***Posted In The "S2000 Talk" Forum***

Hello,

I am a new member/S2000 owner and I just picked up my '06 today at CarMax. Below is some background information:

I had the vehicle transfered here from California (paid CarMax transfer fee) due to the low milage and acceptable price. The car arrived last Thursday and I test drove the car on Friday. Everything appeared great and I fell in love with it. But, I could not purchase the vehicle on Friday because CarMax was waiting for a title transfer (California to Oklahoma). This is what the car looked like on Friday:

***Placeholder: Photograph***

Well, today I got the call that the title had come in and they were able to sell me the car.

The sale went great. I had a minor issue come up but got a service request (dealer "I owe you") to take care of that issue. I signed the papers and they pulled the vehicle out on the drive. Perviously, I had asked the sales representative to remove the CarMax logo from the trunk and the front license plate frame since Oklahoma does not require a front license plate. When I walked around the car to ensure the task was complete, this is what I saw:

***Placeholder: Photograph***

If you notice, there is plenty WRONG in this photo. Firstly, those top holes are in no way stock (as you all know). Those holes were created by someone drilling in two screws (pictured in the top photo) to secure the license frame. Why would this be done you ask?, I presume because the stock holes had no threads (right of photo) and/or the screws were too large for the taps they attempted to place and use in the stock location (left of photo).

I lost it (still respectful, but very firm in language and tone) and immediately addressed the sales/floor manger.

This, to me, is "Hidden Damage." I fully understand that I transfered this from a Cali store and the state requires a front license plate, but I transfered this based off what I was told...and I was told the body had no damage. CarMax allows you to ask a Sales manager at the location you are transferring the vehicle from questions regarding the condition of the vehicle. I specifically asked if the body has or had any damage. Their response was no, the car was in great condition.

So thinking that I would get a "Holy cow, yeah we can fix that for you!" response, I was shocked when I got quite the opposite. "Sir, the vehicle is used." or "We don't know if it came to our store like that or not." That second statement really bothers me because it is an outright lie. That car got inspected when CarMax purchased it, the Cali store detailed/serviced it, when the car arrived here in Oklahoma, and when the car was detailed/service here. The other damning fact is that the license plate frame, and plaque all state CarMax on them. This lends me to believe that CarMax made the holes to attach the frame and plaque or knowingly new about the holes when attaching the frame and plaque.

So I am looking at having to have the holes filed, sanded and painted. I am going back up to the store tomorrow to speak with the Store manager after I get an estimate for costs/labor from a local body shop. I am wanting them to either repair the holes themselves or cover the costs to do so through a third party. Returning the car is still an option, as I five days to do so, but is quite the headache with financing and insurance. Plus I would be out the $750 transfer fee.

I love the car otherwise. The miles are great and the overall condition is awesome. I chalk some of this up as a lesson learned about transferring a vehicle from out of state, but in the end, this is inexcusable.

If anyone knows how much I should expect a body shop to quote me for this sort of work, I would greatly appreciate it. And if you can recommend a quality body shop, that would also be a big help. Also, if anyone has any other thoughts, please feel free to pass them my way. Thanks to all in advance!

 

Danny Myers They did a great job painting my spoiler.

Barron & Hart No personal experience with them, but have heard lots of other people recommend them and have yet to hear any negative comments about their work. A local S2000 member had them repair his car. I didn't get a chance to examine it afterwards, but here's a link to his thread that contains some pix FWIW.

As allnamestaken mentioned in your other thread, I'm not sure this would really qualify as body "damage". Carmax might claim that it leans more towards being classified as "normal wear and tear".

You could try installing OEM bumper plugs over them, but I'm afraid they probabry wouldn't cover the top holes completely, which would still allow water, bug splat, etc. to get in. I'd recommend taking it to one of the above body shops and just have the wholes filled in (go for the "shaved" look ) and that whole area sanded and repainted.

 

JulieU

 

^ David!

Doh! Robert, I just realized that you're in OKC and not Tulsa.

This is a good point (not sure how much it would cost to paint tho ). I could order you a new one for about $267 after tax thru my parts hook-up, but you'd have to come to Tulsa to get it. Maybe even better yet, you could order it from Majestic Honda for $228.76 + S&H. Just a couple of options.

 

Thanks JulieU,

It appears that CarMax is going to repair the bumper (see original post) but I wanted to thank you for the advice and research you did. I definitely appreciated it.

 

Anytime! That's great! Keep us updated!

 

carmax wanted to hire me. i respectfully declined.

 

I'd never work at another dealership. It sucks