yogagrannie

I need the help of some experts. Being a woman I totally expect to be taken advantage of in my situation.

Last Thursday I took my 2001 Vet into a dealership to have my air conditioning repaired (compressor). The car stayed overnight when we had terrible, horrific thunderstorms accompanied by almost 3 inches of rain.

I picked up my car Friday afternoon & found my two drying towels in the floor board of the passenger side wringing wet (?????). Saturday morning I had an appointment with a detailer so I opened my glove box to remove any personal items. There was almost 2 inches of water in it. The items inside were ruined. Again.............what happened ?
When I started the car up I happened to glance over to the passenger side and saw streaks from the front of the door panel continuously to the back of the door panel where rain had drenched it. I have 2 pictures but do not have means to download them. (I can send them in a text). I am not exaggerating when I say the door was drenched. Evidently my passenger window had been down to some degree the night of the storm and no one at the dealership had told me. Who does something like that?

After taking my vet to the detailer, he called me not once, but 3 times later. He said, "the leather passenger seat was soaked, the carpet was soaked, there was almost a pool of water under the seat & there was a small amount of water in the consol." ( I had just replaced the $3,000 computer under the passenger floor board.)

I called & left messages at the dealership knowing there would be no response until Monday. I called my insurance company Monday morning and reported the incident. The dealership denies any wrongdoing (I must have a leak), but agreed to take the car, check for any damage, & provide me with a car.

My insurance agent said that after the rain was in the car & the car closed back up, it bacame a "humidifier", and possibly all of the electronics could be compromised. What about the leather seat, the carpet, the electronics in my door & seat, & possibly the computer under the passenger's foot well?

Please help. How do I protect myself from possible future problems? What should I make sure is checked for damage?

Thank you so much for any advice you can give me.

MSG C5

Sorry to hear about the damage. Do you own a convertible or coupe/hard top?

The reason I ask is obvious. Most dealerships drop at least the drivers side window just in case they accidentally lock the keys in the car, etc. they may have forgotten to raise it when they parked it outside for the night.

Also, did you point out the damage or at least the wet towels when you took delivery from the dealer? That would have been the best time to confront them on the damage.

runner140*

This is the time to contact an attorney who specializes in this sort of thing (personal injury), A well worded letter from your attorney might motivate the dealership to do the right thing.

KillSwitchNY

WOW, It seems to be impossible to find an honest repair shop. The dealership especially. It's always lies, the tech that parked the car probably had the windows open and they were probably well aware of what they had done wrong when they got in the car after it rained. I'm sure it felt like a rainforrest in there with all that water. What is confusing is how the water got in the glove box. I guess the only proof you would have that you DO NOT have a leak is to have the car checked for leaks. I would also point out the fact that it is a Corvette and you personally store it in a garage and never drive it in inclimate weather so there was no reason for them to have left it outside in the first place.

rebelheart

I have worked in dealerships for over 40 years and never have heard or seen this practice!

DSTURBD

One question....If the dealer did nothing wrong and had no idea of the situation,....if your car just has a leak,...then how could your drying towels get into the passenger floorboard?!?!?!?!?

Oh, wait, I know!!! They were afraid of the thunder and lightning and crawled down there all by themselves to hide!!

Like was mentioned above, this could turn into a lot of money as problems from the water begin to gradually appear!! It just might be worth talking to a lawyer, at least to find out what your options are.

Other questions. Has it rained again since? Can your detailer corroborate your story? Can he show that it had to have been more than a leak?

Sorry for your trouble!! These kind of situations can be infuriating!!!

DSTURBD

dadaroo

You need to get an attorney. You have thousands of dollars in damage. You may want to also consider having the detail guys soak your car with water hoses to demo that the window(s) were down. They would need to be willing to go to court also. We feel for you but I think they would take the same approach if you were a man.

MSG C5

Then you haven't worked at the dealerships I have brought my last two daily drivers to for the past 15 years. Every time the car is returned to me the drivers side window is open. The first thing they do after I pull into the service area is drop the windows when they are writing down the mileage, etc.

How about some constructive advise for the OP based on your experience?

MSG C5

I think the OP is going to have a hard time with the dealership. Hindsight is 20/20, however it's necessary to inspect your Corvette (or any car) upon delivery or pick-up of the vehicle. Her case against the dealership would be much stronger if she would have been able to point out the water/moisture/glove box, etc. at the time she picked it up. She may have had a nice audience of customers as well.

Driving it home and then to an auto detailer only adds more time and more hands to the equation.

GHL4505

When ever I picked up my car from the dealer the window was usually down 3 or 4 inches.

It seems to me that while in the care of the dealer they are responsible for it, may it be rain damage or someone backing into it. Get an attorney ASAP!

yogagrannie

It's a coupe & the solid silver colored top was in. I reported the towels the next morning & contacted my insurance agent Monday.

Vetteman Jack

If the dealership refuses to accept responsibility, your best bet is the see if a lawyer can give you some good legal advice. This could run into a huge repair bill for you if you pay for it yourself.

El original

Will wait to see what the dealership has to say about the issue. Your car probably is not the only one damaged in this storm at the dealership. When you leave a car for repairs it is the dealerships responsibility at that point and THEY have insurance too! Keep us posted and good luck. Greetings, Rob

jrose7004

Sounds like the dealership left the window down and won't fess up! I'd have a lawyer contact them immediately.

Virtual Geezer

It would take one helluva leak to create 2 inches of water in the glove box! I agree with others here -- the passenger window was left at least partially open. And someone at the dealership knew it -- that's why your towels were used -- they didn't get there by themselves.

Keep us updated and good luck!

PS -- They would have pulled this crap on a guy, too.

ACR Z06

That's enough evidence right there. Get a lawyer!

4SFED Z

Hope you have everything documented. Pics/statements/documentation etc.

rebelheart

Once you took your car away from the dealership they are pretty much off the hook as they have no control over what happens from that point on.If you didnt point the problems out before you left,a lawyer isnt going to help.

GBsC5Vert

I kinda agree with Rebelheart here, but depends on relationship you have with dealer. Back in the day, I would buy a new GMC pickup every couple years, from same dealer. On one occassion, I had dropped off my truck for some warranty work, picked it up a few days later on a Friday, drove home and parked it. Next day went to wash truck and noticed some damage to one of the rear fenders. Called my service advisor that Saturday AM and told him what I found. Brought truck back to dealer that Monday, and they took care of the repair at their cost. Now every time someone takes their vehicle there for service, they walk around the car with the owner, marking down any current damage on the service order....for their, (dealer) protection. I still get razzed by the service writters when I go there. They tell me that I caused them extra work now. lol

Hope you get taken care of in some way.

jpalamar

I think your out of luck since you didn't report this extensive of damage before you drove the car off.