Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[Greg Brown <gwbrown1 AT gmail.com>]

One word: lawyer.

A defective automobile is a danger to everyone on the road, including your friend.  He does not want the liability of driving that vehicle.  If he were involved in an accident, even if was not his fault, a good lawyer could bring in a child in casts and bandages, or worse wheelchair or urn, and there would not be a dry eye in the jury box after hearing about how he knowingly drove a defective vehicle and injured an innocent child.. oh, man.. 

that is unless the defect is mild.. but to notice that the defect exists makes me believe it was not.  He should be able to trade that vehicle in for the same make and model, but he'll need a lawyer to do it.

Greg

On 2/3/06, Scott Chilcote <scottchilcote AT earthlink.net> wrote:

David Minton wrote:
> I need some advice from the all-knowing, all-seeing Internetworker hive
> mind.
>
> A friend of mine (really, this is not me) bought a new truck at the end of
> December. After driving it a short period of time, he suspected something
> was not quite right with it. On the third trip to the dealer, they finally
> determined the frame was bent! Not what he wanted to hear about a truck that
> had only five miles on the odometer when he first drove it.
>
> Naturally, he has asked to get a new truck, but has not gotten a positive
> response to this suggestion. He knows about the NC Lemon Law, though it
> likely doesn't apply, since I believe it requires four failed attempts to
> fix a problem. He suspects after straightening the frame, the dealer will
> claim the problem is fixed.
>
> Any suggestions on what he can do to convince the dealership that they owe
> him a new truck, and not a almost new one, with a frame that needed to be
> straightened, and will probably never be 100% right?
>
> Thanks,
> David

Hello David,

A bent frame can certainly be a major defect, unless the misalignment is
small.  If it has a substantial affect on the vehicle's resale value he
has a right to be concerned.  He can take it to a good mechanic and have
it fully inspected, to see if any other damage was caused.

If he has a legitimate grievance, it's worth checking out the NC DOJ's
Consumer Protection service and file a complaint:

http://www.ncdoj.com/consumerprotection/cp_about.jsp

If he does this and notifies the car dealer, he may get some response.

Another possibility is the BBB of Central NC
(http://www.greensboro.bbb.org/), but the BBB is operated by businesses
and does not wield as much clout.

Good luck,

Scott C.
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