Brand New Truck, bottom half of the door painted?

JRW68 · April 27, 2005

I bought an 05 silverado saturday from a dealer, it was a dealer trade (long story). But anyways, they said they could get the truck saturday but they wanted to "look the truck over and make sure it was perfect" as well as check the fluids and whatever else. I was irritated because I was orignally told that I could get the truck that day. Whatever, no biggy they delivered it Monday. Monday's weather was crappy and it was 7pm befor they got it here and I didn't have a real good chance to look the truck over.

Tuesday evening I went to my fathers garage and washed it and what not.... got to looking at it and noticed the bottom of the passenger side ext. cab door was different than the top and rest of the truck. Opened the door and sure enough, clearly painted, with clear lines from masking tape. So I immediatly get on the horn and talk to the sales manager.

He "knows nothing about it" and calls the dealer they got it from. That dealer knows nothing about it.... My sales man calls me back and says the other dealer knows nothing about it and "Oh, by the way, we had to put a gas door on it". I was kinda pissed I wasn't told about it but looked at it and it was perfect match, ok no biggy, shoulda told me.

So, Im currently 3hrs away from the dealer I bought it off of and he keeps acting like im some idiot and its just a factory blemish and no big deal, they will fix it. And I get pissed because Im not an idiot.. its been clearly repainted and poorly repainted at that. So I say whatever, I either want alot of compensation or a factory painted door put on... and one that matches. He basically says no, it will get repainted. Well, we will see about that.

Any ways, I have to take pictures, or attempt to... its silver and I doubt it will be easy to see... and send them to him via email.

So tomorrow I plan to take the pictures... but I would also like to pull the door panel off and look inside to see if its been dented. I assume to do that all ill need to do is remove the door handle screws, and pop it off. Correct?

So now Im dreading how this all could turn out... hopefully it is taken care of quickly and easily.. but after another dealer dropped a buffer on my brothers brand new truck... and how that turned out.. i doubt it will be a quick resolution.

Just wanted to get the story out there, hear anyone else's thoughts/opinions/experiences... and to vent.

seadoons · April 27, 2005

First of all, welcome to the site. Please stay around to learn new things and share your knowledge. Second, I would be irate. What state did you buy the truck in? I live in Texas and am about 85% sure the dealers are supposed to disclose any body work done to a new vehicle to the buyer. I would flat out demand a new truck. If they give you any grief, call GM corporate and start making noise. This can/will lower the resale value of the truck and you were not told about it from the get go.

Let us know the outcome of it.

JRW68 · April 27, 2005

Im from PA, soon to live in Texas. I bought the truck to ease the move to dallas/fort worth.

I believe PA has a simular law. Im half tempted to call the bank and cancel the down payment check... then call them to come pick the d**n thing up. When I get some pictures I will be sure to post them here... if the dealer doesn't put a factory painted door on it, their name will be plastered on every site i can find.

My family has bought and purchased only GMs for the last 30 some years and until recently has really seen a major decline in service. All they want to do is get it out the door and dont care what else happens. My brother bought an 02 silverado and it had scratches in the roof... they buffed it twice.. the second time they supposedly dropped a buffer on the bed rail... HUGE dent... then they filled it with bondo and painted it... it was a black truck.. you could see the waves in the work... and you couldn't stand on the rail or it would bust out. GM wouldn't put any pressure on the dealer because it wasn't an factory issue. If this even remotely looks like it will end similarly.. they are gonna get the truck back mighty fast. Tomarrow (wednesday) will lead me one way or the other.

One thing that I have learned from my brothers experience is to get EVERYTHING in writing... otherwise it didn't happen. Just my advice for anyone dealing with anything like this.

April 27, 2005

I agree with seadoons. IN Florida the law says they must disclose body work over a certain amount (can't remember how much but that's not important).

Pull the door panel and check the door from the inside as well. I'd take MANY photos and call GM before going back to the dealer. Have them meet you there and really put the screws to them. Outside of the hassle this could really work out well for you.

Metz Motorsports · April 27, 2005

I work at a dealership, not a GM dealership, but a dealership nonetheless. Anyhoo, not sure if its just the place I work, but alot of sh*t happens to these cars while on the lot. I mean we got people running into them, door dings like crazy, factory scratches (we like to call that the 'Scratch Package') and whatever. We even had the wind blow a 4 yard dumpster across the parking lot and smash a bumper on a car with 7 miles on it. Yeah, stupid. So my point is, this dealership, among most of the dealerships around these parts, hire a company that does dent/paint repairs right on the spot. So there are these dips**ts working out of a minivan in the middle of the lot, spot painting cars in the wind, dirt, rain-whatever. For the most part they come out looking good, but I am sure there are mess ups here and there. Although not pointed out to the customer when they are purchasing, but no lies are told if they notice a repair.

Something probably happened to your truck while it was on the lot for sale (which ever lot) and it was repaired possibly by one of these on the spot painters. Really sux, hope you get this figured out, no one wants a brand new truck with 'repairs' already done.

JamesB · April 27, 2005

Hey JRW68,

Sorry to hear of your woes with the new truck... Hopefully you will get the situation resolved to your satisfaction...

Not sure where in the D/FW area you are moving, but in the future if your looking for a good dealer to do business with, I have been very happy with Classic Chevrolet in Grapevine, Tx. We have bought our last two truck there and the service is fantastic!

They don't do it for everytime, but they occasionaly even wash our trucks when we take them in for service! And it is a hand wash at that!

James.

MS3DALE · April 27, 2005

First of all welcome to the site,you'll learn a lot of stuff here!

I also work at a dealership,a GM dealership in the parts dept. and my main job is to handle all the parts the body shop needs,I see all kinds of crazy things!!

We have stuff happen to our cars and trucks all the time while their sitting on the lot just like Metz said,we even have salesman wreck'em while their driving them for "Demos",We have an '05 Cobalt in our shop right now that needs a frt.bumper cover,two alum.wheels and a rear axle asm. that a sales manager wrecked a couple of weeks ago,and yes we are supposed to disclose the damage if its over $500.00 here in Pa.

Will they disclose it on this car? Well if I had to guess I would say no! Its ashame but its also the truth,a lot of times I don't think they do disclose it.

On a different note we got in a new '05 Cadillac CTS last week and the car carrier driver damaged it taking it off the truck,GM told us to fix it (new hood,frt.bumper cover and grille-$1500.00 damage) and to let them know when we were done with it,They are buying it back from us and in turn will take it to a GM auction to be sold as a "buy-back".

Your damage also could have happened at the assemble plant itself,I had a '91 S10 4x4 that I ordered and when it came in I noticed the left fender had been repainted on the top (and not a very good job!) and it came this way right from the plant! I have seen quite a few since then the same way where they fixed them at the plant and then we have to go over them again!

Good luck on your truck and I hope the dealer stands behind the product he sold you,If not,like everyone said,call GM and explain the problem.

wearehis55 · April 27, 2005

The way I am reading this,you stated this was a trade in.Is it possible that even the dealer was unaware of the repair.How many miles on were on your truck?Am I off base in my thinking on this?

mmmikkke · April 27, 2005

I'd be inside that door panel right soon to determine the extent of the dealer's misrepresentation.

If you need tips on how to remove it without damaging anything, let me know, I just finished taking both sides apart to do new speakers, and I didn't bust anything.

There's stuff to be busted, though, so if in doubt, ask on this forum before yanking or jerking anything. It should come off without either.

Let me know if you need instructions.

--

If they give you platitudes like, "lifetime warranty on your paint job", that just means that they'll half-a** paint it again in 3 years when it starts chipping. That's not good enough. You need a *new* truck.

They aren't going to replace the door with a door off another brand new truck...That'd just leave them with another truck with the same problem! So don't confuse your issue by offering that compromise. Then they'll probably get a door off a truck in a junk yard and weld it in place. No, another opportunity for slipshod work. No welding. No painting. If it can't be done with a few bolts, and I think that's the case, your only options is to get a whole-new-truck!

Ask forum members how much discount they would require to accept a new truck with this kind of damage. Post a survey. Get the results and show them to the dealer!

For me, it'd take at least a thousand bucks to get me to take the repainted door truck over an identical one with no repainting. A thousand bucks!

MS3DALE · April 27, 2005

It was a "dealer trade" meaning that another dealer had the truck he wanted so the dealer he was buying from went and got it for him from that dealer.

It would still be considered a "new truck" and not a trade in.

And I also forgot to mention in my earlier post that on factory repairs (repairs done at the plant) they do not have to disclose any damage.

JRW68 · April 27, 2005

Wow guys, thanks for the responses.

Im moving to the eulless (spelling) area, my mother is currently working in dallas and has found me an apt... I even had her shop for trucks down there, she said that most of the sales people she dealt with down there were pretty up front and honest... who knows

anyways. I plan to pull the panel off of it today, so if you have any suggestions... that would be great. Im pretty good mechanically.. but I know how car manufacturers can make things tricky. On a new vehicle Ide appreciate some how-tos.

Metz: This definitly looks like some shotty work, if this was their body shop... they need to think of rehiring. Ive painted entire trucks in my drive way that came out better than this.

wearehis55: as mentioned... not a trade in... basically the truck was at another dealership, my dealership found it, got it, and sold it to me. Still a new truck.. only had 10 miles on it. Easy mistake though.

mmmikkke: I agree that they will not probably take it off another truck but Im gonna try. Otherwise I want this sale voided. They took a gas door off another truck for my truck (who knows why it wasn't on).. so they can do it to the door. I do not want a painted door, bottom line. Ill be sure to do the survey. I also thought 1000 bucks initially.. but if there is body work... i dont want it at all.. if its just paint.. maybe, but im leaning to no... this is my first new vehicle (i had two trucks 79 and 84) and I want it to be a NEW vehicle.

To every one else that I didn't mention, thanks for the input. Its greatly appreciated. I was/am a member of a s10 forum on another site(my previous truck)... this crowd seems much more mature... if thats a good thing

alright... off to get some of this stuff done... Like I said, pictures are coming.. thankfully the sun is out.. for the moment.. doesnt happen often in erie

MS3DALE · April 27, 2005

JRW68,Please let us know what happens

biochemist · April 27, 2005

Welcome to the site, I can say my service department is great! The detailed my truck (shown below right after they detailed her yesterday) and detailed the inside, looks brand new (smells like it too!), the leather is treated, wheel, dash even the floor mats were treated...everything is shiny and slick now, even the tonneau cover...really did a great job (and all for $100 bucks!!), will even give me a car if I need one while they detail my vehicles. My point is some delaerships just get you in and out and do not care if you are really happy because all they do is sell, sell, sell...go find a small dealership to work with, they can always find the truck you want, if not, they can order it! That is the way to go, if you bought from a huge dealership, this is what can happen...the attention to detail is not there becuase they just want to make $. Now, the smaller ones want $ too, but they will treat you right to do so...Anyway, to your point about the paint....I would give someone a beat down, they know and should be able to look up the work with your VIN! Plain and simple...go back to the dealership, get the manager and the head body shop guy and talk this out (Plug in the VIN and see what was done)...they will help you, they just may need some help from you for them to figure out what the right thing to do is in this case! BTW, the "beat down" comment was figurative of course, be calm and things will work out! Do you enjoy the truck otherwise, hope so? Let us all know what they say, they will make everything right! Things happen to new vehicles too, they will make it right for you . Let us know what is going on, and if we can help at all, Later,

sledr · April 27, 2005

Crappy deal - good luck to you. Before I bought my truck I ran a Quality report from the Oshawa plant to see exactly what defects were called on the truck. Oddly enough mine only failed a brake test. My truck was a dealer trade from Chatham to Tillsonburg (about 120 Km). The day it was driven back was a crappy winter day in December. A salesmans wife was driving it but it made it back without any damage. They had it inside the shop for me to inspect visually that night. I got lucky I guess.

sledr