OK guys this is pretty short but if we need details I can give them, here it is. Our local KIA Dealership got bought up by one of the richest most politicaly connected man in AZ (he has lots of Dealerships).
My neignbor came over with a problem on her KIA and said it was ongoing and she wanted to kow if I thought it should be covered under warranty. I told her the Dealers records about her car would clear this question up, here is where the crazy part starts. My neighbor told me that the new owner is telling all old customers that the previous owner took all customer records with him and you will get warranty consideration for a previous customer pay repair only if you can present YOUR copy of the repair, is this pure B.S.?
It could be pure B.S. but with a corporate change this means the new owner would not likely be liable for any repairs performed by the previous owner; records or not.
So how about some details on what was done and does your neighbor have her copy of any repair orders? If she does not, then why not?
Why should a new dealer take someone’s word that this, that, or the other was done without seeing some proof?
It was evap and fuel filling issues. KIA put out a TSB for P2422 and she had some repairs that made her pay for a Fuel Tank Pressure Sensor (less than a year ago) and she has been dealing with fuel filling issues (these seem to be fixed). She keeps getting the P2422 code.
Yes she does have all her records so she is in the clear but I wonder if the thinking of the new owner is that half the people won’t be able to find reciepts and they will be able to bail on at least some customer pay issues.
The part that stinks to me is, who buys a Dealership and not get the records for repairs made to the Dealers customers cars? They are not backing down from their claim that the old owner will not give the records, myself I think it is bull that the old owner had a bonfire with the old records, but I do remember when all the "W’s’ turned up missing from White House keyboards when Bush 41 left office.
By the way, my neighbor is north of 70 so there is nothing going on “that way”
Delete, Re-format hard drive. All records gone…Nobody saves paper records anymore…
If I were taking over a dealership I’d want those records too but everyone has their own methods. There’s no way of knowing if the records were ditched or not but the bottom line is that the dealership is under a new owner and would be incorporated as such.
This would mean the new guy is under no legal obligation to honor one bit of work performed by the previous owner; even if the records on this car were piled on the service writer’s desk.
I’m just undecided about this. On the surface it stinks and I’m leaning towards it being a bit of B.S. but what can you do?
Due to her age, I’m assuming (rightfully or wrongfully) that this is a late model car with comparatively low miles. Would it be possible for her to contact Kia’s regional office and drag them into this? Maybe an answer could be gotten about those records or possibly Kia could step in and perform a good will warranty?
She is not really complaining about much and still wants to use the Dealership, so who am I to make a stink? My main point was about the believ ability of the story about the missing records.
Caddyman is correct. Car dealerships no longer retain paper records, and all their service records would be on a hard drive or other memory device. Whether intentional or accidental, it would be very easy to delete all service records with a few key strokes.
Oh, and the infamous “W incident” with the White House computer keyboards?
The claim was that the Ws on the White House computer keyboards were removed just prior to Dubya’s entry to the WH–supposedly to confound his new staff.
The problem with that tale is that it never happened.
This was just the first of a long chain of disinformation efforts by Dubya’s lackeys.
Records are an asset of the busines. Responsibility for supporting warrantees, whether factory or dealership, are a liability. The new owner of a business of this nature normally assumes all assets and liabilities. The values of these are negotiated in the purchase.
The only caveat were if the dealership had gone bankrupt and been either reopened as a new business or auctioned in liquidation.
It is fortunate that she kept all her service records and receipts. I will continue to do so. Relying on the dealers records is too risky and the owner is responsible to maintain the service history not the dealer.
The info on her car is likely in multiple data bases now. Kia should have records based on the VIN # at least.
What happened to the dealer records? They could have been deleted in error. The previous owner was perhaps “unhappy” with the deal he got from the new owner and did not turn over the records. Or, the whole thing could be a BS story and the new owner is trying to dodge warranty claims to save money. If Kia doesn’t pay much for warranty work the real issue may reside with how Kia treats its dealer network.
Sounds to me like total BS.
Though I do leave open the possibility that these customer records were only kept locally at that dealer, I actually doubt it.
I think that it would be rare for a dealer’s service department to be disconnected from some form of centralized, corporate database. Call a whole different dealer and ask if they can look up service records by VIN #.
It depends who the warranty is through. If it’s through KIA, any dealer will be able to handle it. If it’s through a third party provider, look at the original warranty paperwork for their contact info and give them a call.
A year after I purchased my first car (used), I had a major engine problem. By then, the dealership had closed. I thought my warranty was useless, so I pulled the motor myself and sent the engine to the machine shop to be repaired. Years later, I was going through old paperwork and discovered the warranty paperwork. I never realized my warranty was really a car insurance policy and that policy was through a company that had nothing to do with my old dealership. When I did the work on my car, it was still under a warranty that was valid at any dealership or repair shop. Hey…live and learn.
States may be different, but I would think it would be worthwhile to ask the question of responsibility of service record keeping after a sales transaction from your state web site. Whether there is or not, a public disclosure of this practice certainly isn’t going to help future sales and service for this guy and could be brought to his attention.
About the “no paper records anymore” issue. the customer (my neighbor) has her paper copy, so someone is making a paper trail at some point.
I was thinking again about this, if you goal was to reduce the number of customer pay jobs you have to take over the warranty on, would it not appear better to say “sorry we did not get your records” rather that the blunt “new owner has no responsibility to you. would you like a cup of coffee while you wait on your car?”
The concern is not over warranty work which I agree should be recorded at more than one place, but customer pay work (all though it was done as instructed by a TSB, I am aware TSB’s are merely informative).
Anyone think it strange that the neighbor just accepts that the 'records are lost" perhaps other more important issues to her (her husband has Alzsheimers and lost a leg at Bastonge so she is dealing with a lot, has been for years).
To me the issue is simple: is the new owner legally liable for the obligations of the previous owner. If it was a normal buyout, the answer is yes. If it was a normal buyout, the records as an asset of the company are also in posession of the new owner. If the previus owner was charging the costs of repair work as operating expenses, and I’m sure he was, he’d have needed the records for tax purposes…and the new owner will need them also.
Again, if this is actually a whole new business that’s taken over the old site, that would not apply. I seriously doubt that, however, if the franchise is the same and the inventory remains.
I’d contact the Consumer Affairs Division of the State Atty Genersl’s Office. They may be interested in this.
I suppose that the old dealership office staff could have been so unprofessional that they did not make routine back-ups, but I doubt it. I’d bet that there are tape, CD or DVD records for everything.
Tell the AG that the biggest businessman in the state is not on the up and up? heck they probably play golf together (or go to “bondage theamed strip clubs” together)
You probably wouldn’t have gotten much out of the warranty company anyway. Most policies have a lot of fine print.
The large print giveth, and the fine print taketh away.
My comment was based upon what is in the news, just turn on the TV or open your browser, there is the story.