Picking up JL this week - messed up hard top on JK - questions

[mgrowc1]

Ok so I am picking up my JLUR in the next couple of days and already negotiated my trade in value etc for my JK. So the dealership wanted me to put the hard top back on so that they didn’t damage it in transport when they pick up other parts I am giving them with the trade in (wheels, running boards, soft top, etc.). So of course in the process of me putting it back on we damaged the damn thing (below). Long story but lets just leave it with “wife”.

Anyway, so two questions. One - should I try and repair it myself as I have the correct paint for hard top from mopar, and if so, how would you go about it as this isn’t simply a quick touch up and maybe putty? Or two, just leave it and expect them to take some figure off the trade it, and if so, how much is reasonable? One thing to keep in mind is I am buying through a friend and definitely not looking to scam anyone and want to be fair. Also, it wasn’t dropped so there isn’t any cracks or anything - it was simply dragged/pushed on this corner when moving it.

Any advice would be much appreciated.
Mark

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[offcamber]

Ouch! They will probably just take it off the trade. Why did you give them the additional stuff with the trade? My dealer told me to take anything i wanted off. He said they will only pay for factory options. So, I spent the weekend at a friends offroad shop while people bid on my JK parts and then swapped their stuff onto mine. i sold my Clayton control arms, Teraflex big brakes, front bumper, front driveshaft, fox 2.0 shocks, etc. Even swapped my rubicon transfer case for another guys standard tcase. Made some money for JL mods.

 

[mgrowc1]

K

Ouch! They will probably just take it off the trade. Why did you give them the additional stuff with the trade? My dealer told me to take anything i wanted off. He said they will only pay for factory options. So, I spent the weekend at a friends offroad shop while people bid on my JK parts and then swapped their stuff onto mine. i sold my Clayton control arms, Teraflex big brakes, front bumper, front driveshaft, fox 2.0 shocks, etc. Even swapped my rubicon transfer case for another guys standard tcase. Made some money for JL mods.

I got a better trade in value with everything. I am perfectly happy with what they are giving me for the trade in. How much do you think is fair to knock off for the damage?

 

[FatBoy01]

Mark, 9 times out of 10 your trade goes to auction. Not real common these days for a trade to be sold by the dealer on his lot unless it is something exceptional. Again, it's going to auction!

Right now wholesalers are buying up used Wrangler's at auction and reselling them mostly in Texas. Because of 2017 flooding in Texas, many Texans are begging for used vehicles and willing to pay inflated $ for same. Wrangler's are real popular there.

New car Dealer's right now are not telling people that used car prices are up and thus they are giving you below what they could do if they choose to. Your dealer is not your friend. The dealer always makes $ on you.

With that said, clean up your trade, clean the hardtop up good, touch up that little area of cosmetic damage with paint (dab some paint on with a clean rag, etc.) or just leave it be (you said it was just paint damage) and bring in your trade to dealer. Keep your mouth shut and just give them the trade. Undoubtedly, they will say absolutely nothing and really don't give a dam.

Most dealers employee's won't even get off their butt to walk out and inspect a trade.... they just take your title and that is it. IF you make it an issue that there is damage/ if you mention same, then they will grab a couple hundred $ of your money just cuz you opened your mouth up. Let them open their mouth but I doubt they will. Again, touch-up and bring in the trade. It is on them to lets say care, and again they don't really give a dam.

Tell me why I know this.... My oldest Son has been a General Sales Manager for over 20 years.. I've heard it all.. ho, ho, ho.


p.s.s. Tell you Wife I said it was your fault the top got dinged. You should have known it was more then she could handle.

 

[RisingEagle]

I tend to agree with @FatBoy01 - it isn't that big of a deal. put some paint on it (since you have it available) and call it good.

For me - if I was buying a used car, and this was the jeep I was looking at - a little cosmetic scraping of the hard top edge would not set me off the deal. I mean - it's not broken, there are no cracks, it's not even all the way through the hard top - so it's an external chunk out.

Used vehicles sometimes wind up on lots for sale, but - as pointed out - many times wind up at auction, and is why trade-in values are low (unless numbers are manipulated to get you a super-duper-awesome deal and they inflate the trade-in number to inflate the sale number). CarMax, for example, will buy your car outright - for bottom-kbb prices.

I would touch it up with some paint and then - because I'm an honest guy - I'd let them know at trade-in that I scratched up the hard top putting it back on. They'll most likely look at it and be like no big deal; at most probably dock a hundred bucks off it or something,

Ask yourself - when they looked at your trade-in (minus the hard top, and IF they even looked at your trade-in) did they ask about every dent/ding/scrape wear spot? Most likely not. They probably checked to make sure the vehicle was mechanically sound, that the tires didn't need immediate replacing, and there wasn't a funky odor inside.

The only person that truly cares about that used vehicle is the current owner trading it in - even the buyer is willing to accept a number of dents and dings, which is really all that damage is.

my humble opinion from dealing with many used cars anyway... worth what you paid for the advice

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