new door handles

[06EddieNav]

i looked into the 07 door panel as well. you have to buy the entire door panel since the armest is an integral part of it. cost over $400. i've had my 06 for a year now, and no matter how i try to get used to them i still think they are DUMB and annoying. its the only thing i really dislike about this truck.

 

[bitkahuna]

Other than that the door panel appears identical to the 2006 we had for a short while.

You had an 06 and traded in for an 07?

 

[ExplorerMich07]

You had an 06 and traded in for an 07?

Well, It's a long story but I'll try to make it short. The weekend after Labor Day my wife and I decided to do a little truck shopping. She had 6 months left on her Merc Mariner. We contacted a salesperson we've worked with before and found out that we could trade her Mariner in early and get a end of year closeout EB Explorer for a substantially lower lease payment! Done deal!!
Flash ahead six weeks. I received a call from the dealership stating that they "needed to take my truck to the local police department". According to them "several vehicles were stolen off the lot in July and yours was mistakedly listed". Huh??? "The police need to see the vehicle to verify that it wasn't one of the stolen trucks" .
I made a call to the police department and got the whole story. The truck had been stolen off the lot, driven around for a while, and dumped a week later with no wheels and tires and a broken rear window. I crawled underneath and saw evidence that it was dragged...most likely onto the flatbed when it was recovered. The story made sense...when we got the truck we got a "tire pressure sensor fault" on the dash...the pressure rings were never installed on the new wheels. Also, the steering wheel was out of alignment (since the truck was dragged it made sense) and the exhaust rattled. All items were corrected including bent exhaust hangers, but we were very upset and felt that we had been duped.
The dealership was excellent...when I complained they asked what would make it right; they would make 4 payments for us or take back the truck. We choose the exchange.
Sorry for the long winded story!!

Eric

 

[davidmmm69]

is it this you are talking about if so they ae ugly as poop.

 

[ExplorerMich07]

is it this you are talking about if so they ae ugly as poop.

If you make it an Eddie Bauer add a leather wheel and a two tone door panel with lighter colored leather (not likely) inserts. Also, add wood grain. In person it's actually very attractive.

Eric

 

[bitkahuna]

... We contacted a salesperson we've worked with before and found out that we could trade her Mariner in early and get a end of year closeout EB Explorer for a substantially lower lease payment! Done deal!! ...

... The truck had been stolen off the lot, driven around for a while, and dumped a week later with no wheels and tires and a broken rear window. I crawled underneath and saw evidence that it was dragged...most likely onto the flatbed when it was recovered. ...

All items were corrected including bent exhaust hangers, but we were very upset and felt that we had been duped.

That sucks. You HAD been duped. By the salesperson you knew probably!

The dealership was excellent

Ya think? They were SCREWED from a legal standpoint. You could have had them over a barrel. They misrepresented a stolen damaged car as new.

...when I complained they asked what would make it right; they would make 4 payments for us or take back the truck. We choose the exchange.
Sorry for the long winded story!!

No need to apologize, fascinating story and a cautionary tale!

You did the right thing giving the damaged truck back - hopefully your new one is running nicely.

 

[ExplorerMich07]

That sucks. You HAD been duped. By the salesperson you knew probably!



Ya think? They were SCREWED from a legal standpoint. You could have had them over a barrel. They misrepresented a stolen damaged car as new.



No need to apologize, fascinating story and a cautionary tale!

You did the right thing giving the damaged truck back - hopefully your new one is running nicely.

Yes, we were duped but the new car smell clouded our judgement.
Acutally, we normally do a two year lease on my wife's vehicles. With as many as we've had there has been no problems...we usually give them a quick look over (making sure there is no scratches or dings) and go. I wish we had been more thorough with this one...my wife made it 2 miles away and the "tire pressure sensor fault" warning was on.
One thing I didn't mention in the previous post was the major issue that turned me red...when the truck was recovered the police department never entered the VIN into the system as recovered. Since there was no license plate to cross reference the State allowed us to register a car with a VIN reported as stolen! I talked to a police officer after the fact and he told me that if my wife had been pulled over she (and our two small kids) would have enjoyed a ride in the back of a police car! Nice!
As to having the dealership over a barrel, that is questionable. I did some research into our State's vehicle law and it states that a dealer is not required to disclose damage to a new vehicle if a) it has less than $1500 of panel damage or 2) if the damage was limted to wheels, tires, glass, in dash electronics (radios) or bumpers *and* the stolen parts were replaced with OEM. So the dealer was probably within their right to hide the damage, but perhaps not within their right to fail disclosing the reason for miles on the odometer. Of course, it would be good business for the dealer to take their insurance money, fix the vehicle, and sell it for a loss with full disclosure. The new owner would get a deal (knowing full well what they purchased) and the dealer would be in the clear from a disclosure standpoint.
And thank you for asking..the '07 is a great truck...quiet and smooth. We were able to pick the color on this one (rather than taking the closeout) so we are happy. I pinstriped it a few weeks ago to complete the look (I used to work in a paint shop).
Thanks for your kind reply!!!!

Eric

 

[groovyone]

You can't just tell us about the pinstripes and not give us pictures!

 

[ExplorerMich07]

You can't just tell us about the pinstripes and not give us pictures!

I took some good pics when I completed the job. I'll get them out of the camera and post later.

Eric

 

[gh67]

I priced the 07 door panels, about $450 each from the dealer. This only includes the panel itself and I would reuse the power window and other switches. I don't see why it wouldn't be an easy swap. Think I'll keep my on the junk yards for totaled 07's.