OK here is my issue, I have had a vibration in the car since day one. Dealer has done everything they can and they are out of solutions. They say it is road feel and I say it is a vibration. Pretty much the service manager told me to start the lemon law process or to speak to the GM who very well knows about my issue and see if something can be done. Again I would only consider the trade for a coupe if the vibration is not present. So what would you do if in my shoes? Thanks

 

How long have you had the car? How many days has it been in the shop total? Do you have all the visits documented? Did you get a loaner every time?

All these will be contributing factors if you go the lemon route, and will all vary depending on your state... My advice to you if you still have the problem is to pursue the lemon route. The way I would recommend you do this is by gathering all documentation, writing a historical account (like a diary) of your problems and efforts to correct it at the dealer, include as much detail as you can but don't editorialize. Write a letter to Infiniti and include the account. Tell them what you want them to do (buy back, exchange, one last attempt at a fix etc) and when you expect a result before taking legal action (60 days is usually fair). Fedex them the letter and documentation so you have a receipt signature. Wait until the given date for a response and they'll either do as you ask, and succeed (you win), do as you ask and fail, or they won't comply at all.

If you're still not happy at this point, the best course of action is to use the BBB's autoline program. Give them all the same details plus any additional visits you may have gone on since writing the first account and include the letter you wrote to Infiniti and their response.

There's really no need to get a lawyer involved unless you feel like burning a few hundred dollars on letters to take a crapshoot. The BBB program is a great program and manufacturers have to abide by it's terms. If it doesn't work in your favor at that point you still have the opportunity to pursue legal action. Most manufacturers at that point won't actually LEMON the car but they'll offer to buy it back as a 'gesture of good will'. (allows them to get around officially having a lemon) If this happens you'll be in good shape and get a good chunk of change back for down payment on your next car, whatever it happens to be.

...If you sell the car vs doing the lemon thing, you're looking at trying to sell a dodgy car which you won't get full value for, and then eating that loss at new car time. Not the best scenario.

...Unless the GM will do an outright swap. Given that he knows the car has problems he's unlikely to want to do that.

I hope that's somehow useful, and good luck with whatever you choose to do.

 

I have had the car now for three months and it has been in the dealer a total of 4 times. Yes every time I was in the shop I was given a loaner. On the last visit, they even purchased a different brand of tires to see if the vibration would be eliminated. Now I do have a history of the car that was printed out for me at the dealer but unfortunately they failed to give me a receipt every time I was at the dealer and I also failed to get one. Would this history of the car be enough?

What is the difference from the Lemon Law route to the BBB autoline program? Thanks again for your help.

 

Have they eliminated the possibility of a bent wheel?

Have you had someone else drive your car and have you driven other new cars to compare to yours?

I have a hard time believing a car could be lemoned for vibration.

 

The dealer has swapped wheels and tires, have road balanced the wheels (do not recall the name of the machine) to make sure they are not bent, I have driven another car in their lot, does the same thing. The service manager has driven the car, seen the issue themselves and their last decision is that it is characteristics of the car and what I am feeling is "road feel". The vibration is there above 60 as long as there is someone not seated in the passenger side, since that is where the vibration begins. After it begins, it pretty much transfers it to the rest of the car.

 

The BBB Autoline is a much faster, much cheaper, much easier way to have facilitated dialog with the manufacturer, and almost all manufacturers have agreed to comply with agreements that are made as part of the autoline arbitration process.

http://www.dr.bbb.org/autoline/index.asp

 

Well the dealer has agreed to loan me a coupe for a day for me to drive and see if we move forward on working out a deal. Will keep you posted... By the way, thanks for all the info.

 

Just make sure you don't end up paying too much when the deal happens. If you drive that coupe around for a couple of days, of COURSE you're going to want it.

 

What do you mean by, "I have driven another car in their lot, does the same thing."? You have felt this same problem with other sedans?

 

I have yet to have a car that didn't get some type of vibration. this is usually caused by the roads and not necesarily the car at all. I also think it would be hard to lemon this car. It has to be a substantial defect

 

Shodog, one thing is a vibration, where you look at your passenger side seat and it is bouncing back and forth causing everything else to bounce as well and another is "Road Feel" Personally I have never had a car with such a bounce. I have had BMW, ACURA, PORSCHE to mention some and none had this issue.

Mr. G, yes I drove another Sedan in the lot and it had the same issue.

 

Do you have anyway of taking a video of this? If you can then please do so and then post the file. I would love to see this vibration myself. Plus if this ever goes to court you will want some video evidence since still pictures will not be enough. If you need help with transferring the video or hosting it let me know. If the vibration isn’t visible or audible in a video I doubt you would have a case in court.

 

If there is nobody seated in the pax seat, of course it's going to shake a little bit. Do you mean it's shaking by 1mm or so, or more like 5mm?