Stash

Do you think you can tell the difference between a PMM and a Grigio? Crown Acura in Greensboro cannot.

I had picked out the color of my car and negotiated everything over email and phone. I was clear that I wanted a Grigio Metallic with tech. We came to an agreeable price and I set up an appointment to pick up the car. When I went to pick up the car they had one sitting out front all shiney and clean by itself. They had removed the sticker and put it in the glove box.

I washed it over the weekend and was thinking to myself that the color seemed light. I went in yesterday to punch my vin into myacura.com to maintain service records etc and it said it was a Polished Metal Metallic.... I thought to myself...."no that isn't right". I double checked the VIN and got that sick feeling in my stomach. When I got home I checked the window sticker that I had filed away and it said Polished Metal Metallic. I was so upset I couldn't think straight. I had already had the windows tinted.

I guess I should have noticed the color difference when I picked the car up, but it was sitting outside and it was dusk when I picked it up. I don't think they are going to let me just switch out the cars because I did sign on the dotted line and there is no "cooling down" period in NC. I thought I was dealing with a professional dealership, but combine this with the fact that they didn't deliver it with the trunk tray and I had to go back to pick that up........

I am going to go in there tomorrow and complain, but I have to have a good idea what I want out of them to make it right.

Any advice? Ask for an extended warranty? I am not really interested in oil changes, because I can change it faster myself then drive to the dealership.

chrisp0410

Stash,

The same thing happened to me...twice! I negotiated a deal with dealer #1 who assured me they had a Grigio/Umber SH-AWD w/Tech on the lot. They brought over a PMM/Ebony and realized their mistake. Thankfully this was daytime, I didn't notice the exterior but I did notice the interior was wrong. When the salesman looked at the window sticker, he found out it was a PMM, the wrong car from what is internal #/records showed it was. Then this dealer played a few games with me on availability (they wanted to put me in the PMM car) so I went to another dealer.

Dealer #2 matched and beat Dealer #1's price and told me that they would have to get my desired color choices from out of state. As it turned out, there was only one available Grigio/Umber SH-AWD w/Tech between Maine and Maryland the week I bought mine. Dealer #2 was able to trade for the car I wanted. So the day comes to pick up my car and Dealer #2 calls me to apologize. The out of state dealer sent a PMM/Umber instead of the Grigio/Umber. The dealers worked it out and I got the car the same day, albeit three hours later.

To be honest, I've seen the PMM as few times on the road and I like it and find it is close to the Grigio, especially on overcast days. You have a great car, enjoy it.

Stash

Oh I love the car, but this is one of those things that is going to drive me nuts. I just wonder if they were playing games with me or if they are idiots, because this car I think was on the lot since Sept.

So did they screw me or are they idiots? I haven't gotten the call to review the process with Acura and I don't want the salesperson to get screwed, but I want the dealership to suck it.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

Good luck w/ that. Doubt anything is going to come out of it in your favor but we can always hope.

KeithL

I think one problem this year is all the darker colors are the 4G are too damn dark and don't really stick out unless you are in bright sunlight. PMM, Grigio and Mayan Bronze all as so dark, they took all their dark colros several shades darker this year even the Red, si too dark. I loved the 3G morocoon red pearl and the Blue.

tm86it

PMM was my 2nd fav color, nearly a tie with Grigio which I ended up with... hard to believe the dealer could have done it "accidentally", but regardless, PMM is still a fine color... I personally think the PMM is quite a bit lighter, more of a light gray, smoke silver metallic, whereas the Grigio is more of a charcoal/dark gray, but again, both are great colors.

Good luck with the dealer... maybe you can use this to get some freebies... mats, trunk hooks, etc.

tm86it

Where are your pics and details of the window tinting? Looking to get mine done next Friday, so I'd love to see how yours turned out and hear what level and type you got. Thanks!

nyclio

This reminds me of the time I leased my Infiniti. Dealer kept talking to me about my lease including 15K miles a year. The process went on so long, that when I actually signed the paperwork, I didn't even realize that they had me sign off on 12K miles and not 15.

Lesson learned.

Bearcat94

I've worked through Flow in WS on two leases and one purchase. Both leases were done via e-mail and/or phone before I even walked into the dealership.

My buying and delivery expereince at Flow has been outstanding all three times. We had expectations for the dealer badge and mud flaps to be removed. All cars were done correctly before arrival. The stock number identified was the stock number delivered. Dealer/Sales walk through/introduction on the vehicle was very good. All around a

Given my personal experience, I'd say it was a mistake. Pehaps the stock number was assigned the incorrect color and no one ever thought to check prior to delivery. Something simple and stupid like that. Of course it's possible it was intentional, but why? What benefit does the dealer get by delivering the wrong color? It just creates too easy of an opening to piss the customer off for no good reason.



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darmok

Who really can tell the difference between the 582 different shades of darkish grey with metallic flecks offered on modern luxury cars? Obviously it's not different enough that you could tell straight away when you took the car home.

Don't take this the wrong way - I understand the source of your anger completely.

DLeeWebb

Since I began seriously considering the TL I wondered why Acura established a color difference between the Grigio and the Polished Metal Metallic that was so subtle. I thought that they were so very close to the same color that I could hardly tell the difference unless I saw them side to side. That's one of the reasons why I went for the Palladium Metallic. If I negotiated for the Grigio and got the Polished Metal Metallic I would create such a sh**storm of complaints that they would get me the right car just to get rid of me.

PsychDoc

I agree. That's the car you agreed to purchase and they agreed to deliver to you. I'd give it back to them and tell them to get you the color you contracted to buy. Unless they wanted to make you a very, very happy shopper by throwing in $2000 freee maintenance or something like that. You're holding a cobntract that calls for the purchase of a PMM car, NOT a grigio car. They violated that contract. Pure and simple.

crxb

I just looked at the photo gallery of the 2 colors in question - under some lighting conditions - at least in the photos seem very similar Next time I'm at the dealer I'l have to check it out in person

PsychDoc

It's kind of like agreeing to marry a girl and then finding that her best friend shows up at the alter. But it should be OK, she looks about the same, has brown hair and has kind of the same type of personality...lol.

Stash

35% Tint...added SH-AWD wheels

The only reason I can think they intentionally did it was because the Grigio cars were moving and this particular PMM was sitting on the lot for so long. (And I had gotten them way down on price and it was their way of screwing me). I mean they sell maybe one car a day and no one double checked the right stock number?

Stash

Bearcat94

I still don't think it worth the potential hassle to sell a customer the wrong color.

What I am saying is that on delivery, when the stock number was created, they put the wrong color on it; some clerk made a typo. No one ever went back and double checked.

IMHO, get some compensation if you can, but keep the car; PMM is a great color.

Regardless, GL.

NYSH-AWD

it doesnt look like pmm from the pic, looks rather dark.

acura2009

yeah, probably it's just a honest mistake :\ I can't tell from the picture either

See what you can get out of this, if not just stick to it if u are fine w/ it.

rhn75

I don't see how they made a mistake. The color is written on the sales contract that you signed. What did it say? If it said PMM then it is no mistake and they knew what they were selling you. If it said Grigio then they made a mistake. Did you not check the sales agreement?

It is definitely not acceptable for them to sell you a car different from what you negotiated. Having said that it looks really sharp in the pictures and the two colors are pretty close to each other.

Stash

What are you talking about sales contract? The VIN number is in the contract...not a color.

rhn75

Unless they changed something recently or the forms vary by state when I bought my TSX in NJ the sales contract had the year, make, model, VIN number AND color.

I have a hard time believing it was an honest mistake on their part

PsychDoc

My contract specified color, both exterior and interior. If yours does then the dealership's in violation of their contract with you pure and simple. Seems to me it's a no-brainer to either force them to give you a new car in the color you ordered or to give you other compensation for their screw-up.

ESHBG

Wow, sorry to hear this, Stash! And yes, on my paperwork for my '09 TSX it was make, model, VIN and interior/exterior color and any accessories included. I'd look over your paperwork again just to be sure, and that will also give you a stronger case if they have GM on it for the color.

Anyway, I liked both colors and like others have said they are very similar, but I still liked the Grigio more and went with that on my TSX. With that being said, though, the PMM is still a nice color and since you have put some work into your car so far, I'd go back to them for some extras or something and would just keep the car you have vs. trying to get something else. I agree w/ Bearcat94 to a point and think that it is a "simple" mistake and something not worth upsetting the customer over. BUT...times have been very tough for dealerships and sales people and if there is going to be a really dirty trick done, now would definitely be the time for it to be done IMO. The fact that you mentioned that this car was sitting around for a while and you got a killer deal on it definitely makes me wonder...

hydr0

I can tell the difference between PMM and Grigio, I would think any owners of either color can tell right off the bat.

Good luck getting it fixed though, not sure what you can do about it. How long have you had the car, and how many miles have you put on it? I would think if the number is even slightly up there, you'll have a problem. Forget the tints, they'll probably consider that an upgrade.

GearDriven

Grigio has more brownish/purple in it. Either way...they are both gorgeous colors.