I bought a 2013 RAM 2500, diesel, 2WD, Crew Cab, Long bed, white in color, about a month ago.

Great truck, love it….!! Got a deal too….. 9.8K off MSRP…. I assumed they wanted to get the 2013's off the lot…. now I'm not so sure...

Today I detailed the truck… the whole nine yards… wash, clay bar, polish with flex polisher, and then a coat of Meguir's wax/sealant.

I was over the entire truck today….. 4 times for this detail…. I noticed some troubling things and don't know what I should do about it..

1) On the passenger side, there is a distinct difference in shades of the white paint, running in a diagonal line, top to bottom, across the rear of the bed behind the wheel.

2) Behind the rear wheel on the driver side, there is a small piece of clear plastic, like a paint protector. There is nothing on the passenger side.

3) Around the edge of the passenger side, rear door jam, right where the door seals, you can feel a paint line…. you can feel the difference between two layers of paint.

4) The 1" lip of the fender, in the wheel well, that attaches to the plastic fender skirts is smoothly polished on the driver side and is rough, unpolished on the passenger side.

5) My girlfriend noticed that the back door on the passenger side seems to be a different shade of white than the front door.

6) the alignment of the truck bed is off… the tops of both sides seems the same, but the bottom of the passenger side is inboard the rear of the cab about 3/4" more than the driver side.

I have to believe the passenger side of this truck between the bed and the rear of the cab was at least repainted…. if not, damaged, then fixed, and then repainted…

This truck was sold as a new vehicle. It had 31 miles and there was no mention of any damage/ fixed issues……

My first thought was to go to the dealer, point out these issues, and then ask for an explanation… however, someone at the dealer knows this truck had work and I can't see them admitting to it now, that they sold it as a new truck..

I'd like some suggestions on how to go about checking this out and/or handling this with the dealer….

Thanks..

 

My advice would be take it to a reputable body shop, and have them look at it. Preferrably not one down the street that they might use. They will be able to tell you if someone has wrecked and repaired it, or painted it.

IF they do tell you it has been...do not call the dealer. Call Chrysler first.

 

Great advice! If not factory paint, maybe scratched during transport and repainted. Happens all the time, it happened to me (1989 gmc) and the dealer owned up to it. I kept the truck but the difference in the paint really showed up more as the truck got older. It still is considered a new truck, not sure they'll do anything other then some comp seervices. My 09 ram has a ding on the rear fender that looks like it was done from the inside. My buddy has a body shop and he said it was probably a paint-less dent removal by the factory or dealer that didn't last. I just live with it.

 

TNtech thanks for the advice……

I have a body shop I used to paint the hood on my old corvette a few years ago…. it had excellent recommendations from numerous vette owners and they did an awesome job on my hood. Luckily, they are 30 miles or more from the RAM dealer… doubt their paths cross…. I'll have them check it out

Pedro Dog, thanks for sharing your experience. It amazes me that they can do body work on a new vehicle and not have to tell you up front….. BEFORE you buy….

If it is damaged/repaired, I'll most certainly call Chrysler first….

Thanks again




EDIT:

I did some research. In California, the issue of damage disclosure is covered under CA Vehicle Code, sections 9990 thru 9993.

Basically it says that if a dealer repairs damage to a new vehicle, and the cost of repair doesn't exceed $500 or 3% the cost of the vehicle, they are not required to disclose the repair. It also states that if the purchaser makes an inquiry about damage, they cannot make "untrue or misleading" statements.

Based on the law, I sent an inquiry to the dealership requesting they advise me of the damage and repairs made to my truck. How they handle my inquiry will decide what I do next. Looks like, unless the repair cost was over the limit, the best I can do is get them to fix some of the glaring issues with the repair...

Even though selling a new car with repaired damage is legal, it still seems like a sleazy way to do business….

 

Although I know a lot about working on vehicles, and have purchased many new vehicles over the years…. this is my first experience with an issue like this.

I have a separate post on this asking for assistance. Since it is now resolved, I wanted to share my experience so others like me will know how the system works

Quick recap…

While detailing my new RAM 2500 (3 weeks old, purchased with 30 miles), I found issues that showed my brand new truck had been painted on the passenger side.

Through research I learned that in Calif., as long as the damage is lower than 3% the cost of the vehicle, the dealer has no responsibility (under the law) to disclose that damage and a repair were done. Apparently, the industry standard is to keep this information secret if they can, and sell the vehicle as new, getting the best profit… even though there is body work on a "new" truck.

Knowing the laws and responsibilities of the dealer, I emailed my salesman that I saw the repaint and wanted to know what happened to my truck.

A service manager responded, admitting the damage, sending a copy of the repair bill, and told me the body shop they use (off site) backs up their work. Interesting enough, there were handwritten notes on the invoice. It said, "lot damage", someone's signature, and the vehicle cost over 3% of the vehicle cost in the corner of the invoice. Amazingly, the invoice was for $100 less than 3% of the vehicle cost, so no disclosure necessary...

I sent him the list of 6 issues I found. I asked what, if anything, could be done to make the repair totally transparent.

He set up a meeting with me , him, and the body shop to go over my concerns and how to fix it. Under the law, the dealer is meeting his responsibilities.

I still think, not disclosing damage to a brand new vehicle, is a sleazy way to to do business. But apparently it is the industry standard in new vehicle sales. I suspect the only deviation from this would be to comply with various state laws.

LESSON LEARNED:

1) You can buy a brand new vehicle that has body damage and repair, and the dealer doesn't have to disclose it to you.

2) I will now go over any new vehicle I buy with a fine tooth comb, just like when I inspect a used vehicle, BEFORE I take delivery.

I hope this saves someone from taking delivery of a damaged vehicle… or taking delivery with a hefty discount.

 

Friend of mine runs a body shop. He has found body filler in cars that the original owner says they have never had any work done to them. That tells ya all you need to know right there.

 

Any way to trade for a new one with no previous damage?

 

I still say you should have had it looked at before calling anyone at the dealer. What they "admit" to may not actually be all that was repaired.


You only see a stab wound on the surface.

 

Yep, this happens. It is unfortunate and they definitely try to hide it. I had ordered a Jeep Grand Cherokee years ago. I was excited to get it so I happened to be there when it came off the transport. As I was looking it over I noticed that it had a big scratch in the rear passenger door that had been painted over but was still obvious under the paint. I talked to my sales guy right away and he told me exactly what you mentioned... This stuff does happen and they (factory, transport companies, or the dealer) can fix it if it is minor enough and still sell it as new without telling the buyer.

Needless to say, I was a bit unhappy about this. They offered to re-fix it, but this was not a cheap vehicle and it was the first one I had ever custom ordered so I wasn't too keen on the idea of getting it with body repair. the irony is that after ordering it and waiting like 3 months for it to arrive (because I wanted some options that aren't usually ordered together so they couldn't locate one originally), after this one arrived we were able to locate an identical one 90 miles away so I was able to get it anyway. I checked that one out with a fine tooth comb...

Rob

 

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