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UPDATE: Martin Automotive Group Damages my new CTS V Coupe

12K views 80 replies 34 participants last post by  hulksdaddy 
#1 · (Edited)
Earlier I shared with the community details on how my dealer, Martin Automotive Group, damaged the paint on my brand new Cadillac CTS V Coupe purchased December 29th, 2012. Since that time the car has been at the dealership for nearly 3 weeks in an attempt to correct damage done to my car by this dealer.

You can read the first two links for background on how Martin Automotive Group damaged my new CTS V Coupes black paint.

Original Thread: http://www.cadillacforums.com/forum...on/281662-dealer-damages-my-new-vs-paint.html
Interim Thread: http://www.cadillacforums.com/forum...otos-martin-cadillac-beverly-hills-700-a.html

Link to Yelp reviews for Martin Automotive Group

After damaging my new cars paint Martin Automotive Group agreed to replace all of the black chrome they damaged in the process of creating deep swirl marks and holographing in my brand new CTS V Coupe’s black paint. They also agreed to pay an independent detail house specializing in paint restoration to remove damage they did to my cars paint when they were done replacing damaged black chrome with new black chrome. I dropped my car off at the dealer on 3/4/13 to have the black chrome replaced as well as the powder-coated rim they damaged replaced. I made a special point to let the dealer know that under no circumstances were they to touch my cars paint, not even to wash the car and that they were forbidden to take a wheel or any power tools to the paint as this was to be handled by an independent third party of my choosing. They agreed to my terms and promised not to touch the paint or to detail the paint in any way. While the car was in their care I called on two separate occasions to confirm they were not detailing or washing my cars paint as I did not want them to further damage or weaken my cars already taxed clear coat. Bruce Benning the head of the service department and Pierre my service adviser both assured me they were not touching the paint.

The work was to be completed by the end of the week 3/8/13. On Friday the 8th I received a call telling me that they needed the car over the weekend as some of the black chrome pieces were taking longer to get back from the plater then anticipated. Then on Monday the 11th I was told the car would not be done until Wednesday or Thursday the 14th. Late Thursday March 14th my service adviser Pierre called to inform me the car would not be finished until Friday the 15th or Monday the 18th and that he would call and let me know when the car would be ready to pick up.

At this point I know something is wrong so I drive over to the dealer Friday morning March 15th. When I get there I ask Pierre to show me my car. He seemed unclear where the car is and calls around to find its location and asks "did someone call you to come and get you car?". He appears to be stalling and informs me the car is “in the back”. When I ask if he will take me to my car he tells me he is waiting for someone to assist us. I immediately walk to the back of the service department and eventually find my car in the detail shop where my car was in the process of being polished with the drivers side window down. The car has wet polish and swirl patterns where the polish is still moist. A few minutes later Pierre shows up and tells me the car was only polished “by hand”. He even calls the detailer over who insists he never took a wheel to my car. Around this time Bruce the head of the service department shows up and insists the car did not have the wheel taken to the paint. I then show both Bruce and Pierre wheel patterns in the still wet polish and they act surprised and call the General Manager to talk with me.

When the GM arrives I show him the polish and wheel patterns in the paint in violation of our agreement and he acts surprised. He then calls the detailer over who shows us what he used on my car- an electric polisher with a wheel. The GM then looks me dead in the eye and tells me the tool they used was not a “wheel”. I inform the General Manager whose name escapes me that I will under no circumstances take delivery of this car and that they must replace it with a new CTS V Coupe to which he informs me, “this is why we have attorneys”.

While driving home from the dealer in my ’09 Escalade I call General Motors customer service and finally get through to the 4th service specialist to handle my case. He informs me there is little else GM can do to assist me. He does however tell me my complaint with Martin Automotive Group will be “duly noted”.

I have no idea if Martin Automotive repainted portions of my car over the past two weeks while the car was in their care. I know they repainted portions of the front drivers side corner panel above the left front wheel the first time I brought the car to them to fix their mess so it would not surprise me. I also feel that at this point the clear coat is compromised and that the life of my paint will be shorter than it would be had they had not taken a wheel to the paint in the first place. Perhaps after examining the car they realized the professional detail would conclude the paint was beyond repair in spots? I can only speculate at this point why they reneged on their promise to only replace the black chrome and rim before letting a professional detailer fix the paint at their expense.

At this point I will not accept a ten-week old car that has been at the dealer for three weeks, had its paint polished 3 times with electric polishing tools to the point of destroying the black chrome and damaging the clear coat, has been repainted in places, and will need a 4th go around with abrasive polish to correct problems created by the dealer while further weakening the clear coat lessening the life span of my new car's paint. I bought a new car and paid a new car price for a car I intend to hold on to for 20 years. I did not buy a used car nor did I pay a used car price. I certainly did not purchase a project car when I bought a new CTS V Coupe on December 29th, 2012.

What is clear is that Martin Automotive Group damaged my new CTS V’s paint and then lied to cover up their mistakes. And though it’s too late now, it's clear they had zero intention of paying the independent detail house to correct my paint as they promised they would do.

As the General Manager of Martin Automotive Group has escalated this matter to a legal issue, If anyone has recommendations on how to move forward with a law suite as well as any other measures I can bring to bear against Martin Automotive Group, I would love to hear from you. In fact any recommendations at all will be much appreciated.

Link to photos taken on 3/15/13 at Martin Automotive Group showing they detailed my car a third time in violation of our agreement: http://s1290.beta.photobucket.com/user/TWD333/library/
 
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#34 · (Edited)
cdog533,
I understand what you are saying however selling the car and taking it in the shorts will not be necessary. I do however have a question for you and others.

Is it possible to conclusively determine if and where my brand new car has been repainted by the dealer? Also how do I go about quantifying clear coat damage ie: a percentage of clear coat reduction over a brand new box stock unpolished Raven Black CTS V?

Thanks in advance and thanks to all who have chipped in with great advice and support. I am overwhelmed by the fellowship and good will of this great group of enthusiasts:)
 
#37 ·
I am so sorry you feel that way based on your current situation, and I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you, TWD3! I am able to follow up on any existing case that you have begun with our Cadillac Customer Assistance Center team. General Motors takes comments like this very seriously, and I can document your concern along with your comments in your official case file, if you wish.

Best,

Katie
Cadillac Customer Service
 
#43 ·
Not to be rude, crude, & socially unacceptable, but what the heck would you do if you were in her position and your paycheck came from Cadillac / General Motors?
I think that we owe her and those that have gone before her a big thumbs up.
What do you think? Cadillac / GM gives her their pay check and says do whatever you want?
 
#44 ·
For someone in her position I believe she does a remarkable job. I have never seen a Marque monitor a forum like she does for GM. Kudos to that.
 
#45 ·
Cadillac should step in and see what can/should be done.

I work for a major manufacturer (another industry) and when we have end-users trying to use our products, sometimes they are misapplied, installed wrong, or other things, due in part to an engineering firm or integrator.
If I am brought in, called, or made aware of it, I try to help, regardless of fault. I don't want our name soiled out there, and I value our customers, whether they buy direct or not, and will take care of the why and how it happened afterwards.

So, yes, GM should poke their head into this situation. Maybe not to the buyer, but to Martin Auto Group, and make it right. Not saying they have to buy it back, but make the car right, and right now.
 
#47 ·
What I have done numerous times in the past when I felt I was being treated unfairly by company was to find the CEO or President's email address. It usually takes >30 minutes to figure it out if your fairly internet savvy. Those executives have more powerful CSR's working for them that can usually get a lot done for you that other normal CSR's cannot. This has worked for me with Verizon Wireless, Best Buy, and Samsung. Obviously this is bigger but the principle is the same. Start searching for other GM email addresses and you can usually figure out the naming convention. Search forums. Don't bother paying any service. Most of the information is out there in the public domain. Tell your story in a calm manner and say how disappointed you are at how you have been treated. Leave a phone number. Almost every time I have done this I have received a phone call back within 48 hours.
 
#51 ·
When I began reading your comments I said to myself "this guy has the idea" as this is what is done in my company. Then you posted my company, lol. It's called our corporate relation's or corporate escalations team. It's basically a small group of individuals that have the ability to do whatever they want. If you have a legit issue, stuff is taken care of quickly. If something is purchased with an outside group but bears our branding but we have no real control over than said company will receive a nice email that basically say's "take care of this for me or you will pay down the road as our professional relationship will suffer".

Something this extensively documented is not only detrimental to the dealer but to GM as well. I'm in here reading this as a potential V2 buyer and it scares me.

----------

Executive staff.

http://www.gm.com/company/corporate-officers

Most of the time their emails are just first.lastname@....
 
#53 ·
Thanks guys for all your support and good advice. The car is still at the dealership since dropping it off on 3/8/13. At this point I have no idea what they're doing to my car for nearly three weeks for work that was supposed to take no more then one. I will update as events unfold.
 
#55 ·
I don't know if it would be better to get the car out of there until a resolution is found because, you are right, you don't know what they are doing to it.
What happened to the news story?? You have to take this to the next level. You can't wait for them. You will never see the car.
I think Karch and anyone else that lives close by should go and complain.
 
#56 ·
Wow! What a story....I was routed to this thread via a posting on the ATS forum and find this absolutely incredible! I remember years ago having a $2000 disagreement with my dealership (which I really like, incidentally) on a car I bought. Wrote a letter to the dealership's owner, outlining the problem. Got a letter back in a few days; problem taken care of to my complete, 100 per cent satisfaction; no questions asked because of "...our goal of maintaining the complete satisfaction of our loyal, customer base..." Shows you that there are definitely differences between dealerships and their approach to customer issues. Incidentally, being in the news biz myself, if you want some TV exposure: Call a station's assignment desk, tell them you and your family members plan to picket and stage a protest outside the dealership on such and such date and why. I guarantee you'll get a call back and coverage; it's visual and TV stations LOVE such stories.
 
#58 ·
You really need to get your car out of there NOW. If they do work on it and you refuse to pay they can get a mechanics lein and keep it from you. They probably are throwing boogers on it or being left outside with bird poo. Go get your car dude and then settle the issue.
 
#59 ·
That's why I brought a used V. Not a perfect car, but a 9.5 / 10. Saved $20K, and don't have to worry about it. I drive it everywhere, and park it everywhere.

Most of my new car orders were just so filled with problems. Swirl marks, Scratches, chocolate bars swished into the seats, missing front shocks, bad transmissions, etc, etc. It's less head ache, and less money. And I buy the extended warrenty. and I'm done.
 
#60 ·
Read the thread about the guy who unknowingly bought a modded used V with an extended warranty to boot, blew an engine, and is now having warranty repair denied and has a big mess on his hands. Buying a used car, especially a car people love to mod like ours, is frought with risk. Even the CPO V's according to some very reliable sources on these boards are only inspected superficially.

Best way to avoid problems is to lease a new car. Always covered by warranty, and if it is problematic you get to walk away in 2-3 years with no further obligation. If it was a good car, you can buy if you want.

I sympathise with the OP's predicament in this case, but the fact is that its about paint! A relatively minor issue imho. The paint on our V's in most cases sucks anyway. I would just let the dealership fix the issue and move on and start enjoying my car. In 2-3 years you'll be ready to move onto the next badass car, V or not, and your paint will be fine. Life is full of more significant things to stress over. You got taken advantage of here. You made our community wise to this crappy dealership. Lesson learned. Time to move on my friend.
 
#61 ·
Kluch,

It's opinions like that that businesses try to pull this crap on customers. Most people go away and they get away with it. I got my pool for free and a car painted for free because I would not go away. I took advantage of no one. The company screwed up, refused to make it right and it escalated to a point where I won. There is principle here that both those guys (the engine and the paint ) Should not let it go. They are right and they should be compensated.
Just my opinion. .
 
#64 ·
Point made. And i respect it. My home was recently damaged in a fire and I had to rebuild. I guess I have adjusted my own perspective now because if i stressed about the "little things" I would've had a breakdown. I sincerely wish for the most favorable outcome in this case.
 
#62 ·
I'm still waiting for the media onslaught.

Sure it's just paint, but it's paint on a brand new car. A repaint lowers the car's value, and if the OP traded out in future, he would be raped on trade in value.

Besides, the trust with the dealership is now ruined because of this. If they screw up his paint and he lets them get away with it, what else are they going to screw up? Who else are they going to do this to?

Sorry things didn't work out with Katie. Her role here is quite limited and she does it well. She makes sure users and the dealer are connected and she can give status reports. She can pass info on to her superiors. What her bosses do with the information is anyone's guess (witness the LONG supercharger thread). At this point, the OP is fully engaged with the dealer and with GM Corporate, and hopefully with a lawyer.

Kick some ass OP! I guess local California peeps know which dealer NOT to deal with.
 
#63 ·
Do not pass go, do not collect $200, do not stand down, do everything to send those crooks to jail.
America did not get to where it is by standing down.
You will not get to where you want to be with this issue by standing down.
It's just paint. No, it's much more than that.
It's getting satisfaction for what you paid for.
It's doing more than your share of grief to help assure that
this type of customer treatment will not happen to another
person at that dealership.
If you lay down and go belly up like the village prostitute,
that dealer will continue to rape people, and and that will
encourage other dealers to do the same.

I am sure that we will hear more on this issue.
My guess would be that the dealership claimed that
they would make it right if he quip posting.
Maybe they will, but I am doubtful.
Once a crook, generally always a crook.
Good luck and best wishes of success over
this issue for the OP.
 
#67 ·
I started to look through your pictures and my initial reaction was a that a detail shop could make quick work and make this things look brand new. Mean while the consumer side of me had a boiling blood pressure, increased heart rate and accelerated breathing. I would just seek a full refund and go else where, not a repaint.

As far as detail work goes. I will be be detailing my car right away. Stock finish on these cars sucks. A good detail guy can make even a brand new lambo look like a different car.

Its just whether or not the attorney fee's and time is worth it to you. The me that is not emotional invest says to just get the car, pay a detail shop. Have everything well documented and then turn around and sue to get your money back that was spent and in legal fee's.
 
#68 ·
Here is my take on the lawyer thing. I might be wrong but...general motors has lawyers on retainer and very deep pockets. They can break you financially without breaking a sweat. The OP's beef is not with Cadillac but a dealer. I don't think the dealer has lawyers on retainer or the deep pockets and Cadillac probably won't help him. The service manager saying, "that's what lawyers are for" was either a bluff or he is a total moron. To me it would be worth an hour of a lawyers time to send the owner of the dealership a letter detailing the intent to sue and see what the reaction is.
He has to push this forward or he will never see this car again.
 
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