I am sensing some kinda coverup

CAG333 · 01-23-02, 08:50

I'm posting this just to see if anyone has had a similar experience and any ideas on what I should and should not do.

I bought a new car (Chrysler Sebring Coupe) with 6 miles on it. I have been driving it for roughly 2500 miles. I normally hand wash it but it being winter I brought it into a touch less car wash. During the wash I noticed some water leaking between the windshield and roof area. I scheduled an appointment to have a Chrysler dealership look at it and fix it. (It wasn’t the same dealership I bought it from, I brought it to the closest one). I get a call from the dealership saying I would have to bring it to the dealership I bought the car from since they would have to install a new windshield and stated that the windshield on the car was NOT a Chrysler windshield.

I scheduled an appointment with the dealership at which I bought the car from and told them the information I received from the other dealership. There response was they have no record of the windshield being replaced.

My basic concern is that I buy a new car and find out that a part is not original and am wondering why there is no record of the replacement and why did it break and did it affect any other portion of the car that I am unaware of. It just smells kind of fishy to me. Especially since I sense an attitude from the service department of how they don’t have a record and trying to pass the blame on somewhere else.

My question is should I have them just replace it and move on with life? Or should I try to find out what happened and if I should get any credit on the car since it was NOT original when purchased and was not notified of the unoriginal part? Should I elevate it to a lawyer?

Any advice?????

Thank you for any responses

Clay

DETAILKING · 01-23-02, 09:36

A windsheild is not a big deal, if they will replace it with a factory part, under waranty, I think you will be fine. Do you love the car? If so, I would keep it because of the hassles it will take to get anything out of it. Check your local lemon laws though, to be on the safe side.

You could track the cars history with the vin number. And they should be able to tell you what happened. Also, you could possibly demand they buy the car back from you and give you a new one minus say 15 cents a mile for the miles on your car. That might require a lawyer. Be firm, demand answers, and don't give in.

The dealer will most likey not be of any help. Get CHRYSLER USA involved. Call their customer service and file a complaint with your dealership, and explain the issue to them. They should help you out.....maybe even pick up your first months payment like BMW did for me when my Aux. fan failed @ 1100 miles and the part was on backorder for a month and I was in a crappy rental for that long.

Let me know how you make out.

bretfraz · 01-23-02, 09:48

Well, this could be tricky. Or it could be nothing. It's gonna take some detective work on your part and I guess you'll have to decide whether all this work is worth it. Perhaps the first thing to determine is what is your goal? What do you ultimately want out of this? The answers will determine your course of action.

I imagine a damaged windshield could happen a number of ways. First, are you 100% sure it is not the factory-installed piece? I mean, all you got is someone's comments, any proof? You'll have to decode your VIN and figure out when exactly your car was mfr'd then compared the exact windshield on your car with other windshields on Sebring's made during the same production run. Sometimes suppliers run out of product. All mfr's have secondary suppliers they can go to for parts to keep the line running. WIth "just in time" production the factory does not keep inventory on hand and puts all the pressure of product availability on the suppliers.

If you determine it is not the factory installed windshield then you need to find out when it was replaced and why. Accidents happen at dealerships. Maybe it was damaged in transit. With a totally new car like yours the availability of OE parts can be very slim so if the windshield was replaced at the dealer perhaps they found one aftermarket and installed that instead. Maybe that's where the sloppy install job came from.

If you do end up finsing all your suspicions are true, then the next big hurdle is "what next?" Other than stopping the leak I can't think of anything else to offer. I hope it all works out for you. Good luck.

Guess My Name · 01-26-02, 04:24

Sounds fishy....I would investigate and ask how is it the windsheild is not original...

Lowejackson · 01-29-02, 04:10

There may be a very good reason for not using an OEM windscreen, but it is definitely worth more research. On a 10 year old car – fine, but a new car? Post your results, it will be interesting to read why this has happened.

Steven
Alfa 164

Bayport_Bob · 02-06-02, 04:15

One other scenario is that the closer dealer didn't want to make the repair because he doesn't get paid the same labor rate on a warranty repair as he does when it's a regular repair. The factory will only pay back a flat rate. Maybe his service department is too busy with non-warranty business that he made up his little lie to get you out of his hair for the customers who were going to make him his standard rate. Believe me, it wouldn't be the 1st time. Also, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET WARRANTY SERVICE AT THE DEALER YOU PURCHASED YOUR CAR AT. I've run across all kinds of people that held this belief. You can have warranty work done at ANY authorized dealer, period.