Dramas with picking up new(ish) car

[AWD Chaser]

Hi all.

Just thought I would vent my frustration on my dramas of my Grand Carnival. Don't get me wrong, it's a great car, and there is nothing mechanicaly wrong with it, but here we go:

We were getting three options: Tints, Towbar and sidesteps.

After aranging all the Finance and options on the car, we aranged to travel to Canberra (If you international readers don't know what Canberra is, look it up!).

The day before we pick the car up, I ring the dealer and confirm everything. He said the towbar was fitted, tints were done, but the sidesteps weren't but they would only take a few hours to fit, and that they were coming in tomorrow.

Next day, we are halfway to Canberra, and the dealer rings and asks how we are travelling. I ask how the sidesteps are. He said they sent up the wrong ones from Melbourne and they would take 1 week to get the right ones in. I can't do anything about that. So I confirmed that the towbar and tints we done. He said the towbar was all fitted but the tints WEREN'T done and that they were gonna be done after the sidesteps were fitted! I'm confused because he said they were already done. He said that they were being done and would be ready to go once I got there.

We finally get to the dealer and there is some guy cleaning the inside of the car (a real dodgy job too). I look over the car and see that the rear left tyre is worn on the outside - I questioned the dealer and he said he would get a wheel alignment and balance done. He offered to replace the tyre but I refused as it wasn't THAT badly worn and I didn't want 1 odd tread tyre. Everything got sorted and booked the wheel alignment for 1 week from now as we were going to be passing through Canberra again on a round trip.

1 week later (we have a 600km trip to make, and getting to Canberra is just 250k's of it) - Get into Canberra to get sidesteps fitted and wheel alignement. I have also noticed some bubbling on the tints.

We get given a cappy hire car and go off to do some shopping. I was told everything (except the tints, which would be sorted another day) would be done in about 2 hours. 3 hours later I get a phone call from the wheel alignment place saying they have ran a trailer into the back of the car and to come check it out - I went and had a look - the bumper had scratches and grooves all over it, had been popped off and folded back on itself, and scratches and grooves all down the rear quarter and a broken mudflap. Because I was travelling, they had put some 100 mile-an-hour tape to hold it on... I went and got a quote to fix - over $1000, but they said they will do it through their insurance.

We ran out of time to get the sidesteps fitted and the dealer said we can get them fitted in 1 week (as we would be passing through Canberra again coming back from out trip), but the dealer had managed to swing by the tint shop and get the bubbles fixed - which I was pleased about.

Because it is near xmas, the dealer said he would call me on the 27th of Dec to confirm the booking for the 28th, which is when I was coming back.

It was the 27th around 4pm and I had no phone calls, so I ring him - he's not in - he's on holidays for the next few days. They said he would call me tomorrow.

When he did call backon the 28th, he said that the sidesteps couldn't be fitted as the place thats doing it doesn't open till January. So I said I'll just pick them up, and you can pay to get them fitted in my town, and he said that the sidesteps were at the shop that doesn't open till Jan.

I told him he can post the steps to me, and I'll get them smash repairs to fit them (charging the dealer)...

I'm off today to get some quotes to get my GC rear end fixed.

This doesn't include the rear right window seal being deformed and needing replacement (under warranty) and finding a huge amount of paint waves in the front bumper which I hope will be replaced under warranty!