baseballmom94

Here's a situation I've never encountered: I bought a 2020 MDX Base AWD on Feb. 27 and have been happily driving it since then. Great car and nice slight upgrade from my 2014 MDX with the Apple Play.

Today the dealer calls and says they gave me the wrong car which has a different VIN number than the paperwork. I have already received the title and just confirmed that the title VIN number does not match the VIN number on the vehicle.

They dealer wants to swap cars with me and give me the car with the correct VIN number which only has 42 miles on it compared to the 1200 I've put on my current MDX. They will install the roof racks and all-weather mats that I have on my current vehicle.

This is a completely new situation in my last 30 years of buying cars. Is there anything weird going on with this situation that I should be aware of?? Should I ask for additional compensation?

moose66

How did that happen? And why do you think you should ask for compensation? What is, or will, this inconvenience cost you? Are you not getting exactly the same vehicle you purchased (color, options) with less miles?

thoiboi

That's awesome, you just got 1158 miles for free and roof racks/mats, what other compensation would you want?

NBP04TL4ME

I bet someone at the dealer is in hot water. They have an MDX on their lot (yours) they can't do anything with. Assuming its the same model and trim level, I don't see a downside to working with the dealer and getting everything squared away properly. In doing so, it should not cost you a penny and very little of your time. They should do all the running and paperwork with your insurance co and the DMV as well as state inspection. Also make sure the MDX still on the lot (yours) is in good (pristine) condition - just like you are taking delivery of a new car (again.)
Maybe get them to throw in a couple of free oil changes or something just for the aggravation, but it sounds like they are already giving you some accessories.

nhhiep

how about asking them to include heated steering wheel and remote start?
since you already have a title. this is now like a trade in transaction. you may lose $ regarding tax and dmw fees, depending on where you live.

baseballmom94

I had the roof racks and mats on the car I have so they are not free.

mrgold35

Mistakes do happen and only you can determine if the dealership is sincere. I would do the swap if you're 100% happy with the 1200 miles test drive. Sounds like you don't have to do any new paperwork, insurance updates, or anything with the motor vehicle department? I would ask to get a +22 MDX as a loner while they swap out the accessories.

baseballmom94

Thanks for all the replies - they seem sincere and I don't see a downside. They will bring the new vehicle over to my house so we can look at it to make sure it is in perfect condition and then install the accessories and swap out tomorrow. I did ask for some free oil changes since I didn't negotiate this the first time around.

nist7

Dude there's no down side...except you actually do not legally own the vehicle you are currently driving...which can be a HUGE hassle if you get into any wreck.
Make sure to update your insurance...because assuming you have the correct VIN for your insurnace...you are driving and paying insurance on a vehicle that you do not legally own. (Diff VIN on your title vs the actual car you are currently driving)

I would want to get my legally owned car ASAP. Mistakes like this could happen...the compensation is you got to drive 1200miles and will get another "new" car here soon.

The problem is that you have been driving around a car that you do not own....get that fixed asap

baseballmom94

Nist7, I'm not actually a dude but you're right - could have been a huge hassle! My insurance card and title have the correct VIN number of the new car they are swapping with mine - obviously, I need to triple-confirm this!!!!

nist7

My bad!!! Was just an expression....but yes you need to check on the insurance...so if you actually had the truly correct VIN....you were also technically driving a car that wasn't insured due to the incorrect VIN.

Get it fixed ASAP!

mrgold35

I would give the old/wrong MDX an once over to make sure nothing is forgotten in the glove box, under seats, or rear hatch area. I would also have the dealership double-check the tire PSI before delivery. A lot of dealerships forget to lower the PSI to normal levels compared to coming from the factory at +45 PSI.

moose66

The good thing is you have insurance. The bad thing is that it isn't for the vehicle you have parked at your residence. I would almost have them send a tow truck to pick up the vehicle. Just so nothing can happen. You have been fortunate to this point to have nothing occur while you have had this vehicle in your possession. That would have possibly been a legal mess to unwind.

RenoTL

This sounds to me like it will be a very easy transaction. It is just a matter of swapping the car in your driveway with the car on their ot since all the paperwork, Insurance, DMV, Bill of Sale, etc. already shows the VIN of the car on their lot. As others have said, you do not want to be driving a car that you do not legally own!

NBP04TL4ME

As mentioned - at the end of the day, mistakes happen. It sounds like the accessories were already provided or perhaps you purchased them, but either way, I think these were a given and not something they are offering as compensation(not sure). You just want to make sure there is not incremental cost to you for their mistake. Oil changes or something like that is compensation for the hassle of their mistake.

This is an interesting situation and not sure how it would play out if baseballmom94 were to have an accident or something. The vehicle in her physical possession belongs to the dealer and the insurance, title and registration she has belongs to her vehicle physically at the dealer. I think the dealership would be on the hook for any damage to their car or perhaps it would be covered by some insurance they have for cars out on test drives(??) although it has illegal plates on it. I may ask my brother as he is an insurance fraud investigator for a major national insurance provider. Interesting nonetheless.

Edward'TLS

Even more interesting is that since it is Baseballmom94 who was driving the uninsured car if/when an accident happened, the dealership could sue Baseballmom94 for all cost incurred if Baseballmom94 was found to be at fault causing the accident.

So swap back the right car ASAP.

spoiler900

I used to work at Acura Dealer

Just sounds like they made a stupid mistake on their end, and they cant go back on the paperwork, so they would rather take the hit and swap cars with you and install roof racks and they are just stuck eating the costs.

There are 2 safeguards that are in place that they should have bought their mistake. First, in finance, the finance manager is supposed to double check the VIN. Also, the salesman who takes the little piece of paper and sticks it in the corner of the windshield is supposed to always check the numbers match the car. Once I had it in my career not match, we made the same mistake, but I was the last line of defense putting the sticker on the car so I noticed it

S power

The vehicle(correct vin) could something had happen, damage crash etc, and the dealer is just stalling time to repair it. Giving you a different vehicle to drive was a plan at the beginning.

Hope it doesn’t come to this but just a possibility.

moose66

Yeah, that thought crossed my mind as well. I would hope no dealer would be that shady. But the OP should certainly do more than just show up and jump in the ride and roll out. Lots of questions would have to be answered thoroughly before I would be comfortable.

Donn0128

I would think it would be much easier to simply give you the corrected paperwork and you keep the car your driving. This happened to me back in 2007 when we bought a new Suzuki Grand Vitara. The dealer simply gave me the corrected paperwork. Took me about 5 minutes to call my insurance carrier and gave them the correct VIN. If you financed it might take the dealer a bit longer to fix the mistake, but hot hours and hours.

NeoGeoH

Paperwork correction is what I was thinking and seems to make more sense for both parties. You'd think that would also be preferable for the dealer to have a "used car" with 42 miles on it rather than 1,200. Once in their possession the 1,200 car would officially never been titled, but who would buy what a dealer called a "new" car that has 1,200 miles on it. Additionally, I would rather have the car I have been driving as god knows what may or may not have happened to the one on their lot. You just never know. Hope it works out for you, good luck.

mrgold35

I think from the OP and dealership perspective is they just had a loaner vehicle out for 1200 miles. All other paperwork with finance, state motor vehicle department, and car insurance was linked to the MDX with 42 miles on the odo. Unless the OP really loved that vehicle with 1200 miles, it would as easy as falling off a log exchanging vehicles for both parties. Exchanging keys in 30 seconds sounds better to me compared to fixing sales/title/insurance paperwork and re-registering a car with the DMV. My car insurance covers me in a dealership loaner or rental car if I want to use it.

moose66

I would agree with this. However, when you have a loaner, rental, etc. there is correct paperwork accepted/signed stating both parties are aware of the said vehicle use. If nothing else, it would have been an aggravation should something had happened during this mistake period.

Edward'TLS

Even though the 1,200 car has 1,200 miles on it, it is still considered a "new" car, and can be treated and sold as a "demo" car.

On the other hand, once titled, a car will start the hefty depreciation process the very second after being titled, and become an "used" car.

Financing speaking, the dealership is better off retaining a untitled "demo" car rather than an "used" pre-own car.

NBP04TL4ME

Depending on the dealer's inventory position (seems like everyone's is low) and it's not needed as a new car on their lot, I bet they throw it into the loaner pool for the Service Dept.

moose66

Hot vehicle, in limited supply. Probably already sold to someone.

NBP04TL4ME

Could be.

We need @baseballmom94 to let us know if and how this played out to conclusion.

nhhiep

yep. sold to the OP

thoiboi

good one

baseballmom94

OP here with an update: The dealer sales manager brought the car with the correct VIN number (the one I had actually paid off and had insured ) to my house for me to look at and test drive. It had 50 miles on it at that point. Since it looked fine - no problems - they took it back to the dealership and had the roof racks and all-weather mats installed, delivered it to me the next day, switched the license plates and took back the car that had 994 miles on it (less than what I thought). So basically, I drove a loaner car for 994 miles for 2 months.

mrgold35

All's well that ends well. You now have to do the engine breaking all over again. Now would also be a good time if you wanted to do ceramic coating or protective Paint Film if you noticed any chips/scratches or unable to wash as much with the previous MDX.

Lalin

what engine breaking do you do on a new car these days?
40-50 years ago they would tell you no to exceed so many rpm, speed, etc but these days there is none of that.

mrgold35

Just going by what is in my 19 MDX Hybrid owner's manual on P. 463 and it sounds like a vehicle break-in for the first 600 miles. It might also be from times gone past; but, I don't drive on the hwy at a constant speed with Cruise control until the +600 mile break in (vary my speed and revs in city driving first). Break in period is one of main reasons I decided against purchasing my MDX hybrid new from out of state and had to drive 8hrs back home on the hwy. The OP might be the type of driver that takes it easy anyways and break-in driving my be their normal style. What is the worst thing that can happen taking it easy for the first 600 miles.

Page 463 of 19 MDX owner's manual (probably the same for the 3.5L MDX):
During the first 600 miles (1,000 km) of operation, avoid sudden acceleration or full throttle operation so as not to damage the power system or powertrain. Avoid hard braking for the first 200 miles (300 km). You should also follow this when the brake pads are replaced.

moose66

Shouldn't be a big concern, but something to think about if you are buying a new vehicle off the lot which has been previously driven. I know on the most recent test drives I have been on, I gun it to get on the highway, and I also break hard to test brake pedal feel and stopping distance. Important things to check when buying a new vehicle. Which go totally against those stated manufacturer recommendations.