Lawyers, man those are the LAST people you want to call in. They F everything up. When you really need one, they're worth their weight in gold. For something trivial like this (face it, in the great scheme of things this is trivial) they're like a bull in a china shop. For something like this, you'll have to pay a lawyer up front. If he ended up costing 5K is it even worth getting one?

You need to go back in and discuss this politely to their faces. Tell them you want out of the deal because they mis-represented the car. Bring a copy of the certification steps and point out where in the inspection process they should have noticed it was re-sprayed in the wrong color.

The certification implies certain things, that it's been checked over carefully and you have a reasonable expectation that the car's close to new condition. Them missing something like this means the certification's a joke.

Now you HAVE to stay calm and you don't want to mention a lawyer. You don't pull out the big guns till later. You'll want to talk to Honda first too. You don't EVER mention bringing in a lawyer. That's what amateurs do. The first sign that you've gotten a lawyer involved should be a letter from the lawyer stating what you want out of this deal.

What do you want out of this?

1) Out of the deal?
2) Some money back?
3) A repaint on the dealers cuff?

You have to know what you want before you talk to them. What would make you happy? You got spanked on the price but, you like the car so, I think start talking to them about getting out of the deal as a negotiating step then be willing to take some money back. Would 2-3K make you whole?

Accept that you may get NOTHING out of the dealer. Accept that a lawyer might cost more than you could possibly get out of the dealer.

 

Remember that the burden falls on you; proving that they knew and didn't disclose it to you. As far as the paint...maybe you could get something documented saying that the paint is in fact wrong (maybe from the bodyshop you took it to)
An attourney would be a waste of money IMO at this point. As EK9 said try and handle it with them first and know what your "satisfaction point" is. Good luck

 

Lesson learned. Next time take someone that knows what they are doing or have someone like a body shop look at it. Now go get your car painted. They may or may not have known. It may be hard to tell if it was blended well.

I just went with a friend that bought a used NSX. He took me to look at the body and paint. Althougth the painting and body work was done well, there were signs that it isn't stock. In his case the front and rear passenger fender had been replaced and his front bumper and door had been resprayed/blended.

 

If certified used by Honda, it's obvious this car slipped through 'Certification' process.

You could argue that since the blatent paint job went through and that it could also have undocumented damage history, you feel Honda's process of certification was not as advertised.

False advertising.
Failure to disclose full vehicle history (there are laws on the books for this one).


It all depends how far you want to go with this one.

 

Post a pic.

 

I am taking it to the dealer tomorrow.


I didn't check the car to be repainted for the following reasons:

a) it had under 4000 miles on it (which is why it was $$$)
b) it was certified (that too)



It's titled for Rio Yellow. And don't give me smartass remarks like 'Oh if you didn't notice [this color car] was resprayed [this other color], then it's your fault'... because if it was this damn easy to spot, the dealer would have. And they should have told me.



I don't know what I want... perhaps compensation. I don't even know if I want the car resprayed, I don't even know if I want this particular example anymore. It's just kind of disconcerting that I can get screwed over and cheated by someone to whom I just gave $27 large. I also don't want a lawyer in with this.


Blah.

 

I would be more worried WHY it was repainted. Did your body shop look over what work was done on the car? If it was repainted due to body work from an accident shouldnt that void the certification process?

 

I'd also check the VIN # on both fenders on the repaint side. If they don't match, you might have a stronger case. my .02

 

1. Did you sign the "as-is" form?
2. Did you ask whether it's been in an accident/carfax report?



Certification doesn't care for accidents; as long as everything works and that the vehicle is safe, it's certified. If you signed the "as-is, no warranty" form, then you can't return the vehicle if you change your mind. There is no "cooling-off" period. If you didn't ask for the carfax report or if it was ever in an accident, then they don't have to disclose it.

 

dude, make them repaint if it is a problem for you. That is a Honda Cert car and should have been noticed. I have a cert s2000 as well and after about three days of ownership I noticed that one of the unitread tires was on backwards

I had them fix and re-align the car

Just be polite and firm. If that doesn't work ask to speak with a Regional Manager. Tell him you are a faithful Honda buyer and LOVE Honda and cannot believe that this is even happening from a Honda. Give him the "I am a buyer for life" qoute and tell him you would like him to take care of this for you. Works for me everytime.