Remember that Ram Promaster City I bought?

Are there any FCA cars in the current GRM Press Fleet?
This would seem to be the best way to visit the dealership.

JG Pasterjak wrote: I'd throw a fat mound of Hampton Inn points at a refugee family if one of them grabbed me a windshield on their way to America.

I love your writing

Wow. At this point, you'd be better off to pull the lemon law card, and buy a Transit Connect.

I think a combination of logdog's hotline approach and your idea about calling Chrysler's press people would do the trick. Calling the press folks and asking for "tips" puts them on alert there might be a problem and you're probably going to write about it.

Talking with their consumer hotline and comparing what you're told with /to the press people and what they tell you could be a good way to expose any hypocrisy /useless hand-holding.

Are there similar supply chain issues with other Dodges and/or Fiats? Sounds like they rolled out a new model with no ability to support it. I would give them the vsn back and E36 M3can the contract unless I thought this was only a temporary issue.

T.J. wrote: I would give them the vsn back and E36 M3can the contract unless I thought this was only a temporary issue.

I dont know the particulars of Florida law but in the states I do know about it doesn't work this way. He owns the vehicle and tearing up the contract just gets him negative marks on his credit.

Supply chain issues happen even on established models. Ask any tech or parts guy how many times they hear "Its on intergalactic back order". I just waited 6 weeks for airbags on my wife's car.

The issue is the dealer let this slip through the cracks. They have ways to get situations like this handled before they get to this point. The dealer could have called their District Parts and Service Manager and said "Hey, we got a situation and need a windshield ASAP". They broke the glass and it has been treated like a back burner issue. They absolutely can pull parts off a new stock unit. I have done it many times.

In reply to logdog:

I should've worded my post better. I meant to start the lemon law process not just walk away from the deal and wreck his credit.

T.J. wrote: Are there similar supply chain issues with other Dodges and/or Fiats? Sounds like they rolled out a new model with no ability to support it.

Every OEM has does this this at least at some point whether intentional or not. Back in the early 2000's, a tech I met from a Ford dealer told me that Ford routinely shipped new models without spares in the pipeline. The focus was new then and they could not key even simple stuff like key blanks (the key blanks were a new design). So people would buy a new car, asked to buy an extra key, and be told we don't have any blanks and don't know when we will have them.

I am not excusing Fiat/Dodge. I am just saying this a industry bad habit.

I've inquired a few times about them pulling glass off of another unit in stock. They said they checked with their glass guy and he said there was about a 50/50 shot of getting the windshield out without breaking it. So I said "Well as long as you have two more in stock it sounds like good odds." They failed to see the math humor.

Yesterday I sent my Service rep my "Solve this by the time the first payment is due—somehow." demand. She's taking it to her manager today. I was very careful to note things like "31 consecutive days in your possession" etc. So hopefully they get the message.

Don't they have a van they could loan you? Or any other dealers?

In reply to Type Q:

Yeah, I imagine that this type of issue is one reason to not rush out and buy a brand new model when it comes out. How about ND Miatas? Do the Mazda sealers have windshields for those?

In rely to JG:

Good luck, I hope they take care of you and get this sorted out.

Jerry From LA wrote: I think a combination of logdog's hotline approach and your idea about calling Chrysler's press people would do the trick. Calling the press folks and asking for "tips" puts them on alert there might be a problem and you're probably going to write about it.

^This.

I would not be dealing with the service person anymore, I would want to be talking to the owner, GM, CFO or someone further up at FCA to escalate this issue. No way you want to pay for a month of use on a car that you have not been able to use! Cash out now, go get the Ford you should have bought from the beginning.

Talk to the dealership GM.

I had a similar situation happen with an RX8 getting some warranty work done at a Mazda dealer. My service rep was dinking me around, so I spoke to the service manager. He dinked me around for another week, so I called the dealership GM and explained what was happening.

All of the sudden - E36 M3 got done.

T.J. wrote: In reply to logdog: I should've worded my post better. I meant to start the lemon law process not just walk away from the deal and wreck his credit.

Ahh, I see.

Many people think you can just hand over keys and walk away. Especially with leased vehicles.

If Florida has an arbitration process it would be a harder sell to get a buyback over this. Not impossible, but harder. Its a dealer mistake, not a manufacturer defect.

Getting FCA to cover a month or two of payments and the dealer to toss in a couple oil changes should be doable.

In this type of situation, I have had remarkable luck getting a note out directly to the CEO. A nice calm, "Listen, I have this issue with your company and I can't seem to get it resolved through the normal channels, I need you to fix it by X, Y and Z." Sergio seems like a dick, though. I'd still try it.

Don't you have an identical one in the press pool? Just pull the windshield from that one.

How about providing your service rep the link to this discussion in your next communication so they see it's now gone national/international...

Sounds a lot like Ford.

Are they part of a larger dealership conglamorate? A letter and accompanying email with documentation of communication will result in cleaning house of the service manager, all advisors, the parts manager and possibly the GM. and that's before you mention the publication and calling into question how the dealership wasn't culled with the rest of the FCA ones.

It shouldn't be that hard to tell Tony to fix it again!

Just heard from dealership:

"Ok... Latest info... Talked to the parts manager... A windshield has been sent from the supplier to Chrysler, once Chrysler receives it they send it to us and the current ETA is 10/20/15"

Another month does not make me happy. Informed them this would be a slam dunk Lemon Law claim, but I'd rather solve it directly with them. Waiting to hear back on who at the dealership is capable of making a deal.

In reply to JG Pasterjak:

I order parts every week from china, and they arrive 3-4 days later. Now is not the time for them to save on shipping costs.

dinger wrote: Talk to the dealership GM. I had a similar situation happen with an RX8 getting some warranty work done at a Mazda dealer. My service rep was dinking me around, so I spoke to the service manager. He dinked me around for another week, so I called the dealership GM and explained what was happening. All of the sudden - E36 M3 got done.

We had the same problem with a Mazda dealership. We were trying to take delivery of an ND Miata, arranged for us via Mazda. All they had to do was take our money - cash - and it would leave the lot the same day it arrived. They kept trying to run credit reports and dick around. The car showed up, it sat on their lot while they went back and forth with notaries and other foolishness.

Finally, we got through to a manager. The car was released to us immediately.

What a mess!I really feel for you, man.

You really like the vehicle that much, huh? I would have made them take it back and gotten something else at this point. It looks like a sign from the Car Gods to me, and I won't disobey them again. For me in the past, when a deal fell through and I pushed it until it eventually went through, that car repaid me by being a pile of E36 M3. It's happened more than once. When the car was easy to obtain, the car ended up being a great car.

The Car Gods can be real shiny happy people, but at least they try and warn you sometimes.

SilverFleet wrote: What a mess!I really feel for you, man. You really like the vehicle that much, huh? I would have made them take it back and gotten something else at this point. It looks like a sign from the Car Gods to me, and I won't disobey them again. For me in the past, when a deal fell through and I pushed it until it eventually went through, that car repaid me by being a pile of E36 M3. It's happened more than once. When the car was easy to obtain, the car ended up being a great car. The Car Gods can be real shiny happy people, but at least they try and warn you sometimes.

This ^

Sounds like it just wasn't meant to be. I'm sure a nicely resto-modded Chevy van from the '60s will cost much less and be more fun to drive.