(Keep in mind this car wasn't custom ordered. It was ordered as dealer stock and was already built prior to my first contact with the dealer.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by vtirocz
While I'm not sure that aluminum surface oxidation can be called a quality issue, nor do I think that would cause any issues down the road. Your expectation does put the dealer in a bit of a bad position, since there's not really a clear spec on what's considered normal for the engine bay and underside aluminum components. What you consider acceptable, I may call unacceptable and where does the line get drawn?
|
I understand what you're saying, but I don't think I'm being unreasonable either. What if it had a big scratch on a plastic panel? It's strictly cosmetic, but is that a quality issue? I think it would be, but it's subjective. While most would agree a big unsightly scratch is a quality issue, a smaller scratch may or may not be an issue, depending on the customer.
The excessive oxidation on this car was the equivalent of a big unsightly scratch. I absolutely believe in the case of this car, it was a quality issue. Unfortunately, I didn't get all of the pictures I would have like to have taken. The pictures I have do not do it justice. I mentioned taking more pictures of the car while at the dealer (after expressing concern), and a worker quickly moved the car into a detailing area restricted to employees only.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vtirocz
I recall folks being disappointed in the cast aluminum strut towers, since the surface finish was not as good as stamped steel strut towers. The cast aluminum towers have significant advantages (although not from a surface finish perspective). My point here is that we don't know the spec and some may consider the cast hardware "too rough."
|
I remember this too, and it's still a problem although not as bad as early castings. The spec is whatever they can get the customer to accept. As customers we have to draw a line somewhere, otherwise quality will continue to be increasingly compromised to reduce production cost.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vtirocz
At the end of the day, if you perceive there to be a quality issue or imperfection in the car, I think you should be able to get your deposit back. In future, to avoid this scenario, it might be good to get in writing that you can get any deposit back for imperfections considered unacceptable at that time the car is inspected.
|
I feel I did anything and everything I could reasonably do to be open and honest about my concerns and expectations. If you haven't already, review the correspondence log, you'll see there's a lot more than I have listed here. Unfortunately, a dealer isn't going to sign any agreement like you mention. Even if they did, it'd still be subjective.
I know the dealer was in a bad spot here, but I was too. I was clear that I wanted a car that could be taken to shows, etc., but I didn't expect perfection. As the shipping delays started adding up, I continually voiced my increased concern for oxidation.
Where the dealer went wrong from my perspective is they should have taken the pictures I had asked for. I feel they purposely did not capture pictures of the problem areas. Of course, I could have demanded the correct pictures, but I was trying to be reasonable. I was in the process of loading my car. The salesman was on his day off Chistmas shopping, so I kinda felt bad trying to push the issue. I had a window of opportunity with the weather, so I needed to leave when I did, correct pictures or not. In hindsight, I feel it was strategic on the dealership's part, but I didn't know that at the time and was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Also, maybe a mention of the oxidation before I took off work and made the 16 hour round trip drive. They knew I was concerned. They knew the car had a problem. It took them almost an hour to show the car to me after I arrived at the dealership. They kept trying to get me more invested in the deal with paperwork, trade processing, etc., before letting me see the car. Again, in hindsight it was clear what they were doing.
In spite of everything that I feel the dealer did wrong in handling this situation, all I wanted was to walk away peacefully with my deposit. At that point I'd still be out ~$2,000 in my own losses, but I was okay with that. What I wasn't okay with was the dealership trying to profit from me due to a problem beyond my control.