Okay, where to start? New to Fit, got a Certified used 2011 Sport last week, 30K miles, Orange (though it looks Bronze to me) for $15500 out the door. Late in the week I noticed where a screw from the sun visor on the passenger side was semi poking through the roof, not the ceiling - the roof on the outside, a little dent upwards on the drivers side as well, just not as pronounced. The paint is actually cracked on the passenger side. So I went back to the Honda dealer and showed them, the sales manager recommended going by their Body and Paint shop, about a mile away and getting an estimate to have repaired. The B & P shop covers their whole group which is Honda, Toyota, VW, and Dodge. While there I asked if the car had been in there before and this is where things took a wicked turn: turned out it had, to the tune of $9K worth of damage. The drivers right rear had been hit resulting in the photos below (which the body guy was cool enough to email to me). Now it has been repaired to the point where you don't know about it and SUPPOSEDLY the dealer didn't know about it. AND NONE OF THIS SHOWS UP ON THE CARFAX OR AUTOCHECK reports!

Now, what to do what to do? They did offer me a 2013 sport for a few bucks extra but I don't like the more angular front on the newer models as much as my '11, plus the only colors they had were silver, black, pewter (or whatever it's called) and Metallic Plum. Again, not jazzed about the colors.
The other options are to go with a CR-Z which doesn't really suit my needs though they are nice, or possibly a Insight. Either way I'd have to pay out some $$$ to get into either. Or I ask for my cash back. Or I TRY to get a few bucks back and have them GIVE me the extended warranty and oil changes.
They are associated to quite a few dealerships in the west so I can also peruse their lots online and see if there's something that floats my boat.

Don't know, opinions please!

 

Your pictures aren't working properly...they don't seem to be publicly visible (it's asking for a login).

Carfax, etc. are based largely on insurance claims. If the original owner didn't submit an insurance claim for whatever reason, that doesn't in itself indicate any malfeasance. It's also possible that they dealer didn't know specifically about the damage, particularly if they got the car at auction rather than as a trade; but most dealers would usually be able to spot such repairs, if only because they've looked closely at so many cars. Although there's no proof of intentional wrongdoing, it all smells a bit fishy nonetheless.

If the repairs have been made competently it's quite possible that it would be practically as good as new (operationally). If they not been done well, you could be in for a lot of minor or not-so-minor difficulties and possibly compromised safety.

If I were in your shoes, I'd probably go for a 2013 car if they don't have an equivalent one elsewhere. I'd also probably avoid that dealership in the future; if you find a better one at another dealer, take the refund and go there. It makes little sense to me to spend more money for a car that doesn't meet your needs as well.

If the dealer is completely unreasonable (won't take back the car and refund your money, for instance), you may find it helpful to contact the local better business bureau and submit a complaint.

 

Do they OWN the body shop or just use it? I wonder if they have a central computer system that would have the car in it.

Did they give you any paperwork saying that the car has never been in an accident or make any representations to that effect?

 

If color was the only issue they could do a dealer to dealer trade for any color you wanted. Choosing another vehicle tough decision if the Fit was your first choice. Good luck.

 

Lets try this:

 

They do own the body shop although again, it services their umbrella group.
No, they made no claims of it not being crashed and I never asked. And I don't believe it came from auction, as a mater of fact I do recall one of the salespeople telling me he originally sold the car. And this isn't exactly the big city, probably no more then 8 new car dealers.

And it did go through insurance, I've got the paper work from the body shop so I don't understand why it didn't show Carfax.

 

This is just my opinion. I would take them up on the offer to get rid of that Fit and get the new one. I know it's not the color you want but my feeling is you will have lots of problems with that car being in a bad accident. For me, if my car is in an accident with more than fender-bender damage, I'll get rid of it. To avoid future trouble, get rid of it..

 

David has it exactly right. Get out now. Take their offer and learn to live with a different color. Holes poking through the roof????? Need I say more? Run, and don't look back.
By the way, isn't Car Fax wonderful???? Other than the cuddly little stuffed Foxes at the dealership, the service is virtually useless.

 

If I were in your shoes, I would get rid of it and get the newer model Fit. If it's only a little extra for a brand new car, go for it. You'll have the peace of mind knowing there will be no holes or hidden things wrong with the car.

Also, don't settle for a color you're not satisfied with. Ask them to search in their system for another color, they'll do it for you. My car was delivered from a dealership almost 100 miles away because the selection at the dealership I went to sucked.

 

Take their offer for the 2013 (new?) and don't look back. $9K is serious damage.

Carfax is useful to eliminate a lot of cars, but doesn't replace an in-person inspection by someone able to see the telltale signs of repairs.

 

Something I thought of this morning, if it ended up at the body shop that normally handles dealer cars then I am pretty sure it went through the dealer as there are probably 40 other shops in town that would have done the job cheaper.

How do I post a picture directly?

 

you don't have enough posts to allow you to post pictures yet. Anyway, I think your description was visual enough. The "jury" has weighed in. Go trade it back in while the offer is still fresh.

 

Go trade it in, you are lucky they are working with you at all.

It is up to you as the buyer to inspect the car before purchase or have the car inspected. Carfax rarely speaks the whole history of a car, if you didn't know before, now you know.

Run, don't walk, back to the dealership.

 

A CarFax report is only as good as the data the insurance companies, dealers and shops input. I've seen some that have every service, and others that have almost nothing.

 

meh, orange. get the new silver GE and forget about it.

 

carfax, autochech ETC...

If your car had a major repair in a Dealership will they REPORT IT to
carfax - autocheck etc?

Or ONLY INSURANCE COMPANIES REPORT IT?

If you had an accident and an airbag BLEW-OUT and you repaired it yourself
(you are mechanically knowledgeable) then there is NO WAY it is going to show in the carfax report - RIGHT?

 

Are CAR Dealerships OBLIGATED to report to carfax- autocheck etc...
any major repair done to a car?

 

carfax is only good to get initial data. you must look at the car and decide for yourself.
there can be pending reports that have not been updated to carfax yet.

 

Doesn't carfax have a guarantee with their reports???

Edit, just went to their site for the first time in YEARS. Gone is the "$50,000 GUARANTEE" replaced with "The exclusive CARFAX Buyback Guarantee reduces the risk involved in buying a used car. If the CARFAX Report fails to include a DMV-issued branded title (such as salvage, fire or flood damage, and odometer problems), CARFAX may buy the vehicle back for the full purchase price*. You can also use the free CARFAX Lemon Check to help avoid cars with problems." I had to look for this btw...

 

^Not for regular repairs, only if the car is salvage, etc. and it's not reported on Carfax.