Anyone ever hear of this happening???

[Hidebinder]

Just thought I'd throw this out and see if anyone else had experienced this same situation. In 2000 I bought a 2001 Silverado from a local dealership who had to purchase it from another dealer in the area in order to get the options/color I wanted. So, when it arrived at the dealership I went down to finalize the deal and bring it home. Several months had passed when I realized that a rubber hood stop was missing, then the hood to fender seal was also noticed as being missing and the front plastic radiator/grill shroud wasn't installed either. What's going on here, did they forget to finish building this truck at the factory??? A little closer examination revealed that the entire hood had been repainted and the front fenders were repainted down to the beltline. Well, the only conclusion I am able to come up with here is, that this truck had been damaged either in transport or at the dealership and that the resultant repairs were the cause for the above. Missing parts were forgotten to be reinstalled and the paint of course. There does not appear to be any body repairs, all the parts are suspected to be new parts. I know that there is no chance of any retribution at this point and very unlikely the dealership would even admit any repairs were made. What concerns me at this point is the paint, it was applied without the clear coat and seems very susceptible to paint chips at the leading edge, more so than the factory paint with clear coats that I have compared on other 2001 models with similar mileage. I just accept this as another lesson learned and bolstered my already heightened mistrust of dealerships and salesmen. No more will I accept a new car as being a new car......No more will I give a new vehicle just a cursery once over inspection.

[uh6077]

Did you just notice these things? If you noticed it when you first got the truck did you question the dealership about it. Nothing you can do about it now. As far as the paint goes, factory paint in usually much better than a repaint. Unless of course you have a purple Neon. I have never seen a purple Neon that did not have paint peeling off it.

[overlord1]

Just thought I'd throw this out and see if anyone else had experienced this same situation. In 2000 I bought a 2001 Silverado from a local dealership who had to purchase it from another dealer in the area in order to get the options/color I wanted. So, when it arrived at the dealership I went down to finalize the deal and bring it home. Several months had passed when I realized that a rubber hood stop was missing, then the hood to fender seal was also noticed as being missing and the front plastic radiator/grill shroud wasn't installed either. What's going on here, did they forget to finish building this truck at the factory??? A little closer examination revealed that the entire hood had been repainted and the front fenders were repainted down to the beltline. Well, the only conclusion I am able to come up with here is, that this truck had been damaged either in transport or at the dealership and that the resultant repairs were the cause for the above. Missing parts were forgotten to be reinstalled and the paint of course. There does not appear to be any body repairs, all the parts are suspected to be new parts. I know that there is no chance of any retribution at this point and very unlikely the dealership would even admit any repairs were made. What concerns me at this point is the paint, it was applied without the clear coat and seems very susceptible to paint chips at the leading edge, more so than the factory paint with clear coats that I have compared on other 2001 models with similar mileage. I just accept this as another lesson learned and bolstered my already heightened mistrust of dealerships and salesmen. No more will I accept a new car as being a new car......No more will I give a new vehicle just a cursery once over inspection.

 

Yes, a very similar situation happened to friend of mine when I lived in Northern Virginia. This was several years ago and I've forgotten some of the details. I seem to recall that his vehicle (don't remember the brand but I think a Ford) sustained substantial damage when it fell several feet to the ground from the transporter when it was being unloaded at the dealer. Dealer repaired vehicle and listed it for sale as new without disclosing prior damage as required by law. Friend did not discover damage until a year or so later when vehicle was involved in a minor fender bender. The body shop discovered substantial previous repairs including to the frame which was not repaired correctly. Dealer initially claimed ignorance but when a lawyer was hired who threated to subpoena repair records and to subpoena the transport company's records the dealer was eager to settle. In the end my friend was offered and accepted a brand new vehicle from the dealers lot with a clear title (dealer agreed to pay off note). In return dealer admitted no fault and no criminal charges were brought against the dealer. I have no doubt that their are unscrupulous dealers out there who repair damaged vehicles and sell them as new. They are required by law to disclose this fact but I'll bet many do not. In your case several years have elapsed so your options may be limited. If it were my vehicle and the damage were substantial to the point that it affected its resale value, I would definitely consult an attorney to see what my options were.

[95Sierra2500]

Similar situation with my dad's '94 GMC. Luckily we actually found the truck before it got to the dealership (it was a special-order truck) and found that one of the fenders had been damaged during transit. My dad went in to finish the deal and, armed with this information, had the dealer repair the damage and bill the transportation company. Two weeks later my mom ruined the OTHER fender pulling out of a parking garage...but that's another story.

[Hidebinder]

Thanks for the comments guys. I guess more than anything, I'm just trying to raise the awareness of those considering buying a new vehicle. Don't assume the vehicle is without some repair history. Overall, I'm happy with the truck but I am anticipating having to repaint the hood earlier than I would have expected. Kinda aggravated at myself as well for letting it get by me when I did the walk around.

[PharmZ71]

Haha. Purple neon. Or an early 90's Pontiac Grand Prix.

[mini1]

Just thought I'd throw this out and see if anyone else had experienced this same situation. In 2000 I bought a 2001 Silverado from a local dealership who had to purchase it from another dealer in the area in order to get the options/color I wanted. So, when it arrived at the dealership I went down to finalize the deal and bring it home. Several months had passed when I realized that a rubber hood stop was missing, then the hood to fender seal was also noticed as being missing and the front plastic radiator/grill shroud wasn't installed either. What's going on here, did they forget to finish building this truck at the factory??? A little closer examination revealed that the entire hood had been repainted and the front fenders were repainted down to the beltline. Well, the only conclusion I am able to come up with here is, that this truck had been damaged either in transport or at the dealership and that the resultant repairs were the cause for the above. Missing parts were forgotten to be reinstalled and the paint of course. There does not appear to be any body repairs, all the parts are suspected to be new parts. I know that there is no chance of any retribution at this point and very unlikely the dealership would even admit any repairs were made. What concerns me at this point is the paint, it was applied without the clear coat and seems very susceptible to paint chips at the leading edge, more so than the factory paint with clear coats that I have compared on other 2001 models with similar mileage. I just accept this as another lesson learned and bolstered my already heightened mistrust of dealerships and salesmen. No more will I accept a new car as being a new car......No more will I give a new vehicle just a cursery once over inspection.

 

and you just noticed this 7 years later??????? I would have sued the dealer years ago if they refused to give me a new truck. I cannot beleive they forgot to put on a clear coat??? How could you miss that?? I would have noticed it the very first time I saw the truck. Have you ever tried going back and seeing if they will do anything? Have you ever tried pulling up a VIN check? It sounds like the hood got damaged in transport and they hurried to bondo it and repaint it.

 

Run a magnet down the surface of the hood. See if it doesn't stick anywhere. That is where they applied the bondo.

[plainvanilla]

When I picked up my new truck two weeks ago at the dealership I know they were talking about me inside.

 

I had shook on the deal the night before and all I had to do was drop off my trade and sign the papers and they were bringing my new truck around from make ready.

 

First they had to install the vent visors I had them put on at no charge and check on a spot on the seat I had noticed where someone had spilled something during a test drive.

 

I went back to make-ready and watched them put on the visors and was careful to stay out of the way and then inspected the interior before they even drove it around.

 

When it was brought out front, my salesman took me outside to it and I opened all 4 doors and the hood and started a 20 minute close up inspection of every door panel, painted surface, tire, underside and under hood.

 

It was in the 30s that day and my salesman finally gave up and went inside to "catch a call".

 

I looked everything over because once you drive it off the lot and find a scratch or something cosmetic you can't prove it wasn't already there.

 

I look at it as the second biggest purchase I'll make besides a house, and when I bought my house I paid a guy $300 to inspect it.

[Rolandd]

Something to think about: I would quickly ask a lawyer if you still have any recourse. If so, I would return to the selling dealer and ask them to repain the affected parts. When they refuse, have your lawyer threaten to soepena their records and that you are going to set up a blog about your experience. They know that it will cost them less to repaint than to lose one sale and the threat of the inconvenience might make them move. In fairness to them, they probably have no one working in the place who was there when this happened. However they also probably make a practice of it so they know when they have been caught.