Dealership Wrecked My Truck

Updated on January 26, 2013
S.R. asks from Houston, TX
21 answers

I just got me a new truck 3 weeks ago and took it back to the dealership today to get the running boards on, well i left it there and about 10 min later i get a call from the dealer ship tell me that my car had been wrecked, and they will fix it on their exspense, me and husband went to go look at it, well sure enough the passenger side front and back are pretty bad, some family members tell me to make them give me another truck. it has about 600 miles on it. they are saying that if i ever want to trade it in, the wreck will show up on the report. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

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C.C.

answers from San Francisco on

They broke it, they bought it. I'd insist on a new truck. If the dealership balks, call the corporate office.

2 moms found this helpful

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B.F.

answers from Dallas on

Talk to the owner of the dealership. Talk to your insurance. Talk to a lawyer.

5 moms found this helpful

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

You cannot hold the dealership to a different standard as any other insured person. The minute you drove that truck off the lot it was used. Had someone hit you pulling out they would not have been required to replace your truck.

Since they are probably doing the repairs in house you can request they not report them. I know a lot of mom and pop repair shops don't report unless it is sent to an insurance company. That way it will not show up on car facts or whatever that company is called.
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Reading the other answers they are only required to make you whole. When you drove the truck off the lot it probably lost about 5,000 in value, do you really think they did over 5,000 in damage?

Sorry but it kind of peeves me that people think that because someone has a bunch of new vehicles laying around it makes sense that they should give you more than your actual damages.

4 moms found this helpful

A.M.

answers from Kansas City on

so if any other random person hit your brand-new truck, in a parking lot, or on the road, or anywhere - do you really think you'd get a new truck? doesn't make much sense if you think about it. yes, i'd be livid too. but it really doesn't make any sense to demand a brand new vehicle.

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C.S.

answers from Las Vegas on

This totally stinks! However, your chances of receiving a new replacement are not likely.

The dealership damaged your property and they are responsible for damages, which means they will repair the damages to the truck to make it whole again, not new. Had the truck been totaled, then they would have to give you a new truck and even then you may have a bit of gap, (the difference between your used vehicle and a new vehicle) which is why we purchase gap insurance.

Again, it totally stinks!

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J.C.

answers from New York on

Insist on a new truck. It's the dealership - not a private car mechanic.

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D.N.

answers from Chicago on

The wreck will definitely show up and lower the value. You want to have it checked out further also to make sure it would not be considered a major loss. If the dealership will not help, go to the maker.

ETA: A friend of mine just told me that her dealer fixed something on her car and when they were test driving it on the road, some guy skidded through a stop sign and hit the back. Hers is about 6 weeks old and a car rather than truck. But the dealer has to take the loss because it was in the course of their business that it was damaged. She is going to push for a new one.

2 moms found this helpful

J.O.

answers from Boise on

Jo W is right, they only have to 'put you back together' they do not have to buy you a new truck.

it's no different then if you were to have an accident on the road. My friend and her husband and finally paid off her husbands truck, it was 5 years old and only drove for trips into the mountains. It was in pretty pristine condition. One day while parked at work some idiot showing off crashed into his truck, totaled the truck, completely bent the frame. Guess what, they didn't get a new truck, they barely got enough for a down payment on a new truck. They could have went used but then they would have had a ton of miles on the truck. So here they are now stuck with 5 more years of car payments.

Sorry there is nothing you can say or do that will change that.

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C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

I would make them give me a new truck. The wreck will show up on any car fax report in the future and in my experience, sometimes a vehicle that's been wrecked is just never right. I would not want to risk that with a brand new automobile. I would put my foot down for a brand new truck!

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C.B.

answers from Boston on

I don't think you can expect to get a new truck. I think you can expect them to fix it for free and give you a free loaner vehicle in the mean time. They do not own the truck, you do. Just like any other accident, the insurance of the dealership or the insurance of the person who hit you will pay to repair the damage. I had a friend who had just made the last payment on a car she maintained perfectly but she only got blue book value for it when it was totaled and that was not enough to buy the exact same thing, so she had car payments again. The insurance of the person who hit her was not required to pay her for the value it had to her, just the blue book value. It sucks, but that is the way it is.

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K.I.

answers from Los Angeles on

It is worth a shot, a good shot to try to get a new one! I would be livid!

~We bought (our very first BRAND new) our Chevy Suburban and had it for exactly a week before we got an "OnStar" message saying that the transmission was bad. We took it back to the dealer and they only refurbished the transmission...I wanted a whole new car! I felt that it was a LEMON! Sadly, I think I was right too, since the car is now 8 years old and has had the transmission worked on a total of 4 times since then.

Don't give up without a good fight! You shouldn't have to live with a 'brand new' truck that has been wrecked by the dealership!!!

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M.S.

answers from Washington DC on

Yep, I agree they should give you a new truck. The accident will impact your resale value. For a brand new truck, I would be LIVID. Talk to the dealership manager and see what he can do. also good advice to call your insurance company. You want to make sure you understand all possible impacts of this. Dealership should fall all over themselves trying to make this right for you, IMO.

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V.P.

answers from Columbus on

Well, without knowing more about the situation than what you wrote, my husband (an attorney) said that you should demand a new replacement from the dealership. You purchased the car with the expectation of enjoying a new car for a period of time -- there should be warranties on the work and on the treatment of the car while in their care. This is not the same as a random person on the road hitting the vehicle -- this was a failure on their part.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Our brakes went out on our truck right after hubby and I got married. He took it to the dealership and they kept it overnight because when they took the brakes off they realized they didn't have the correct pads to put back on it. They ordered them and they'd be in the next morning.

Someone was told the truck was in the way and to go move it. That person doing the telling did not know what was wrong and the person driving it didn't know either. So he started it up, put it in 1st gear and started moving. He hit the owners new corvette and a new van that was in for detailing.

They called us and said they had wrecked it. They did fix the damage but were also told they needed to supply us with a loaner since this was our only vehicle and we expected to have it back that day, they weren't even supposed to have it overnight.

The owner ended up letting us use his personal car, a hot Camero that was so gorgeous. We drove it all over the town for 3 days until they got the extra parts in. They deserved to treat us right, they made a mistake on the brake pads but then made a huge mistake by not knowing it had no brakes on it and sending someone out to drive it.

If your truck is that new then call an attorney as soon as you can to find out what the law says. If there is any basis for you getting this vehicle replaced then inform them in writing that you are seeking to have your vehicle replaced in full because the value is now about half of what you owe.

Call your insurance provider too, see if this would "total" the vehicle. If it devalued it much it might have done so.

It is brand new, not a program vehicle or a used one, they took that value and it will never have it again.

☆.H.

answers from San Francisco on

I would get insurance policy information from the dealership. Contact the ins co. and find out where else you can get your truck fixed. This is $ lost for them and they may be motivated to cut corners in the process fixing your truck. You wouldn't let some random stranger who got into an accident with you fix your car would you?

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K.G.

answers from San Diego on

Yes, they should give you a new truck or compensate you for Dimunition of value.

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M.T.

answers from Austin on

They should give you a new truck. Not only will it lower the value of your trade in but places like Carmax wont even take a car that's been wrecked. The dealership has plenty of vehicles on their lot that they can trade it for a new one because all they will do is turn around and file it as a loss. It would be different if you had it for a year plus and this happened but less than a month. NO - replacement please.

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❤.I.

answers from Albuquerque on

I would think you would be compensated the same way you would if you got into an accident. Accidents happen, that's why it's called an accident. I'm sure they didn't intentionally wreck it. Once you drive it off the lot it depreciates and is considered a used vehicle. Hopefully it's not considered totaled, that's a different story. I had something similar happen, the car wasn't brand new but had to have a new back fender after I was rearended. So the shop owner called me and told me it was done and then called me back 15 minutes later saying nevermind and that they ran over some paint with it and would take another day to fix. Good luck!

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L.F.

answers from San Francisco on

They wrecked it, they give you a NEW vehicle today. That is completely unacceptable. If they balk at this idea, you get your local news team down at the place and tell them what has happened and a good lawyer. I would be afraid to let them touch the car---how could they be so careless???

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J.T.

answers from College Station on

Yes, they should offer you another truck. They have devalued your vehicle so that it is now no longer new. If you sold it tomorrow, you would not get full value. That is what you have to look at. Be nice about it, though. Don't go in all guns blazing, so to speak.

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D.B.

answers from Minneapolis on

they should give you a new vehicle. look at it this way - insurance and repairs is meant to bring a vehicle back up to pre-damage condition. as your pre-damage condition was basically a brand new vehicle with no history of any damage, there is no way they can do this.

if they baulk, as them this: after they repair the vehicle, will they be able to sell it for as much as a non-damaged truck with 600 miles? of course the answer is no. so if they won't give you a new truck, then ask for something with 600 miles on it. the least they can do is restore you to the condition you delivered the truck to them in.

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