dealer drop

[sfcsapper]

brought a new 2006 extended cab 4 door duramax from a dealer july 2006 took it back on this last monday to the same dealer to have them change the oil it had 3840 miles on it and they were changing the oil on it , had it on a lift about 6 feet in the air and it slid off back end coming to rest on ground (bottom of ball on reese) and the front sill up in air the rockerpanel on the passingers side was all dented up and numerous scratches on the bottom of the frame dealer is patching the rocker panel and repainting said rockerpanel and told me that he will stand behind it I just have to take him at his word and besides I have the deisel wrap around package that will cover everything for the first 100,000 miles What should I do

[More Power]

Bummer....

Personally.... I'd ask for a new truck.

As a side note, whenever GM damages a brand new vehicle between the time it leaves the assembly area till it arirves at a dealership, it gets scrapped.... Sold as salvage......

The Duramax Suburban story we produced a couple years ago was built using parts from new vehicles bought from salvage centers that contract with GM.

Jim

[FBJR]

If it where just the hitch and frame getting scratched I wouldn't sweat it.

But with rocker panel damage on a 40K truck I would be livid! :mad:

I would tell them just a repair is not enough on a 2 month old truck.

FB

[Mark Rinker]

I am normally a pretty easy going consumer, but would be a prick about this one.

New truck time. Call your insurance adjuster and let him call the dealership manager. Get out of the loop - communicate with the adjuster and tell him you will settle for nothing less than a new truck.

Hold firm.

[JohnC]

If you end up keeping it, look very closely at the frame. You can't drop it on the hitch at an angle without putting a lot of stress on the frame.

[muncieman]

brought a new 2006 extended cab 4 door duramax from a dealer july 2006 took it back on this last monday to the same dealer to have them change the oil it had 3840 miles on it and they were changing the oil on it , had it on a lift about 6 feet in the air and it slid off back end coming to rest on ground (bottom of ball on reese) and the front sill up in air the rockerpanel on the passingers side was all dented up and numerous scratches on the bottom of the frame dealer is patching the rocker panel and repainting said rockerpanel and told me that he will stand behind it I just have to take him at his word and besides I have the deisel wrap around package that will cover everything for the first 100,000 miles What should I do

It's so easy to slide under and change the oil setting on the ground, it puzzles me why they took a chance using a lift designed for a car?? Or the had a complete dork doing the oil change!

New truck would be in my future, get a nasty lawyer and get busy.

[Prestonia24]

I am normally a pretty easy going consumer, but would be a prick about this one.

New truck time. Call your insurance adjuster and let him call the dealership manager. Get out of the loop - communicate with the adjuster and tell him you will settle for nothing less than a new truck.

Hold firm.

Yup. As far as you are concerned, your truck has been totalled by the dealer...

Make them buy you a new truck...

[hapaschold]

i would not involve your insurance co , least not yet....they re not going to total most likely.

dealer dropped it, let them fix it ! better yet replace it.....

if u use your insurance, 3 years down the road, a issue may come up u had a claim and get dropped from the company ....

let the dealer deal with it.......dont pick it up, unless you have already.

lucky no one got hurt or killed.....

[dieselrealtor]

I used to run a service dept for about 7 years, worked as a tech about 8 before that, I NEVER saw a car dropped off a lift.

Tell them you want EXACTLY what you took in for service, a flawless, undamaged, unmolested, nearly new truck with xxxx miles.

ANY significant repairs to the body will depreciate the value, short term & long term. They will try to tell you that you won't be able to tell the difference, it will be just like new, but it won't. Also follow up & see if this will show up on the carfax or similar, I bet it will.

Bottom line, you have them over a barrel, they don't want any bad press, complaints with GM or the BBB. They (just like an insurance company) will never offer at first what they are really willing to do.

I have a cousin that took his nearly new Mustang in for service (Norman OK), went to pick it up at the end of the day, after about 45 minutes of stalling they finally admitted that they couldn't find it, it had been stolen off the lot (they left the keys in it). It was recoverd about 30 days later, IT WAS NEVER THE SAME.

HOLD YOUR GROUND FOR WHAT YOU REALLY WANT!

[dieselrealtor]

I am normally a pretty easy going consumer, but would be a prick about this one.

Mark, don't feel guilty about it or think that YOU are being a jerk. It is a matter of what is right. Of course, how you ask it can make a difference, it helps to make them feel guilty about telling you no. If you take an advesarial position, then the 2 parties are on oposing sides, you want them to be on your side & make them feel bad if they are not ;-).

Look at the big picture, who is in the wrong?

[torque]

I mentioned your problem to a service writer at my local GMC dealer and he told me they should give you a new truck, not fix it!!!

[JoeyD]

I doubt the truck is anywhere near totaled. It was an accident, just like if you were sitting at a red light and someone drove into the side of your truck. I would not have them fix it but I would have the truck taken to the best shop in the area and also the best frame shop as well to be sure the damage is fixed like it should be and not fixed the way it would save money for the one paying the bill.

I would still be mad as hell about it though.

[big61fourby]

OK, so how hard is to drop a vehicle off a lift like that?

Seems like with some instruction and practice, it shouldn't be that hard to do the right way...

[BozDMAX]

Happened to a friend with a new Dodge while he was visiting WA state about 6 months ago.

Within a week he had a new truck AND they paid the hotel lodging while he waited.

new truck time, friend...

[jevanb]

new truck time my friend. do not execpt anyting else or SUE the FU--ERS. if it was me i would be lived, would of told them to replace or talk to my lawyer and left the building. Just my 2 cents worth

[Quack_Addict]

One of my trucks was involved in an incident that put it at the dealer for some paint on the bed side at no cost to me. This was about 4 or 5 years ago; I still have the truck today. Care to guess where the truck is starting to rust???

No matter what they do or how hard they try, the truck will never be in "as received condition" again. It might look like new, drive like new, sound like new and smell like new but the bottom line is this: IT IS A REPAIRED VEHICLE.

Regardless of who lays paint, if they do any grinding / welding / sanding and they disturb the factory galvanizing on the sheet metal, it's gone. You can't re-ecoat a rocker panel on a truck. Educate me here if you will, how does one go about repairing a hydroformed frame?

Tell the dealer you want a new truck and settle for nothing less.

[FBJR]

I doubt the truck is anywhere near totaled. It was an accident, just like if you were sitting at a red light and someone drove into the side of your truck. I would not have them fix it but I would have the truck taken to the best shop in the area and also the best frame shop as well to be sure the damage is fixed like it should be and not fixed the way it would save money for the one paying the bill.

I would still be mad as hell about it though.

But it was not in an accident, it was mishandled by the dealer. They have insurance and both the Dealer GM wants their name kept clean.

New truck.

[dmaxalliTech]

I dont see a new truck coming out of this.

I've seen vehicles fall of hoists, thank goodness its never happened to me. Very seldom does a vehicle just fall to the ground from 6' up. It usually slides off a lift and takes a somewhat gentle approach as it progresses to earth. Only once have a seen a great deal of damage, one side of the hoist fell with a brand new Escalade on it and it tore it up bad on the way down.

Everything I have seen or heard about falling forwards or back has usually been a light damage. Yes, it sucks, big time.

If the body shop repairing it cannot make the metal back to new condition, they should not be doing the repair. The technology of surface preps and paints/primers is very good today. I wouldnt hesitate from taking it to a frame shop and just having them hang the gauges on them, that will tell you if anything is astray.