Dear Frank:

Sorry about the delay in responding.

Well, I presume the man told the car dealer that it was the lights that were faulty? Otherwise, how can the car dealer fix what he doesn't know is broken?

You also do not mention whether or not there was a warranty on the car. The car dealer is certainly bound by law to uphold the warranty.

From a moral point-of-view, even if there were no written or implied warranty, the car dealer has a moral obligation to fix the lights. This would also be prudent to do from a customer service and public relations point-of-view. A dissatisfied customer tells others and thus a business can unnecessarily lose business by treating customers badly.

If the car dealer misunderstood, or some miscommunication with the repair shop resulted in checking the brakes instead of the lights, the car dealer needs to be a man and owe up to the mistake and get the lights checked immediately.

It sounds like the car dealer is trying to save face and that is the source of the accusations and bad mouthing of the car dealer toward the customer. The "save face" motive is based on the sin of Pride. If the Car Dealer said things that are not true about the customer then he committed the sin of calumny. If the Car Dealer said disparaging things about the customer, calling him names, for example, then the Car Dealer sinned by uncharity.

Not fixing the lights is the sin of injustice.

What should the Car Dealer do? He should apologize for the mistake, and his behavior, and fix the problem immediately and at no-charge.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary