At least in the past (late 80's) Honda was very strict about selling a
damaged car as new. At the time, my next-door neighbor was the Honda rep
for our section of the state. He always had the classiest Hondas to drive.
All of a sudden, he was driving a new Civic rather than the 4-wheel steering
Prelude in his driveway. I asked him about this, and he said that it had
been slightly damaged during transit (a little ding in the hood, I think).
He had to put a few thousand miles on it so the car would be sold as a used
car, not new. The repair was pristine, but Honda did not want the car sold
as new.

I have no reason to believe that Honda has changed their position since
then. First talk with the dealer to try to get satisfaction. If that
doesn't help, get your local Honda of America rep and talk to him. I'll be
surprised if that doesn't solve the problem.


<curious314159@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1143921225.434162.214740@i40g2000cwc.googlegr oups.com...
>
> I just bought a brand new 06 Civic. When I took
> the car home I noticed a slight warping on the right
> side panel where bumper meets the body.
>
> I contacted the dealer and sent him photos the
> next morning. He called and said he checked his
> computer records and didn't find any indication of a possible lot
> damage/repairs.
>
> I replied, in writing, acknowledging his not finding
> any repair records prior to sale and that we were worried
> about safety features working properly and would
> always like to be informed of possible prior damage/repairs.
>
> The next morning, I got a call, that he had checked
> again -- this time with the "service" department and
> had INDEED found that there was lot repair/damage
> that involved replacing the bumper and a paint job
> and he was going to find out more about when at work.
>
> So at the end, we were sold a NEW car, that was damaged
> and repaired (with visible signs remaining) prior to sale and
> we were not disclosed this info until later. I would NEVER
> have bought this car had I known about this possibility.
>
> What are my rights as a consumer here? Repair is not an
> option for us since we bought a new car just so we can
> have a car we were sure had no prior damage! Can this be
> sufficient grounds for demanding an exchange (I only
> had the car for 2 days). The evidence is there, and acknowledged
> by the dealer. I know Honda is very meticulous about
> dealers delivering cars in good shape. Would I be better
> off going through Honda and not the dealer? We are at a
> loss as to what to do now. Any advice would be greatly
> appreciated!
>
> Ben
>