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Dealership intentionally damaged my car

18K views 99 replies 66 participants last post by  WyGoSlw 
#1 ·
So I go in for my first oil change. With all the horror stories circling around this and other forums about damage, accidents and all the like it wouldn't happen to me! Nah, not my dealer.. So I'm waiting in the waiting room and after an hour or so I walk out and the service advisor Chris (nice guy by the way) meets me in the drive. He looks at me and says "Your car is ready, but". I knew right then my pristine car was no longer a virgin. GRRRR.. So i wait for the "but" without knowing exactly what the h3ll happened. He continues to say, "I have some bad news". He procedes to tell me that one of the sales managers noticed that I didnt have licence plate frames on the car so.... My blood pressure started rise a bit and he was continuing to talk and of course by now I'm not even listening. I look down at my front bumper and I see this stupid, black, fugly licence plate bracket with this nice new shiny frame with their advertisement on it. Inside I was fuming but outside I kept my cool, it wasn't the writer's fault and frankly it doesn't matter who's fault it was the damage was done. Four holes in the cover and now I have to bring it back to have them fix it. They apologized and of course offered to fix it so it's all good.

It just sucks it had to happen on the first GD visit to the dealer. Why can't these morons just treat vehicles as if it was their own car? When I worked as a tech and as a service advisor and a service manager that's how I treated every car, as if it was mine.

Rant over, thanks for listening..:disgust:
 
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#2 ·
You mean they actually drilled holes in your bumper to mount their frame? That's incredible and way beyond tacky. I'd demand a new bumper cover, not a repaired one.
 
#3 ·
You mean they actually drilled holes in your bumper to mount their frame? That's incredible and way beyond tacky. I'd demand a new bumper cover, not a repaired one.
+1 to that!
 
#4 ·
There is only one fix if it were mine and it doesn't involve filling holes. Same happened to my Sons car and like others here he had told them explicitly "no front plate". I'd also bet he did treat it as his own and had no idea some owners don't like ugly frames with advertisement to boot bolted on the face of a beautiful car. Some shop and its customers were lucky to have you in the garage.
 
#6 ·
I have to give you credit. Your ability to maintain your cool is admirable. I would have completely lost it. I nearly blew a gasket when I found out they washed mine in their horrible spinning car wash of "swirly hell", after I told them a million times: "DO NO WASH IT!!!!"
 
#8 · (Edited)
WOW!! That SUCKS !!!!! They should have asked You !!!!!! FIRST !!!! I'd demand a new bumper cover My Dealer don't & won't put any on, (i guess unless you want one) they have a few challengers on the lot and none of them have them on, She has a Srt herself and knows better not to! hell i think they throw them away!!!!
 
#10 · (Edited)
WOW!! That SUCKS !!!!! They should have asked You !!!!!! FIRST !!!! I'd demand a new bumper cover
I totally agree!! I am actually a parts and service director at a Dodge dealership, and that has to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I would be making the guilty culprit pay for the damage.

.
 
#9 ·
Wow, I would be pissed...they should of totally asked you first. MY PISSED side would be like WTF? Raising Hell!

My Cool side would of thought, "At least he didn't tell me that the guy replaced my V8 with a V6 because he thought it would be good for my safety.

Either way, there's no excuse for that. I mean talk about a kick in the balls.
 
#11 ·
At that point it is YOUR car NOT THEIRS. I would have found that sales manager and taken him out back. Are they going to pay you a monthly royalty to advertise for them?
 
#12 ·
Bummer. I would hope fixing it means replacing it. Not filling holes and painting. Good luck!
 
#13 ·
These days it pays to "loiter" around the shop while sevice is in progress, regardless of the constant refrain "... sorry, due to insurance policy, only company employees allowed in shop area ...",

Yeah right, I still find an excuse to "visit" the vehicle, like to get something I left in it, etc.

Then while there I personally chat witrh the tech and relay instructions like no washing, please be careful, etc, and that I know every scratch on the car,

They eventually shoe me out, only for me to return periodically.
Until you find a professional sevice dept that you don't have to worry about it's best to be a little proactive.
:smoker:
 
#14 ·
Doesn't mean you can't hang at the bay door. I used to have an older gentleman stay IN his car while I worked on it. He TIPPED very well. Finally began doing work for him at the house and he PAID VERY WELL.
 
#15 ·
... I see this stupid, black, fugly licence plate bracket with this nice new shiny frame with their advertisement on it...
Oh man. Oh man! This has got to be the worst case of a dealership screwing up I've ever seen, heard or read about. Dude, you got some composure. I would have went ballistic right then, right there.

I'd demand a new bumper, not a patch job, not a replacement a new, from the factory complete assembly and tell them they better hope it paint matches exactly.

I would also be writing, calling the area dealer representative or Chrysler HQ expressing my extreme dissatisfaction.

Finally, by the time I got done with the guy that did that to my car he would want to make sure he wasn't even on the premises the next time I brought my car in.

That is just amazing.
 
#16 ·
Dude, you got some composure. I would have went ballistic right then, right there.
That's what I was thinking. OP must have the patience of Mother Theresa. lol

I would have flipped. Everybody in the dealership would have heard me yelling, and after they fixed it my car would never go back there.
 
#17 ·
Thanks for support men (and women, don't want to leave anyone out. :p) OK, so I went back to dealership a few hours later after calming down a bit and I have to say I actually got a little more upset. Not that they didn't want to fix it, but they try to tell me that it would be better if I had them repair the damage with some filler and then blend the paint. I have to be honest here, anyone else's car and blending would be OK with me..lol But this is my car, 1200 miles and 30 days old, blending paint on the front bumper cover? I think not!

So after pacing and fuming and putting my head in my hands we concluded that the best option for me is (and by the way this was actually recommended by the service manager) take the front bumber cover off a new delivery vehicle and install it on mine. This actually makes me feel better as it precludes them from having to paint a brand new one. I don't really like any option but I have to choose something and I believe this is the best option.
 
#19 ·
sounds like the right resolution, just make sure the cover they get from the other car matches just right. all gaps are the same and they didnt chip anything during the install.
Try to be around to make sure they really do swap and not just fill and match it when you aren't around.
 
#20 ·
People just don't think it out. Did they really think you would have a positive attitude with that? Did they think you would be happy to have the front plate and to advertise their dealership? Did they think you would thank them for drilling holes in your new car??? I think you found a good remedy though, getting a new (painted from the factory off a new car) bumper cover is probably the best way. It should match good. Really sorry to hear about that, just amazing.... let us know how it turns out.
 
#23 ·
People just don't think it out. Did they really think you would have a positive attitude with that? Did they think you would be happy to have the front plate and to advertise their dealership? Did they think you would thank them for drilling holes in your new car??? I think you found a good remedy though, getting a new (painted from the factory off a new car) bumper cover is probably the best way. It should match good. Really sorry to hear about that, just amazing.... let us know how it turns out.
+1 on getting a factory painted unit from a newly delivered car. As long as you can take a look and agree that the color match is right by you, then it really is the closest the dealer could get to restoring you to new. If the match is essentially unnoticable then you might even be ahead if the old cover had any rock chips in it already.
 
#21 ·
maybe the dummy got confused and thought it was a new unsold car that needed that final prep before going out on the lot?
this makes me really worried when i get mine, i won't want to take it in to the dealer ever, good thing i know how to do most of my own work.
 
#27 ·
Uh, yeah I agree, absolutely aweful call on the dealers part, but, putting a bumper off of a car thats got however many miles on it onto a brand new car? Are you kidding? I know it works the other way, but really would you want to be that person buying a car not knowing that the bumper is not only off another car, but a technically used car. I think they should be biting the bullet and ordering you a brand new bumper, because thats screwed for the owner of whichever car they take it off.
 
#28 ·
My dealer didnt even consider putting them on for me.They know its a ''no no''! Seems like they are against it as well.They said''only when I HAVE to'' :) Sorry about your ride.Darn shameful!!
 
#30 ·
The moron who decided to drill holes in your front bumper should have been fired on the spot - morons!!

I find in general that most dealership staff are not knowledgeable and less enthusiastic about the vehicles they are supposed to care about...
 
#33 ·
You sat in waiting room? I stood and watched them like a hawk when I got the computer update. Oil changes same thing. I let them know I am anal before they start.
I thought the guy was going to use channel locks on my drain plug and freaked. He laughed and said,"It's a filter wrench" which by then I realized and laughed and apologized.
 
#34 ·
Screw the Dealers

Sorry to hear about your pain. I would tell those butt faces to install a new bumper to your liking! I would also elevate this up to the GM and owner. Trust me, if they knew about about your dilemna, they would take action in a heart beat.

The only dealership I would trust with my car is the one that Bobby Frederick works at in eastern PA (the name escapes me). But since I live in MD, that won't happen.

So, I will never allow any other dealer touch any of my MOPARS! NEVER! A free oil change isn't worth taking the chance of some moron (there is always your 10% of these at a dealership) damaging, or doing something to your car that you would not like. Lesson learned for me and after reading several threads like yours, I am convinced now that my decision was sound.

Time for a brew!
 
#35 ·
I know exactly how you feel! My dealer chipped my newly added spoiler and my perfectly good trunk while trying to attach the spoiler. And on top of that the spoiler pops off the trunk in the semi warm temperature and its about 2 inches from the where it should be placed on the trunk!:scratchhead:(I dont know how they can mess that up with 40 challengers on the lot). Needless to say I have to leave my car their for a day or two while they fix what they messed up. And I am not taking my car for servicing there.
 
#57 ·
and its about 2 inches from the where it should be placed on the trunk!:scratchhead:(I dont know how they can mess that up with 40 challengers on the lot).
And, there are holes in the underside of the deck lid showing them just where to drill. That is why I am doing the install myself.

And for the front bracket. Aren't there just two holes holding on the bracket? The salesman asked me before drilling. In hindsight, I should have told him to put the plate in the back until I got stopped by the cops.
 
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