Hello, I'm posting to get some opinions from the open discussion visitors on how I should be approaching a dealership that my girlfriend and I bought a car from.

Cliff notes are that they scratched the hood to the primer when they waxed it, and repainted it. When it was being repainted, the door panel somehow ended up with a large scratch on it. The dealership is refusing to take care of the door panel, because "the body shop were the only ones who touched the car, so it's not our problem" We wrote a letter to the owner, and a letter to the on site manager, and a letter to the cust service rep. We also submitted a complaint to Kia Corporate.

Basically we got a response from the cust service rep stating she submitted it to Kia, and is waiting to hear back still, 2 months later. I submitted a complaint to the BBB, and to the DOT. I've given up on the dealership making good on anything at this point.


The long story is too long to type out, but what I'm getting at is I want a new door panel, I want it installed by someone I trust not to damage the car, and I want a return of what we paid for the protection plan. We will NEVER be back to that place again, and I will continue to let everyone know what happened. I think it's a pretty lousy business practice to not be all over something like this.

The door panel is $280 plus $120 for installation (written quote from another Kia Dealership on her familys side of the state), the cost of the protection plan is $700. Totaling $1100. Thats about 7% of what we paid for the car.


Should we look into getting a lawyer?
Anything else anyone thinks I should do, other then "shoulda bought a different car"

Thank you!
~Nate

__________________
95 Honda Shadow ACE 1100.
1999 Plymouth Neon Expresso. 2.4 swap, 10.5 to 1 comp, big cams. Autocross time attack vehicle!
2012 Escape, 'hunter" (5 sp 4cyl)

If you get a lawyer, it's a small claims issue, and you'll be wasting your money. Small claims are often unenforceable cases.

Continue on the complaints, but pay for the repair out of pocket and move on. Instead of writing corporate, start a phone call campaign...keep calling daily...bug the hell out of them with it. They'd love to pay your your out of pocket just to shut you up about it.

As for the $700...chalk it up to a learning experience.

Just my honest opinion about it.

__________________
1987 560SL
85,000 miles

Why do you think you are entitled to a new door skin?
Why would you want a new door skin??

I would much rather that the door was not molested in that way.

If it is a scratch, even with slight indentation, repairing the door makes much more sense.

I do not believe that F. Lee Bailey could get you a door skin put on your car for a scratch.

As for the shop repairing what they screwed up, DMV is where you want to go.
At least here in CT. Call them and ask for dealers and repairers division, and file a formal complaint.

__________________
On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

The door panel. The plastic inside the door. 2" scratch, 8" behind the door handle. White scratch on black plastic.


The door metal is fine. There is no problem with the door.

DMV for sure is where we will go for a formal complaint.

~Nate

__________________
95 Honda Shadow ACE 1100.
1999 Plymouth Neon Expresso. 2.4 swap, 10.5 to 1 comp, big cams. Autocross time attack vehicle!
2012 Escape, 'hunter" (5 sp 4cyl)

go scope the dealer for camera's if you see none go there about midnight and take a dump by the front door!put a sign on it that says "the new 2014 kia's are in"

"The medium is the message"

~~Marshall McLuhan

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Ohhhh.....
....

Is the body shop part of the dealership?
If they scratched the door panel, then they should replace it.
Actual cost of the panel to them is probably $150 and 20 minutes of somebody's time.
Unless they are part of the dealership, then the part costs even less.
Talk directly to the auto body manager.
I paid to replace a few for the same reason when I was in the auto body business.
Not sure if our guys scratched it or not, but it was way cheaper to replace than it would have been to fight.
In the cases where it really didn't seem like we were responsible, we just refused to work on that persons car again.
This does not sound like one of those cases, so they should be more than willing to invest the small amount of time and $$ necessary to satisfy the customer.

Also, keep all records of the repair done to the hood.
If the repaint ever fails, stick it right up their you-know-what.

__________________
On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

Sorry to hear you bought a Kia. I made that mistake once as well but will never do so again. I think your only option is to make as much of a nuisance as you can till they gat tired of you and do whatever it takes to get rid of you.

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

^^^ Bad advice - IMO......

For the chump change you're talkin' about, it's not even a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10 - personally, I would move on with my life and forget about it, Nate.

Make a YouTube video about how the dealer screwed you and why no one should go to that dealership.

Watch what happens when it goes viral.

Kia will be calling you and telling you how tpo get it fixed.

And if you don't say anything insulting, they can't make You Tube take it off.

Call it: Consumer / Customer Service Alert about Kia Model XXXX

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

Also see if one of your local TV stations does the consumer protection spots during their news broadcasts... Your car will be fixed within the hour

I'd agree except that the OP seems to not want to go that route, so the question becomes how to get it resolved, not ignored.

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

I'm liking the YouTube idea. Costs nothing, but you'll need Facebook friends and Twitter followers to get it circulating. There are tons of complaint vids on YT that have like 12 views. psssht.

__________________
You're a daisy if you do.
__________________________________
84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

Ask them the name of their insurance company. Might indicate to them you are getting serious. If small town like mine just phoning around to the dfferent agencies might get the information.

There's a principle here too.

How many times can people get away with stuff? Why is no one but you and me punished for things like this?

If you really want nto get them going, just let them know, " Do you have any idea how bad this makes you look? Especially after the second video?

Ask them to look up on YouTube and Google the song " United breaks guitars."

If you don't believe me, remember the song " United breaks guitars?" It got so much attention that the VP of United offered the guy 240,000 to take it off You Tube.

The owner replied the same way United originally replied to his complaint: " Not much chance of that happening."

Especially after other airlines in the region started ads like: " we take care of you, your kids, your guitar, all the same way!"

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6