New Car Question, need some help

[I_H8_Crawford]

Some questions for the very knowledgeable CP posters:

My girlfriend just purchased a "new" car from an Acura dealership tonight, and a couple things:

1)The "new" car had 72 Kms on it already
2)The radio in the car already had all the presets tuned
3)The battery was DEAD when the dealership was showing her the car
4)There are scratches on the back bumper

Unfortunately, I wasn't there with her, and she signed the papers, so what recourse does she have?
Does this sound like a new car to you, or is the dealership ****ing around with her?
And, if the dealership is ****ing around with her, can she return the car and/or get out of the sale??

Also, is there such a thing as a "breaking in" period for a car? I know when I bought my car in 2002 I was told to take it easy, but they told her it doesn't matter?

Any advice/information would be much appreciated...

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

I'd be ****ed.

At a minimum they'd be fixing the bumper and replacing the battery.

Check your bill of sale. Might say the kms the car is suppossed to have along with the VIN. Just a thought.

[Buff]

The Kms is probably from test driving by both sales staff and customers.
The radio being pre-set is probably something one of the test drivers did
The dead battery... hmm I don't have an explanation but I've heard of this.
Scratches on the bumper. Well a lot can happen in a dealership. They move those cars around the lot, people pass through looking at the cars at all hours of the day, and you don't know what they're doing in there.

It probably isn't used, but they should've ensured that the battery was charged and do something about the scratches. It would look bad on them if they knew about the scratches but didn't mention them.. you can't prove that though.

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by I_H8_Crawford

Some questions for the very knowledgeable CP posters:

My girlfriend just purchased a "new" car from an Acura dealership tonight, and a couple things:

1)The "new" car had 72 Kms on it already
2)The radio in the car already had all the presets tuned
3)The battery was DEAD when the dealership was showing her the car
4)There are scratches on the back bumper

Unfortunately, I wasn't there with her, and she signed the papers, so what recourse does she have?
Does this sound like a new car to you, or is the dealership ****ing around with her?
And, if the dealership is ****ing around with her, can she return the car and/or get out of the sale??

Also, is there such a thing as a "breaking in" period for a car? I know when I bought my car in 2002 I was told to take it easy, but they told her it doesn't matter?

Any advice/information would be much appreciated...

When we bought our new car the battery needed a quick charge as well so I don't think that is a big deal, as for the KM's on it remember that the cars are driven on and off trucks as well as around dealership lots, gone to fill it up for her, etc.

It doesn't take long to preset the radio so maybe they thought they were being nice and doing it for her

The back bumper thing I think she should be able to go back to the dealersship and say something and they would be happy to take care of it.

In terms of the breaking in period, tell her to not go Malk chicken for a while as the electronics in the car are busy "sensing" her driving habits and as well it's like doing it for the first time, you just don't jump in and giver hell without breaking it in.

there are many knowledgable posters such as Lanny and Hulk Rogan who constantly banter back and forth about cars so I assume one fo them knows something

[ricosuave]

1 - where do you think the km's for test drives go?
2 - that is a very easy thing to do, even for a dealer
3 - could be anything, maybe someone didnt close the door fully and the light was on, or maybe it wasnt driven for a short while and it ran down.
4 - could have come from the dealership lot, or during test drives.

i believe that alberta has a law that will allow you to return a vehicle within 30 days, no questions asked. not suure, but i thought i heard that.

the car will totally need a breaking in period. depending on the engine, etc, you probably want to keep it under 3500 rpm (IE dont redline it) and make sure the oil is changed after the first 2500km or so, and the following 5000k or so. the pistons and cylinders need some wear time to break in and seat against each other, but doing so in a reckless manner will cause more wear than you want, and ulitmately lead to porblems down the road.

im sure someone else more knowledgeable than me will chime in, but that what i think!

rico

[Sylvanfan]

Yeah the kilometers are nothing. I mean 4-5 test drives and theres 72 km easily, plus the dealership has to take it for an initial run to make sure everything is working. With it being a new car the doors get open a lot as people sit in cars without the motor running and fool with the controls etc. The breaking in period is bs as much as anything. My personal opinion is you drive the car really hard off the bat as it will expose any problems with the car while it's still under warranty although try to vary the driving conditions for the first 1000km. Ask the dealership to look at the scratches on the back bumper and make sure they re-charged the battery and monitor it. If it is staying dead get on them and have it replaced. I imagine the dealership will address these issues for you, if they don't threaten to go to one of the local T.V. channels for consumer alerts and they'll act really quick and really nicely.

[I_H8_Crawford]

I guess my problem with the KMs is that she didn't purchase a "demo" model, she purchased a new car, and paid full price.

I know when I got my car, it had <10 Kms on it, ditto with when my parents got a new car, and when my bro got his as well...

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by I_H8_Crawford

I guess my problem with the KMs is that she didn't purchase a "demo" model, she purchased a new car, and paid full price.

I know when I got my car, it had <10 Kms on it, ditto with when my parents got a new car, and when my bro got his as well...

Well a demo model usually has like 5000 plus kilometers on it. Demo models are generally driven by the sales staff for like 3 months or more so that the guys selling the car get a feel for it and can give opinions on how they feel the car operates. I've bought new cars with like 200 and 500km on them that weren't demo models. Just had a few people take them out for a drive. It came from an Acura dealership, and last I knew these places don't keep like 50 carsof the same model on the lot like a ford or chev dealership would.

[fredr123]

When I got my new car, they (Mazda) claimed that even a new car off the boat would have a few clicks on it due to testing and what not. Maybe Acura has a similar thing in place where they take it for a cruise for a bit to make sure the wheels aren't about to fall off.

My Mazda also had a feature where if you press a single button (can't remember which one) it automatically adds the strongest signals to the radio's presets.

Battery is weird. Scratches suck. Talking to the dealership in a calm rational manner never hurts.

[Ironhorse]

My car had 15 kilometers on it just from going from the factory to the boat to the the railyard to the dealership. But it was factory ordered, so nobody took it for a test drive.

Like others here have said, when buying a car off the lot, it probably has had a few test drives (I'm sure you did one too...) and moved around the lot. The tech will also drive it around the block for a QA test. Unless you factory order your car, 72 kms on a car off the lot is totally reasonable. Heck, I've seen sales & service guys slap a temporary dealer plate on a vehicle overnight just to drive it home and back to work "to get a quick impression". That's 20-30 clicks right there.

Don't fool yourself about dealers only having "a few" of one model on the lot. Just about every single dealer has holding lots spread around the city where the rest of the inventory is kept.

And break-in is important, and depends on the vehicle. I wasn't to exceed 4,500 rpm & 160 km/h for the first 2,000 km of my car's life, with varying rpms. It stated it right in the manual, and the salesman emphasized it too. Check with your dealer on what your car needs.

[g_railed]

I would consult the owners manual. Breakin periods are different for all makes, but i dont remember having to break in my acura.

As far as Km's go 72Km is nothing, won't effect the cars performance. Might have been out for a couple of test drives, but thats what you get when you don't order the car directly from the factory. You have to remember the new Acura's are coming out in about four month's so chances are that car has been on the lot for close to eight months. That might explain the battery problem as well.

[I_H8_Crawford]

The car was factory ordered, but they originally brought in the wrong colour, so they said they'd bring in the proper car... she didn't buy from the lot, it should have been a NEW car, not one that was test-driven.

The other part that bugged me is if it was test-driven, that means it was done AFTER the deposit was placed, and when we went to test-drive, we couldn't take the exact model she wanted, as the only ones of that model they had "had deposits" on it...

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

I had another couple thoughts:

I've never had more than about 10 clicks on a new car I've bought. But the explantions above seem reasonable.

After thinking about it, the new acura i bought a couple years ago had scracthes on the trunk. The dealership didn't bat an eye when I asked for them to be removed. And they've been good ever since really. If you give them the opportunity to do the right thing, they probably will.

Finally, I'm sure my owners manuals say drive the car as you normally do - no break in period. But I'm too lazy to look and maybe that's just what I told my wife

[Bill Bumface]

Modern engines are manufactured to much more precise standards than back in the day when break in was very important because the rough finishing of the pistons/cylinder walls/rings meant that small metal shards had to wear off when it was first driven so everything would become smooth. Now the only important thing is to seat the piston rings and guys that have tried this both ways and torn down engines years later to look find that going a bit harder on your car is actually better. The things to take it easy on are the brakes and clutch. If its an auto, take it easy right off the line until you get up to speed a bit. Its usually good to go about 60-70% of throttle to about 75% of your redline and then let off the throttle completely and let the engine break until your revs drop to 2500-3000, and repeat over and over a few times. Letting the engine brake your car helps seat the rings. Seated rings prevent blow-by (exhaust gas forcing between the cylinder and cylinder wall). Obviously this is much easier on a manual car. If its auto I'm not too sure if you should put it in 2nd or 3rd (often 'drive') and do this a few times. I don't have any experience breaking in an automatic car.

Mostly though, just go really really easy on the clutch/brakes for as long as the manual says the break in period is. Also, no cruise control, keep varied speeds.

72Km is no huge deal, but I might make a stink and get some free oil changes or something. Scratches absolutely should be fixed.

[Wookie]

There is no grace period in an automotive purchase. Once you have agreed to purchase a vehicle the law does not require the establishment to let you return it. Each business sets its own rules about returns. The business will decide whether you get a refund, an exchange or credit. Ask about a return policy before you buy.

http://www.amvic.org/consumer_tip_sheet_rights.htm

[TimSJ]

Anything under 500km is still a new car... Fill it with gas PDI test drive by mechanic and 1 test drive and you are not long getting to 72km...

radio presets... Mechanics sometimes do this during the PDI... salesperson could have done it when getting the car ready for pick up

dead battery... happens all of the time.. just moving the car aroudn the lot doesn't give it a chance to charge up.. doors open etc.. batteries die all of the time on the lot.

could be shipping damage and will likely buff out... could have a poor lit clean up shop and just missed it.

[TimSJ]

With regards to breaking in the engine.. I have always found in the past that the people who drovve there cars like they would every day from day one work the best.

I wouldn't drive for 3 hours at 200kph but within reason jsut drive it like you would normally and you wont hurt things.

[firebug]

I used to work for a dealer about 10 years ago, and one of my jobs was doing the PDI inspection. It involved a test drive, removing protective plastic, mechanical inspection, setting the radio etc. THis would put at least 15 to 25 kms on the car, and most arrived with 10 - 20kms already on it.

Having 75kms on a new car is absolutely normal, check the bill of sale from the dealer and see if it is reflected on there. Most manufacturers will extend your warranty the 'extra' 75kms if it shows on the bill of sale.

Dead batteries are no big deal, happens all the time with brand new car
as the have sat a lot and are rarely driven. If it is still going dead a week from now then have them replace it.

Ask the dealer to buff out the scratches.

Don't get worked up about any of these things as problems with a dealership could very easily be much worse.

~bug

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by I_H8_Crawford

The car was factory ordered, but they originally brought in the wrong colour, so they said they'd bring in the proper car... she didn't buy from the lot, it should have been a NEW car, not one that was test-driven.

They may have done a dealer swap, where they find the colour and spec of the car you should have had on a lot somewhere else in Alberta. I'd have bugged them for a bunch of freebies if they messed up your original factory order...