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Originally Posted by 07BlakBlak
Um, Chris....I am not sure which, how many or how long you have been at a Dealership but I have worked at 3. At each one they check every single car that is traded with a Paint Meter. I have one in my desk right now. And of course the car is worth less with paint work....if the car comes up with an accident on Carfax wont you pay less for it???? The car is worth less money. For example, Sonic Automotive as a company policy supplys every single used car manager in their organization with a paint meter....they have over 180 stores in the US FYI......and they are required to meter every single trade and price them accordingly for a trade-in price as well as retail on the used car lot. They are also audited......that is one of the largest dealer groups in the world and a fortune 500 member.
Now, with that said. The dealer regardless of the cost of the repair should have you sign a damage disclosure statement. Who told you 6% of the MSRP???? The GM of the dealership? Which state do you live in? I think you need to contact the States Attorney and check the legality of the failure to disclose the Damaged area, the amount of the damage and have you sign.
*As far as I know the only way they can get around not having you sign a disclosure statement is if the paintwork was done at Port or at the factory. If the car arrives at the dealership and then paint work was done in excess of either 250$ or 500$ maybe? they have to disclose it. Of course...they should disclose it either way. You need to contact your States Attorney and persue it with them or the dealership. I am in MD and I am not sure what your regulations are...they may be totally different.*
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Havent checked this thread in a While!
When it comes to trades and cars we get in every day...I guess we just don't do the same as what many dealers do.
I talked to one of my Used Car managers a while back about this issue....and they tell me the reason they do NOT use the meters is because of the fact we include our customers in all parts of the Trade Evaluation...meaning we never take the keys from them, they go with us on the appraisal drive, the are right beside the appraiser at ALL times until the evaluation is done, and everyone goes back inside at the same time, with the customer still holding the keys to the car being appraised.
Because of this reason, our managers feel that if we are out there with a Paint Meter in front of them, it would make them even more un-easy and apprehensive, especially if they dont have the same tools to evaluate the car they are about to spend many thousands on.
We all know there are many ways to tell if a vehicle has been damaged / pinted / fixed etc...so I guess they feel (And I agree to a pretty large extent) that a Paint meter is just overkill when it comes to evaluating.
And please dont get me wrong on this...Im not tooting my own horn so to speak...but Gunn Honda is around 13th in the nation for new volume sold...so it isnt like we just sell a few cars each week and dont care.....I guess its just a little different mind frame here in Texas....and probalby the opposite is the case...(We care a LOT)....but as many 8thcivic members here who have had the chance to visit our store will tell you - when we say our focus is the customer first - we mean it whole-heartedly.
That is why is there is enough damage done to a vehicle that it needs more than a little touch up paint, it is disclosed FIRST to the interested buyer, and if they still want it from that point the buying process continues.
So in not so many words, it really boils down to the dealership you are working with and the Integrity the may or may not have when it comes to issues of cars and their condition at the time they are being purchased...and if you as a consumer are concerned with this issue, then make sure this is one of those questions that you ask as part of your buying process....just as important as any pricing question etc..that you may have.
I know I have learned a lot about how things are handled in other areas from this thread, so I hope my 2 cents here is helpfull as well.
Chris