One of our forum members getting screwed over by a dealership

[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.