soopa

continued from here: http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/showt...hreadid=105524

OH MY FUCKING GOD

I just got a call from my dealer:

"hey this is brian... umm... well we dont have your transmission yet... but a tech damaged your fender while on a test drive... so uhh... its really minor... but uhh... your car is in the shop getting painted"



FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!! So what should I do guys?

123456SPEED

Damn, if they are waiting on a tranny why the hell are they 'test-driving' it. They better had done some repair work on it or I would be yelling at the general manager. No one wants a car with repaint on it and wreck damage.
Can you get to another dealer?

99CL

Why would a tech be test driving your car when they already know it's the tranny and have already ordered one for you?? They should at least let you see the damage first before bringing it into a shop for paint. I really don't know what I would do but go down and start yelling the F out of them !!!

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

i would start saying..."are you guys crazy....seriously...do you know who I am? i mean if this is the kind of service i get i cant even imagine what you do to other customers. What are we going to do about this?"

dajuice27

Somebody would be getting a serious slavery day beatdown if that were my load. Why drive it when you don't have the part to fix it? He probably was making a lunch run or errand in your car. I hope you can check the mileage against the mileage from when you dropped it off at the dealership, they usually write it on your invoice when you leave it for service.

Then let us know if you want help, because that lame ass notification from the dealer sucks!!!

bnavarro

sue them.

Zoot

ask for a free 6-speed

Smitty

So true, when I had my Eclipse in for service, I seen 3 dealership clowns jump out of my car and walk into WENDY's.... I walked over and said WTF you think your doing?.... They had such a puzzled look on their faces... Needless to say my service was free and so was 1 months car payment.

Soopa, jump in the F150 and get your ass down there and comfront them face to face... Make sure you keep records of everything. Start making some calls to the BBB or DEMAND to speak with the OWNER of the dealership.... If you go above all their heads I bet your car will be ready in no time.

Good luck

Smitty

fahoumh

what the fuck was that ass-hat "test driving" your car for?

gsrblack

Seriously, these folks are right...confront them and ask why they test drive something that is waiting on parts?

Next, you should be able to talk them into giving you compensation for the damage they caused even if they fix it. Tell them that if you ever sell it, you will lose value because of previous damage. By this, they should compensate you something.

I had paint problems that I complained about and one of the offers was an extra $1000 bucks when I decide to buy another car from them...that's BS since you don't know if you'll buy anything else from them. I took some free service stuff, but I'm sure you can demand cash or extra payments or even free service for the next year or two. They also offered me a free accessory, but they suck.

Good luck with getting this problem fixed....but this damage will be on the record of the car, I'm sure.

Scrib

Oh man... I'd so fuckin' go after their asses. Why the fuck are they driving your car when they know the tranny is bad?

I'd be down at my dealer right this second, ripping each and every one of them a new asshole.

WTF is wrong with people???

Scrib

Also... What if they're using a paint shop that you don't approve of? Since when do they have the right to send YOUR car where ever they want? I'd rip em' a new one on that too...

clscls6s

My guess, based on your other posts, is that even though they've told you they have a transmission on the way, Acura still isn't 100% satisfied that they've tried everything else already. So, maybe they're trying other fixes and test-driving it to test those "fixes".

In reference to what you do now: a personal visit to the dealership is a priority. Don't go in screaming and yelling (like in this post ) or they'll just get defensive.

Your best bet to get the most out of this is to go in prepared and as rational as possible. Decide what you want out of this ahead of time. Start with the service manager. If you don't get the kind of response you want there, talk to the manager of the dealer. No luck there, ask for the dealer principal or owner.

And, Smitty's right - keep track of every conversation you have - names, dates, times, etc. If this ends up being a legal issue, the more info you have, the better.

Nicky Pass

I'd have been there is 2 seconds flat.........RAISING HELL....MAKING SURE that EVERYONE know how bad they fucked up!!!!:angry: I would have a VERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRY hard time maintaining my "composure'!!!!

amir was here

if it was me, i would have them payin left and right

Scrib

Seriously though...

They focked the bumper... You can't change that.

BUT... I'm still lost on how they just decided to take it to a shop and have it painted WITHOUT your permission.

That is just WRONG. Everyone has their favorite body shop, knows someone who does good work, etc. And they just take it to some place without even telling you first.

Oh man... :shakehd:

Infamous425

since they dented your car causing the resale to lower you def. need to sue them if they dont pay up

pianoman41

Here's my take:

1. I've seen Adam's ride so I know that thing is phat. I wouldn't doubt for a second that some techs were pimping it on their lunch break or something similar. It's not unheard of--I know people that worked for Tweeter, Etc (high end audio installations) and they would sneak rides in the tricked out shiat.

2. Damaging it and then fixing it at their shop without *your* input is also equally bad. I know I'm very particular about who works on my car--especially when it comes to bodywork/paint.

*BUT* (and this is important)

At some level you've gotta respect either (a) the service manager, or (b) the dealership manager for at least telling you about it. Think about it for a minute. They could have either claimed someone backed into it on the lot when they were closed. Or worse, they could have *never told you* anything and just fixed it behind your back without you ever knowing something happened to your ride. After all, they have access to all the parts needed to fix it, plus a body/paint shop.

Don;t get me wrong--I would pissed as hell and I would make sure everyone knew about it. But at least someone, somewhere in that dealership had the cajones to own up to it and let you know.

NSX-Tuner

Isn't there a consumer law that states that any repair performed on you car needs your authorization first. So if they sent your car to be repainted without your okay, I'm wondering what legal leverage that might give you.

Also, I had something like this happen to me on a black '01 CLS I once owned. Brought my car into a dealer for a 15k service and warranty repair on my sunroof and got it back with a 2 inch gouge to bare metal on the rear quarter panel behind the driver's door. I refused to take delivery of car until it was fixed to my satisfaction. Now keep in mind, this was Los Gatos Acura's own paint shop behind their service center. I took them three weeks and three repaints on the quarter panel until I finally accepted their workmanship. Even so, I gave up and accepted some minor flaws in the paint. Their paint shop at that time (about 2 years ago) put out some of the shittiest paint work I've ever seen.

I highly recommend, if the paint isn't perfect or to your liking, demand that you get it painted at a place of your choosing no matter how much it cost them - the more the better.

mattg

and minor damage, if this is the case, wont lower the resale value as long as it's fixed properly.

what a shitty turn of events though :thumbsdn:

sidemarker

sounds to me they are just "telling him" its minor damage but could possibly be MAJOR damage! i mean its one thing if its minor and they call to tell you hey we fucked up and we are going to get this fixed as soon as we get your permission

but to just call and say that we are fixing the problem right away sounds like they are covering up some shit

soopa you should ask to look at the car before they do any work on the car and demand some type of refund for this whole mess!

sidemarker

gto2050

I'm thinking a trip to Albany with a few of my "Italian" NJ boyz wid me. Seriously, I would be calling Acura and BBB and whoever else will listen.

beerknurd

you should damage one of their fenders and say, " Don't worry, i'll fix it myself". The whip out a can of Bondo and a can of spray paint and fix it right then and there.

JRock

Good GRIEF!

I will look at this from the best possible angle:

They dented a fender while bringing the car into the shop to put it on a lift to get started taking the old trans out.


Because it's so against the rules for techs to just joyride in a customer's car I can't imagine that happening at ANY Acura dealership.

Especially since your car has a faulty trans so it's not like it was there for something simple that would allow them to safely "test drive" the vehicle.


I dunno what to say but that's incredibly frustrating. I'd want to wipe out the service department if I went through what you've gone through so far with this transmission replacement.

mantis23

WTF?!?!? Kick them in the nuts.

JSuppi

Seriously Soopa,
Here is what I would do;

1) Demand that they stop trying to troubleshoot the problems since they (and we) all know that the transmission is faulty. Just demand that they replace the damned thing and not spend anymore time troubleshooting it (Tell them, it's a matter of money, if they spend any more time troubleshooting it then A) The dealership is going to be out of alot of time/money diagnosing it; B) And your not going to appreciate being without your car any longer. This is a win, win situation for the dealership.

2) As for the paint and damage bumper (I know this is going to sound like crap), but the damage is done. Make sure that the damage is fixed to your satisfaction.

3) Don't ever take your car back to this dealership.

When my last transmission went out, I was screwed out of my car for a month (back ordered transmissions) and driving a POS Toyota Camry which I ended up paying close to 1g (roughly) because I signed the damned additional insurance crap for the Rental agency. I demanded that Acura reimburse me for the time I was out of my car (since I was still paying on the car) which would boiled down to 800$ car note. They only reimbursed me half the amount, but the bitching I went through with them got me no where.

Bascially my car is payed off, and even though I love the damned thing, this will be the last Damned Acura I ever buy.

No matter how much we bitch and moan, Acura is just (I am pretty sure this is how they are seeing things) losing a couple of customers, which they could care less about.

So just get your car back (in the condition, minus the faulty transmission), and then hope the transmission last.

Rod

I pretty much agree with JSuppi, you got fucked and there's nothing much you can really do about it, unfortunately. Just check out the damage before they work on it and take pictures just in case it isn't "minor." Get it fixed to your satisfaction and try to get something out of it...extended warranty, monetary reimbursement for the time your car was out of commission, etc. I'd say free maintenance down the line, but I'm sure you know better than to go back to this dealer.

This is most likely the last Acura I buy anytime soon also. It sucks because I was really thinking about an MDX an am eagerly awaiting the new TL, but all this bullshit is getting out of hand already.

Sarlacc

I would

a) speak with a lawyer about the situation and see what you have on your, DO NOT ERASE that message they left.

b) go to the dealership and confront the service manager AND owner/GM at the same time. You dont want to give either one a chance to get together and think up excuses. Hitting them both up at the same time gives them no outs. Also notify them you have spoken to a lawyer.

Having worked at a dealership and seeing what the stupid techs are capable of (the only dumb tech i knew was fired for wrecking a prelude in for service cause he joyrided it.)

The service dept already knew why your car was in the shop. There is no excuse for it having to be taken on a "test drive" PERIOD.

Also, Call Acura and file a formal complaint. They take those pretty seriously I just filed one for a friend having serious service problems at a honda service dept.

I hope the lawyer says you have a case and take them to court if they wont play ball.

Yes its a hassle and pain, but dont let them bend you over. You cant because theyll keeping bending over as many people as possible.

The worst thing you can do is get angry and lose your cool. Go in and talk to them, you have every right to pissed and let the frustration show, but dont get a temper or overly bad attitude, then you'll lose.

Also, you might want to consider having your car towed to another dealership, have the body work taken care of by someone of your choosing.

DO NOT BECOME A VICTIM and do not let them push you around.

See the lawyer, talk to them, see what happens and report. Just be cool but do not bend over for anyone.

Good Luck

mattg

i don't understand why people keep talking about lawyers and suing.

as long as they fix the car to your approval, you have no grounds for legal action. the car is in for a major repair, that could warrant a test drive. even if it was a joyride, they're never going to admit to it.

i'm not making excuses for the dealership, i'm being realistic.

4pumpedCL

my friend's RSX was backed into a wall when it was getting warranty work done. They tried playing it off like nothing happened, but he noticed the bumper had been repainted right away. He ended up getting a free underbody spoiler kit including installation. I'd push for something...

-Aaron

Sarlacc

Because he if talks to a lawyer first, then he can find out where he stands legally. He may very well have a case, you dont know for that he does not.

The lawyer may very well tell him he has nothing, Then fine he makes the dealership jump through hoops for him if possible. But he has to at least try, the worst he can be told is no you dont have grounds for a suit.

You never know till you try.

I'm sick of shitty dealerships and service depts. Its fucked up because HoA cant really do anything to these fuckers, and most likely wouldnt anyway. And after dealing with my friends Honda and her shit experiences its leaving a giant sour taste in my mouth.

CLSter

After the two or three dealership horror stories I've heard on this forum and the dozens from various other forums I am going to get a hidden camera for my car if it ever has to stay at the dealership for more than a few hours.

Was your car able to do some drag racing with the old tranny?

beerknurd

don't waste your's and the lawyers time. Either beat the guy with your old tranny or push for some sort of reimbursement... or both.

Sorry this happened to you.

TypeSKid

Get a BIG TIME reimbursement.


They better have put you in an NSX loaner for this shit. UNREAL.

I'd be totally LIVID!!!

mattg

like i said in my post, i'm being realistic.

what the hell could he possibly sue for, emotional distress?




:edit: i guess living in L.A. has made you a little sue happy :o

beerknurd

Tell them the emotional distress was so overwhelming that you are now impotent. $$$ baby $$$

Sarlacc

Talking to a lawyer doesnt mean you have to sue anyone. It can give better grounds on which to deal with the dealership. It never hurts to cover your bases and see where you stand and what your rights are.

Sue happy, no. Ive never needed to, nor threatened to sue anyone. never even needed to speak with a lawyer. But youre damn right if something like this happened I would find out what ALL my options are in the given situation.

I'm not on here going sue sue sue!

I'm on here saying cover your ass and find out everything you can, the better educated and prepared about a situation you are the better you will come out in the end.

Never hurts to take the time to do a little research/ self education.

Only hurts when you let yourself be a victim.

mattg

agreed.

under the circumstances, he should be able to handle this himself.

but it is wise to know all your options.

Sarlacc

cool, thats all im saying dude.

kensteele

Some people need to see a lawyer for anything and everything like if they go thru the mall exit doors carrying sacks of new purchases, if the door swings back hard and smacks them in the ass, they go see a lawyer to see if they are owed any money for a faulty door for getting surprised by a fast-moving glass door...they call it pain and suffering, public embarassment, or I coulda been killed. Some people wanna know all their options. You never know what mall management might owe you for their "negligence".