One of our forum members getting screwed over by a dealership

[Isamu]

this fight is no longer just about me.. its about us as a community and making sure other dealerships don't do slimy **** to people because they think they can get away with it. I appreciate all of your guys support..

[Darwins Child]

Originally Posted by Isamu

this fight is no longer just about me.. its about us as a community and making sure other dealerships don't do slimy **** to people because they think they can get away with it. I appreciate all of your guys support..

Most vehicle owners have been pushed to their limit of sanity by some auto dealership during their lives, so there are many sympathetic people. If your description of what has happened is accurate, you too have experienced that feeling and we actually may be able to help you get some payback for the automotively oppressed.

Anything from your auto insurance company? There should be some movement by now.

Did the insurance company get the vehicle hauled away from the dealership to a truly independent third part for mechanical evaluation? With Ryan owning so many dealerships and thereby having such influence in the industry in the community, finding someone both independent and non-corruptible may be difficult if not impossible in Minot.

BTW, I don't trust auto insurance companies any more than auto dealerships. I would not be surprised if some corruption may enter the picture between the dealership and whoever it is from the insurance company that's contacting them ...... with you being the one that is screwed in the end (so to speak). That is, I would not be surprised of what you are offered is far less than you expect, even though you really are owed much more.

Therefore, make sure you tell everybody here what the insurance company's settlement offer to you is BEFORE you accept it. If it is a low-ball, it may make perfect economic sense to go the small-claims-court route which, again, appears to be a fairly painless thing to do in ND. Even the threat of such a thing may sweeten the insurance company's offer to you.

Good luck.

[NISMO IX]

Sorry, I hadn't come across this thread sooner...

This is why I don't let my car out of my sight. I don't trust the dealerships, and never will. Sorry for your misfortune with the dealership and hope all gets fixed.

Funny though, their FB page got wrecked!

[Isamu]

My insurance is doing well, they actually were cool with me sending my car to a shop of my choosing. As of now, my insurance is paying out, and will go after their insurance.
I still do not feel whole as the dealership is responsible for this, and they are getting away with it. I might just have to go to the owner solo, since I still haven't gotten any letters or written statements from any technicians.

[DeliriousClam]

Originally Posted by Isamu

My insurance is doing well, they actually were cool with me sending my car to a shop of my choosing. As of now, my insurance is paying out, and will go after their insurance.
I still do not feel whole as the dealership is responsible for this, and they are getting away with it. I might just have to go to the owner solo, since I still haven't gotten any letters or written statements from any technicians.

No lube.

[Isamu]

Originally Posted by DeliriousClam

No lube.

any word from your dude?

[mambaZ34]

I am sorry you are having to go through this BS Isamu. Unfortunately I am going through some dealership issues as well. I bought my Z for Cosmo Motors about 45 days ago and found out after the fact that they dealership had an improper lean release. Long story short I signed an agreement for the title ect to be transferred as well in 30 (per state law). Total for those services was around 1k and it took 43 days making my car illegal to drive for 14 days. Any dealership wont refund me my fees and instead called this an innocent mistake. Anyone who would like to make some noise against dealerships like this please go to their FaceBook page and click reviews were you will find my 1 star review of them! We have go to look out for our members stuff like this is happening way to often!

[Desert Rat]

I'll be the killjoy on this.

Your insurance company is covering the car. That's good. It's on them to go after the dealership. If you go after them separately, you may want to inform your insurance company of your intent.

If you find a lawyer to take the case, chances are any additional cash awards you get are going to be largely eaten up by their fees.

The smear campaign on that dealership is in full swing, and rightfully so. They had no business taking a known fire hazard out on the road.

But you should ask yourself if you have the resolve and the resources to see this through? Remember that the dealership can afford good attorneys and I'm sure they already have them on retainer.

It's not a fair system and the little guy almost always loses out. A diminished value award is something your insurance company should be able to pursue - talk to your agent.

Best of luck and thanks for your military service.

[Isamu]

Originally Posted by Desert Rat

I'll be the killjoy on this.

Your insurance company is covering the car. That's good. It's on them to go after the dealership. If you go after them separately, you may want to inform your insurance company of your intent.

If you find a lawyer to take the case, chances are any additional cash awards you get are going to be largely eaten up by their fees.

The smear campaign on that dealership is in full swing, and rightfully so. They had no business taking a known fire hazard out on the road.

But you should ask yourself if you have the resolve and the resources to see this through? Remember that the dealership can afford good attorneys and I'm sure they already have them on retainer.

It's not a fair system and the little guy almost always loses out. A diminished value award is something your insurance company should be able to pursue - talk to your agent.

Best of luck and thanks for your military service.

I have thought over all of these points. That is also why the lawyer from MN didn't want to take the case. They didn't want to eat up my gains in fees. The JAG here on base would love to take the case, but they can't two fold. 1) he isn't barred in ND, and 2) its a civilian case. I have a very solid case. and if I can get these letters, ill be even more solid. Small claims in ND is 15k, so I might just have to do that. It's much more than getting made whole, even tho I want to be made whole. It's about making sure these guys know they can't push people around.

[Darwins Child]

Originally Posted by Isamu

I have thought over all of these points. That is also why the lawyer from MN didn't want to take the case. They didn't want to eat up my gains in fees. The JAG here on base would love to take the case, but they can't two fold. 1) he isn't barred in ND, and 2) its a civilian case. I have a very solid case. and if I can get these letters, ill be even more solid. Small claims in ND is 15k, so I might just have to do that. It's much more than getting made whole, even tho I want to be made whole. It's about making sure these guys know they can't push people around.

Two things.

First, although I've read some of the posts in this thread, I haven't stumbled on the exact details of your vehicle such as year, miles, etc. Of course those details will be necessary for anyone to determine what the vehicle's market value was before the dealership set it on fire and how much it might be worth now with the amount of money that will have to be sunk into it to get it back to mint condition, assuming that that can be done, which, considering that it was not involved in a collision, but only a fire and a dousing with dry chemical from an extinguisher, it should. After all, there's nothing wrong with the engine, etc., correct? The vehicle hasn't been "totaled", has it? If not, do you know what the estimated cost of repair is? Did the dealership hand you an estimated cost of repair with parts and labor included? Do you own the vehicle outright, or are you still making payments? If the latter, how much have you sunk into the vehicle so far and how much more have you got to go? Are you a competent DIYr? If you are, your sweat equity alone may allow you to get the vehicle back to like-new with not that much of your settlement spent. All of this information will be helpful for anyone advising you how to proceed most economically.

Second, I haven't had a chance to check myself, but you should read the shop manual's repair / troubleshooting procedure for a brake line leak or master cylinder reservoir fluid level that keeps dropping or requires constant re-filling. See if there's anything in there that recommends taking the vehicle for a "test" (joy) ride.

[Isamu]

Originally Posted by Darwins Child

Two things.

First, although I've read some of the posts in this thread, I haven't stumbled on the exact details of your vehicle such as year, miles, etc. Of course those details will be necessary for anyone to determine what the vehicle's market value was before the dealership set it on fire and how much it might be worth now with the amount of money that will have to be sunk into it to get it back to mint condition, assuming that that can be done, which, considering that it was not involved in a collision, but only a fire and a dousing with dry chemical from an extinguisher, it should. After all, there's nothing wrong with the engine, etc., correct? The vehicle hasn't been "totaled", has it? If not, do you know what the estimated cost of repair is? Did the dealership hand you an estimated cost of repair with parts and labor included? Do you own the vehicle outright, or are you still making payments? If the latter, how much have you sunk into the vehicle so far and how much more have you got to go? Are you a competent DIYr? If you are, your sweat equity alone may allow you to get the vehicle back to like-new with not that much of your settlement spent. All of this information will be helpful for anyone advising you how to proceed most economically. .

2010 with 6029 miles on it when I dropped it off. 11k in damages, and most of that comes from the two harnesses that were damaged in the fire. My insurance is covering the costs as of now, and will be going after the dealerships insurance. It's really a no brainer. you don't drive a car at highway speeds to test for brake failure.

Originally Posted by Darwins Child

Second, I haven't had a chance to check myself, but you should read the shop manual's repair / troubleshooting procedure for a brake line leak or master cylinder reservoir fluid level that keeps dropping or requires constant re-filling. See if there's anything in there that recommends taking the vehicle for a "test" (joy) ride.

This is a brilliant idea. I need to see if I can find my FSM. I am at work now, and I don't think our network will allow me to D/L the manual here.

[Isamu]

ok, so I can access the FSM. the only thing it says about brake leaks is

Check for fluid leakage by fully depressing brake pedal while engine is running.

[Darwins Child]

Originally Posted by Isamu

ok, so I can access the FSM. the only thing it says about brake leaks is

"Check for fluid leakage by fully depressing brake pedal while engine is running."

Sounds reasonable, but, again, for obvious reasons, the engine should be stone cold before starting (not above idle rpm) and checking brake lines for leaks. Also for now obvious reasons, lines in the engine compartment should be checked first thing, before the engine warms up, and there should be a CO2 extinguisher at the ready to instantly snuff out any fire and cool the immediate area.

$11K sounds like a lot of money for two wiring harnesses, but if your insurance company is going to shell out, good for you. Hopefully, even though you are making the claim for damage with your insurance company, because the dealership caused the damage, your rate won't go up.

But what would be truly maddening is if Ryan Nissan-- the place that caused all the damage-- was now paid all that money to repair you vehicle.

[Isamu]

Originally Posted by Darwins Child

Sounds reasonable, but, again, for obvious reasons, the engine should be stone cold before starting (not above idle rpm) and checking brake lines for leaks. Also for now obvious reasons, lines in the engine compartment should be checked first thing, before the engine warms up, and there should be a CO2 extinguisher at the ready to instantly snuff out any fire and cool the immediate area.

$11K sounds like a lot of money for two wiring harnesses, but if your insurance company is going to shell out, good for you. Hopefully, even though you are making the claim for damage with your insurance company, because the dealership caused the damage, your rate won't go up.

But what would be truly maddening is if Ryan Nissan-- the place that caused all the damage-- was now paid all that money to repair you vehicle.

its more than just harnesses. the whole engine had to be removed, and respray the engine bay. a bunch of smaller wires, and plastic pieces. Ryan isn't touching my car ever again. and hopefully I will dissuade anyone else from going there.

[Darwins Child]

Originally Posted by Isamu

its more than just harnesses. the whole engine had to be removed, and respray the engine bay. a bunch of smaller wires, and plastic pieces. Ryan isn't touching my car ever again. and hopefully I will dissuade anyone else from going there.

All because the dealership took your vehicle for a joy ride and did not have a CO2 fire extinguisher at hand when the vehicle returned to the service bay. Speaking of which, I would not be a bit surprised if the fire actually started during that joy ride.