GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I recently purchased a 2005 vibe .. This is my first new car, and as you can all imagine I was pretty stoked. Well, about a week after I got the vibe, I noticed that my lens on the dash was all scratched and the driver's seat made a lot of noise that a new car seat should not be making. I brought this up to the dealership and they told me that they would order me a new lens and a whole new seat, as something in the seat was broken. I brought the car in this morning to have the new lens replaced and the new seat installed .. they called me about noon and told me that it would be ready in about 1 hour. I went there to pick up after my lunch and saw my new ride sitting outside all ready. Went to get into the car .. and this is where the fun begins .. It was all scratched on the drivers side bottom ledge and a nice dent on the bottom when you open the door. To say that I was not amused was a understatement .. I went back into the shop and had to wait for 20 min until they all back from their lunch .. and then was told these things happen !! (removed) this is my new ride and this should not happen !! I was told they will order me a new ledge and they will sent it to a autobody shop that will fix up all the scratches and fix the dent .. That is not the point I told them ... AGGG I am so mad .. this is the last time that I use this service dept again .. Thanks for letting me vent .. I feel a little better now

I think you are right to be upset, these things do not just happen. I would be in a state that nobody would want to be around, that's for sure. There is a customer service hotline of some kind, even if they fix it perfectly, I would still register a complaint with corporate against these people.

I am with Joat. Those things don't "just happen." Kind of like my foot just going into somebodies (removed) at the dealership if that happened to me. I would definatly lodge a complaint to whomever will listen and do something about it.A friend of mine got his truck serviced at a local Chevy dealership, and to make a long story short they charged him $150 to put electrical tape around two wires so they wouldn't short out and make his engine stall. Which by the way broke six blocks away from the dealership on his way home. He drove around the next six months with a very large sign telling people not to shop there.

remember all this when you get the form in the mail from GM for the warranty work on the seat and IP cluster lens.

I've certainly been there... I've had the dealer mangle my dash trim out from trying to replace the stinkin' cigarette lighter... Basically, every piece of silver trim in the center of the dash was trashed by those guys... Except the radio bezel, but they jacked that all up on the visit prior when they had to replace the radio...If they care anything about their customers, they should be willing to fix what they have damaged... There's no way that they should just say "oh this happens..." IMHO, they need to say "we will right what we have wronged..."Good luck to you, and we're here for support if you need it.

You haven't lived until you've had your dealer blame you for having gouged out your moonroof control panel trim with a screwdriver AND gotten greasy fingerprints all over the headliner in the FIFTEEN MINUTES I was gone from the dealership before I brought it back. Now that was cool. And they killed the climate control trim, told me they'd fix it, flat out lied to me, only replaced half of it...and yeah...there was a whole big soap opera-y thread about that...LOL.That doesn't just happen. I would have been more than hacked if they DENTED my car...they're probably lucky it wasn't me.

You have the right to vent, believe me...This has happened many times to my family and myself. Things I do to kind of stop it are, do any and all work myself and walk around the vehicle before leaving the site. Does not prevent damage and if it has to go to the dlr I have no choice then. People just do not care any more that is all there is to it. Besides damage I have had a vehicle come back covered in mud from a dirt road. Took the car in for a rattle and some numb nuts decided to find the rattle alright, took it down a wet dirt road! Returned the car to me muddy and when I questioned it they said their car wash was broke. I said no problem jack hole, this car has never seen a car wash and you would probably F it up if I let you.

Thanks everyone for listening .. I went home last night and cleaned it all up .. the dent and scratches are still there of course .. they may be out of sight but defintely not out of mind !! I am so afraid of taking it there again to have them fix the problem that they caused in the first place. Oh well, word of mouth if pretty effective, especially in a small town

Quote, originally posted by Trina »Oh well, word of mouth if pretty effective, especially in a small town and on the internet. What was the name of the dealer that molested your new car?edit - maybe you shoulad add them to the on-going list in http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=5682

I "trashed" my dealer when I recieved the questionnaire from Pontiac. My car had a wasp nest in the door jam and was not cleaned to my liking, nor was the car waxed. My GT sat under a tree at the dealership for maybe 7 months before I got it, I brought her in June she was dropped off at the dealership in November. The amount of leaves and whatever in the hatch was horrible, I swear they put soap on her, hosed her off and let me drive her home. I believe it got back to my saleswomen b/c she does not speak to me when I go in for service, just gives me dirty looks.

Wow... terrible stuff that! What a rip job.This is also funny.. when I was shopping for my Vibe, I started at a dealership where I was quoted a pretty unspectacular price for a new '05 Base model.A few days later the dude called me to see how it was going, and I said I was shopping for a pre-owned to save paying taxes and fees. Next day, he called me to say that THAT DAY ONLY! There was a huge sale on NEW VIBES! and he quoted me a price that was $100 bucks MORE than my original quote.Dumbass.

Quote, originally posted by scherry2 »remember all this when you get the form in the mail from GM for the warranty work on the seat and IP cluster lens. In two years I've NEVER received any sort of followup from GM after purchase, or any warranty work. Huge contrast with other cars I've owned from Nissan, Toyota, Lexus, Mazda. Even FORD sent a survey. They just don't care, and they're in a downward spiral to bankruptcy court as a result.Typical, they leave the damage for you to find, hoping you wouldn't notice. Of course things happen, we're all human and can make mistakes. When it does happen, it is their RESPONSE that matters. If they had a clue about customer service, they would have called you ASAP, explained what happened, apologized for it, told you how and when they were going to fix it and offered you a loaner car. Of course you wouldn't be thrilled that it happened, but you would feel far better about the quality of the organization you're dealing with.

Quote, originally posted by jimincalif »In two years I've NEVER received any sort of followup from GM after purchase, or any warranty work. Or what I have noticed is that I will get a call back from the dealer asking for my thoughts regarding my most recent visit. But I am convinced they do this call only if the work done to the car is simple or uneventful. I am sure the service people are trained to red flag those customers who appear to have had difficulties or problems with the work done to their car on a visit...ie "Dont call that one!"

Jim .. you nailed it !! My ride was sitting outside ready for me to pick it up .. there was no one around only for the gal who was inside who doesn't know jack ****. It is then I discovered the major problems .. I had to wait for the service people to get back from their lunch .. they told me that they were unaware of what happened .. UNAWARE ! the ******* who did it thought to himself *she won't notice* and told no one .. If they had approached it differently, and met me there .. I don't think that I would be as pissed off as I am .. They called me this am to let me know that they are "fitting" me in on Monday am and will give me a loaner car for the day .. I took the car home at lunch today and now the dash rattles !! (removed) I am going to blow a gasket !! My hubby says that he will take a look this weekend for me to see if it is just something that needs tightening .. Unbelieveable ..

Since I used to be on the "in side" I can tell you yelling at your service advisor for finding something damaged on your car doesn't always happen to be the best course of action. I know a few techs here and there in my days in the shop who would "accidently" break something and I'd be the last one to know and I was the service advisor.Of course I would hope scratches and damages are things that don't "just happen" Get them to fix the damage and then on any need for further service, go somewhere else. And when you get a CSI letter in the mail from GM wanting to know how pleased you were with the service you recieved, TRASH EM hehe.

That is a huge bummer! I just now got home from picking my car up from the dealers body shop. I was impressed with the quality of work they did on the body and paint. While looking over the car I noticed that the spare tire cover was bent from someone sitting on it, my Genvibe vinyl sticker on the side rear window was messed up and my carbon fiber piece behind the side passenger rear window was broke in half. All little things but something needed to be done about it. I took the manager of the body shop outside to look over the car with me. He promptly took the car inside and repaired the bent brace under the cover, told me that he will send me a check for the damage to the CF pieces and the genvibe vinyl logo on Monday. We then discussed why they didn't wet sand my mid spoiler and shoot it with clear coat. He didn't know why, then we discussed why they left the cross bars on the roof when he told me that they would leave them out when they reassembled the roof rack. He again wasn't sure but remembered talking to me about it. Needless to say, we came to an agreement that I pay for the clips on the rails if they broke them removing the crossbars and they will repair the rear spoiler for me on Monday at no cost to me. They even noticed that one of my rear backup lights wasn't working and replaced the bulb for me under warranty along with warranty replacement of the rear window washer blade assembly and the rod that holds the hood up cause I broke the plastic end. Now that is service! I guess I'm blessed to have a truly caring dealership to work with. So if anyone wants things done right, come here and get it done. I'll hook ya up with some truly professional and courteous people. Plug = Mike Raisor Pontiac - Isuzu, 2912 E. Main Street, Lafayette, Indiana 47904...Bus Phone (765)-448-4582 (800)-960-1511I wish you good luck on your next visit Trina, just remember to try and keep a cool head like Mav suggested

Thanks for the advice .. I am much calmer now then I was .. And I know that they will fix the problem for me, but it will never be the same

Quote, originally posted by Ponyota » Now that is service! I guess I'm blessed to have a truly caring dealership to work with. So if anyone wants things done right, come here and get it done. I'll hook ya up with some truly professional and courteous people. Glad to hear there is one dealer out there who wants to do it right. Unfortunately Indiana is a long drive from "the OC", where I live.

Holy crap, Trina, that whole thing totally sucks. Nothing like a ****ty dealership to turn the excitement of new car in to total frustration. Hope you get it fixed right, and find a good service center. It's a great car, but that's no way to start off!

I get a stomach ache when we talk about this Ive got my own story too...in the end, it makes me not want to buy another brand new car again!!!!!!!!

I got my vibe back from the shop that repaired the dent and scratches and the seat still rattles and squeaks !! AGGG I brought it back up to the dealership and they were going to call GM to see what else they can do as they are baffled .. the passenger side does not make the sound only the drivers side does .. Will keep you all posted as to what happens here

my drivers seat rattled and I pulled on the seat back and was broke off from the adjuster. the dealer replaced the seat.I hope you get it fixed.

Horror Story #1: I had a similar experience at Speedway VW in Indianapolis years ago. I bought a 1980 Rabbit, and the selling price I agreed on included 'lifetime' rustproofing and paint protection cheaper that I could have purchased it in the open market. On delivery day, I opened the door, sat down in the driver's seat, and pulled out the seatbelt. The a**holes who rustproofed it drilled holes in the wrong place and covered the seatbelt retractors and mechanisms with rustproofing material. They sprayed so much in, that it was dripping out on the pavement. The dealer ordered new seatbelts and a new rear package panel that was stained by the excess rustproofing material. I took it in to have them replace it, and it came back with top 1/3rd of the passenger door caved in. I didn't discover it until I got home (10 min away. I drove right back and FORCED them to make an appointment with the body shop to fix it. Took it back in. Went to pick it up, that hadn't done anything. The dealership owner was told by the Service Manager, "It was delivered that way new," when owner knew it hadn't been, because he had seen the delivery since I was so p*ssed because of the rustproofing debacle. He accused me of damaging it. I told him to keep the f***ing car and left it at the dealership. Three days later they called back and said the car was ready. I went back, and it WASN'T ready, because the paint didn't dry. They repainted it 3 times before they got it right. This is on a car 3 weeks old!I never went there again (Speedway Volkswagen in Indianapolis Indiana) for ANYTHING, and cost them at least a dozen sales over the next year or so because I told EVERYBODY how screwed up the dealership was. This was at the height of the popularity of VW Diesel Rabbits (50 miles per gallon) in 1980-81.Horror Story #2: A girl I worked with and her best friend both bought 1990 Honda Preludes the same weekend from the same dealer. The best friend took her new car in for 'free Saturday car wash' a week later. The *sshole lot boy got her new car T-boned right in front of the dealership. The damage was bad enough that they had to tow it back onto the dealership lot. They told her, "No problem, we'll fix it just like new." She said, "The H*** you will. I want a new car." Of course, they told her THAT wasn't possible. She said, "I want to see the owner." He was sitting at his desk in his office. She literally CRAWLED UP ON HIS DESK AND SCREAMED until he agreed with her that the dealership was TOTALLY at fault. Yup, she got a brand new Prelude!Good luck, Trina!

that's totally crazy! i'm so very sorry. never good to have these kinds of problems with a new car!