Two weeks ago, I bought a 2009 Nissan Altima from a dealership in Alabama. The car was advertised as a “Nissan Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle” on the dealership’s website and kbb.com.
After the vehicle was sold to me, I found out that the front passenger door lock was not operable. Additionally, there’s a large scratch on the left door that’s so deep, I can see the base metal.
Today, I took a look at the Nissan Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Inspection Form on Nissan’s website and I strongly suspect that this car has not been certified by a Nissan technician. These issues would have been caught easily if the car was truly inspected and certified by a Nissan technician:
Thankfully, I physically printed out the webpage off the dealership’s website that has the “Nissan Certified Pre-Owned Logo” on the page for the car before buying it. The webpage is currently printed out and there’s a scanned copy on my computer.
I sent emails to the management at the dealership and the Nissan company detailing these issues and my concerns that this car was not Certified Pre-Owned as advertised on the dealership’s website.
What further steps can I take to ensure that I get the fairest treatment possible?
Dealership service manager here.
I don’t manage a Nissan store and I’m on my phone so I’m not going to try and navigate the Nissan website right now.
But with said
You bought a used car. The recon process did not make it a new car. As a general manager I worked for was fond of saying We make them safe, we don’t make them new.
The scratch is probably not a show stopper to certify a used car. A bashed to shit fender probably would be. What I’m trying to say is this is a judgement call. Did you point out this scratch before you bought the car? Have you talked to the dealer about it? What was their response?
As far as the door lock goes, does it not open with the key in that door, or does it not open when using the remote?
The door lock is most likely covered under the certified warranty, call the service department and ask them.
And if you really want to know if the dealer certified the car, call Nissan consumer affairs. They should be able to access the records and tell you for sure.
Talk to the dealer is your first step. Talk to the service manager about the lock and the uses car manager about the scratch, or both items. Be nice it goes a looooong way.