Lemon solstice... anyone else? HELP!!!!

[johngarcia87]

VERA-WILLIAMSON MIAMI, INC.
VERA BUICK PONTIAC GMC
19250 SOUTH DIXIE HIGHWAY
MIAMI FL 33157
305 -238 -8000


In March 2007 I purchased a 2006 Pontiac solstice from this dealer. The car looked perfectly fine had only 9 thousand miles, wow seemed like a good purchase. The sales man told me the reason the person turned the car in with so little miles was because he was so fascinated with the car that he wanted to trade it in for a turbo. Well we bought the car… a few months later my car began to get wet the floor would be soaked the seats had water marks from when it rained. The car gets wet every time it rains and every time I wash the car. The car has a serious water leak. I have taken my car in many occasions to the dealer to have this same problem corrected and a year and three months later I have not had this problem resolved. Not only that they have been extremely rude. I have dealt with the service manager on various occasions and he has been tremendously rude… giving me attitude and suggesting it is my fault that the water is leaking inside the car. Every time I have to take the car in I have to take off from work or leave early to either take the car or pick up the car which is why I don’t understand if the service manager thinks I take the car in for my health.

I have taken the car on:

7/20/07
11/16/07
2/25/08
3/17/08
3/24/08
4/04/08
5/27/08
In July don’t have exact date
9/04/08
10/15/08

That is a total of ten times out of those atleast 6 times they changed the same piece the weather striping on the car. I don’t understand how they would think that maybe the sixth time they changed it, it would work, do they really believe that 6 times that part came defective? In May they kept my car for a whole month I had to take it back two days later because it continued to get wet then they kept the car for two months. The rest of the times they have kept it for a week two or even three weeks at a time… all that time I was paying car payments for a convertible sports car, insurance on a convertible sports car yet I was driving a rental that didn’t even have power windows, and I’m not being picky if I were paying for an economy car with no luxury extras then that’s what I would drive but I was not. So not only are they inconveniencing me out of my car but also giving me attitude giving me the run around. Every time I have to take the car in I have to take off from work or leave early to either take the car or pick up the car which is another issue
In about June or July a new assistant manager came in I thought maybe this might change things but it was the same thing now every time I got the service manager hides so he wont have to deal with me and the assistant manager gives me the run around and doesn’t event tell me what they did to the car he simply tells me to go to the front desk so I can read the paper that tells me what they did to the car which tells me nothing because they changed the same piece and the car continues to get wet. On various occasions I have called to speak to the general manager and they say he in unavailable. Then I call to check what time he will be there so I can talk to him in person they tell me he will be in a certain day at a certain time when I arrive to the dealer they tell me he is gone on vacation or that it is his day off. Again they are giving me the run around so no one has to take the blame for selling me this car with problems. Finally after a few months of pursuing the general manager they tell me they don’t have a general manager. I am outraged no general manager so where does the consumer go when they have a problem? Not we are in Nov and they finally get a general manager but he is too busy to see a concerned costumer. My father went to the dealer Nov 12, 2008 to talk to the manager and he straight out told him he was too busy he would not have time to talk to him. My father assured him that he could wait and hour or two what ever it took to get the problem fixed and he said no come back another day.
Now it gets worse the more the car gets worse the more things go wrong. The air conditioning has been shorted as well as the heater. When I took it the last time in October one of the reasons why I took it was the service airbag light was on, I knew that wouldn’t be good I was literally scared to drive my car in fear that the air bag would deploy while I was in the car more dangerously while I was driving. Sure enough when I took it to the dealer they cam back saying the water that would accumulate in the rugs of the floor which is where the sensor for the air bag is located which indicates if there is a person sitting in the seat or not had shorted out the sensor so my fear was correct. I have sat inside my car while another person is washing it with a normal household hose and videotaped how much water is coming in because it is ridiculous I sit there 5 min and get my pants soaked in the process. And the dealer can not do the same before saying that the car has been fixed when it really hasn’t. on this last time that I took it they never even told me what they changed the car is letting in water through the same exact place which leads me to think that they did not even change a single thing, just giving me the run around like they have for a year and a half.

I have gotten fed up with this problem and thought I would trade in the car because I am tired of getting the run around but when I go to other dealers I come to find out almost every panel on my car has been re painted meaning it been in an accident which I have not been involved in. So I decided to do research I bought the car fax report and learned that the car was not bought here in Florida like the story they gave me it was shipped from Michigan. I don’t know if this is entirely correct but an insurance agent told me that when a car gets shipped from one state to the other the title gets cleaned so who knows what was really wrong with my vehicle before I purchased it. It keeps getting better and better. Also since the other dealers tell me that this car has been repainted etc what they want to give me for my car is peanuts compared to what I have spent. I have a claim open with GM and all they can do is say that it is not there fault and that they are working with the dealer to get this problem fixed yet a year and a half later I am still struggling with this dilemma.

The point I’m trying to get across is that it is not normal for this to be happening. A CONSUMER SHOULD NOT HAVE TO TAKE THE CAR IN SO MANY TIMES AND THE PROBLEM NOT BE CORRECTED.

Im currently still fighting with the dealer and am wondering if anyone else has had this problem... im printing out any proof that i can get that other solstice have had it too and they are not going to fix it they are wasting my time!!!! HELP

[PAO]

you will have to check with the lemon laws in FL as they apply to a used car purchase......was it a certified GM car when your bought it......its apparent you didnt get the full story for the dealership when you bought it....

as far as service....if it was sold with the remaining warranty, then you might have an stand under the lemon law.......you state the car has a water leak...but you dont state where....roof, door seals....other than the dealer replaces the same seal each time.....how about the windshield seal..or the other seals.....there was an issue with a missing seal in the firewall I believe with a few of the first 06MY sols.....if the leak is as obvious as you state, its probably not a seal..but the alignment of the top....but Im only guessing here

hope this helps

[johngarcia87]

i leaks where the roof meets the car they have changed all the seals on the car wishield truck window etc.... they have also added that extra seal they have even replaced the roof so i dont understand where this water is coming from.... it was sold as a certified gm vehicle i am so disapointed i have read other threads not only here but other places and other solstice owners have experienced the same problem and it has not gotten fixed and the dealer does the same thing give the run around. i am so fustrated at this point!

[johngarcia87]

they have aligned the top etc nothing

[BellaVerde]

Dang...I hate it, but you have been taken by a scam...you bought a wrecked car and it'll take lawyers from here on out to get it straight! Dang! One other avenue might be to get it to a reputable body shop with a body guy who knows which end of a screwdriver to use and a good eye for repaired damage. It may just be a simple adjustment, or it may involve noodling out a chain of damage that leads to the leak. If everything else on the car works, and it does not "crab" down the highway, it would be worth your peace of mind to spend a little money with a person who knows, really knows, how the Kappa is put together...and that, unfortunately, ain't necessarily a dealer.

[gz9gjg]

Hello John Garcia,

Just how early a car is it? Does it have a plastic passenger side console cup holder? (Not the one between the seats, those are always plastic.) If yes, it might be one of the GM Captured Test Fleet vehicles. Those vehicles were built during early production, with various problems that had to be fixed to make them saleable. They were driven for 3 months by GM managers and execs, then refurbished and sold as used vehicles.

But - maybe your dispute is actually with the selling dealer, not GM, if the dealer concealed damage to the vehicle and was not honest about its status / origins?

I would have a reputable collision repair shop inspect the car and document what they find.

Another avenue: Write to the General Manager of Pontiac and the owner of the dealership. Document your problems, like you did in your post.

Good luck,

Lynne
N. Phoenix, AZ

[chuckdoc]

Post the Vin number and maybe someone will tell you if it one of the wrecked cars we know about.

Chuck

[BuzzardT]

I have Family living in South Miami. While visiting I remember one of the TV Channels doing Consumer Ripoff Investigations. I think it was Ch 6 or Ch 4 . Give them a try, maybe local TV awareness may help.

[Lumix]

Save some time and get an attorney NOW. Sooner or later you'll have to anyway so you might as well get on with it. It's the only way to deal with scum without getting yourself arrested. -Lumix

[JRinKY]

Speaking only to finding the cause of the water leak: It is possible that the windscreen has been replaced and that the urethane was applied incorrectly. You have watched it leak, is the seal area where it leaks ? or is it somewhere else. I do know that there were at least two different seals used, it is possible that they have installed the wrong one.

[LatinVenom]

There are a few members here that live in Miami.
Maybe one of them could post a dealer that has a great track record.
It seems you know where it leaks.
I would have taken this car to another dealer a long time ago.

[Craig Lewis]

It sucks to hear a story like this.

It does sound like you and your dealer are in a bad spot. It seems to me that the dealer has done everything in thier power to help you. UNnerstand that they will not get paid to rip the car apart to find your issue. IN fact the price for any diagnostic rarely covers the efforts. You can't blame them for being frustrated. While that doesn't justify rude behaviour, I suspect your not a ball of fun when you go in there.

If I were in your place, I would find a top notch shop to investigate the situation. I have a local upholstery shop that does tops aswell. I would bring it to a place like that, throw them a few bucks and see what they come up with. If they do in fact find something that GM messed up on, a lawyer will be able to use it in the process. Just that information might help the dealer be your advocate aswell.

Good luck.

[russsims]

I agree with those who say go straight to an attorney, but not just any attorney--need to find one who specializes in Lemon Law/automotive consumer issues.

I know many mean well with trying to help determine where and possibly why the water leaks but who cares, not your job to figure this out. The fact is the car leaks and the dealer has been unwilling and/or incapable of the repairing the problem--period, the rest of the issues mean very little.

Need to clarify your case, forget the rude issue, but stick to the facts of your case. Hope you have written documentation of all your dealer visits so you can provide this to the attorney. Let him do what he does best to push your case first with the dealer and then legally through the courts if needed.

Lastly, know what you want out of this! Money back, or the money you paid for the car for trade in value for another one? How much is your time and frustration worth. Eventually you and your attorney will need to document damages/losses due to this matter.

Good luck.

[Lumix]

Originally Posted by Craig Lewis It seems to me that the dealer has done everything in thier power to help you.

Yes...he's done everything in his power to screw you up one side and down the other. This is standard practice at most GM dealers...because they can, and because they usually get away with it. GET AN ATTORNEY! -Lumix

[Craig Lewis]

Originally Posted by Lumix Yes...he's done everything in his power to screw you up one side and down the other. This is standard practice at most GM dealers...because they can, and because they usually get away with it. GET AN ATTORNEY! -Lumix

Maybe people don't realise that GM does not own the dealers. If GM won't pay for the fix, should the dealer have to? He didn't even buy the car there.

The car has an admited mysterious history. HMMM.

I don't believe he's done everything in his power. I scanned his posting and did not notice that he has actually contacted GM's complaint lines. That might be a great next step and likely what a lawyer is going to tell him and then send him a bill for the advise.

I expect if he goes through the process, like he should have already, some sort of resolution will come to pass. But remember, we don't even know what is wrong with the car at this point or who's fault it is. I have seen GM throw a blind eye to many fixes that they were not responsible for. In fact, if proper tactics are used, I have seen GM fix uncountable issues that were not thier doing, but flipped the bill in good faith. Showing your frustration is not going to help.

Any used car should be inspected by a third party before purchase. Finding out that every bodypanel on the car has been painted after the fact is in fact the consumers fault.