My mother leased a 2003 Honda Accord a couple of months ago. Upon delivery, there was what appeared to be a large grease stain on one of the rear seats. She has the light tan interior, so the stain is very obvious.

She contacted the dealer to find out what they would do to resolve the situation. They ended up (I am not making this up!) putting seat covers on the seats. The seat covers look like the same fabric, etc., but they're seat covers!!

I've been buying cars and helping other people buy cars for 15+ years, and I've never seen anything like this. Putting seat covers on the seats to hide an obvious flaw on a brand-new car seems akin to rear-ending someone, then putting a bra on the front of the car to hide the damage. What were these guys thinking?

We'll obviously contact the dealer management and American Honda, if necessary, as this certainly isn't acceptable. Has anyone else ever experienced anything similar?? Any other thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks!

 

This happened to me a while ago at Kramer Honda in Santa Monica. They did not put covers on they just smeared it up and made it worse. In the owners manual there is a number for customer service in Torrence, CA. I called them and filed a complaint. The dealer called me and informed me that a new rear seat was on order and would let me know when it was in. The seat was replaced under warranty,

 

I was surprised that the dealer thought that covering up the problem would be a viable solution on a brand-new car. Maybe they get a bonus if they keep down the percentage of warranty claims!

 

Well, dealers do get less money in warranty dollars for a fix versus when you pay for it. However, they may not get anything for it since its their fault that the grease stain was on the back seat ... Could be why they dont want to fix it. However if you call up the regional office and complain or even just call up the dealership and if they dont want to make better on it threaten to call the regional office ... I'm sure that they'll own up to it and get you a new rear seat.