Buyer BEWARE of Dealer Fumble!!!

[tundradg]

Originally Posted by Hueyguns

3 free services...maybe. So far, I am not real impressed and am not too confident they would do an honest job. The place is like a zoo!! They have 73 sales reps at the dealership! This past weekend they sold over 200 used cars! The size and operation they have going is overwhelming! From what I've learned, they are the 3rd largest volume in sales (Toyota only) in the country.
Yes...I'll make sure about the alarm activation! You can bet on that!
Nope..not paying for the rental as I saw they salesman present the purchase order to the rental rep. Although....I'm curious if they are going to try to stick me with the gas! I'm not budging on paying for the gas!! Oh...if you are wondering...the dealership is Boch Toyota...Massachusetts!

Boch Toyota is an enterprise that sells more vehicles at it's ONE store in ONE month than our FOUR local Toyota dealerships combined. It also has a second Toyota dealership (Boch Toyota South). They are massive, and that is the type of dealership where you really are just a number...The Boch enterprise is worth like $1 billion...they can afford to replace your bumper AND give you those full services free...

[L R H]

Has anyone looked to actually see how much a new front bumper cover/overlay costs? They could have had it painted by now so you could drop by at your convenience to have it R & R'd and pick up your $100.00 gas card. Tell them you will take a brush/grille guard to cover the blemish up in lieu of a new/repaired cover.

[Cliffy1]

Wow... just wow. Like others, I saw the start of the thread and thought this was another overblown complaint that the customer really needed to relax and little and realize that he owned a truck and not a museum piece. I was wrong. Not only is that totally unacceptable, it doesn't make any sense. What does the alarm have to do with anything?

In 14 years in the car business, I've only seen one other instance of such a botched tag installation. I've seen them miss the dimples and put them off-center. Only one other time have I seen a person position one so badly. That other one was when a rookie salesman was selling a Corolla and had the trunk open. He didn't see that the tag went on the trunk so he drilled into the bumper. At least that one was almost centered!

Its not going to be cheap for the dealer to replace the bumper cover. Including the labor and part, figure about $600 or a bit more. If you can live with an imperfect bumper, you might see about talking them into accessories worth close to that.

[SFTundraMan]

Originally Posted by tundradg

I don't see why the person who does the PDI would be attaching the plate though...if there was a plate bracket, I might understand. But it doesn't make sense to me that the PDI person would do the plate. Usually a sales person, lot attendant, someone else...but not typically the PDI guy.

And PDI guys are paid a flat rate for each vehicle...

our pdi guys put on the plates and they have to put them on all cars and trucks no matter what. Even if the customer says they dont want them on, we have to by law in California. But we put them on in the right place. That does suck. I cant come close to explaining what they were thinking when they did that

[tundradg]

Originally Posted by SFTundraMan

our pdi guys put on the plates and they have to put them on all cars and trucks no matter what. Even if the customer says they dont want them on, we have to by law in California. But we put them on in the right place. That does suck. I cant come close to explaining what they were thinking when they did that

Massachusetts law, like California law, requires both front and rear plates. But at our dealerships, the PDIs are completed immediately within a day or two of the vehicle arriving. The license plates are typically put on by a sales person just before the vehicle receives state inspection and is then delivered...But the outright misplacement really makes me want to

[SFTundraMan]

Originally Posted by tundradg

Massachusetts law, like California law, requires both front and rear plates. But at our dealerships, the PDIs are completed immediately within a day or two of the vehicle arriving. The license plates are typically put on by a sales person just before the vehicle receives state inspection and is then delivered...But the outright misplacement really makes me want to

are you talking real license plates or the dealer inserts. We dont put on real license plates until weeks after the sale. We just put the frames and dealer inserts on while the pdi the car. That is all done in the detail dept as soon as the car comes in. I know there are some states that give you a real license plate when you buy the car, California is not one of those. We just have to provide the plate frame

[tundradg]

Originally Posted by SFTundraMan

are you talking real license plates or the dealer inserts. We dont put on real license plates until weeks after the sale. We just put the frames and dealer inserts on while the pdi the car. That is all done in the detail dept as soon as the car comes in. I know there are some states that give you a real license plate when you buy the car, California is not one of those. We just have to provide the plate frame

In Massachusetts, the dealer (usually the salesperson) installs the license plate immediately before delivery. There are no temporary tags in Massachusetts (or at least they're very rare). That's why I thought it was weird that the PDI person (or detail department even) would've put the plates on...but some of the dealerships install the front plate frames and a dealership advertising plate on them...even some within our group...I just wasn't really thinking, but you made it clear for me

[LifeTech]

Originally Posted by Hueyguns

OK...I bought an 08 DC 5.7 4x4 LTD and got a GREAT deal!!! After a few hours at the dealer waiting for the truck to get preped for my ride home (1 hour), the dealer tells me its all set! I'm real excited now...I run out and jump in. Crank it up and zoom off into the dark. Now I had already inspected the truck in the daylight and it was perfect. OK, so now after I get home...get some sleep...I wake up the next day and decide to go outside to drewl over my new truck. As I'm looking at the front, I realize that my license plate is off center!!...mmmm....ok time for a closer inspection! WHAT!?!?! The dealer drilled two holes into my bumper?!? No...can't be!! Oh yes my friends...its true!! Take a look at the holes drilled compared to the two starter holes on the front guard below! Whoopsss!!!
So..I call the dealer and explain my discovery. He says..."Oh my...I am truly sorry about that. Let me talk to the parts department and get back to you tomorrow." So.....tomorrow should bring some news. I'm thinking they replace the whole front bumper! What do you guys think???

Looks like someone at the Dealer is going to have to eat that bumper!! Paint job and all.
Ouch.

In the past, I have seen Salesman install Tags this way...all crooked and where they are not meant to be.

LT

[LifeTech]

I always put on my own front plate. It gets screwed up 50% of the time anyway.
It's more of a ritual now when I buy my new cars.
My last purchase, they insisted that they could not allow me to drive off the lot without it on the bumper. I told them to pass that line onto the next loser customer. I just put the plate on my dashboard and drove off.
I purchased a nice mount anyway as was my intention.

[tundradg]

Originally Posted by LifeTech

I always put on my own front plate. It gets screwed up 50% of the time anyway.
It's more of a ritual now when I buy my new cars.
My last purchase, they insisted that they could not allow me to drive off the lot without it on the bumper. I told them to pass that line onto the next loser customer. I just put the plate on my dashboard and drove off.
I purchased a nice mount anyway as was my intention.

The dealership that I worked at REFUSED to inspect my vehicle until I installed the front tag. I too was waiting on the license plate bracket to install, which arrived three days later...I figured since I had told them that it wouldn't have been a big deal...but we all know how some people can be...

[LifeTech]

Here in NY a missing plate is just a status violation and technically an Inspection station cannot enforce that. They can only enforce Safety and Emissions. Of course your registration must be "Current and up to date".
So I tell the Dealer to go screw........

I know many Chevy dealers will leave the Front plate OFF on a new Vette if yu ask them to...this is a common practice as Vettes have the Emblem on the front plate mount area.. The owner is responsible for the summons ... I've never seen a cop give out a ticket on Vette for this reason. Every jurisdiction is different however.

[LifeTech]

Here in New york Inspections are done by Independant repair shops not State Owned Inspection Facilties. Inspection Stations simply do not have Jurisdiction to enforce Plates being mounted. Same is true for any Dealer here in NYS.

[tundradg]

Originally Posted by LifeTech

Here in New york Inspections are done by Independant repair shops not State Owned Inspection Facilties. Inspection Stations simply do not have Jurisdiction to enforce Plates being mounted. Same is true for any Dealer here in NYS.

I'm sure the same is true for Massachusetts. But I didn't feel like arguing with the service director, when I knew the part would be in a day or two later...and I have seen MANY Corvettes and other vehicles without license plates, even here in Massachusetts...