I need some professional opinions... or a lawyer..

[ChrisK]

So, I bought an '07 Tahoe a few months back from CarMax... it had about 23k miles on it... I started to suspect that it may have been repainted.. or some of it, because I noticed some slight orange peel effect in some areas.. but with low miles and being purchased from CarMax, I figured it might not have been the best paint job from the factory. Anyway, I also had noticed that the "LT" emblem on the driver side pillar was removed.. but there was an LT in place of the FlexFuel emblem on the lift gate.. any way, I noticed more and more little things.. The other day I removed my door trim.. starting on the passenger side.. no problem. When i got to the driver side rear door, there is a line around the trim that looks like someone sprayed clear without removing the door trim.. front door is fine..

After seeing that, i realized that it looks as though at least the rear section of the driver side from the rear door back, and the top half of the driver door.. Although I think I found a small run in the clear just above the trim on the front door while waxing.. I found lots of little specs of contaminants under the clear in that area... I can now clearly see the difference between the body paint and the paint on the rear bumper... rear bumper is smooth..

Anyway, I'm not exactly sure how much of the truck has been repainted (or maybe just re-cleared).. I am suspicious of a couple other spots. I intend to take it to a few paint shops and get them to give me written statements on how much has been painted, what it would cost to fix, what the bad paint does to the value of the vehicle... etc..

Anybody have any suggestions, professional advice or legal advice? I don't particularly want to get rid of the truck.. It took me a while to find a low mile LT that was blue with tan and black leather interior... i would like to get CarMax to pay for a new paint job though.


Thanks,
Chris

 

[Grocery Getter]

Damn, that sucks. There are some websites you can type your VIN into and get a breakdown of what rim level your truck really is and all kinds of other info. I did it a while back and don't remember which I used......

http://www.vehicleidentificationnumber.com/
http://www.decodethis.com/

 

[02Lightning]

What are the gounds you want CarMax to paint your car. Did they guarantee that the car has not be painted?

 

[ChrisK]

What are the gounds you want CarMax to paint your car. Did they guarantee that the car has not be painted?

Nope.. and I don't know what grounds I have. Which is why I am asking the question. I would have returned the vehicle if I was still within their 5 day time limit. I wouldn't have found the problem if I wouldn't have removed the door trim.. I just believe they have misrepresented the condition of the vehicle.

Anyway, I don't really expect them to paint the entire vehicle.. maybe just fix it.. or reimburse me for what it does to the value of the vehicle.. I dont know. I'm sure neither is realistic... To be honest, I don't expect much from them... They actually ran it in to a gate in the wash bay when I bought it.. cracked the headlight mount and the front bowtie.. they repaired it, but refused to give me a loaner car because it was "cosmetic"... I had to contact their corporate office to get a loaner..

I was just hoping someone might have a suggestion as to what rights I may (or may not) have.. or how I should approach the problem..

 

[jeffbco]

Nope.. and I don't know what grounds I have. Which is why I am asking the question. I would have returned the vehicle if I was still within their 5 day time limit. I wouldn't have found the problem if I wouldn't have removed the door trim.. I just believe they have misrepresented the condition of the vehicle.

Anyway, I don't really expect them to paint the entire vehicle.. maybe just fix it.. or reimburse me for what it does to the value of the vehicle.. I dont know. I'm sure neither is realistic... To be honest, I don't expect much from them... They actually ran it in to a gate in the wash bay when I bought it.. cracked the headlight mount and the front bowtie.. they repaired it, but refused to give me a loaner car because it was "cosmetic"... I had to contact their corporate office to get a loaner..

I was just hoping someone might have a suggestion as to what rights I may (or may not) have.. or how I should approach the problem..

Did you get anything (like CarFax) from them that would say "no accidents" - if so then maybe you'll have a stronger position to get something done. Here's what their website says:

Free Vehicle History Report

You can get the full vehicle history of any car on our website, for free—just click the Vehicle History Report button on the car's information page. Provided by AutoCheck, the nation's leading vehicle history reporting service, the report covers everything from title history to odometer reading to vehicle condition. All of which means you get some valuable peace of mind, especially since every CarMax vehicle also comes with a Clean Title Guarantee.

 

[007fl]

If you don't have something from them stating the condition and history of the vehicle you're pretty much screwed.
But really, I know it's a biotch, but how bad could it really be if you didn't know it for sure until you took the trim off and inspected it really close.
See about having it buffed down and re-cleared. You'll probably be fatt after that.

Good luck.

 

[road1will]

Unfortunately, you really have no ground to stand on here. You're pretty much SOL. CarMax just guarantees that the car has a clean title. Not that it hasn't had body work.

 

[SSpinball]

you bought a used vehicle, it was up to you to inspect before hand.
you have no grounds, for recourse, Car Max will laugh.

 

[tsuintx]

Pretty sure the issue has been cleared in the 8 years that have passed since OP posted the thread.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

you bought a used vehicle, it was up to you to inspect before hand.
you have no grounds, for recourse, Car Max will laugh.

This thread is 8 years old...