eggbert52

Notice I phrased this in a form of a question...perhaps I should be on TSX Jeopardy. Now for my bad but what could be good news. I bought a "Brand New"...once again pay attention to punctuality...I used quotes....Acura TSX, with NAVI with 41 miles on it. I took a long drive the other day through construction and noticed some "bb" type spots in the driver's side bumper as well as a large tear's amount of dripping paint. I figured it was the heat of the road and was upset that it was the first damage to my 2 week old car. I'm coming in from buying groceries today and see my neighbor a floor up above me and he says "how's the new car?". I said "it's pretty good with the exception that I drove through construction on my way to Pittsfield and got some nicks." He then said..."do you want me to take a look at it because it's what I do." I said "sure." He looks at the car and says..."I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this bumper has been repainted. Take a look it was painted right up to the trunk and they just did a poor job. You can feel the stickiness compared to the trunk part."

Long story short....I called the Acura sales person on his day off to tell him that he has three options:

1) Give me a new car
2) Replace the bumper with a brand new factory bumper with factory paint
3) Figure out what you want to do and pay for my rent a car fees when you decide what decision you want to make.

So I KNOW I'm being emotional but what are my rights and what do you think? Thanks for taking time out of your day and Happy 4th!!

aznt1217

dripping paint... seems really weird regardless if it was repaint or stock the stealership screwed you. They'll probably give you a new bumper.

eggbert52

Well I'm thinking this post may keep some people away because many sponsors are dealers on here and the like. But, I'm just wondering what you think my chances are of getting a new bumper with "perfect" factory paint. That is all I really want as I think the car is fine...but I may want to have the allignment checked as well.

jlukja

I don't think you're being unreasonable. I would have every expectation that my "brand new" TSX would be just that. However, I've been on this board since 2003 and I do recall reading one or two reports of the same thing happening to others. I guess if a brand new car receives some minor scrapes on the bumper while in shipment (or test drive?) then the dealer just repaints the bumper. Personally, I think its understandable. What I don't understand is why they would do a crappy job of repainting.

eggbert52

Thanks a lot for the responses. I probably over reacted when I called the guy but you also want to be stern like you guys said. I'm going to ask for a new bumper either today or first thing in the morning when I take the car in. I'll let you know how I make out.

LuvMyTSX

Sometimes if a car is damaged during shipping or on the lot, they'll swap bumpers or repaint stuff. I'd just ask for a new bumper. It understandably kinda puts a damper on your experience, though.

eggbert52

They just told me that they are going to give me a brand new bumper!! So I'm pretty happy about that cause I doubted I was going to get a new car. So how long will it take for them to do the job do you think? I'm just glad to know the damage wasn't cause of the construction of the road. The car didn't seem THAT flimsy despite some of the warnings I have heard about rust and paint.

B K R

Can't swap bumpers because bumpers have VIN stickers on them. So it is always repainted.

Provided they have the parts it would take about 2-3 days as they need to prep the replacement bumper as it comes unpainted from factory. And then let the paint cure for a day or 2 before being put on the car.

However they should be able to do all of that without you haveing to take your car in..Once everything is ready you can just take your car and they should be able to install within a hour or two...

Do remember new paint means no waxing, polishing or any kind of detailing for 30+ days as the paint would not have fully cured.

nj2pa2nc

get them to give you a loaner car and then let them take as long as necessary to get the job done right.

eggbert52

Here's the interesting thing...they are now admitting that they knew about the scratch and the repainting of the bumper...interesting. Wonder if I have a case. Then they said we'll just get you a whole new bumper. On the bumper...I'm looking at the car and it looks as though it's the entire back right? Does it even include the tail lights? I'm having a hard time seeing where it begins and ends.

yungwunn911

i thoguht that bumpers came painted already?

aaronng

Replacement bumpers are not painted.

nj2pa2nc

did you contact acura client services and explain the problem to them.

eggbert52

No I didn't. If that would help me get a brand new car then I would but I'm really not sure that is going to get it done. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I might get out of this if I put my foot down other than a new bumper? It's really not my character to take someone for a ride so unless they offer like a free year worth of oil changes or something like that I probably won't push the issue. What do you suggest?

landerso

It's entirely possible that he dealer didn't know about the previous repair. Sometimes a can will be damaged prior to being received at the Port of Entry. If so, they'll often repair it prior to shipping to the dealer.

Still, it sucks when it happens to you. Regardless of whether or not you get a new bumper, it should be repaired so that it is of the same level of quality as the rest of the car.

eggbert52

Just got back from the dealer and they are going to give me a new bumper and it's going to take a week. It's unfortunate that they don't have a new Carbon Pearl Gray TSX in stock otherwise they would have just given me the bumper off of that. I asked if they had to change the VIN with the new bumpers and they swore up and down that the bumpers don't have VIN. At least I don't have to put anymore highway miles on my car for a week! He is claiming that they will get it done perfect. What should I look for in terms of receipts, etc once the work is done? I want to make sure I am indeed getting a new bumper. Also, does everyone think the paint will look as good considering the whole car isn't being painted? Thanks.

jlukja

Since your car is new the paint should match up pretty well. When all is said and done you should check for fit and finish before driving away.

evilone

I paint cars are there are 2 things i have to say.
1 the bumper has be repainted and the painter ran the clear. (prob lot damage. it happens alot)
2 I used to paint at an acura dealer and i have yet to see a bumper come prepainted.
i would just ask for a diffrent car

darcheeseTSX04

I would ask for the new car, I mean who know what the reason was that made them paint it in the first place. This car could have been hit or messed up already. It doesn't take much to damage a new car about 5 mph.

eggbert52

UPDATE!!!!

First of all, I would sincerely like to thank this site and all those who replied or even read. Because if you read then you probably would have replied if it weren't already said. So I took my car to a body shop that has been in business for 30 years...the guy looked at the car and noticed that the entire paint job was messed up. He opened up the driver's side passenger door and noticed that it had been buffed on the insides. "Why would they buff it if no body work was done." he replied. Then he opened the trunk and noticed on the driver's side of the trunk there was buffing there as well. He even pointed out that the hood was lower than the metal to the outside of it by a "decent" amount that only a true professional would see. You get the picture what's going here. He told me that for a small fee he will give me an appraisel worth it's money in gold and to go down today and ask for the GM. He also said "Do you like the car." Both guys at the body shop actually asked me that and the when the appraiser came later and asked the same question the first guy chuckled and was like see. As if to say, if you like the car ask them "what can you do for me." In other words, like a check for $2-3K etc. But, I told them that I really want a new car. He also said to ask them for a copy of the report on what body work they did from when they told me there was a "scratch" that they didn't tell me when I bought the car. Since I'm getting tired of typing, I went back to the dealership and asked for the GM. The sales manager who sold me the car said "is there anything I can do?" I said "NO"...get me the GM. I spoke with the GM and told him I want a new car. I also told him that if you come back with an offer of a bumper...that is now off the table. Final note, the car was from another dealer and they don't have the mainetnance/body repair receipt on hand and he will have to get it on Monday. I got a good feeling from the GM unlike the sales person when I went by yesterday who seemed to know something was seriously wrong. I was also advised to not leave the car at all which I did not. So we are at this step...step 2 is going to the news but I get the feeling it won't go that far. Your replies are once again very welcomed and thanks again.

eggbert52

UPDATE!!!!

First of all, I would sincerely like to thank this site and all those who replied or even read. Because if you read then you probably would have replied if it weren't already said. So I took my car to a body shop that has been in business for 30 years...the guy looked at the car and noticed that the entire paint job was messed up. He opened up the driver's side passenger door and noticed that it had been buffed on the insides. "Why would they buff it if no body work was done." he replied. Then he opened the trunk and noticed on the driver's side of the trunk there was buffing there as well. He even pointed out that the hood was lower than the metal to the outside of it by a "decent" amount that only a true professional would see. You get the picture what's going here. He told me that for a small fee he will give me an appraisel worth it's money in gold and to go down today and ask for the GM. He also said "Do you like the car." Both guys at the body shop actually asked me that and the when the appraiser came later and asked the same question the first guy chuckled and was like see. As if to say, if you like the car ask them "what can you do for me." In other words, like a check for $2-3K etc. But, I told them that I really want a new car. He also said to ask them for a copy of the report on what body work they did from when they told me there was a "scratch" that they didn't tell me when I bought the car. Since I'm getting tired of typing, I went back to the dealership and asked for the GM. The sales manager who sold me the car said "is there anything I can do?" I said "NO"...get me the GM. I spoke with the GM and told him I want a new car. I also told him that if you come back with an offer of a bumper...that is now off the table. Final note, the car was from another dealer and they don't have the mainetnance/body repair receipt on hand and he will have to get it on Monday. I got a good feeling from the GM unlike the sales person when I went by yesterday who seemed to know something was seriously wrong. I was also advised to not leave the car at all which I did not. So we are at this step...step 2 is going to the news but I get the feeling it won't go that far. Your replies are once again very welcomed and thanks again.

LuvMyTSX

Damn, so much drama.

I hope it all works out for you.

jlukja

good for you. Sure looks like they were trying to pawn off a damaged-then-fixed car on you as new.

PWTSX

so how long have you bought the car after you find out it's been fixed and hit?

eggbert52

I bought the car on June 20th...so I noticed pretty much 9 business days after the fact. Hopefully this is soon enough but I want to take them to the hilt. This should be a poll but what would you do? Ask for money or get a new car? Any chance of getting an 08 for no charge?

tv4184

I find it weird the dealership did that to you. When I was about to purchase a SSM a couple weeks ago we signed the papers but didn't pick up the car because I still had to bring the trade in to the dealership later so we were supposed to pick it up a few days later. Apparantly after my parents signed the paper work, I wasn't there for this, they noticed the car we were gonna get had it's bumper replaced due to an in the lot accident. They said they were gonna give us a different SSM...which had a different vin and everything and that they were gonna keep the other one to sell later in the year at a discount. I ended up with a PWP with navi later when I came back though... I did happen on your new thread...I hope they give you a new car...how many miles did you have on this one?

LoveMyTL-S

If it was me, I'd get a new car and put the problem car behind me. You never know what you might find wrong later down the road and wish you would have taken the new car. Good luck......

LuvMyTSX

dom

Why 2 threads? Merged.

BTW - Thats fawked up. I hope you get a new car.

eggbert52

Yeah two threads because I wanted to make sure people saw the reply and my other thread was going down on the list and looked like it was doomed for page 2! Anyway, I put 1,000 miles on it and that's only cause of two long trips totalling 600 miles. Otherwise, I just drove it to work and back. I even made sure I parked away from all cars in the parking lot. I think the poor guy that hit the deer and the other guy who's sister got in that accident have it far worse off. BUT, what I NEVER thought would happen is an ACURA dealer trying to blatantly rip me off which is what they did because they weren't truthful. If they were up front in the beginning I would have just taken another car and they could have made money off of this one. I am hearing back from the General Manager today so I'll keep you posted. Does anyone think I have a snowballs chance in hell of getting an 08?

LuvMyTSX

They aren't even in yet.

eggbert52

Any chance they'll give me a loaner for a whole month before the 08 come out?

CGTSX07

I would be happy if they just replaced it with another new 07. The dealership is definitely to blame here. Sure, lot accidents happen, but as a customer looking for a brand new car, you should be informed of these types of things before you make the decision to purchase. If I were in your shoes, I would be trying to do the same thing. Don't over-do it though, just try to get a new 07 and move on, otherwise you will just stress yourself out.

jlukja

100%

joerockt

So I'm curious as to what the legal ramifications are for a dealer selling a car that was in an accident as brand new. Sounds criminal to me...

jwood_06TSX

eggbert52

Wooooohooooo. Got the call from the GM today...he said...we don't normally do this but almost everything on the sale of this car was done wrong from the get go. We have the exact same car in our NH location that is the exact same color interior that you had, 207 with no miles with the exception of the miles to drive it to Boston. We would like to give it to you. He also said that he would be doing something special additionally for me...wonder what that is?? Hmmmm. Anyway, looks as though we can be happy about this one and I would say that they are probably going to have a customer for life. Oh and yes...I will definitely get it looked at right after I pull it off the lot and inspect it BEFORE I sign anything. However, I think I'll be ok.

jlukja

glad that worked out.

nj2pa2nc

call acura corporate and let them know what the dealer did so they do not do it again to someone else. try to get a new car- you do not want one that was damaged and fixed.

LuvMyTSX

Nice to see they are owning up to their mistake and are going to take care of you.