New Prius in Northern Virginia

New Prius in Northern Virginia - Need Advice

Greetings! I just got my 2008 Magnetic Gray Pkg #6 two days ago. Got a pretty good deal from the dealership in Vienna/Tyson's Corner, Virginia on both the new car and our trade-in.

So far, I've ordered mud flaps, side body molding, all weather mats, and a Remote Tote for the key fob.

HOWEVER. . .tonight I was out looking at the car and noticed a small (nickel size) dent on the top of the car, just over the driver's side passenger's door. The paint is fine, but there is a small impression, like a door ding. My husband couldn't see it, even when I told him it was there, until I pointed it out. Once you know where to look, it's easy to spot.

I'm very disappointed by this, after being more psyched about this car than any other--including the Lexus 400h and Porsche Boxster that we bought this past summer.

I'm trying not to over-react, since I know that I'll probably have a much more obvious door ding or two very soon, since I park in a busy parking garage every day, but I just don't think I should start out with a dent.

What should I do? Forget it? See if they can/will fix it?

By the way, I love PriusChat. I was just browsing and learned that there's a drawer under the center console and a compartment in the left rear under the cargo cover. That's also how I learned about the Remote Tote. How cool! Can't wait to learn more from all you Prius experts.

 

Thanks, all, for the welcome, and the advice.

I have asked the dealer to fix the dent but so far haven't even gotten a response to my emails. It's funny how they respond immediately when you want to buy a car, but not so fast after the deal's done and you need something from them.

In the meantime, I've talked to a paintless dent guy, who says he can fix it for under $200.00. I'm going to insist that the dealer respond, but at this point I don't expect to get any assistance from that direction.

I see it as a painful reminder to look over the car very carefully before driving off the lot. Also, don't buy a car on a day when all the cars--including the one you want to buy--are encased in ice and it's freezing cold an drizzling. Those conditions aren't conducive to a careful inspection of the vehicle's exterior.

On the positive side, I absolutely love the car. I have gone a little crazy with the "accessorizing" though. Starting to feel like I need a twelve-step program for modification addiction.

I do have to tell you one kindof funny "newbie" thing that I did right after I got the car. My husband and I went out to lunch. I pulled up to a metered spot outside the restaurant, and we went in and enjoyed our meal. When we came back out an hour later, we discovered that I had left the car running (and unlocked). The car was so quiet when we parked that I guess I thought it was off, and I hadn't yet figured out that the car does not lock itself when you walk away. :wacko: So, it idled for an hour while we ate. Good thing we were in a safe neighborhood, and I wasn't expecting great gas mileage from this first, winter tank.

 

I am happy to report that the dealership DID fix the dent. They called me in response to my email and agreed to take care of the problem sight-unseen. They put me in touch with their dent fixer, who met me at the dealership the next day. He fixed the dent in about half an hour, and the repair looks so good I cannot even tell where the dent was. (By the way, the dent guy was Rob of Dent Masters at Tyson's Corner, VA, for all those in the area.)

I have to say that I really like this dealership: Koons Toyota at Tyson's Corner, VA. I'm not affiliated with them in any way--just a satisfied customer. This is the second vehicle we've bought from them, as we bought a Tacoma there in 2004. They gave us a good price on both vehicles and a very fair value for the truck when we traded it in for the Prius. We took the truck to them for all its service needs, and we were consistently pleased with the outcome. We will take the Prius there as well.

The salesperson on the Prius deal--and the guy who worked with me on getting the dent repaired--was Aiman Riyati, and the Internet Sales Manager who worked with us on the price was Ricky Jacobs. I recommend them highly. They were very professional and pleasant to work with.

Please note that this is the first time I have said/written anything nice about a car dealership. Usually, I just try to survive the experience and then put it out of my mind. However, I have nothing bad to say about these folks, even after two car buying experiences.

Oh, yeah, and I should mention that Aiman put me in touch with someone who installed all four mud guards for $40.00. Not bad.

 

Contact info for Rob at Dent Masters:

Rob Dayfield, Sales Director
Dent Masters- Paintless Dent Removal Repair Auto Body Virginia Maryland
Cell: 703-304-2229

That's all the info. listed on the card Rob gave me. However, the Web site has this additional information regarding the location I went to (there are other locations listed on the Web site as well):

Tysons Corner, Virginia
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]1572 Springhill Road[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica](Next to Enterprise Rent-a-Car & Cherner Auto Body)[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]Hours: Call for Appointment[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]Tel: 703-448-DENT (703-448-3368)[/FONT]

 

I should note also that the location of the dent prevented it from being pushed out from behind, which I understand is the preferred method for getting a cleaner fix. Instead, because it was on a support brace over the door, which is a rolled piece of metal, they had to pull it out from the surface "using glue" (whatever that means). I had been led to believe by another dent fixer with whom I spoke over the phone that a dent in that location may not be fixable. However, Dent Masters fixed it quickly and, to my eyes, perfectly.