So I've been dealing with some major issues with the dealership I purchased my Durango from. So this is sort of a rant/vent/need advice type thread. To start off when we were negotiation our Durango we had asked for some specific things, one of which was a Rallye package due to the look and the features. The dealership came back to us with a D that had the Rallye but also a bunch of other stuff we didn't want as it jacked the price way up. So the dealership said they could get us the features we wanted specifically and at a lower price. Well when we looked at building a D we couldn't get specific features without upgrading to a Rallye. (However this dealership could apparently) Anyway, during the negotiation the dealership switched salesmen, and switched some paperwork on us. Yes it is our fault for not reading things more closely, but due to our experience in trying to build a D we figured we all were on the same page when we were talking. Come the day of delivery a different D was in the parking lot and it lacked the Rallye package among a few other things. We then had to renegotiate on a new D with other bells and whistles that we didn't want at slightly higher price. When that D showed up the next day the dealership didn't take us on a walk around due to the buckets of rain that were coming down and it was getting dark. Yes our fault for not demanding one, but when you buy new you expect new. Next day after we took delivery it was sunny and I started noticing all these scratches and a huge gouge in one of the rims, not to mention one of the scratches was starting to rust. I called the dealership immediately and they said it was their fault for not doing a walk around and they would fix the issues to just send them photos so they know what they were dealing with. I sent them photos of all the damage like they asked. The dealership told me to bring the D in and they will fix all the damage. I complied and brought it back in. I get a call two hours later saying I can pick it up, the manager looked at it and I need to bring it in again on another day to be fixed. I was under the impression that was why I brought it in then, so it can be fixed. So I end up bringing it back in that next week, and their body shop look at all the scratches and paint chips which can be found on all of the panels, and even the bottom edge of the lift gate. I did this walk around with both my salesmen and the body shop boss. They both told me they would take care of things. The body shop had my D for a week and I get a call that it was ready. When I went in I looked things over I could tell my D received a glorified wax job. Their was wax residue all over the black, and some still left on the paint. I also noticed new abrasions, scratches, and paint chips that weren't there when I took it in, including a scratch in my front windshield surrounded by wax pad imprint. I had hand washed my D and looked everything over before I took it in. So not only did they not fix the paint problems of before, but they gave me new ones! A service rep looked it over with me and agreed nothing was done and confirmed there was new damage and to bring the vehicle back tomorrow so it can be dealt with. I had to bring it back the next day and a new service rep was looked it all over and was beside their self at all the damage and was embarrassed there were new issues and the old ones were not fixed. The rep even asked me at one point if the D was purchased used. The rep had their body shop head come back over and we circled all the damage and things that needed to be fixed. I got a call today from my sales rep, which was weird as I wasn't dealing with him on the new fixes, saying my D was ready to be picked up less then 24 hours later. I'm not an automotive body shop employee, but I'm pretty sure all the issues they had to fix couldn't be fixed in less then 24 hours. I called my service rep up and they were just as surprised it was ready that soon too. Come to find out the body shop only did a quick touch up and didn't fix all the damage, including the stuff they caused. I'm glad the service rep is in my corner and told the body shop their fixes aren't good enough they need to do better. To top it off I have to drive 40 miles one way each time they have me come in to the dealership to deal with all this. I'm sort of feeling like they were pissed we had to re-negotiate and gave us a beat up vehicle as a result. The vehicle I traded in had less body issues then what this new D had, and my trade in was 4 years old! I don't think I'm being unreasonable by expecting a new vehicle to look like a new vehicle. Especially after their body shop added more damage to the exterior. What would you do in this situation? If they can't fix the problem I'm on the verge of just asking for a new vehicle, or parts or something. I don't way to pay for a used vehicle with a new vehicle sticker price. Thoughts? Yes I know there were two points in this in which I should have been more on top of things, but bottom line is they admitted to their mistakes, tired to fix them, but caused more issues as a result.
Doppelganger
Keep all documents and write a log of each person you talked to and what was said done etc.
Get a lemon law attorney to take a look at your case. I had a 2007 Escalade with a paint defect few years back and deer made things worse! I realized this when it had 200 miles on it (drove too LA and back)
Long story short I was getting yanked around so I got in touch with a Lemon law attorney. I drove that car for over a year as the attorney did his thing. I got every cent back (down and all payments I had out into it)
I hate to go the legal wrought but I was not going to accept a re-painted brand new vehicle!
Did you say you leased or took out a loan to own on it?
Get a lemon law attorney to take a look at your case. I had a 2007 Escalade with a paint defect few years back and deer made things worse! I realized this when it had 200 miles on it (drove too LA and back)
Long story short I was getting yanked around so I got in touch with a Lemon law attorney. I drove that car for over a year as the attorney did his thing. I got every cent back (down and all payments I had out into it)
I hate to go the legal wrought but I was not going to accept a re-painted brand new vehicle!
Did you say you leased or took out a loan to own on it?
Sorry to hear this - what a pain in the *ss. +1 to what Freerless said. Document and capture photos of everything to the nth degree, including dates. If you have to end up going the legal route, you are going to need all that backup.
The Lemon Law crossed my mind when dealing with this. Especially since the body shop will of had my Durango for a third time to make sure things are right. I don't know if they count abrasions, scratches, and paint chips, as paint defects as the paint itself isn't failing but more like human error. The abrasions looked as though someone took 200 grit sandpaper and rubbed the paint on all the panels in a few locations. Weird part is most of the scratches and abrasions are going horizontally with the flow of the vehicle, except ones that were under the passenger side mirror were going vertically. The service rep at least appears to be trying to make this right. I haven't picked it up yet since they've had it last, but if I get a crap paint job slapped on it I won't be happy. No we aren't leasing it.
What color is this D?
You have given them there chances. I believe if the vehicle goes in for the same issue 3 or more times lemon laws are a viable option.
My Escalade was black and black is a very difficult color to match, along with the "egg shell" texture it was never right after they touched it.
The dealer first attempted buffing out the paint defect and that did more damage to the paint than anything. (Swirls and burned a few spots down to the primer)
It ended up not costing me a dime for the lawyer.( they stuck their bill to GM)
Thing is if I went to sell it later any potential buyer would notice the car had been re-painted and would either turn the buyer away or make me take less for my car.
If your not FULLY satisfied and plan on owning it get Lemon Law lawyer to do your fighting for you.
If leasing I personally may settle for a good paint job and just plan on turning it in at end of the lease.
Maybe see if the buy back price could be lowered significantly do to the likelihood of it dropping in value from being it the "factory" paint job. & This work may show up on carfax etc...
It's a long process but worth pursuing in my opinion.
You have given them there chances. I believe if the vehicle goes in for the same issue 3 or more times lemon laws are a viable option.
My Escalade was black and black is a very difficult color to match, along with the "egg shell" texture it was never right after they touched it.
The dealer first attempted buffing out the paint defect and that did more damage to the paint than anything. (Swirls and burned a few spots down to the primer)
It ended up not costing me a dime for the lawyer.( they stuck their bill to GM)
Thing is if I went to sell it later any potential buyer would notice the car had been re-painted and would either turn the buyer away or make me take less for my car.
If your not FULLY satisfied and plan on owning it get Lemon Law lawyer to do your fighting for you.
If leasing I personally may settle for a good paint job and just plan on turning it in at end of the lease.
Maybe see if the buy back price could be lowered significantly do to the likelihood of it dropping in value from being it the "factory" paint job. & This work may show up on carfax etc...
It's a long process but worth pursuing in my opinion.
Oh and make sure dealer is giving you service invoices for potential future documentation support. Don't let them do it and it not be documented. If the scratches and such have been caused by them and this issue it should be covered under warranty and if not that definitely the lemon law. Take a lot of pics and again document everything. Peoples names & dates etc.
You can check the lemon laws for your state here:
Lemon Laws by State - Lemon Law Attorneys at DMV.org: The DMV Made Simple
I personally wouldn't accept a re-paint b/c it will lower your re-sale. anyone with a paint thickness gauge will see it and question whether the car has been in an accident, even if nothing shows up on carfax and you have all the paperwork from when you had the issue.
Lemon Laws by State - Lemon Law Attorneys at DMV.org: The DMV Made Simple
I personally wouldn't accept a re-paint b/c it will lower your re-sale. anyone with a paint thickness gauge will see it and question whether the car has been in an accident, even if nothing shows up on carfax and you have all the paperwork from when you had the issue.
Thanks for all the advice. I've been taking pictures of the damage and even after the body shop employee marked out all the areas that were damaged. The color of the Durango is the maximum steel metallic. Which, depending on the time of day or type of weather, can be almost a totally different color. When it gets the sunlight the depth in the paint totally makes all the abrasions and scratches stand out. I'm waiting to hear back today to see what they are doing to make things better. If this does qualify as a Lemon Law issue then I will be going that route, which sucks, but I don't want a vehicle that has a damaged exterior. I live in the PNW where we get lots of rain, so those kinds of things can lead to rust issues quickly.
So a quick update of what has happened. Bodyshop did a re-work of the paint damage, but the service shop said they missed a number of things. Long story short I ended up talking with the head boss of both the dealership and the bodyshop. They offered to repaint the damaged doors and mirrors. I wasn't a fan of repainting, but they promise it will look good, kind of doubting it since they have botched things up to begin with in their first attempts to fix things. I figured I would give them a chance to make things right on their end, and that was the best option they gave me at this point. They said if this doesn't work for us then they will buy out the contract from us. Downside is there is nothing in a six state radius that even matches the features we have in the color we have it in, I had them look. So trying to get another one just like it, for the price isn't happening. So I'll see how they do with the repaint, if it isn't that great then I'll be consulting a Lemon Law attorney. They did throw in a few extras for me to help make it right, so at least they are making a good attempt. It is frustrating when the right hand isn't talking to the left, and trying to get ahold of people is like trying to catch a fart in a tornado. So I hope things look good when all is said and done.
If they have agreed to buy back if not satisfied why are going to consult Lemon law attorney once paint job is not going to turn out to your satisfaction?
I would let that car go if it was me. Too much painting and diminished resale value and hassle of color matching are too much for me. And if they opt for blending chances are that a good portion of the vehicle would be painted. If it was some patching or spot painting then yes to the deal. I guess I am just too picky.
I would let that car go if it was me. Too much painting and diminished resale value and hassle of color matching are too much for me. And if they opt for blending chances are that a good portion of the vehicle would be painted. If it was some patching or spot painting then yes to the deal. I guess I am just too picky.
Doppelganger, first of all, good luck with your issues. I hope you are satisfied with the work they do, or the new vehicle you purchase. But on a serious note, I have never tried to catch a fart in a tornado. I imagine it would be quite hard. Best of luck to you.
You're kidding yourself to think you will ever be completely pleased with any repair they are doing. They have offered you an out, hassle-free, TAKE IT! You will find what you're looking for eventually, even if that becomes a 2015. And I hope it goes without saying that you should never do business with this place again.
Best of luck my friend!
-Mike
Best of luck my friend!
-Mike
Have to agree with Mike. Regardless of the repair outcome, you'll always remember the situation and you'll probably never be as satisfied as you would have been with a trouble-free purchase experience. At least you have already been promised an out. If the repairs are done to your satisfaction, good. If not, let it go. Consider it an extended test drive.
Quick update, I was scheduled to have my D ready to be picked up on Friday. The windshield repair took longer then they expected, and the body shop didn't have time to detail, clean, and do a final once over on the vehicle. I didn't have the time to wait for them to do that, as I had other obligations that night and couldn't wait for them. Plus I wanted them to make sure they did a great job with no more mess ups. My D pulled up right before I left and I was able to do a once over with the head of the body shop, and on quick inspection it looked great. I've actually been happy with their work this time. The repaint looked good. I had a work conflict and wasn't able to pick it up tonight, but I'm shooting for tomorrow. I can't wait to get it back.
Finally got my D back. Looks great! A little wax in a few places on the black, and whatever they put on the tires left a greasy mess around the wheel wells, but nothing I can't fix on my own. Just glad to have it back.
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