Hey everybody, I need a little advice on how to deal with a problem I've experienced with my local "Stealership's" Service Center.

Here's what happened: I took my 2003 Screw in for a new alternator, I know how to replace it, but just didn't have time this last weekend. I dropped the truck off on friday, and had my Dad pick it up for me on Saturday afternoon. I was out of town until Tuesday night and didn't really use the truck until yesterday (Friday) morning. As soon as I got in I noticed that the driver's side rear-door window looked a little strange. I pulled over to inspect it, and realized that something was way off. The tinting on the inside around the rear-most part of the window is horribly bubbled and even knicked in places. Furthermore, the door jamb has obviously been removed and replaced because the window control button in the armrest is recessed and off center.
The only thing I can think of is someone stole my window while it was in the dealership. My truck is out of warranty, having almost 80,000 miles on it, and I guess whoever took it just thought I wouldn't notice, and if I did I would just pay to have it fixed. I don't know if a service rep wanted to trade out a defective window on their own truck, or if it was for another customer, but needless to say, I was extremely pi$$ed to find that someone had helped themselves to my window.
Now, I take good care of this truck- washing it almost weekly. I DEFINATELY would have noticed the bubbling if it had been progressing over the course of the 3 years I've had the truck. I don't see this amount of puckering of the tint happening in the 5 days since being in the dealership, not naturally anyway. And besides that, like I said it's even knicked and scratched in spots!

So what can I do? I don't know how helpful the service managers will be, but as of right now I plan on being on their front step when they open up Monday morning. Obviously I am entitled to a new window, and I think they should take care of the alternator install as a sign of good faith. What do you guys think? How should I proceed? Is there a way to confirm that the window has been traded out? I looked at the codes on the tint of the windows (wherre it says "Carlite", or whatever, and then there are some codes under that), and the two on the passenger side are the same , but the two on the drivers side are totally different, (both the driver's window and the rear driver's side), so I don't know if I can prove anything with those. This truck has never been wrecked, never had ANY glass replaced. I'm probably going to wash it this afternoon, and look very carefully for broken glass on the floorboards. I want to take off the doorjamb and see if I can find any evidence that someone has been screwing around there, but I won't because I would probably fix the recedded button by mistake when I'm in there.

How should I handle this? Right now I'm thinking of calling the Police - no, really I am.

 

Why would a dealer steal your window. They don't cost them enough to get in a law suit over it. What are you today? I'm sure you know your truck well and something happened. But think about what you saying. There is no way they would have stolen your window. They could very easily just write off a new window under warranty.

 

Man, come on I know that some lowly service tech can't just "write it off" if they need to buy a new window for their personal vehicle. They might get a discount, but why mess with paying if there is one there waiting to be switched out? This happened on Friday or Saturday, when service managers are either not there at all (Saturday), or waiting to go home for the weekend (Fri.) It's bull for whatever reason it happened, and I'm pretty sure that someone didn't break into the dealership friday night and do it, so who else besides a tech would have done it?

 

From a legal stand point, you don't have much of a case since you did not address the issue with the dealership when you picked up your vehicle. Your "theories" of what may have happened at the dealership are pretty far fetched. I would take the truck to them ASAP and adress your concerns with the manager, but since more than a week has passed since your Dad picked it up, you really don't have much of a leg to stand on. Maybe your Dad wrecked it and replaced the window from a junk yard

 

Look around in your vehicle for broken glass. Maybe they broke your window and got a replacement out of a junker or a used vehicle off of their lot.

 

unless you have broken glass somewhere, you probably dont have a good aregument and they probably wont believe you other then wanting to get a free alternator install
-Patrick

 

You could always file with the BBB or just drive the truck back down there and talk to the manager. If he blows you off then call the Police, I bet they would love all that attention in front of their dealership. Your Dad can even file a statement to the condition of your truck when he picked it up. Then talk to your insurance company and see what they say.

 

Yeah Patrick, I know that's what they'll be thinking, but it's pretty sad. I try to conduct my life honestly, and if they broke it or something and just had it fixed when I was ready to pick it up I couldn't care less, as long as they came out and told me. Hopefully I'm blowing it all out of proportion and the service manager will get it taken care of first thing Monday, but I'm not too confident of that right now.

 

Forgot to mention, the "bubbles" are 4-6" ripples from the bottom of the window and around about half of the top, on the rear edge running horizontally and then vertically on the top edge. And it is factory tint, not aftermarket, so I can't match the now 'defective' one to the other three.

 

any other advice?

 

My factory tint is in the glass.

 

Okay, it's in the glass I guess- then what could it be coming off on the inside? I've never had the windows tinted, and I don't think it was an option on my window sticker. Remember it's an '03 - did Ford previously tint windows from the factory?

 

Factory tint is not film tint it is actually tinted glass. No way tinted glass could bubble...

 

The factory privacy glass cannot bubble the glass itself is tinted it is not a film on the glass. Why would a service tech put his job on the line to steal your window? It would be totally obvious to the techs around him and to you as the glass is a high visibility part of the truck. I would go back to the dealership and have it checked out, they may be able to figure it out and repair it. Just my $.02

 

That would **** me off just as much as you are right now man, I really have no idea what could be the problem to that, might have been broken and they quick replaced it, but idk. Gives me more reason to hang around the dealer while its getting fixed, I never leave my vehicles alone at a bodyshop or dealer, i'm not too trusting, especially in northern Pennsylvania.