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Brought my jeep in to check a steering issue and the dealer dropped a door on it.

Hootbro

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At the end of the day, it is an insurance claim damage. Just because it happened at the dealer, do not expect to win the "I get new everything" lotto. Do not expect FCA to get involved with this either.

If the dealership decided to replace with new, great. If they want to treat it like an insurance claim and do a repair and you do not like that, well not much you can do other than just be pissed.

Sucks but mistakes happen. It happening at the dealership is probably the best outcome as the dealer has more resources and can self absorb their labor cost and wholesale cost for any replacement or repairs they do vs. had this happen at a independent shop.

Your dealership is going to do what they can to not have this on their shop insurance as a claim, but if you want to stick to your guns of demanding new everything and it becomes cost prohibitive for the dealer, then they will just start to handle it like an insurance claim and what started as a somewhat amicable resolution to the problem, them becomes pure business and they can push back of excessive demands.
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LostWoods

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I just feel like if I walked into the dealership and accidentally damaged one of their vehicles, they wouldn't have an "accidents" happen mindset. This is a dealership that has 42k of my money for a new vehicle that I bought from them and they damaged it. It is not only an inconvenience for me to now have to go back and get it repaired, my new truck is also now a previously damaged truck and not of my doing. They aren't doing me a favor by repairing what they damaged.
Except that they do. I've worked for a few dealerships and this is why they all carry insurance - it covers their accidents with customer cars and it covers customer accidents with their stock. Never once was a customer required to pay for damages up to and including totaling a brand new car.

If it's an inconvenience, you are welcome to demonstrate monetary loss and argue it in civil court. I can guarantee that other than having to take time off work and getting a couple hundred more at most, they will laugh you out of there.

These are superficial scuffs and nothing that will go on any report. I mean the damaged parts aren't even VIN stamped and there doesn't even seem to be actual body damage. You will have no diminished value because nobody will be able to tell there was damage.

They owe you nothing more than OEM replacement parts (frankly they don't even owe you that... letting you pick the body shop is legally sufficient), a loaner, and a full tank of gas. If you came into my shop demanding like you are now, I wouldn't even give you that last bit because people who come in demanding huge things like upgrades and credit for trivial accidential damages are the people who aren't happy no matter what I did.

Acknowledge that mistakes happen and get over it. If they make you whole, that should be enough.

Your dealership is going to do what they can to not have this on their shop insurance as a claim, but if you want to stick to your guns of demanding new everything and it becomes cost prohibitive for the dealer, then they will just start to handle it like an insurance claim and what started as a somewhat amicable resolution to the problem, them becomes pure business and they can push back of excessive demands.
Exactly this right here. If you start being that kind of customer, people are going to be that kind of manager and suddenly things like getting OEM parts are out the window. If this actually becomes a claim or involves the higher ups, unless you are some customer that has a history of 4-5 new cars every 2-3 years going back a decade or two, you're going to be looking at a repair instead of a replacement. If they accept replacement parts, I suggest you take them and promptly shut your mouth or you're not going to like the outcome.
 

murktJT

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yep, we have a stupid amount of lot damage every month between porters, customer accidents, test drive mishaps etc... its just a part of business and its case by case if we claim on insurance but its never on the customer. It would have to be malicious for us to pursue someone for damages but we are talking something criminal at that point
 
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Except that they do. I've worked for a few dealerships and this is why they all carry insurance - it covers their accidents with customer cars and it covers customer accidents with their stock. Never once was a customer required to pay for damages up to and including totaling a brand new car.

If it's an inconvenience, you are welcome to demonstrate monetary loss and argue it in civil court. I can guarantee that other than having to take time off work and getting a couple hundred more at most, they will laugh you out of there.

These are superficial scuffs and nothing that will go on any report. I mean the damaged parts aren't even VIN stamped and there doesn't even seem to be actual body damage. You will have no diminished value because nobody will be able to tell there was damage.

They owe you nothing more than OEM replacement parts (frankly they don't even owe you that... letting you pick the body shop is legally sufficient), a loaner, and a full tank of gas. If you came into my shop demanding like you are now, I wouldn't even give you that last bit because people who come in demanding huge things like upgrades and credit for trivial accidential damages are the people who aren't happy no matter what I did.

Acknowledge that mistakes happen and get over it. If they make you whole, that should be enough.



Exactly this right here. If you start being that kind of customer, people are going to be that kind of manager and suddenly things like getting OEM parts are out the window. If this actually becomes a claim or involves the higher ups, unless you are some customer that has a history of 4-5 new cars every 2-3 years going back a decade or two, you're going to be looking at a repair instead of a replacement. If they accept replacement parts, I suggest you take them and promptly shut your mouth or you're not going to like the outcome.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a "speak to the manager" kind of person. I'm not going to pout and yell and scream, especially in current times. I know the limitations of what they have to do, but there's also a level of what you should do to keep customer trust with people that spend a lot of money at your place.

I'll definitely remember when I'm buying another vehicle that my experience with this particular dealer was for them to damage my vehicle and not really show much care at all, in fact, they act like they're doing me a favor. Not that this matters, but it also damages my trust with FCA that a new vehicle may have issues and I can't really trust the service providers to take a serious look into them.

Also, some seem to think I was expecting cash or something. Not at all, but maybe a discount on parts or something would have been nice, but at this point I just hope they ACTUALLY check for the issues I brought it in for.
 

LostWoods

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Don't get me wrong. I'm not a "speak to the manager" kind of person. I'm not going to pout and yell and scream, especially in current times. I know the limitations of what they have to do, but there's also a level of what you should do to keep customer trust with people that spend a lot of money at your place.

I'll definitely remember when I'm buying another vehicle that my experience with this particular dealer was for them to damage my vehicle and not really show much care at all, in fact, they act like they're doing me a favor. Not that this matters, but it also damages my trust with FCA that a new vehicle may have issues and I can't really trust the service providers to take a serious look into them.
And frankly, I agree with most of that. I've had bad experiences and from that point on, I've used that family of dealers as a mechanism for negotiation without ever intending to give them the sale. I'm straight up malicious with these kinds of companies because they're the ones that made my job harder when I was trying to be the honest tech/advisor/service manager (depending which dealer or independent I was at) who truly had the customer's interest in mind.

I'm just making you aware that what they legally owe you is a repair and nothing more. If that means body shop resurfacing and painting the top and some new rail caps, that's all you're owed. If they go above and beyond that, they are doing you a favor in that sense and they're trying to make something of an apology. If it were my truck, I'd ask for OEM replacements and I'd be 100% cool with it. That's them owning their mistake and making it right. If they just wanted to do the body shop thing, I'd likely have no say but that's not fine and it would tarnish future buying.

I don't blame you for not wanting to go back but it has nothing to do with the OEM... I had these issues previously with 5 separate Toyota dealers in my area. Did it make me completely skip over the 4Runner when I was shopping for a Tacoma replacement? Absolutely it did. Does it means I'll never buy a Toyota again? Not by a long shot.

Dealers are representatives of their respective OEM but they're also independent. FCA has very little interaction with these companies in how they operate an that's why it will be so different between them.
 

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ACAD_Cowboy

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The roof scuffs are exactly why they (FCA) market factory OEM hard top touch up rattle cans. That's about 2 hours worth of work to make it just go away. The bed rails are probably also the same color but even then if the dealer spotted you two new rails and a quick respray of the top, all I'd be asking for is a loaner and a fuel card; call me when its ready.

It's not like they took your brand new Ford GT for a joyride and hit an overpass in it. The reality is you have minor cosmetic damage and if the dealer is willing to give you a new top to go away that's a serious score for you. Pusing to make bank with a repair plus check very well get you want you want as well as a polite request to not do business with them anymore.
 

5JeepsAz

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When you get on the other side of this perhaps other great adventures, new dents, dings, scratches, might just more than trivialize this small misadventure. You could have gone to the shop. Got your car back. But you've earned your first fireside tall tales about your Jeep. Nobody gives a shit if you have a scratch or dealer authorized repaint on your Tercel. Everyone wants to know how your Jeep earned it's scars. Whether you excoriate them, it's the life of your Jeep Truck that's important. My guess is you'll do what the situation merits, and I hope you have some terrific stories to tell in the years ahead also. Sort of a Sorry. Not sorry. Reese's take on the matter.,
 

TheNewWampsCat

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So after reading all this on the dropped door issues, what about the steering issue? Is it considered just a Jeep thing?
 
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surge101

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So after reading all this on the dropped door issues, what about the steering issue? Is it considered just a Jeep thing?
That's my biggest issue through all of this. It has been pretty much been ignored... All they've told me is they cant recreate it and when I tell them I can show them they say they have to recreate it in service and what they've heard is normal. Despite the video.
 

KX L

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Don't be one of those guys. Life is too short.

Accidents happen, it appears they are replacing the top as you requested.
This.

We all make mistakes every day---yes it's a pain in the ass for you and yes your time is money.

But when you fix something you screw up I doubt you expect to pay for than the fix.

One of the reasons products here in America cost so much is due to the unreasonably litigious society we've allowed to flourish.

Don't know about a Jeep dealership, but 80+% of the HD dealerships would put the cost on the mechanic/lot guy that left the bike under the door or tried to beat it while it was coming down.
 

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surge101

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This.

We all make mistakes every day---yes it's a pain in the ass for you and yes your time is money.

But when you fix something you screw up I doubt you expect to pay for than the fix.

One of the reasons products here in America cost so much is due to the unreasonably litigious society we've allowed to flourish.

Don't know about a Jeep dealership, but 80+% of the HD dealerships would put the cost on the mechanic/lot guy that left the bike under the door or tried to beat it while it was coming down.
Again, I'm not making a big deal. But I will remember how valued/not valued I am as a customer I was with this dealership when making a future 40k dollar+ purchase.

I wouldn't want the costs to go on the mechanic/lot guy, I don't even see how that's legal, but I also don't see how if that was to happen why the shame would be on me and not the dealer.
 

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Well, I'd bet a dollar that if the GM or the owner of the deslership sent you a hand written note and followed up with a personal call expressing their regret you'd be more impressed than if you got a free oil change. Could be wrong...
 
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surge101

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Well, I'd bet a dollar that if the GM or the owner of the deslership sent you a hand written note and followed up with a personal call expressing their regret you'd be more impressed than if you got a free oil change. Could be wrong...
You'd lose a dollar. Not that a free oil change is any better.
 

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I just feel like if I walked into the dealership and accidentally damaged one of their vehicles, they wouldn't have an "accidents" happen mindset. This is a dealership that has 42k of my money for a new vehicle that I bought from them and they damaged it. It is not only an inconvenience for me to now have to go back and get it repaired, my new truck is also now a previously damaged truck and not of my doing. They aren't doing me a favor by repairing what they damaged.
Yeah they don't owe you compensation for that, don't be that I'm entitled guy, as long they fix what they damaged seems square to me. I once back in 2006 was buying a Mustang and it was just V6 one that my wife liked. We went in signed the deal and they took it back for detailing. Brought it around and the finance manager ran inside to grab something came back out talking on his cellphone and never looked up, threw the F150 he was driving in drive and T boned the mustang we just signed the deal on. They ended up selling us a GT for the same price as the V6 because it was the only other black mustang on the lot. They did right by me and I didn't feel like I needed anything else.
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