Sea Ray

You bought a brand new car, it is no longer new due to the fault of the dealer, not you. Get a new car if possible because like you said, the paint will not match in a few years. But then again if noted well, could it be held under the warrranty for the 4 years?

My past horror story, long version,

I bought a dodge mini van in 1995. It was a dealer trade so I told them they could remove the other dealers name and put theirs on, I did like them then. Anyways, the prep gal used a screw driver to remove the other sticker, the new one did not cover the gouges, so they repainted the back tailgate, 3 times to get it sort of right. I also had asked them to adjust the hood since the gaps where not even all the way around the fenders. The body shop guy used a rubber mallet on the corner of the hood and the paint peeled/shattered from the blow. And he used the mallet to spread the fenders and caused bumps on the edges of the fenders. At the same time I saw this, the owner of the dealership also saw it. We both just about cried. He wanted to replace the hood and tailgate on the spot, from another van but the factory paint finish did not match well enough. Then I aksed him what he was going to do with the fenders. New van is what I wanted.

We had already driven this van 1500 miles so it was not a simple swap, but he did trade it to a brand new one within the week. I think it did cost me a few hundred bucks somwhere but at least I got a new undamaged vehicle like I had paid for.

Good luck with yours.

Vampyr

Well at this point I plan to go in there with a letter in writing indicating that I purchased a NEW car with FACTORY paint and that is not what I am receiving. I am going to angle for a return of the car.

The thing I have a hard part figuring out is why on earth the dealer is going to do it. They've been nice so far, but let's face facts: if they take my car back, and it's been titled, it has to be resold as USED and that will knock at least $5k off it (or in that ballpark).

That's a fairly major loss for them. I've never met a dealership that likes taking losses, and for their part, I'm just some guy who would have to spend a few thousand on an attorney to try and get this settled.

At the end of the day, I think they're going to risk a pissed off customer who MAY sue in order to AVOID the certainty of losing a lot of money by taking the car back and trying to re-sell it as used.

ARGH

i3man

You're forgetting it was their dumbA salesman that caused the problem, not you. You did nothing wrong so don't think twice about pissing them off. You do what you gotta do to be happy.

idle0ne

after reading all of the posts i would have to say i would go and speak with an attourney.... You paid for a brand new car, once it has been repainted it is no longer new. You should shoot for a new car or if you can live with it try to get it for a used price since it is a used car now. maybe they will knock $4-$5k off of what you paid. Maybe they will just get you a new car and sell that one used. Maybe they will do nothing... Point is dont let them try to push you around and i know they will, i have had friends that work in car sales and these things happen. However the dealerships never want to give in and lose profits on any sale.

speak to an attourney, have the attourney prepare a letter stating that if this situation cannot be resolved between you and the dealership to your satisfaction then you will pursue the matter in court. that will show that you are not just spouting off about suing them and that you are serious.

i hope this information has helped and i am sorry you are going through what you are. I also hope that i dont have to deal with this crap when i get my 8

mmmdowning

I had purchased a new Monte Carlo '96, In shop 4 times in a month, A lemon. I wanted a new one to replace it. They wouldn't. They wanted to play hardball. So i made a sign and park the car on the soulder in front of the dealship, took a wheel of to look like I have a flat tire for legal reason's. and posted the sign. This was on a saturday. Within 30 minutes the general manager was out there with a service tech putting the tire back on the car and an hour later I left with a new car no price changes and got an upgrade with leather. Its sad but there is no more customer satisfaction anymore. They only care about the sale. It results in order to get something done right you have to be an ***!

Good luck and do what will make you happy.

clyde

Here's another dealership horror story. Not quite the same thing, though.

Vampyr

UPDATE: Happy Ending

Thanks to all of you who solidified my resolve to stand firm on this issue.

I went to the dealership today and told them I would not accept the repainted car. I calmly explained my reasoning and was very firm in telling them there was no way on earth I would walk out with that devalued car today.

I got to meet with the owner personally and to my pleasant surprise he was fairly understanding and didn't escalate the situation with any dumb comments or sleazy sales tricks. He told me he would get me any other car on the lot that would make me happy.

To make a long story short, they took back the Black 8 (Manual, GT, no other goodies), and he swapped it for an other Black 8 but in addition to Manual and GT this one had Spoiler, Appearance, and Rotary Accents. We haggled for a bit and finally I agreed to pay an extra $500 for all the new goodies.

I drove off about an hour ago with my brand-new black 8, perfect paint job, 2 miles on it, still had all the plastic covering on the seats, etc.

I'm not sure I would have been as resolute on this without hearing all of your thoughts. Thanks guys, and kudos to Potamkin Mazda in Miami who, after a lot of frustration, ultimately did the right thing and we parted with a handshake and a smile.

When all was said and done, I wound up paying a grand total of $33,600 for my car - that's out the door with double-GAP coverage, taxes, tags, etc.

The drive home was exhilarating

i3man

Great to hear you got the car you wanted. Congrats and enjoy the 8. Posts some pics of your 8 in the gallery when you get a chance

grogiefrog

Perfect! Good going for you!

Sea Ray

Great, glad you did it without it getting ugly. Proves that some dealers are people too

When your right.......your right !

Pics when you get a chance too.

pyrenees4u

We just bought our rx8, a months ago, its been back to the dealership twice.
we noticed the the entire left side of the car had issues with the paint job, the hood had dimples in it, there are areas that the paint missed all togeather, there is overspray on everything and paint runs galore.
we made a detailed list of everything that we found wrong with it and took it back to the dealership, they have promised us a brand new car..
arghhhhh, hope this all stops...