Dealership isnt being co-opertive at all

[oodis]

Ever since I bought the car, they always tell me "to shut the hell up and stop complaining" but in a nice way. I dont know how to explain it but here are a few things.

I asked them how to take the annoying seat belt beeping noise out and they said there is no way other then wearing my seat belt. While reading the manual I noticed it mentioned a way to disable it. I call the dealership and talk to my salesman and he said that it was true and the reason he didnt tell me was for safety purposes. He then refused to do it himself and told me I would have to do it on my own. I really thought it was complicated but after reading the sequences over and over again, I finally managed to disable it.

Yesterday i went to the dealership about a CD error reading that I keep on getting. While talking to the salesman, I asked if the guys back there in the workshop can take my front license plate off. In MA, the red lettered plates have to have plates front and back but I asked for them to remove it and they said they cant and will never do such a thing. There is some sort of a black frame and I want to take it off completly but when I asked if there will be holes shown he said it would have them but on pics there arent any holes on the bumper. Again they refuse to do it. At this point I was frustrated and thought of them as being paranoid with certain laws. I am not an american but back home in bahrain as long as I sign a paper to take the speed beeper(beeps when i pass 60mph), governor, or front license plate out of the car then I am all set but here its quite difficult to get some co-operation going on.

Has anyone taken their front plates off? and if you did can you please tell me if there will be holes on the body? is there any bumper plugs available?
thanx in advance

 

[tbird]

Originally posted by oodis:
I asked them how to take the annoying seat belt beeping noise out and they said there is no way other then wearing my seat belt. While reading the manual
I noticed it mentioned a way to disable it.

It really isn't the service departments responsibility to teach you how to use the controls is it?

I call the dealership and talk to my salesman and he said that it was true and the reason he didnt tell me was for safety purposes. He then refused to do it himself and told me I would have to do it on my own. I really thought it was complicated but after reading the sequences over and over again, I finally managed to disable it.

Don't be surprised if he didn't know how to do it himself. After all there are not that many birds on the lot to tinker around with.

While talking to the salesman, I asked if the guys back there in the workshop can take my front license plate off. In MA, the red lettered plates have to have plates front and back but I asked for them to remove it and they said they cant and will never do such a thing. There is some sort of a black frame and I want to take it off completly but when I asked if there will be holes shown he said it would have them but on pics there arent any holes on the bumper. Again they refuse to do it. At this point I was frustrated and thought of them as being paranoid with certain laws.

Again, I have to agree that it is not the service department's responsibility to remove license tags frames, etc. They are there to service the car.


I think all the above plus your young age contribute to your difficulty with the dealership. I'm sure some of those people are jealous too!

 

[George]

oodis
Yes there are holes. The black frame was used as a template when holes were drilled about 3/4" from bottom of bumper. Then it was screwed on and the plate attached to it.
There are places where you can get hole plugs but at that, the plate will look better and no hassle from the police

 

[oodis]

Originally posted by tbird:
I think all the above plus your young age contribute to your difficulty with the dealership. I'm sure some of those people are jealous too!

Just because I am 20 yearsold doesnt make me dumb. It is their responsibility to give the customer the best service isnt it? I wouldnt of went to ask them to take my front plate off if I didnt already know that other import car dealerships do that. BMW, Audi, and mercedes, oh yes and even GM will take the front plate off with a signiture from the owner of the car stating that he or she knows that a front plate is required. There are five thunderbirds available right now at Sentry Ford in Medford, MA..... 5 .....they have no excuse for not knowing how to fix it. oh and I also got other problems like the CD error that I keep on getting, check engine light, and the passenger side's upholestry is broken off. At this point, they should be doing more instead of lying to me.
If I didnt mention my age, you wouldnt of replied the way you did. Other people post their stories and you dont say anything to them.

George- thank you for replying. Do you know of any sites or places in MA that sell the plugs to block the holes?

 

[RACERROGER]

Oodis, I don't think you can ask other people to break the law for you. If the bell for the seat belt is disabled and you are involved in a car accident, the dealer is afraid of your suing that daelership for defective mechanisms. Removal of the front license plate is a violation of your State motor vehicle laws. Would you ask someone to commit a robbery because others are doing it and you want something from the place being robbed?

Part of breaking laws that have been established for your safety are your responsibility only! Maturity brings understanding of why the laws are put into place. Owning any automobile is a responsibility to the community and to yourself.

 

[George]

oodis:
You may try a Staples or Walmart, look for Adhesive backed Bumpers. They come on a sheet.
OR; call 732-329-3200, in New Jersey, McMaster-Carr. You can buy sheets of these as follows:
9723K91 Round dome top - 100 costs $5.41
9723K11 Round Flat top - 50 costs $2.21
9723K87 Square flat top - 100 costs $8.77
I believe these only come in Black or Clear.
Personally, I would put the registration plate on the front.
Good luck!

 

[tbird]

Originally posted by oodis:
Just because I am 20 years old doesnt make me dumb. It is their responsibility to give the customer the best service isnt it?

Some people do not treat all people fairly. I had a rough time finding a dealer to even sell me a car when I was your age.

 

[joe166]

You really can't expect a dealership to expose themselves to a lawsuit because you don't want to hear a warning which is required by Federal Law when your seat belt is not fastened. Far too many times people have done "favors" for someone only to have it come back and bite them in the rear. I can just see the lawsuit now when you, or someone else gets in an accident without a seat belt on and sues the dealership because the safety equipment was disabled. I sure wouldn't do it no matter how many times you swore you wouldn't hold it against me. They probably wouldn't take off the smog equipment for you either---the nerve!!!

 

[gene]

You better get a life. And grow up. I hope some day you are in busines. And I come and harass you. It is just a car.

 

[JimmyFitz]

Oodis:

I had to have my car taken to a dealership for a fuel pump problem while I was in Boston a few weeks ago. I picked Sentry Ford simply because they were the closest to where I was working. They were very easy to work with and they did a good job for me. When I went in to get my car, they had a red premium with white top in the showroom. The salesman told me that they had sold all of their cars at MSRP and that they still had several colors available. Give them a break. If you want the license plate holder off, do it yourself (mine has one too, required by Texas state law.)

Jimmy Fitzpatrick
Austin, Texas
Blue Premium #9429

 

[whvt01]

I can see the dealers point.

Would be like you going in and asking them
to remove your emissions system just because
you don't like it.

That seat belt warning probably falls under
a federal safety act. Surprised they even
list a procedure in a manual. Make some
lawyers day about all it would amount too!

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