"Bumpy" experience with purchase of new Vibe + brake issues?

[NJVibe04Salsa]

Last week, when picking up our brand new '04 AWD Vibe, we discovered that the front passenger side door would not openfrom the inside. The dealer sent it to the service department, who told us thatit was a problem with the latch and they would need to replace it.4 days later the car was fixed (waiting on a part). I don't understand how something like this could make it through inspection,but I guess 1 problem is allowable. Upon arrival at the dealership the second time, we noticed a 6" scratch in the paint running across the gas lid and body of the vehicle. The sales person said that when we returned topick up our plates & registration, they would buff it out.I have noticed in the past few days of driving (car still has less than100 miles on it) that whenever I decelerate, the steeringwheel vibrates considerably. 2 days ago I went back to the dealer, to fix the scratch.I also asked the service person about the steering wheel vibration.He told me that sometimes rust develops on the discs of the brakesand that is probably what's causing the vibration and it would goaway in a few hundred miles. Does this sound consistent with your experiences or should I bring it back in to service and demand that it be fixed/inspected?

[joatmon]

You would think that a door not opening would be noticed before they turned the car over to you, but I don't know if there is a formal, step by step procedure that they are suppsoed to follow before the say the car is ready to go. When Zip-sip got her new vibe this past July, there was an active wasp nest in her front passenger door . Also nice that they would take care of the scratch. They could have tried to blame it on you, but it sounds like they took care of it. You might want to mist some water on that area to make sure they waxed the buffed area when thet were done, and wax it if they didn't. I imagine they use a lot of salt in jersey this time of year, you want to protect your finish as much as you can.It could be rust on the brake discs causing the vibration. I didn't have that problem when I got mine, and it hasn't sat still long enough since then to give the discs a chance to rust. It could also be some warping of the discs, but for a car with 100 miles on it that would be very uncommon. You can warp discs by overheating them, but it takes a lot. If the problem doesn't go away, then take it back in (I know, you're probaby already fed up with taking your new car back to the dealer) I don't know how much you'd need to drive before you decide that the problem is not going away by itself. Did the service person give you info on that, how many miles to give it for the problem to go away before you need to bring it back? Do you think it has always been this way, or did the vibration develop after you had it? How many miles have you put on it since you got it?

[NJVibe04Salsa]

The service person said, drive it a few hundred miles.I felt the vibration the first time I drove it off the lot. Right now there are 126 miles on the odometer.

[joatmon]

I don't know. A couple of jundred miles seems like a lot. The delaer should be able to polish the rotors, and that would show if the vibration was from rust or something else. It's a brand new car, you want it to be perfect. Might be worth a call to either the service manager, or some other manager at the dealership to voice your concerns about the vibration issues and also to find out how committed they are to customer satisfaction.

[adventurer]

Your brake situation is not normal. Either take it back or take it to another dealer.

[NJVibe04Salsa]

I brought the car in to service for the vibration today. The rotors were warped. They resurfaced them and thevehicle brakes smoothly now. I'm guessing that this wasa manufacturing defect for 2 reasons:1) It was present when I took delivery of the vehicle at 10 mileson the odometer.2) When test driving the Vibe (a separate vehicle, not the onethat I purchased) it also exhibited the same vibration duringdeceleration. I would guess that the dealership received a bad batch ofcars .. could there have possibly been a miscalibration ofthe torque wrench used in assembly?1 more question.. How many times can a brake rotor beresurfaced? Should I have demanded new rotors? Thedealer told me they can not do that until it has reacheda minimum thickness, however this is a brand new vehiclethat I purchased, and now I have to accept shaved rotors??