Ferrari Missed a ton of stuff in PPI - Recourse?

Hey guys. I paid Lake forest Ferrari about $500 to check out an F430 that I bought. They missed the following things that I'm now stuck having to pay for. What's my recourse? Should I bother asking for a refund/credit or will it be wasted time.

NAV discs missing
Original key code card missing
Muffle bypass valve rattles
Driver/ Passenger window sills worn, need repaint
Cracked dome light plastic cover
Blown speaker

Thanks in advance!

 

Fugetaboutit.

A PPI is NOT a guarantee. It is not a warranty. I don't know if you signed a work order or agreement, but a PPI does not mean you are getting a perfect car. All it means is they checked this or that.

Sorry.

Dale

PS I would demand these items from the seller.

 

Yea, dump it on them and see what they say? Are you planning to use them for any service? You can hold that over their heads if they think you'll be an ongoing customer. Have an idea of what you want out of it before you go back to them so you'll get what you want. Good luck. Dealers pretty much wash their hands of PPI's these days so hopefully you can get them for a shoddy PPI that missed stuff.

 

Can't speak for others, but the independent mechanic who did my PPI did not make me sign an agreement.

 

Also seems to me that $500 is not a big price for a really thorough PPI. Especially on a pricey later model 430 vehicle. Was it the cheapest quote you got?

 

Usually PPIs are designed to check major systems, like the motor with a leak down test, air conditioning, electrical, check maintenance history, recalls and campaigns. Then maybe an overal opinion of paint and overall condition of the vehicle. They are not the same as an FCA Concours

I usually side against the dealer in most circumstances but I really think you are being a bit harsh by claiming they "missed a ton of stuff". I have found it is best to create a list of items that you require from the owner/seller and also a list of inspection items that you check off when you inspect the car. Once it passes your inspection then it is a candidate for a more indepth PPI where all of the above items are checked out by the dealer/automotive shop.

If that is all that is wrong with your 430 and it is othewise perfect or nearly so, then you should enjoy it, drive it, admire it and don't waste any time chasing the dealer down for what many would consider very minor imperfections.

No offense intended, but good luck with your new 430 they are truly great machines.

 

The items you list seem to be those that could, for the most part, be discovered by a cursory inspection. More the sort of thing a prospective owner would do himself before making a commitment than what I'd expect from a PPI.

 

Did you buy the car from far away without seeing it, just relying on the PPI?

 

A PPI is not a warranty but some of that ish that they forgot to tell you about SHOULD have been noted....

 

"Recourse?" What is "recourse"?

This is why nobody wants to do PPI's anymore. You get NONE of the credit if the car checks out, if you find something the owner complains that you're exaggerating or wrong just to get some service out of the deal, if the car breaks down in the next 10 years you get complaints from the new owner, and if you miss something the new owner thinks your a dirt bag scoffer only in it for the money.

All that for risking something going wrong (or claiming it went wrong) while under your roof for $500.

Why bother?

 

This is exactly why Ferrari of Houston stopped doing them, even for long-time customers.

Nothing but headaches.

Dale

 

Sure, PPI is a headache. But telling a customer after a routine service that his/her car needs to have X, Y and Z done is just business as usual, right ?

Perhaps if they do it right, then the PPI will not be a headache but a source of revenue and a way to expand the dealership's PR and reputation.

 

Well, when they got sued after doing a $500 PPI...

Dale

 

+1, well +2 actually.

I had two PPI's done during my search. Both well done by Indy service guys and no agreement.

 

+ 1 with minor amendment

 

I just had two PPI's done in the past couple of months. Both were around $500 for the PPI and I got more than one quote for each one. If I wanted a compression test (opinions are diverse on whether this is needed on newer cars) it was another $200. I went for the compression test too.

What are you used to seeing for a "really thorough PPI"?

 

Are there any reasonable people left in this country? When a person buys a USED car then Caveat Emptor. Simple. Factor it into the purchase.. buy and move on.

I paid $300 to an indy when I bought my car sight unseen. He told me mostly what it needed.. and did a compression check. He missed a couple big things but that's OK. I priced it into the purchase and I'm a very happy owner. Did I demand my money back or file a lawsuit? No. Infact I gave him extra for a beer that I couldn't share with him in person. Because that's the type of person that I am in business and in life.

Was there any written guarantee? If not.. probably SOL.

 

What were you expecting? They might have noted the bypass valve (depends on your definition of "rattles"). The rest of the list is petty and between buyer and seller.

 

Agreed, the only thing that maybe the PPI should have got was the muffler bypass rattle. Even at that, rattle is a subjective word that many people can take differently.

All of the other items are very minor and should have been noticed by the buyer of the vehicle doing his/her do diligence in checking the vehicle.

Before I purchased my car, I knew everything I could have known about it inside and out. What I didn't know, I did my research on. That way, when it came time to see the vehicle while the mechanic was doing the PPI, I could check all the little things like...does it have the radio code card, does it have the 3 key fobs with the red master fob, does it have all the proper books that should be with the car, etc.... all the little things that a PPI may or may not catch. The PPI really is only for you to know if the mechanics, powertrain, important things that make the car run and could cost alot to fix are in good working order.

 

I looked into designing an insurance policy for just this type of situation. It was to be a professional errors and omissions policy to protect garages from liability for doing PPIs combined with a warranty policy that would cover specified items that were found defective within a certain period of time following the purchase of the car. There were a number of challenges that made me drop the project including lack of interest from garage owners and the fact that each make has its own problems and each model within each make has specific parts that cause concern, preventing a "checklist" approach and a "one size fits all" warranty. For instance, 430 buyers don't care about the condition of their timing belts and Boxer buyers don't care about F1 pumps. Most of the garage owners I spoke with prefer not to do PPIs because they are far more trouble than they are worth because they cannot charge enough for their time and potential liability.

 

The NAV discs and the key codes will be a particular PITA.....Track them down and kill somebody...

The rest of that stuff is 'par for the course', fix it and go drive!!!

 

I'm sorry, I have to disagree. I am all for buyer beware and that is exactly why the buyer hires a professional for $500-1000 to do an inspection on the car. They have 4-8 hours with the car to thoroughly review the car and document any deficencies. I would expect that most of these items should have been caught on a proper PPI. If a shop can't do it right, they should not be doing it. If the problems were internal issues that could not easily be discovered without taking things apart, no problem, but these are all visible items that should have been caught. If I or the OP wanted a crappy inspection, they could have gotten one from one of the leasing inspection companies that do this for $125.00.

 

+1 Tex. This is minor stuff. You are buying a used car. If the PPI missed the worn out motor, that is a problem. broken dome light is not.

 

This article provoked a lengthy discussion about PPIs and lawsuits here in late 2009:

http://www.sportscarmarket.com/columns/sheehan-speaks/2377-pre-purchase-ferrari-inspection-becomes-182k-lawsuit

My question: does anyone know what the eventual outcome of the lawsuit was, or is it still unresolved?

Seems pretty clear to me that the lawsuit is frivolous.