Need Advice - New Truck Was Painted Prior to Sale

Delivery damage is more common then many know, and fixed prior to hitting the lot. Mostly scratches, small dings, paint finish blemishes, etc. I saw my truck unloaded, so if anything happened, it happened at a point prior to the dealership (or me) taking ownership. I drove mine home
un-prepped

 

simple magnet gauge works. orange peel vs wet sanded and polished. if a panel finish doesnt match the rest of the car....its for a reason

 

my brothers used to own a towing biz.they would tow cars from the port to dealers. the had a 3 car 5th wheel set up and a 9 car set up tractor/trailer.they scratched some cars with the chains not being secured properly. they even crushed an s10 with a bridge which finally closed the company. they hits trees as well. i bet the % of repairs on new cars would make you shit yourself

 

in alabama a disclosure must be writen and signed by the customer ,at the time of sale, if the damage excedes 90.00

 

My first car was a 1992 Hyundai Excel hatchback. I remember taking it to a dealer for some warranty work on the oil pan when the employee said that the car had been repainted. She pointed out the drips of dried paint in between the front quarter panel and the bumper. I bought the car new and wasn't told of any body work being done and was pretty upset.

I didn't make an issue out of it - but I'll never buy another Hyundai. Especially after the yelling and screaming match between myself and the service manager over the oil pan issue at another dealership.

 

I call BULLSHIT.

I'll be damned if I give my hard earned $30,000 for a NEW vehicle that's been repaired.

They say the resale value drops as soon as you drive it off the lot.

Why doesn't the resale value drop as soon as the vehicle drives out of the factory? Technically, it's USED and the 'cost' should be dropped according to any damage (or mileage) that's caused from delivery or the dealerships.

If that were the case, they'd treat our trucks like it was frigin chinawear!! They'd be bubble wrapped for delivery.

 

man, i would be pissed. i hope it works out somewhat for the OP. i dont know what you can do at this point? bet they wont fight you on getting the leaf spring TSB taken care of

i would work out some freebies, and drive the snot out the the truck. still a great rig. make sure the leak is fixed, and move on?

good luck

 

My friend has his own painting business where he is contracted by some of the local dealerships to do touch up paint to the "new" vehicles just delivered and all the vehicles on the lot new or used. Some of the dealerships also have a body shop on property where they fix up anything that was damaged on delivery. I'm surprised so many people don't know how often vehicles are damaged on delivery or even while sitting on the lot and get repaired/painted and the customer is never told, its a pretty common occurrence. My bf works at a dealership, he told me how they damaged a custom ordered Corvette Z06 while unloading it from the truck, that is an $80k car...it was touched up and I'm sure the customer wasn't told.

 

He said it himself, he got a major discount and if it wasn't on the carfax then there is no drop in resale value. Sounds like this is a common practice, as everyone here is saying. If you can't tell then how can the dealer?

 

Thanks for all your replies,

The Customer Service Manager at Koons Tysons is going to call me on Monday, possibly with an offer to close this case.

I did some very cursory research on Virginia consumer protection laws and found this;


§ 59.1-200 Prohibited practices
A. The following fraudulent acts or practices committed by a supplier in connection with a consumer transaction are hereby declared unlawful:
...
...
7. Advertising or offering for sale goods which are used, secondhand, repossessed, defective, blemished, deteriorated, or reconditioned, or which are "seconds," irregulars, imperfects, or "not first class," without clearly and unequivocally indicating in the advertisement or offer for sale that the goods are used, secondhand, repossessed, defective, blemished, deteriorated, reconditioned, or are "seconds," irregulars, imperfects or "not first class";

From what I'm reading, the first step is to send written notice to the manufacturer that includes purchase history and how the problem was made evident through warranty work. This was something I was going to do anyway so I think this is a good first step.

 

The selling dealer said he got a significant discount and admits the truck was damaged, abeit by who they acquired the truck from, but now its disclosed. The OP has a 3rd brake light that is leaking more than likely due to the repair. The truck should get fix under warranty. IMO 3K under invoice is not a significant discount, plus is irrelevant nor the hassle he's going through. Its not like its a scrape on a fender flare. Water causes damage, mildew etc. I hope it gets resolved.

 

Sniff Sniff do i smell a BAN!!! Give him a taste of his harsh med. If my truck was damaged i would be pissed off too.. Who in their mind would pay 30,000 dollars on a truck and accept a damange truck? Not me...

 

X3

When I bought my truck (new), I got $3,000 knocked off the MSRP just by bargaining with them.

 

This is a draft of a letter to Toyota USA. Is there anything I should add/remove?

Dear Sir or Madam,

This letter is written notice of two issues on a 2009 Toyota Tacoma (VIN XXXXX) which I purchased on September 14, 2009 from Koons Tysons Toyota in Vienna, VA. The first issue is a request to authorize warranty work on this vehicle to prevent additional damages. The second issue is a failure to disclose to the consumer damages incurred to this vehicle and repairs made prior to the sale.

When it rains and when I wash this vehicle the headliner inside the cab above the rear window becomes saturated with water. I brought this vehicle to Ourisman Fairfax Toyota in Fairfax, VA on Friday, October 30, 2009 and asked the service department to look at this water leak and an issue with the rear suspension bottoming out when carrying a load in the bed. XXX XXX, the Asst. Service Manager, handled my case and informed me that the roof of the vehicle had been repainted and the plastic weather strips and 3rd brake light had been removed. He informed me that there was a gap in the weather strip around the 3rd brake light. He indicated in his service report that I should return the vehicle to the body shop where this work was performed and have them address the leak.

After I picked up this vehicle from Ourisman Fairfax Toyota, I contacted XXX XXX at Koons Tysons Toyota on October 30, 2009. He was the Sales Manager that handled the sale of this vehicle. He referred me to XXX XXX, the Customer Relations Manager. I Informed Ms. XXX on October 30, 2009 that the service department at Ourisman Fairfax Toyota told me that the roof had been repainted. She offered to have the body shop at this dealership look at the roof and confirm the claims made by Ourisman Fairfax Toyota. I was told prior to the sale that this vehicle had been transferred to Koons Tysons Toyota from another dealer because they could not sell it. I asked that she contact the dealership that transferred the vehicle to Koons Tysons Toyota and provide me any additional details on the repairs done to this vehicle.

Ms. XXX called me later the same day and informed me that she had contacted the dealership that had originally had this vehicle. She said that it was either a Toyota dealer in Allan, TX or Gulf Port, MS. She was not firm in her statement of where this vehicle was transferred from. She informed me that a tree branch fell on this vehicle and body repairs were made to fix a dent and the roof was repainted. Since it was confirmed that the vehicle had been damaged and repaired, she cancelled the appointment to have the body shop inspect the vehicle.

Because the leak in the cab was caused by repairs done to this vehicle while under the ownership of a Toyota dealer, I request that this issue be addressed under the 3 year/36,000 mi warranty immediately to avoid any additional water related damage to this vehicle. I also request that the servicing department do a complete and thorough check for mildew, rust, staining, or any other damage caused by the repairs to the roof of this vehicle. Following the service department’s inspection, I request that I be provided a written service report indicating that there is or is not damage to any part of the vehicle caused by the leak. This is of particular importance as the vehicle was manufactured in June of 2008 and purchased in September of 2009. Depending on when the repairs were made to this vehicle, this vehicle may have had the leaking issue for a significant amount of time, presenting the opportunity for extensive water related damage.

The second issue concerns the failure to disclose the fact that the vehicle had been damaged and repairs were made before the vehicle was sold. Had I been notified about the damage and repairs done to this vehicle I would not have purchased it. My concerns with my vehicle in its current condition are two-fold. Firstly, the sales contract I signed considered the purchase price of a new vehicle in first-class condition with no blemishes, reconditioning, or deteriorated areas. I paid a premium for a new vehicle over a used one and it is reasonable to expect a new vehicle to be in Excellent condition. The body damage and repairs would put this vehicle at a Good standing, thus reducing its resale value considerably. Secondly, what guarantee do I have that the repair work is as good as a factory paintjob? If Toyota covers this repair work through the 3 year/36,000mi warranty period, what guarantee do I have that it will be as durable and age similarly to the factory paint beyond this warranty period? This is something that a used vehicle buyer would consider prior to purchasing a vehicle and is not something a consumer who purchased a new vehicle should be concerned with.

In conclusion, I request a written response within 10 business days of the postmark date to the following;

• Authorization forwarded to a Toyota service department to perform the work necessary to address the leak in the cab and inspect for water related damage. I would prefer that this work be done by Ourisman Fairfax Toyota since they are close to where I work.

• Toyota’s proposal to resolve the two issues arising from a failure to disclose pre-sale damage and repairs. These issues are;
  • • A reduction in resale value of the vehicle that is absorbed by the consumer who is not at fault for the damages and repairs.
    • A lack of consumer confidence in the quality and durability of the repairs that were made to the roof in comparison to the roof of a factory-new vehicle.

Thank you in advance for your prompt reply,

 

It sounds great, bro. I think it is ready to be mailed! This is a win/win for you. Your truck will be repaired EASILY from any competent body shop, and you should be able to pocket a little cash from toyota

 

as I see it you have two options. If You have to stick your nose up to it to see the difference screw it and save yourself some stress and years off your life. Or contact a lawyer to see if you have a case. As mentioned by another reply . There wont be any less of a resale value on your truck because of that branch due to it never being reported. You don't have to disclose it to anyone and if they check it no records will be found. Your truck is still worth the premium you paid. If you just cant get over it then ask to trade your truck for another. But you never know what that one might have been through either.

 

The letter sounds good except you left a very important part out. You didnt mention the law code number and what the law in VA says about the sale of a new vehicle. Put that in there and your set.

 

Retracted, applogies to the OP for speaking out of turn.

I forgot to take my "be nice and play with others" pills that day