Kapt Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Howdy Fellas...long time lurker here. Had a quick question. Wife bought a new Fusion 3 months ago. It got a small bumper scrape in a parking lot a few weeks ago so she took it to the collision center at the dealer she bought it from. They said 2 days to repair, but after a week she asked me to check on it. Turns out the car was severly damaged by one of the techs. The damage requires the hood, passenger fender, headlight, front bumper cover, and passenger wheel to be replaced/repaired. I'm not sure they planned on letting us know this happened and have a feeling if I had not gone in person they may not have owned up to the problem. They apologised profusely and gave her a rental car...that's it. They just called yesterday (2 weeks total) and said it was ready to pick up. I'm not sure I even want the car back now, though. I believe the value of the car has been affected, and honestly I dont like the idea of paying for a brand new car with a load of new panels and a respray. Do I have any recourse here? Thanks in advance,,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I would consult an attorney. I would lean toward saying you do, but I'm no lawyer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcthorne Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I would make an appointment to speak with the General Manager. Nicely explain the situation and that you feel the Dealership should buy the car back and put you in a new car, less the repair cost for the bumper scrape you brought it in for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawaiicarguy Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Howdy Fellas...long time lurker here. Had a quick question. Wife bought a new Fusion 3 months ago. It got a small bumper scrape in a parking lot a few weeks ago so she took it to the collision center at the dealer she bought it from. They said 2 days to repair, but after a week she asked me to check on it. Turns out the car was severly damaged by one of the techs. The damage requires the hood, passenger fender, headlight, front bumper cover, and passenger wheel to be replaced/repaired. I'm not sure they planned on letting us know this happened and have a feeling if I had not gone in person they may not have owned up to the problem. They apologised profusely and gave her a rental car...that's it. They just called yesterday (2 weeks total) and said it was ready to pick up. I'm not sure I even want the car back now, though. I believe the value of the car has been affected, and honestly I dont like the idea of paying for a brand new car with a load of new panels and a respray. Do I have any recourse here? Thanks in advance,,, That is a lot of damage...looks to me like your car was involved in a joy ride. Who knows what else is lurking on the hood to bite you later. I think more than a apology is necessary, so compensation is in order. I too would ask them to buy back the car, or compensate you in cash for the vehicle's lost value. In fact I would have the car evaluated by an independent mechanic to see if there is any suspension damage....especially since they had to replace a wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kapt Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 Just got off the phone with the salesman that we bought the car from and he was fairly flippant. He has been on vacation (or so he says) for the past 2 weeks and said yesterday he would investigate the situation and get with the GM about it. Today he says that the GM is out but that he is sure the car is repaired to Ford specs and that there will be no record of damage...that seems a little shadey to me. This whole situation just sucks. I persuaded her to buy a Ford instead of a discusting Hyundai and now I'm not ever gonna hear the end of it. She's always had such good service from the local Hyundai dealer. I know this is a dealer issue, not Ford, but it's really giving us a black eye to a new customer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) That is a lot of damage...looks to me like your car was involved in a joy ride. Well, that might be a bit of a leap. My brother works in a shop and you'd be amazed by some of the ways I've heard customer vehicles get damaged while they are there. It's unfortunate, but it can certainly happen even at responsible shops from time to time. Edited July 19, 2012 by NickF1011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blazerdude20 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Go over the body shop / salesmans head. Go to the dealer to speak directly with the GM. If that doesn't work i'd contact the local Ford regional. They may not technically be able to do anything but they can apply pressure. If all else fails and the dealer won't compensate you i would suggest taking the issue to local media outlets. Not the ideal scenario but do what you need to do. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonj80 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Talk to the GM and or owner of the dealership, and don't do it in his office -- do it on the showroom floor. (the thought of you screaming "you smashed up my car and now you wont do anything for me" in a showroom full of customers is a legitimate fear, though don't do that, there are better options) First don't take the car back, and talk to an attorney, you might want to talk to your states Attorney Generals Consumer Protection Office they will let you know options and laws as well. Did you buy the car or lease it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kapt Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 Morning fellas, Went in last night and raised hell with the dealership. Their initial offer was to pay for the original repair done to the car. That was not enough, so I pressed them for more. Bottom line I got the original repair, $1000.00 from the dealership, and a sincere apology. After all we went through I figure that was the least I would take. The car looks fantastic and we will trade it back to them in a couple years. I also got a copy of the repair order for the damage they caused. They did not want to give this to me, but I pressed them and got it. In the very least now maybe my old lady will stfu about the damn car.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 In the very least now maybe my old lady will stfu about the damn car.... I wouldn't hold my breath....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydro Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 ^ I hear you :talkhand: Kapt, glad to hear they worked with you and you left happy. If you're going to cough the vehicle up in a few years I wouldn't sweat any additional damage they may have caused. It will hopefully give you some leverage if you decide to buy from them again :boxing: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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