I am so bleepin' angry!!!

[01TriBlack]

Thanks for your perspective, Mike. Could prove to be very valid.

Mary

 

[KANE]

What you have to do is track down the original owner. Get a statement from that person that either states the door was not damaged or yes indeed it was damaged. Either way, if the car was damaged at the dealership- it needed to have been repaired BEFORE it was sold to you. "As is" will cover your butt for only so long. Its called NEGLIGENCE. I would think that a broken door could be a safety hazard and definately reduces the value of the car in which you you have paid less had you known.

A dealership has an obligation if they are selling cars as being structurally sound enough to put a private citizen in. If they knew about it and they deliberately excluded disclosure it is fraud. Any ommission or missrepresentation of anything someone sells to you that would either lower the value or jeapordize your personal safety is illegal.

Why do you think McDonalds has to disclose the fact the coffe is hot to you? BECAUSE YOU COULD GET HURT.

Why do you think a lawn mower has to disclose the fact the blades are sharp? BECAUSE YOU COULD GET HURT.

Why do you think bicycles come with so many warnings? BECAUSE YOU COULD GET HURT.

Why do you think tobacco has warning labels? BECAUSE YOU COULD GET SICK (Cancer) AND THATS NOT EVEN 100% CONCLUSIVE.

It comes down to public trust and the fiduciary relationhip that any sales person has to honesty and representation of goods or services to be provided. Its simple contract law. "As-is" is has become a chicken**** way to cover your rear end if you are not quite ethical. Its a clear example of a good way to protect a seller from accidents (as is) and the evolution of malicious policy (not my problem- its your problem now).

Contact an attorney who specializes in lemon-laws or product missrepresentation.

 

[01TriBlack]

I really appreciate your post, DarkShark - it validates in a very articulate manner why a big part of me believes the Ford dealership should (ethically, anyway) contribute to repairs on my car. I guess what is making me scratchy about the whole thing is they would not budge on the selling price of the '01 (and it wasn't that great of a deal - I knew this), nor would they budge on their offer for my '96. In no way, shape or form would I have purchased the car with this sort of damage at the price I paid. Ya live and learn, ya know? Grrrrr.

Thanks for the great, well thought out post. :cool

Mary

 

[KANE]

I have another idea for you-

Every town that has a TV station has an "Investigative Reporter". This is the local guy (or gal) who will dig up stuff on local scams, etc. If you can get to this persn and present your case they may contact the dealer in reference to the details. That may help nudge your case along!

There's no press like BAD press!!! Use it!!!

 

[smook]

Another angle.

Take the car back and show the damage and state that you didn't cause this problem. Say that it's their problem to correct it.

I think that if the car does NOT meet inspection status for the road. They will have to correct the problem. It Toronto, Canada, it would be possible to take this car back since it would NOT meet inspection status.

Best of luck. I still believe you can correct the problem and charge the repairs back. BTW I would do the repairs now, so that it will NOT cause more damage.!?

Cheers!
Best of luck. Buying used is always iffy!

 

[Black Bear]

Let me add another word of advice to you. Take the vehicle to "independent" body shops who specialize in high end vehicle repairs. Get several estimates and send them the bills with a nice letter - registered mail. You should get some sort of a reaction.

Trust me, these dealers do not know what they are doing. Had my baby smashed at a "reputable" GM dealership in Brampton, Ontario. I had the car there because of the gas gauge situation. They did an awful job and after having the car there for almost a month, I took it off the lot. Terrible paint job; terrible work; and they had the gull to threatened me with legal action cause I was bad mouthing them...and the saga continues.

Look out for your interests and don't let anyone push you around. You've got quite an investment; take care of it.

 

[01TriBlack]

Just an update on my door "issue" for those that have been curious (which aren't a whole lot of ya, but a few have asked). The Ford dealer's agreed to pay half of the repairs, which is fine. The only caveat being that I had to sign a statement acknowledging they weren't contributing because of it being a used car warranty issue but rather they were contributing out of good will. Cool.

 

[68Roadster]

So is a new door in your future???
Good luck, I hope the paint and all comes out perfect. You deserve it after all this!

Cee

 

[01TriBlack]

So is a new door in your future???
Good luck, I hope the paint and all comes out perfect. You deserve it after all this!

Cee

Hiya, Cee! Yes, it's a new door - can't be repaired. Paint quality is a concern, but I'll impress upon them politely how important quality is going to be to me. Now I'm hating to part with it for a week - cruizin' weather just began. Have a great weekend, Cee.

Mary

 

[sherry_ridgeway]

Hi Mary
Dont let the paint worry you, they now use computer's to match the colors from a sample taken from a spot where it doesnt show, I had a surface crack repaired
near my front end and you couldnt find it with a perverbial microscope on a sunny day, please keep us informed "and yes a lot of us do care"
Sherry

 

[SPANISHVETTS]

The Ford dealer's agreed to pay half of the repairs

As my dear old Granny always said, ¨1/2 is better than nothing.¨ Talk to the guy with the paint gun in his hand and explain that you are going to show his work and mention his name to everybody in a 3 state area and that you are going to post pictures of his work on every forum. Sooo if his work is good he will be famous and his Ego can roll in self satisfaction. On the other hand if it is not up to your expectations he will still be famous, like Ted Bundy. If you are really happy with the work take the painter to lunch.

 

[01TriBlack]

Excellent thought on buying the painter lunch! Excellent! I don't know about actually going out with him, though....hehehehehehe.... maybe buying a few pizzas for the shop when the paint turns out better than I expected.

Hope you're enjoying the weekend.

Mary

 

[01TriBlack]

Hey hey, Sherry! Your words are encouraging. Thank ya, thank ya.

BTW: Where are those pics of your cats you promised me? Hmmmm??

Take care, girl...talk to you soon!

Mary

 

[sherry_ridgeway]

hey girl, I lost the proper thread LOLOL "gimmie a break" LMAO!!! I got a pic of reno but as soon as the cam comes out the cats/hamsters/jordy hides like a bunch of mice, I think its the flash and/or the way i sneak up on them , as you can see by reno's pic he really doesnt care a lot ..Just an old hound that likes the sun..Might be a good canidate for "caption this pic"...I'll catch the rest of the animules soon and foreward them to ya,
sherry

 

[ron]

Door damage

I would think that if the car door were damaged in an accident, the force required to damage the hinge would be sufficient enough to show other damage to the door; etc, skin, finish. I would think that a knowledegable body man could certify that the car had been damaged, and his statement might provide some ammunition to refute the Ford' s "no damage" declaration. Just a thought.

Ron

 

[01TriBlack]

hey girl, I lost the proper thread LOLOL "gimmie a break" LMAO!!! I got a pic of reno but as soon as the cam comes out the cats/hamsters/jordy hides like a bunch of mice, I think its the flash and/or the way i sneak up on them , as you can see by reno's pic he really doesnt care a lot ..Just an old hound that likes the sun..Might be a good canidate for "caption this pic"...I'll catch the rest of the animules soon and foreward them to ya,
sherry

Ha! Reno looks like he's eggin' on a sneeze. The click of the camera probably fouled it for him.... meanie Sherry.

 

[01TriBlack]

I would think that if the car door were damaged in an accident, the force required to damage the hinge would be sufficient enough to show other damage to the door; etc, skin, finish. I would think that a knowledegable body man could certify that the car had been damaged, and his statement might provide some ammunition to refute the Ford' s "no damage" declaration. Just a thought.

Ron

Hi, Ron. The hinge isn't damaged - the door itself is. Nasty crack on the inside. The Ford dealer's paying half. Funny thing: The statement he had me sign says they were paying for repairs out of good will - not because of a warranty issue...it doesn't mention half. Hmmmm. It goes in Monday for the replacement. Watch, it will be gorgeous weather while it's in and then rain cats and dogs when I get it out. New shoes are going on again as soon as it comes out - so another day of down time. I just want this thing done for the season. Enough already, ya know?
Happy and safe cruisin'!!

Mary

 

[schmaltzr]

I bought my 2000 Corvette with known problems. It was purchased through an auto buying agency and they were honest about the condition of the car. The only problem was that I turned down a 75K 7 year bumper to bumper extended warranty on the car for $2000. I didn't want to spend the extra money. I've had the car since July and the little gas guage problem cost $1350.00 and the little oil drip I had was another $460.00. I think I would have broken even if I had bought the extended warranty. I've bought extended warranties before and never used them......either way I end up loosing. I try not to think about the costs anymore and just try to enjoy it. I still won't park near other cars unless I have to, but it came with some minor flaws and I saved myself 16K off the original price. That's a lot of money that can go to cusomization and repairs. Good luck - Ron