, and it’s within the parameters that they sent when we signed the contract," she vents.

She now urges people to avoid Carvana at all costs.

"Do you wanna know if it’s a good idea to buy a car from Carvana? It was not for us," she says. Then she explains why she doesn’t recommend buying a car from the company.

"Don’t do it," she says. "They don’t inspect their cars like they say they will. They just expect it to fall under this umbrella of they'll repair something, or you can just return it. Return it for what? Return it for another one of their cars that they didn’t inspect, that they are not going to repair?"

"Let this be your sign to not buy a car from Carvana," she concludes.

Commenters Give Carvana Mixed Reviews

Some viewers went to the comments section to express their disapproval of Carvana and imply that it was a huge mistake to buy a car from the company.

"I don’t understand why people still buy from Carvana," one TikTok commenter said.

"Don't ever buy a vehicle from Carvana, first mistake," another replied.

"People dump their problem cars at Carvana. Never buy a car from them," a third added.

"I’ve heard nothing but horror stories about them. Like selling stolen cars, vin numbers are scratch off,etc," one shared.

Others said you should only sell cars to Carvana.

"The people that are selling their cars to Carvana are selling them to them for a reason and you all are just buying someone else's problem they dumped off unfortunately," one said.

"I would sell to Carvana. Sell, not buy," a second commented.

"Next time get a mechanic to inspect a car before you buy it," another suggested.

Is Dealing With Carvana a Nightmare?

According to Carvana, every car undergoes a 150-point inspection. This inspection reportedly ensures all vehicles meet mechanical, cosmetic, and safety standards.

"Any component that does not meet our quality standards is either replaced or repaired. Additionally, all cars receive an oil change," per Carvana.

Allegedly, if something isn’t working, Carvana will either repair it or allow the customer to select a different vehicle instead.

Nexus Auto Transport reports that customers have experienced mechanical issues and other hidden problems that required significant repairs.

Additionally, with over 2,000 reviews on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Carvana has 1.1 stars out of five. Many customers said that dealing with Carvana is a nightmare, with issues ranging from refunds and returns to mechanical issues, delivery delays, and rude customer support.

"Worst experience of purchasing a car I have ever had. This car has been in the shop more in the 2 months I have owed it than I have had it. New battery, blown turbo charger, and now a complete new engine is being installed. Never again will I purchase a vehicle from Carvana," one BBB reviewer shared.

"This has been the most frustrating experience dealing with selling my car," another added.

"Absolutely do not recommend ever working with Carvana. Received a vehicle and in less than 72 hours the entire front end is shaking and making a loud knocking sound," one said.

What do you think?

View

Comments

While the car vending machine can be part of the fun when buying a car, it may not be worth the headache.

Motor1 has contacted @upnorthlivn via TikTok direct message and comment on the post. Additionally, we’ve contacted Carvana through email. The story will be updated if either party replies.

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motor1.com?

Take our 3 minute survey.

- The Motor1.com Team

Share this Story

GO TO COMMENTS

(

)

Got a tip for us? Email: tips@motor1.com

View all comments ( )

Popular

Bugatti Restores One-Off Veyron With A Mirror-Like Aluminum Body

BMW Kept This Hatchback A Secret For Decades

Skoda Wants You To 3D Print Pieces Of Your Car At Home

The Gas BMW M3 Isn't Dead: Next-Gen Prototype Roars