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Comments
If the repair work did not require a road test(???), file a complaint with the BBB. Find another dealership. And make it crystal clear to service advisor, with any future repairs/maintenance, that you are to be contacted if Shelby requires any "road testing".
In any case, it's not the end of the world. Life is short and there are worse things to worry about.
Yes, I know, it's not my car but I would feel the same way if it was.
So far, I've filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and with the Illinois Attorney General. I want to share my story with as many people as possible...any other suggestions.
It's hard to say what caused the paint to chip, given that the car has been driven on public roads for some months.
An ideal solution would have been to refinish the bumper and split the costs 50-50 between you and dealer or body shop. This would have put you out perhaps $200 or so.
You might propose this solution (keeping an eye out that they don't jack up the price so high that your 50% covers everything in reality).
If that doesn't work, you could go to Small Claims Court with the evidence of your having proposed a compromise that was rejected.
I'm not sure who you sue here, however. I'm not an attorney so can't give legal advice.
I'm not an attorney either, but the party to sue would be the dealership, as they were in agreement with the buyer to have the bumper properly painted. There is no first party agreement between the Infiniti owner and the paint shop.
So, the Infiniti owner would go after the dealership in court, who in turn could then go after the shop that did the crappy paint job.
Its worth a trip to the body shop. One's chances of success in Small Claims increases greatly if one has tried compromise and negotiation and been denied by all parties.
(Mind you if I was a nineteen year old with those keys in my pocket....but I wouln't have done more than 5 miles, as I'm not stupid...I think)
I received a "Buy 1 get 3 free" oil change coupon from a dealer where I had bought a car years ago. Looking at Chrysler's future I wondered if they would still be around to collect on the free stuff but decided to give it a try.
When I got to the dealer (half hour drive) I was told that the coupon was not good on the car I had bought from them but on another car I had bought from another dealer. The car the coupon was good for was destroyed in an accident 2 years ago. They had no explaination of how I was suposed to know they were offering me this deal on a non-existent car.
And you people wonder why I'm so cranky. :mad:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
When you go there, Dealer "A" tells you the coupon is valid only for your OTHER car (now totaled) and purchased from Dealer "B."
And we wonder why Chrysler is going down the toilet? :sick:
"Let your fingers do the walking"
"Never [non-permissible content removed]-u-me"
Also, any in put of what # of miles is reasonable for your car to be driven when you leave it for service? Hyundai of Nanuet drove it for 10 miles and Liberty Hyundai (where I took the car after the first fiasco) drove it for 14 miles. :mad:
As long as they fix the problem.....
If you read post #307 you will find that the answer is 420 miles. Also I understand a visit to a fast food place is required but I'm not sure why. :confuse:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
The first time the car came back, I thought it was a bad joke. Drips, unfinished wheel well lip with primer, fish eyes and dust specs all over the entire quarter panel, over spray on the trunk and chrome trim, etc., etc.......I honestly almost fainted and my wife lost sleep for days. I brought the car back and COUNTRY AUTO GROUP promised to make it right - "it was rare that they did that kind of work, but it happens sometimes"......"they were having trouble with the spray guns that day".....I , me, the customer, I am a perfectionist...so I was told ....among other things.
In my opinion, they just ruined my wife's $40K baby...but what could I do, I signed over the $1,500 insurance check, so I gave them another chance with the promise that the manager would go over the car when it was complete.
Well, the second time, the paint was definitely better, but now it looks like they just sprayed over what was there after sanding and doing a poor masking job. Up by the back window, it looks awful, the clearcoat stops and starts and looks like it will peel, they didn't take the taillight back out, masked around it and the finish is really rough where the light meets the body, there is still a dust spec in the paint right on the fender flare and there is still a drip or a small bit of poor body work on the wheel lip.
They offered to paint the car again or give me a couple of free details....nice. In my opinion, they ruined my car - painless dent repair probably would have looked better. I really don't know what to. I want the car fixed correctly, but my wife doesn't want to pay and I know that Country Auto Body in Huntington Station is incapable of doing the job right. I wish I could just get my money back and go to Flower Hill Auto Body in Roslyn - their work is meticulous. Live and learn - to think that since we moved to Huntington, going back to Roslyn would have been a headache....that's why we chose Country........ :mad:
I tried in my case after I wasn't happy with hailstorm repair work, and the insurance company let me use another body shop and paid for the additional work.
The company told me that since they have no preferred body repair companies and because I chose the shop, there wasn't anything they could do. If I had deposited the check and written my own I could have at least stopped payment - but since we signed the check over to Country we're stuck. They did offer to paint the car again, but I really never want to see them again. The third time they'll just mask the car differently again so I'll have three different paint/clearcoat lines........don't you just hate when you know you have made a mistake that is going to cost you money to fix....I know for a fact, based on my experience, my family's experience and recent reviews that Flower Hill Auto Body would have done an absolutely perfect job, I just can't believe that we thought we would save the headache of driving 20 - 30 minutes to have the car fixed right....
Why don't you have the better shop fix the repair? Have them document the poor quality of the first shop. Then take the bill from the good shop and present it to the bad one. If the bad shop balks at payment take them to small claims court using the documentation from the good one.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I'd be livid about this and I wouldn't take it sitting down. A car screwed up like this takes a big hit in value. This is money out of your pocket. Of course I haven't seen the work, so I'm basing this upon your description.
your insurance company should be sticking up for you and putting the body shop's feet right to the fire.
Where did this recommendation come from?
A co-worker of mine had the same situation, but far worse. He has the expensive hobby of exotic cars and took one down to Salt Lake City (he lives in Park City) for something more than just an oil change (He's extremely protective of the cars and does routine maintenance himself)
The dealership found out, unfortunately too late, that the detailers they hired were taking certain cars out for joyrides. My co-workers car was selected for "play time".
Play time ended with a serious collision and the dealer employee literally ran from the scene. I think it actually made the local news there - NOT good for the dealership!
I have found that most dealerships have lackluster performance in regards to maintenance and 100% of them continuously violate the simple oath: "First, do no harm", it's quite simply, not their car.
My best friend recently bought a pristine very low mileage 1998 Mercedes E 320.
At the time I was still in the business and when this perfect Mercedes was traded in, I called him and told him to bring his checkbook and book a flight.
He did this and he drove his new beauty home.
A couple of weeks ago, he took it to his local dealer for an oil change. The cost was 130.00 which included an "inspection" that he didn't ask for. They spotted a worn front end bushing that we must have missed that is, indeed bad and he plans to get it taken care of soon. Otherwise, they gave him his tire depth measurments and brake pad thickness etc. They didn't ask him if he wanted this "inspection" they just did it and charged him 39.00 of it.
So, I was in So Calif this weekend for a mini reunion with a bunch of HS friends.
While driving with him, a chime went off and an indicator showing a bad bulb came on. Sure enough, the RF headlight was out.
Next day we took it to the dealer and asked if they could do it while we waited.
They wanted to charge him another 39.00 for another inspection! An inspection they had done less than 1000 miles before!
It looks like this something automatic that they just do? Maybe Mercedes owners don't mind and expect this? I know a Honda customer would thave thrown a fit!
Two and a half hours later the car was done. Cost? 309.00 to replace the xenon bulb!
I warned him that repairs would be frequent and expensive!
He brought the car in for a simple headlight replacement and the first thing the Service Advisor did was pull out a depth guage and walk around the car checking the tread depth.
???????
I'm sure the Bay Area is even higher.
A replacement key would cost £300 ($450)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Strueth!
I lock and unlock the car manually instead.
I'm not a big car person and I have no desire to change my own oil, so I generally bring my car in to Valvoline Instant Oil Change every 3,000 miles. This last time, before I was going to bring it into Valvoline, I got a coupon in the mail from the dealership I bought my car at (2007 Dodge Charger). I also have an extended warranty on my car from the dealership. The coupon was for an oil change, tire rotation, and 22-point vehicle inspection for $19.95. This is significantly cheaper than the $40+ that Valvoline usually charges me solely for an oil change, so I decided that I'd bring my car in and have this service done.
I had a bad experience with an old car of mine 'burning' oil off, so I usually check my oil about once every three times I get gas at the pump. The last time I checked my oil was about 100 miles before I brought my car into the dealership to get the oil changed.
While I was waiting for them to do the service, one of the mechanics came up to me and said, "When we were checking your oil, the handle of the dipstick just 'came off' and the stick is lodged in the pipe. We're probably going to have to order you a new one."
I told them that's OK and that I understand that stuff like that happens on occasion. I paid the $6.00 to have a new dipstick ordered (they didn't have any in stock).
They called me the next day and had me come back in to pick up the new dipstick and get the old one removed from the pipe. After about 30 minutes of waiting, a mechanic came up to me and said, "Sorry, we couldn't get it out. We're going to have to order a new pipe and everything." That new pipe is about $130.
At this point, I was pretty frustrated. Maybe the dipstick did just "come off," but it seems pretty convenient that it happened right there at the dealership and that they just chalked it up to "stuff that happens." They didn't take any bit of responsibility for this happening.
Instead of having them install the new pipe, I just took my car home for the day and now I'm typing this, trying to get some advice on what I should do. Obviously having a functional dipstick is an important thing, but I'm just irritated that I'm the one who has to pay for this. They also charged me $27 for "trying to get the dipstick out of the pipe" even though they were unsuccessful.
In the end, my $19.95 oil change has turned into a total cost of over $180.
Is this a common thing to have happen? Is there any suggestion that anyone has for me? Or should I just bite the bullet and pay to have them fix the problem that they very likely created?
Or tell the dealer what you're going to do and let him decide.
Now you know why so many of us do our own repairs and maintenance when we can. It's not just the cost issue. I could spend a week here telling you stories of dealer & independent shop repairs gone haywire.
At each step of this awful journey I was met with discontent and disrepect for myself and my vehicle. They ran through every excuse in the book. My convertable top was 15 years old and was bound to rip anyway.(not realizing the top was only 5 years old), I hadn't cared for the top properly, then reverting to a total denial of we just don't think we did it.
They continued to refuse and when under threat of lawsuit actually laughed at me. Then came the ultimate in disrespect. The owner, Ed Napleton, when I began to lecture him on what I expected as a customer actually cut me off and said, and I am not kidding "Customer---your not my customer. Did you buy your car from me?"
Of course I hadn't, I had only just spent $2,000 in his service department but, obviously that didn't count as being a customer to Ed Napleton. I knew the second he said it what kind of person and dealership I was dealing with. Never again.
Be sure to create a good but simple presentation, giving dates, a few photos, maybe a synopsis of the chronology and conversation.
They don't owe you the entire top, but they DID work on it, so they should contribute.
Give him a dealership review:
Ed Napleton
Here's the only other review:
Written by mike53222 on 7/3/09 8:59:16 AM PDT
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Recommend this dealer? No Purchased a vehicle from this dealer? No
Napleton Porsche of Westmont This Dealership sells fine Porsches and pre-owned cars but don't be fooled, they'll do anything to make a quick sale even it means going back on their word. After finding a nice 2006 BMW Z4 on the internet, I drove over 2 1/2 hours to the dealership to negotiate the buy. We could not come to terms initially but I followed up with phone calls to the manager and sales person Rick Schneider. Two days later, I telephoned the salesperson and finally brokered an agreed upon price on the vehicle and offered to make a deposit via my Visa, he explained that this was not necessary, he congratulated me and said just drive down to complete the paperwork and payment. When I arrived, Rick informed me that they sold the car to someone else. I was shocked and angered! We had a verbal agreement on the sale only hours prior and he assured me the car would be on hold waiting for me. I informed him that I would drive down immediately to complete the sale, however, another buyer came in after I had called and they wanted to make a quick sale, so they did. I was never called or informed about this sale til I arrived. Over the course of 3 days I worked with this dealership to try and broker a deal. Initially, negotiations were fine, but in the end when they give you their word - trust me, it means nothing. You think may be negotiating with reputable people but you're not. After complaining to the sales manager, he just backed up his sales person and sent me on my way. I DO NOT recommend doing business with this dealership. Michael Milwaukee, WI
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The manager informed him that the car had fallen off the lift as they were getting ready to change the oil. $2000 is the estimate so far. He suspects it will be much worse because the car has a "shimmy" when he drives it. Rocker is buckled and the front fender looks like it's been pulled forward. I suspect some suspension damage too.
The lube shop says they will pay him out of pocket if he doesn't file an insurance claim. I guess they don't want to explain to upper management how they dropped a car on the shop floor.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Think about it. If the car gets fixed and paid for "out of pocket" by the lube shop, what if your BIL drives it and finds out that it's still "not right".
What if the lube shop balks at paying out more money? This complicates things, since it's questionable whether BIL can then ask for damages from the lube shop's insurance company. Will *THEY* in turn balk?
Your BIL's insurance might handle it initially (depending on what kind of insurance he has) and then subrogate against the other insurance company or the lube shop for compensation.
Yeah, that's what I thought when he told me but it's not my call. He did say that he got them to put their promise to pay for ALL repairs in writing.
Still...
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
My first nightmare with a car dealership: Better Auto Mall of Stuart, Stuart Florida. In April 2014 I flew from NC to West Palm to purchase a Jaguar S Type R Supercharged. After purchasing the car, I stayed the night in the motel. The next morning the battery was dead. The dealership replaced it. I left to go to Fort Myers and made it as far as the freeway entrance when all the lights came on. Drove back and they gave the car a tune up as it was running lean. Left and made it as far as the freeway entrance when the rear brake pads went out and I was riding on the rotors. Spent another night in the motel while they fixed the rear brakes. Left the next morning. Drove a over the 70 mph speed limit going cross state, nearly a two hour drive from Start to Fort Myers. I was headed to the Jag Dealer in Fort Myers for them to check everything over completely before heading back home to NC. The car started making strange noises in front which sounded like the bushings or something upon entering Fort Myers on Palm Beach Boulevard. Drove south on the freeway to the Colonial Exit and headed south on Six Mile Cypress. There was a game ending and the police had stopped traffic. At 5mph my drivers front wheel started falling off. I called the dealer at this point and told him what happened and he said that he could not help me as I was not there in Stuart. I told him thanks, if I had died at high speed coming across the state due to his inept mechanic, I would have hoped that my family had sued him, which he deserved. The police arrived. Sure enough, the dealership had replaced the front wheel bearing (they told me they had done so) and had not tightened the lug nuts on the wheel tight enough. Was towed in. I wonder what would have happened at high speed if my front driver's wheel had fallen off ? It turns out that this dealer is not a member of the Better Business Bureau. Thank you Motor Trend for giving me this opportunity to tell this horror story. I am glad to be alive.