Dramas with picking up new(ish) car

[AWD Chaser]

Hi all.

Just thought I would vent my frustration on my dramas of my Grand Carnival. Don't get me wrong, it's a great car, and there is nothing mechanicaly wrong with it, but here we go:

We were getting three options: Tints, Towbar and sidesteps.

After aranging all the Finance and options on the car, we aranged to travel to Canberra (If you international readers don't know what Canberra is, look it up!).

The day before we pick the car up, I ring the dealer and confirm everything. He said the towbar was fitted, tints were done, but the sidesteps weren't but they would only take a few hours to fit, and that they were coming in tomorrow.

Next day, we are halfway to Canberra, and the dealer rings and asks how we are travelling. I ask how the sidesteps are. He said they sent up the wrong ones from Melbourne and they would take 1 week to get the right ones in. I can't do anything about that. So I confirmed that the towbar and tints we done. He said the towbar was all fitted but the tints WEREN'T done and that they were gonna be done after the sidesteps were fitted! I'm confused because he said they were already done. He said that they were being done and would be ready to go once I got there.

We finally get to the dealer and there is some guy cleaning the inside of the car (a real dodgy job too). I look over the car and see that the rear left tyre is worn on the outside - I questioned the dealer and he said he would get a wheel alignment and balance done. He offered to replace the tyre but I refused as it wasn't THAT badly worn and I didn't want 1 odd tread tyre. Everything got sorted and booked the wheel alignment for 1 week from now as we were going to be passing through Canberra again on a round trip.

1 week later (we have a 600km trip to make, and getting to Canberra is just 250k's of it) - Get into Canberra to get sidesteps fitted and wheel alignement. I have also noticed some bubbling on the tints.

We get given a cappy hire car and go off to do some shopping. I was told everything (except the tints, which would be sorted another day) would be done in about 2 hours. 3 hours later I get a phone call from the wheel alignment place saying they have ran a trailer into the back of the car and to come check it out - I went and had a look - the bumper had scratches and grooves all over it, had been popped off and folded back on itself, and scratches and grooves all down the rear quarter and a broken mudflap. Because I was travelling, they had put some 100 mile-an-hour tape to hold it on... I went and got a quote to fix - over $1000, but they said they will do it through their insurance.

We ran out of time to get the sidesteps fitted and the dealer said we can get them fitted in 1 week (as we would be passing through Canberra again coming back from out trip), but the dealer had managed to swing by the tint shop and get the bubbles fixed - which I was pleased about.

Because it is near xmas, the dealer said he would call me on the 27th of Dec to confirm the booking for the 28th, which is when I was coming back.

It was the 27th around 4pm and I had no phone calls, so I ring him - he's not in - he's on holidays for the next few days. They said he would call me tomorrow.

When he did call backon the 28th, he said that the sidesteps couldn't be fitted as the place thats doing it doesn't open till January. So I said I'll just pick them up, and you can pay to get them fitted in my town, and he said that the sidesteps were at the shop that doesn't open till Jan.

I told him he can post the steps to me, and I'll get them smash repairs to fit them (charging the dealer)...

I'm off today to get some quotes to get my GC rear end fixed.

This doesn't include the rear right window seal being deformed and needing replacement (under warranty) and finding a huge amount of paint waves in the front bumper which I hope will be replaced under warranty!

[Poetic Justice]

Sounds like you're having some tough luck there, though I'd probably sleep easy knowing that they haven't at least brushed you off completely after taking delivery (Believe me, it can happen.)

[dave289]

typical car dealer syndrome.they want to be your best buddy going into the sale but once the dollars are handed over they will avoid you like a plague.they will say this and that with no intention of getting it done and they hope that like most people you will go away after they have messed you around for so long.my mate bought a second hand comondore not so long ago.he was told that this and that would be done proir to him picking it up from them.gets there nothing much if anything done .i cant remember the exact probs but there was 3 or 4 things that needed doing.one i remember was the rear bumper being painted s it was peeling and stuffed.i told him they would not fix anything and would not paint his bar.he told me firmly that they would .i told him just as firmly that they would not.he leaves his car there for one week,he then rings them and they tell him that everything has been done.he goes to pick it up and guess what the bumper was not painted as well as e few other things.car dealers will often mess people around for so long thet they eventually get the sh!ts and dont go back.this is there tactic and is a proven success for these people.NEVER EVER pick up a car untill every thing has been done properly.if you do you will be the one who suffers and will be at a loss ,not to mention the frustration it can cause you.when my mate went to pick up his commi he was ropable as he was prepared to prove me wrong about the bumper being painted.six months later he is still driving around with a bumper with half the paint peeled off.told you so.

in your case kia i would say because you lived so far away you would be easy to palm off .they would expect that becaise you were some distance away that hopefully you would not come back as the petrol costs off going back and forth would not justify these things.this is what they were hoping if you were not aware.

[nothin suss]

On another note, those V6 Carnivals go real well hey? HUGE one leggers out of corners (100+ metres) 2-1 kickdown torque steer fun in the wet...
Ah, rentals are the best!

[dave289]

Originally Posted by nothin suss

On another note, those V6 Carnivals go real well hey? HUGE one leggers out of corners (100+ metres) 2-1 kickdown torque steer fun in the wet...
Ah, rentals are the best!

ive heard that most go bang after about 50,000 kms on board.anybody?

[nothin suss]

Oh my, thats a bit chaddy then. Pity because they are a great practical layout on the inside and perfect for getting people about. We had 8 men in our rental. 2 eskys in the DEEP boot and everyones backpacks/bags all in the back. Was perfect!

[Scott]

I was bloody impressed with the hire one I got early in December. Very well equipped and really easy to use all of the space. Couldn't believe just how much room was in it when the seats were all folded out of the way.

I loved the fold away console, fold away rear seats, fold away middle seats, gap left from folding the console to get from the front to the middle, the 4 zone A/C, the power off the line etc etc etc etc.

Only thing that bugged me is that the tranny was never in the right gear when coming out of a roundabout (in A mode) and the sequential is too lazy.

They lite the tyres up a little to easy for a FWD but they do a decent burnout with the HB on so I guess they cancel each other out ;)

[UNR8D]

in reference to the 'dont they go bang after 50k's' no grand carnivals use a different v6 to the old carnivals. they arnt a bad car

[waggaclint]

there still a KIA but hey....so im sure youl be back to the dealer with warranty issues......sell it as soon as runs out of warranty to hey.....

[AWD Chaser]

Originally Posted by waggaclint

there still a KIA but hey....so im sure youl be back to the dealer with warranty issues......sell it as soon as runs out of warranty to hey.....

Actually, a Hyundai... a Hyundai Entourage... The old Kia Carnivals had issues, but the new Hyundai ones are holding up quite well...

[Lightning Strike XR6]

That is really bad luck. That is poor service indeed.