Dealership damaged car and won't fix!

Hi,

I purchased my 2000 Trans Am from a dealer in Ohio a few months ago and since then I have had them fix several minor electrical issues with the car. They have always done satisfactory work and have done all of it free of charge. The last thing on the list was the front driver side turn signal, it did not work. They said it would be three to six hours before the car would be ready, I guess they were busy that day, and I had to be a work in a few hours, I work nights. The dealership is about two hours away so I just decided to leave the car there overnight and they gave me a loaner to drive for free.

When I came to pick up the car the next day I tested the turn signals to be sure they were working and I noticed two large scratches on the rear of the car. The first starts at the back of the hatchback, goes through the panel in the center that says “Trans Am” and ends in the left tail light. The second starts at the back of the hatchback and ends in the right tail light. So basically the hatchback, center panel and both tail lights are scratched. The scratches are deep too, they go through the clear coat and paint and into the metal on both sides.

When I asked them about the scratches I got passed up the food chain until I reached the general manager who basically told me (you may want to put on some slickers because the bull crap is about to get thick) that since none of their employees filed a report saying they damaged my car, none of their employees could have done it and that if it was done on their lot it was probably done by another customer during the time the car sat on the lot and that since it was my decision to leave the car there and not wait and drive it home as soon as the repairs were done that they were not liable and that there was nothing they could do about it. (you can take the slickers off now)

Is there any way for me to compel them to take responsibility and fix my car?

That is bullshit. Take them to court, that will get anyone's attention. They gave you a loaner car while they kept yours so I would think they would be responsible for your car if ANYTHING happened to it, likewise, you would be responsible if anything happened to the loaner car. Worst case, your insurance may cover it but you don't wanna do that unless you absolutely have to.


BTW, I hope you aren't taking your car to a USED dealer to get it fixed cuz those idiots are just as bad as lube jockeys IMO. ALWAYS go to a shop you or your friends trust, unless you are going to an official, authorized Pontiac/GM dealer doing fixes under warranty.

My insurance adjuster told me to file a police report and that for the time being they will treat it as “unknown vandalism” which means that they will pay for the damages minus my deductible and then she’ll see if they can hold the dealership responsible a get the deducible refunded. In a perfect world that would work but I kind of figure I’ll just have to eat the deductible and move on, there is no way for me to prove that the damage occurred on the lot and even if it did I’m sure they have fine print hidden somewhere and probably a sign hanging on the lot somewhere that releases them from liability.

As for who I took it to, it was the new/used car dealership that I purchased the car from. They were fixing it for free so as long as the job seemed adequate I wasn’t going to complain. I was a little surprised that they circled the wagons on this because they had been very accommodating up to that point and I’ve heard lots of good things about them.