Achilles99
Enthusiast
I'm going to try and keep this post as neutral as possible, as details are still unfolding...
Some of you know that I have decided to leave the RT10 world and pick up a GTS. I'm looking to auto-x and track it a little, as well as use it as a daily driver. My RT was too pristine to use as a daily, IMHO. So, after a few weeks of searching, I found a 98 GTS that fit the bill.
It was located in Chicago, so I had Mike Robbins from Ringgold Dodge have his driver (Mark) go pick it up for me (Mark drives all over the country picking up and delivering Vipers in an enclosed trailer, so he knows what to look for ). Paul (the seller) dropped the car off at Finish Line Dodge in Chicago to have a Check Engine light looked at, as well as to have the car detailed. The GTS is still under a Maxcare warranty, and the check engine light had come on within the past few days. No problem, or so I thought.
Mark (driver) got to Finish Line Dodge around 7 pm, and inspected the car. What he found was a busted rear tail light with a two inch crack on the body next to the light (close to the license plate area). I found out later that the dealership had called Paul that morning to let him know there was a crack in the tail light. Paul had no idea... he recently took pictures of the car, and didn't notice it. He told the dealer to just go ahead and order a new light, and he'd cover it for me. When I called Paul to tell him what Mark saw, Paul was floored. The "crack" was a little more than a "crack." He called the dealership, who of course didn't take the blame. They said the damage was there when the car was dropped off.
So, who's fault is it? Since it was late at night and nothing more could be done, I had Mark get the salesmen at the dealership to sign a paper saying that Mark was picking up a car that had damage (at this point, it's unclear when damage occurred). Since the service manager wasn't in at the time, that's all that could be done.
At this point, I'm pretty antsy. Paul is helping me out 100%... he has reassured me that the damages will be repaired, and that I will not be the one paying for it. Hopefully, one of us will be able to talk with someone at Finish Line Dodge about this. The damage either happened sometime in Paul's possession (which seems unlikely), at the dealership, or at the detailing shop that the dealership uses.
Mike and Mark from Ringgold Dodge have been nothing but helpful, too. Mike is going to snap some shots of the damage, get an estimate written from a third party, and then we are going to present this to Finish Line Dodge. Does anyone from the Chicago VCA use Finish Line Dodge? I heard that they were very Viper friendly... I could use some help here in getting this worked out. Thanks!
Some of you know that I have decided to leave the RT10 world and pick up a GTS. I'm looking to auto-x and track it a little, as well as use it as a daily driver. My RT was too pristine to use as a daily, IMHO. So, after a few weeks of searching, I found a 98 GTS that fit the bill.
It was located in Chicago, so I had Mike Robbins from Ringgold Dodge have his driver (Mark) go pick it up for me (Mark drives all over the country picking up and delivering Vipers in an enclosed trailer, so he knows what to look for ). Paul (the seller) dropped the car off at Finish Line Dodge in Chicago to have a Check Engine light looked at, as well as to have the car detailed. The GTS is still under a Maxcare warranty, and the check engine light had come on within the past few days. No problem, or so I thought.
Mark (driver) got to Finish Line Dodge around 7 pm, and inspected the car. What he found was a busted rear tail light with a two inch crack on the body next to the light (close to the license plate area). I found out later that the dealership had called Paul that morning to let him know there was a crack in the tail light. Paul had no idea... he recently took pictures of the car, and didn't notice it. He told the dealer to just go ahead and order a new light, and he'd cover it for me. When I called Paul to tell him what Mark saw, Paul was floored. The "crack" was a little more than a "crack." He called the dealership, who of course didn't take the blame. They said the damage was there when the car was dropped off.
So, who's fault is it? Since it was late at night and nothing more could be done, I had Mark get the salesmen at the dealership to sign a paper saying that Mark was picking up a car that had damage (at this point, it's unclear when damage occurred). Since the service manager wasn't in at the time, that's all that could be done.
At this point, I'm pretty antsy. Paul is helping me out 100%... he has reassured me that the damages will be repaired, and that I will not be the one paying for it. Hopefully, one of us will be able to talk with someone at Finish Line Dodge about this. The damage either happened sometime in Paul's possession (which seems unlikely), at the dealership, or at the detailing shop that the dealership uses.
Mike and Mark from Ringgold Dodge have been nothing but helpful, too. Mike is going to snap some shots of the damage, get an estimate written from a third party, and then we are going to present this to Finish Line Dodge. Does anyone from the Chicago VCA use Finish Line Dodge? I heard that they were very Viper friendly... I could use some help here in getting this worked out. Thanks!