im new here, so let me give some background. this past sat (4/26) my wife and i bought a new Z. it was the exact one we wanted. touring, brickyard/frost, auto (its her car!)

the car we got was in a minor hailstorm the previous week, and it received some minor dents. about 5 of them, 2 in the hatch, 2 in the driver's rear fender, 1 in the driver's door. when we signed, they gave us a "we owe" as a lease stipulation- they were to pull the dents out and make the car pristine.

wife sets up the appt and drives it up there today. calls me a moment ago and said that the body shop "couldnt get all the dents out". the 2 in the hatch are still there. the body man said something about how the hatch is constructed preventing him from pulling the dents. my wife argued and argued and went home with the original "we owe" certificate since they STILL OWE US.

if it needs a new hatch, fine, if it needs a more invovled fix, fine. but i didnt pay all that money for a car that wasnt perfect. it is a lease stipulatoin that they fix these dents.

do i tell them to replace the hatch? what if the paint doesnt match perfectly?

should i try horse trading? (some 18s and a nav system would be nice...)

should i try to get a different car?

should i tell them to take a hike?

thanks for the advice.

indulf

 

First tell them to take a hike, then they'll give you anything you want. You have the upper hand here. They are required to fix it per your lease agreement. Don't settle for anything less.

Good luck!

 

Actually the dealership no longer owns the car,

Try all of the above till one works.

Your best bet is to have the dents removed. I assume they are using a Paintless Dent Removal System, I have yet to see a hail dent that could not be removed via this sytem. Whats the real story, here?


You will have a hard time getting out of the lease. I doubt a "we owe you" "contract" has much validity. If you were able to get out of the lease, it would be based on good faith.

You do have some options, however all would require a lawyer, which would be very expensive. The steps taken are as follows:

1) Contact Nissan Customer Affairs.

2) Photograph the damage, and date the photograph.

3) Make a record of all contact with the dealer.

4) Advise them in writing you plan to take legal action, if your car is not properly repaired.

5) Contact the manager or owner of the dealership, directly. Do not speak with your sales associate, as he has ZERO authority to authorize repairs, or sign "we owe you" contracts.

Keep your relationship with the dealership professional at all times. This is business. Do not have sympathy for your salesman or his position. Be firm, and you will more than likely have your car repaired.


Remember, the dealer is spending money to repair your car. They do not like to do this, this means they make less money off of your purchase!

Eric

 

im about to call the customer service manager at the dealer. ill post up.

the "we owe" was stipulated in the lease agreement. if they refuse to fix it, they are in breach of contract and i'll have no trouble getting out of the lease. the last thing they want is my lawyer on their case. he's good

indulf

 

If it's part of the lease contract it certainly is valid. If they don't follow through with their end of the deal you can walk.

Edit: What he (^^^^) said.

 

Hold on a second...

If he leased the car through the dealer (assuming he did), doesn't the car still belong to the dealer? I thought it did. In that case, they've only signed a right of possession agreement with indulf and the dealer owns the car. Therefore, they'd be fixing their own car, which is in their best interests, anyway. Mr. indulf surely wouldn't have signed an agreement to rent their property if it were in a less than desirable condition, and he made arrangements for the contract to stipulate that the dealer fix the car to his satisfaction. At the very LEAST, Mr. indulft shouldn't be charged for damages when the time comes for him to turn the car over to the dealer at the end of the lease duration. Maybe I'm missing something here, and I apologize in advance...

 

update:

its month end at the dealership, so they were busy and there late tonight.

about 8:30est i received a call from the manager, and he apologized and explained that it is in our agreement to have the car brought back to showroom stock condition no matter the effort.

next week he is taking the car for 2-3 days, giving my wife a loaner, and sending the car to a premier body shop who will remove the hatch, disassemble the interior paneling, fix the dents, and reassemble.

im satisfied!

indulf