Be careful at Collings Mercury in Indianapolis

[Scott Leininger]

First I know some will say I'm whinning but when I buy a car that stickers for 36,000 I would expect better treatment.
I bought my 04 DTR on July 12th. I dealt with a sales man named Jim Beard. I wasnt happy with the deal I recieved on my trade but I was in a bind and that is my own fault.
During the Negotations of the car, I asked salesman Beard about the trunk organizer option and throwing it in. He said they should be able to do that. The day I was signing the paperwork I again asked if they were throwing in a trunk organizer. Beard said they couldn't but that they could get me one. I then told him I had talked to my local Ford dealer and they said they would sell me one for $213.00. Beard then told me that they would get me one well below that price and he would call me the very next day. During the signing of all the paerwork I looked at the car as best I could to make sure there were no problems. It was raining and the car was parked under a unlit canopy and I didnt notice anything at that time.
The next day I never recieved any calls about the trunk organizer as promised and didnt for over a week. Beard then left me a message saying the price was $279.00. This was not "well below" the $213.00 we had discussed the day of the purchase. Needless to say I wasnt going to pay 279.00 and drive 45 minutes when I could get it at $213.00 only 5 minutes away. After that I checked on the net at a offical Lincoln Mercury website, they priced the organizer at $250.41. Im wondering why is the dealership wanting to charge me $279 for the same part off an offical Mercury website at $250. ???? Especially after giving them my business.
Two days later I started cleaning the car up. I never use automatic car washes and only the best micrfiber towels and equipment from Griots Garage. A friend started going over the car while I detailed and asking me if the dealership was going to fix the scratches. I said "what scratches"????
He showed me scatches on both front fenders where an air hose or powercord had been rubbed on the fenders. I started looking at the whole car and found more scratches, large ones on the hood, and rear passenger door and the ones already metioned on the front fenders.
Being it was my first day off since I got the car, I started looking very closely. I noticed the Wipers would not go down to the rest position and the front driver's seat fabric wasnt attached underneath. There was aslo a very heavy film all over the inside of the front windshield and some dried adhesive right in my sight line. I tried 3 different types of glass cleaner and over 2 hours and 3 different types of paper towels and the film and residue would not come off.
I then got a message from Beard saying he had heard I wasnt very happy and wanted me to call him. I did call him and told him about the scratches, windows, seat, and wipers. I aslo asked about the trunk organizer and why were they charging me $279 for what was listed on the mercury website for $250. He did not know. I also asked him about him telling me they would get an organizer much below the $213 price quoted by my local dealer. He didnt know. Beard then said he would check with the service manager and call me right back. After waiting for two hours, Beard finally called me back. He then told me that they would sell me the organizer for $250. As for the windows and scratches, he said that the service manager said those would not be covered under warranty. I tried to explain that the car had never been left unattended, was parked in a garage every nite, never run though an automatic wash, and that the scratches were there when I got the car. Beard said that I could bring the car down and they would fix the wipers and seat, but the windows and paint were not covered under the warranty according to the service manager. Beard did say to bring it down and they would look at it but it was doubtful.
I told Beard if they werent going to cover the paint and windows under warranty then why would drive 45 minutes to have them do what my local Ford dealer could and declined.

I guess I learned a valauble lesson. The next new car I buy will be gone over with a fine tooth comb before it leaves the lot even if it means telling them to give me a well lighted bay and an hour,and if a dealership cant throw in a $250 organizer on the sale of a $36,000 sticker car, then go somewhere else. I was also told once that it was just a car and wasnt perfect. I told them for the price, it should be. I know I am demanding on my cars, but I also want to get the best for the price as I work hard to pay for it.

[klmore]

Sorry to hear about your problems. Maybe with a little TLC you can fix the scratches and enjoy you MM.:burnout:

[Scott Leininger]

Ive been buffing for 3 days on one fender. Better but still visible.
Thanks though.

Sorry to hear about your problems. Maybe with a little TLC you can fix the scratches and enjoy you MM.:burnout:

[TheDealer]

Scott, sorry to hear of you problems. Working in this dealership for 35 years has taught me a lot. I could never understand someone picking up their new or used car in bad weather or at night. I would only pick mine up in bright sun light. I have also learned to not trust anyones word. When I went to buy a house I spoke to my lawyer, he told me not to tell him what someone said but to have it in the agreement of sale. We here at NE L&M give every customer a "WE OWE" slip. It states anything we owe you or if nothing is owed it says"Nothing Else Due". This protects us and the customer form a salesman that might make promises we can't keep. If he told you that he would sell you something at a given price it would have been on our "WE OWE" slip. We have salesmen that have over 30 years here and some with 15-20. We also have the floaters, they stay for a few weeks or a few months. These are the ones we can't trust. This is the reason for the "WE OWE" slip. He can't make promises we can't keep. It protects the customer and us.

RAY

[jaywish]

Hi,

I don't know what you are buffing with but generally these cars are noted for thin clearcoat. I believe the 04's have better paint. I'm sure some folks will chime in on this.

Anyway, carefull with the buffing.

There are good products like 3m finishing products for black/dark cars that may help. Get it looking pretty good then try a 3M wax. Maybe all will look fine.

There are many other products which all have strong followings around here but the 3m is almost an industry standard and should be good enough for the moment at least.

I hope soon you will have a chance to rate the dealer.

Try not to let your just anger at the dealership spoil the experience of haveing made a great choice in a car.

Good Luck and most of all....
Enjoy the ride.

Jay :2thumbs:

[mdmarauder]

If you are still looking for a trunk organizer let me know. I have one in mine two month old 2004 MM, I'd like to sell it. Send me a PM.

[Scott Leininger]

They gave me one of those slips. I learned a painful lesson. Im not wealthy and this is only my second new car in my life, so I try and take care of them expect them to be in perfect shape. Mybe i am expecting too much these days. I tend to believe people who shake your hand and smile and say " we'll take care of you".


Scott, sorry to hear of you problems. Working in this dealership for 35 years has taught me a lot. I could never understand someone picking up their new or used car in bad weather or at night. I would only pick mine up in bright sun light. I have also learned to not trust anyones word. When I went to buy a house I spoke to my lawyer, he told me not to tell him what someone said but to have it in the agreement of sale. We here at NE L&M give every customer a "WE OWE" slip. It states anything we owe you or if nothing is owed it says"Nothing Else Due". This protects us and the customer form a salesman that might make promises we can't keep. If he told you that he would sell you something at a given price it would have been on our "WE OWE" slip. We have salesmen that have over 30 years here and some with 15-20. We also have the floaters, they stay for a few weeks or a few months. These are the ones we can't trust. This is the reason for the "WE OWE" slip. He can't make promises we can't keep. It protects the customer and us.

RAY

[Scott Leininger]

I am using only very very fine polish from Griot's Garage. I think the quality of thier products is the best. If you havent tried Speed Shine, its great. Just spray on and wipe off. Best stuff I've ever used. if youre a car nut , go to thier website, thier products are pricey but I think worth every penny.



Hi,

I don't know what you are buffing with but generally these cars are noted for thin clearcoat. I believe the 04's have better paint. I'm sure some folks will chime in on this.

Anyway, carefull with the buffing.

There are good products like 3m finishing products for black/dark cars that may help. Get it looking pretty good then try a 3M wax. Maybe all will look fine.

There are many other products which all have strong followings around here but the 3m is almost an industry standard and should be good enough for the moment at least.

I hope soon you will have a chance to rate the dealer.

Try not to let your just anger at the dealership spoil the experience of haveing made a great choice in a car.

Good Luck and most of all....
Enjoy the ride.

Jay :2thumbs:

[Mike Brown]

Hi Scott
I also purchased a DTR 04 From Collins (4/23/04) the saleman name was Tim Hembree. I wanted to a DTR without a moom roof, he found one at Angola Ford Mercury made a trade for the and I had it in 2 days. When I picked it up I noticed some scraches on the car he had the car prep guy remove them while I waited, I don't know what he used but he removed them by hand. Tim took the time to tell me about Kenny Brown and he also logged onto mercurymarauder site to show me how to join. I do not know if it will help calling Tim but I would give it a try.

[Fourth Horseman]

Only dealt with them once, when I was back there for MarauderVille II, and it was only for an oil change. That experience was positive, as they let NavChap and I back into the service bay to watch them install his watts link bars.

I had a similar experience at my dealership here in SLC, though. Nothing with the paint or anything like that, but with them promising something before sale and then flaking out afterwards.

I agree with what others have said above: definitely get everything in writing or you've got nothing. It's too bad it has to be that way. I'd pay a higher price at a dealer that I knew I could trust, personally.

[Scott Leininger]

I will admit I've heard nothing but good things about Tim. That just what I thought is how hard would it be to roll the car in and take care of the scratches.

thanks, scott

Hi Scott
I also purchased a DTR 04 From Collins (4/23/04) the saleman name was Tim Hembree. I wanted to a DTR without a moom roof, he found one at Angola Ford Mercury made a trade for the and I had it in 2 days. When I picked it up I noticed some scraches on the car he had the car prep guy remove them while I waited, I don't know what he used but he removed them by hand. Tim took the time to tell me about Kenny Brown and he also logged onto mercurymarauder site to show me how to join. I do not know if it will help calling Tim but I would give it a try.

[jstevens]

I know how you feel friend. I like my muscle car but will most likely buy something else next time. This was my first and maybe last Mercury after being treated this way for purchasing a car that cost the equivalent of a Cadillac.

[Bigdogjim]

Scott: More buffing will wear down the paint till nothing is left.

My selling dealer did this to mine. Finally got a "full" re-paint:) (long story)

Take it back to the Dealer where you got it, bypass the sales guy and see the service manager direct, talk one on one with him. Then go to Mercurys 800 #.

Give the selling Dealer every chance to correct the problem.

Last and most important....WRITE EVERY THING DOWN, DATE, PEOPLE,etc....

Godd luck!

[duhtroll]

Don't take this as a flame, but you should have inspected it more closely when you bought it. They could easily come back and say that you had a chance to have this paint stuff done before signing. Of course, that would be extremely rude, but they could do it. I am not sure but they can probably still technically call it a "new" car with a few scratches, just like they can call it "new" after being a dealer demo with less than 6K or so miles on it. (Ask me how I know THAT one) :uzi: (not my car but cost me a trip to a dealership on a "new" MM) :shake:

That said, I feel they owe you some work, regardless.

One thing I have learned about these type of situations.

With anyone who has something you want or need - especialy those that are busy, it is their primary goal to not be hassled. I know it's 45 minutes, but you don't call, you show up when you know he will be there. It's one thing to snub someone over the phone, but it's entirely different to snub you in person when you can easily walk down the hall to the sales manager's office.

I would be friendly and polite, but I would insist that they fix everything. Be in their face, but politely. Make them understand that you will keep coming back until everything is fixed, and that you are the burr in their butt until you are happy.

Nicely, though.

This is a new car. They should fix everything or give your money back.

I have had this problem with other things, so the end of every conversation ends with "that's OK, I'll check on it again when I'm here on Tuesday." It lets them know I will keep bugging them until it gets done. If they were far away it would have to be a day off, but these days this is sometimes the only way to get satisfaction from some people.

I bought my MM from a dealership 1.5 hours away. They accepted my verbal offer over the phone, and I made an appointment to pick it up that following Saturday. I told them to have everything ready to go, and to have the car "perfect" for my test drive because I was trying to sell my wife on the purchase and she was coming along.

It was sitting in front of the main entrance, freshly waxed. Before even entering the building, I gave it a good 15 minute once-over, bending down to check light at all different angles. I was told by a young salesperson that it was already spoken for, and my reply was, "Well, we'll see." :D The look on his face when I drove it off the lot for the test drive was kinda neat.

-A

[hbarrett]

Without an agreement in writing about the organizer you are completely at the mercy of the dealer. As for the scratches, I would not stand for that. Regardless of what the dealer claims, they are obligated to repair the scratches that they obviously caused. I wouldn't try to buff them or change them in any way. Contact Mercury customer service and explain your problem. As long as they authorize the repair, the dealer should not have a problem with some clearcoat repairs. My two cents!
First I know some will say I'm whinning but when I buy a car that stickers for 36,000 I would expect better treatment.
I bought my 04 DTR on July 12th. I dealt with a sales man named Jim Beard. I wasnt happy with the deal I recieved on my trade but I was in a bind and that is my own fault.
During the Negotations of the car, I asked salesman Beard about the trunk organizer option and throwing it in. He said they should be able to do that. The day I was signing the paperwork I again asked if they were throwing in a trunk organizer. Beard said they couldn't but that they could get me one. I then told him I had talked to my local Ford dealer and they said they would sell me one for $213.00. Beard then told me that they would get me one well below that price and he would call me the very next day. During the signing of all the paerwork I looked at the car as best I could to make sure there were no problems. It was raining and the car was parked under a unlit canopy and I didnt notice anything at that time.
The next day I never recieved any calls about the trunk organizer as promised and didnt for over a week. Beard then left me a message saying the price was $279.00. This was not "well below" the $213.00 we had discussed the day of the purchase. Needless to say I wasnt going to pay 279.00 and drive 45 minutes when I could get it at $213.00 only 5 minutes away. After that I checked on the net at a offical Lincoln Mercury website, they priced the organizer at $250.41. Im wondering why is the dealership wanting to charge me $279 for the same part off an offical Mercury website at $250. ???? Especially after giving them my business.
Two days later I started cleaning the car up. I never use automatic car washes and only the best micrfiber towels and equipment from Griots Garage. A friend started going over the car while I detailed and asking me if the dealership was going to fix the scratches. I said "what scratches"????
He showed me scatches on both front fenders where an air hose or powercord had been rubbed on the fenders. I started looking at the whole car and found more scratches, large ones on the hood, and rear passenger door and the ones already metioned on the front fenders.
Being it was my first day off since I got the car, I started looking very closely. I noticed the Wipers would not go down to the rest position and the front driver's seat fabric wasnt attached underneath. There was aslo a very heavy film all over the inside of the front windshield and some dried adhesive right in my sight line. I tried 3 different types of glass cleaner and over 2 hours and 3 different types of paper towels and the film and residue would not come off.
I then got a message from Beard saying he had heard I wasnt very happy and wanted me to call him. I did call him and told him about the scratches, windows, seat, and wipers. I aslo asked about the trunk organizer and why were they charging me $279 for what was listed on the mercury website for $250. He did not know. I also asked him about him telling me they would get an organizer much below the $213 price quoted by my local dealer. He didnt know. Beard then said he would check with the service manager and call me right back. After waiting for two hours, Beard finally called me back. He then told me that they would sell me the organizer for $250. As for the windows and scratches, he said that the service manager said those would not be covered under warranty. I tried to explain that the car had never been left unattended, was parked in a garage every nite, never run though an automatic wash, and that the scratches were there when I got the car. Beard said that I could bring the car down and they would fix the wipers and seat, but the windows and paint were not covered under the warranty according to the service manager. Beard did say to bring it down and they would look at it but it was doubtful.
I told Beard if they werent going to cover the paint and windows under warranty then why would drive 45 minutes to have them do what my local Ford dealer could and declined.

I guess I learned a valauble lesson. The next new car I buy will be gone over with a fine tooth comb before it leaves the lot even if it means telling them to give me a well lighted bay and an hour,and if a dealership cant throw in a $250 organizer on the sale of a $36,000 sticker car, then go somewhere else. I was also told once that it was just a car and wasnt perfect. I told them for the price, it should be. I know I am demanding on my cars, but I also want to get the best for the price as I work hard to pay for it.

[Nathan]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience at Collins. I bought my Marauder at Crossroads L/M on the southside of Indianapolis. While I can't say that it was the best new car buying experience I've had, it was definitely better than the experience that I suffered through after I leased my 2000 Lincoln LS from Dellen L/M on the northside of Indianapolis.

Dellen sold the dealership within a week of leasing me the Lincoln and managed to never send me the titlework. When I contacted the dealership to take care of it, they told me that they weren't able to help me because they weren't the same company that leased me the vehicle (and that basically they didn't give a crap because they were already remodeling the dealership to start selling Hondas???) I was able to get it worked out after contacting another Dellen dealership, but it left a pretty icky taste in my mouth. Honda??? WTF?

[carfixer]

Scott,
Next time you call, talk to the sales manager and threaten them with bad scores on the survey. That works every time at my dealership. The service manager doesn't care, he considers it a sales issue and he only cares about service scores.

[Merc-O-matic]

Never forget, once you drive it off the
lot, (new car) it's yours! Scratches and all....
there is no going back.

Gotta Love it! :uzi:

[Matt In Detroit]

Scott, i noticed the same funny "adhesive" on the drivers side of my windshield too. Tried cleaning both inside and out and it doesnt go away. It almost looks like its in the glass or the glass is etched by something. Mine isnt in the line of sight though, its along the pillar.

[Scott Leininger]

I finally got mine clean. Take OOOO steel wool and window cleaner and start scrubbing. Use only 0000 or finer steel wool adn be careful not to get into the trim around the edge of the window. Took serverl times but finally it came off.

Scott


Scott, i noticed the same funny "adhesive" on the drivers side of my windshield too. Tried cleaning both inside and out and it doesnt go away. It almost looks like its in the glass or the glass is etched by something. Mine isnt in the line of sight though, its along the pillar.