I just picked up my new '02sebring silver/black s2k. It is sooooooo awesome. My only complaint at the time of pick up is that I noticed 2 flaws with my new car.

1. A one inch scratch on my bumper
2. A paint bubble.

It was a good thing that I examined the car before leaving the lot. The sales manager was informed and agreed to pay for the repair. As for the tiny bubble in the paint - he said that it is covered under Honda warranty. The other disappointing thing is that the Honda dealer couldn't even fix it there and then. The reason was that their body shop was too busy. So, I plan to have it fix on Monday at another Honda dealer. The sales manager just told me to tell the service manager of the dealer I am going to - to call them.

It was a happy but also disappointing day at the same time.

 

Congrates ... Now it's time to endure the hard no-VTEC break in period.

 

I'm surprised your Honda dealer even has a body shop. I don't think they normally do. You might want to check out their work before leaving your new baby with them. Congrats on your new ride and welcome to s2ki International.

 

You see, the honda dealer actually sends the work out to a body shop. I also figured since they are going to fix up the small scratch and the paint bubble I might as well have them order me a front spoiler on the car.

And you are right - Its a challenge to keep the rpms below 5500.

 

no offense but, if it was me buying the new car and found those 2 flaw. i would of never took delivery.. BRAND NEW car to the body shop doesnt sound good. i would of told them to find me another 02 and wait for that one.

 

Make sure there is not other damage - the paint bubble and scratch sound very suspicous of a car that may have been damaged before delivery and fixed.... Check for overspray and other panel misalignment.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by s2ktaxi
[B]Make sure there is not other damage - the paint bubble and scratch sound very suspicous of a car that may have been damaged before delivery and fixed....

 

In most states, there is a % value of the car threshold which if a repair/repaint is done on a new car it does not have to be disclosed up to some $ amount threshold. This varies state to state. In most cases, a painted panel will fall under - and if that's all it is and is done well, it's no big deal. But if there was body damage, then the repairs are like to go over that threshold and the dealer should be disclosing it.

 

Be that as it may...

The car I owned before the S was a 1998 Mustang GT Convertible...I bought it new and was very pleased with every aspect - never would I have thought to inspect it for overspray and such...a year and a half later it got a dent at a golf course - while the body shop guy was looking at it (near the seam of the hood) he asked me to pop the hood.

"Hmmm." he says... "Who did your body work?"

I told him no one did any body work on the car - I had bought it new and cared for it like a baby! He started to show me places where the radiator mount had been hammered straight, how the stickers indicated a replacement radiator, front bumper, both front fenders, and hood. He pointed out overspray on my shock absorbers, on the styrofoam under the front bumper, and a misalignment in the headlights and fog lamps...

Virginia has a $500 disclosure law...after 8 months of fighting with the dealer and Ford and VERY in depth investigating (I am a private investigator, so that part was a little easier) we were able to determine the car was damaged when an Exploere being delivered with it rolled off the truck and took out the front end. The driver was "one strike" away from being fired, so he worked out a $4500 repair being done by a friend for $1000 and kept his stinking job!

The dealership noticed the problems upon inspection, but since it hadn't occured there, they wrote it off as "post assembly line repair prior to delivery." IT frightens me that such a category even exists!

The lesson - check ALL cars you buy (new or used) for such damage - this ended up never getting fixed to satisfaction and a trade later I was driving my '01 Silverstone.

So there IS a silverstone lining to every cloud!

 

Thanks for all your replies. I actually went through the car myself and with the autobody crew. The paint bubble is very very small which they do believe it is a manufacture painting flaw and the 1 inch scratch on the bumper was fixed. However, I had noticed a pin size nick on the passenger side view mirror but that was also fixed.

Call me crazy but I had to check every detail of the car when I picked it up. All repairs were paid for by the Honda dealer.