What good is a PPI?

It's not worth the paper it's written on if not accurate. Lamborghini Houston performed a PPI on my car before I bought it. I trusted their inspection since they are an authorized Lamborghini dealer. The car needed around $20k of repairs that they did not disclose in the PPI. In all fairness Roy from Cats Exotics who brokered the deal offered to buy the car back and cover my shipping costs, but it was not something I was interested in as I've been wanting a SV for a while and could not let it go after having it in my possession. I also had already sold my McLaren 12C Spider it was replacing. It was not his fault as he had not seen the car either. If anyone is to blame it is Lamborghini Houston for providing me with a very inaccurate PPI. In the future I will definitely take the time to fly out and look at and test drive a vehicle in person though.

 

Lamborghini Houston did a PPI on my car which failed to disclose the following issues:

- E-gear hydraulic storage tank not holding pressure (engine out service) [$11,125]

- Hood latch broken [$643]

- 1 Failed Wing Motor [$1240]

- 1 Mirror doesn't power fold [Didn't even fix this yet since it's $5k for a mirror and power fold is not critical]

- Doors don't lock [Didn't fix yet, not sure on cost]

 

In any case, my car will finally be done this week with all repairs, as well as exhaust, tint, upgraded sound, radar detector and laser jammers. Unfortunately I'm about to head to Europe for the winter so I won't really get to enjoy it until spring time, but at least it will be right when I get back and I can put some miles on it next year.

I think a PPI is worthless. Best bet is to get a CPO car. Then you've got Lamborghini backing the car up should there be any problems. Sorry for your troubles. Hopefully you can enjoy the car come Spring.

Sorry to hear. Perhaps reach out to LofH again and see what they have to say regarding the PPI. At least you know the SV is in good shape now and get to enjoy the miles and smiles. Definitely post more pics...can't ever get enough. Simply beautiful!

Sorry to hear. Perhaps reach out to LofH again and see what they have to say regarding the PPI. At least you know the SV is in good shape now and get to enjoy the miles and smiles. Definitely post more pics...can't ever get enough. Simply beautiful!

 

I sent them an email, didn't get a response. Not really expecting any compensation, live and learn.

Shitty situation, sucks you don't get to enjoy the car at all before Europe. Hopefully all sorted and 100% by spring. Glad you're doing an exhaust ! Can't have the SV be quieter than the baby bro SL.

No offense, I am amazed on how hard people work for their money and dont spend $500 on a flight to go check out a $200k+ car before they buy it. It is not only you sprite but I have numerous friends who made the same mistake countless times, it still dumbfounds me. I saw your post when you bought it from Roy and I didnt want to comment then but since you brought it up I will. A broker is a broker, he NEVER has seen the car but will vouch for it, even give you a money back guarantee,still not worth it IMO. I am not balling by any means, but I have more money than I do time, my time/energy is golden to me. I dont want to deal with drama/bullshit nonsense. THe entire consignment sight unseen/ will vouch guarantee thing doesnt make sense to me. Maybe it is a percentage game but there is always a loosing percentage and maybe it is a financial risk Roy is willing to take and still be profitable for him.

 

You have a beautiful SV which will appreciate in value no doubt. But I am fcuking sure you are pissed as fcuk now and nothing helps. IMO, have Roy give all his commision towards your repairs. Roy is a very smart man and a good business man. Let him take the loss, it wont hurt him a bit. I would suggest for EVERYONE hire a 3rd party for a PPI. I bought my first Lambo from LOC back in the day (who guaranteed the car) , took it too Beverly Hills a few months later and they found leaking shocks ( a few k repair). I could have brought the price down a few K.

 

 

Anyways Sprite you have been on this forum for ever and had some mind boggling cars, this shouldnt be new to you.

 

 

Edit: Sorry got a little bit emotional, recently purchased a car that got screwed on.

Regardless of how much money you have, I would still expect business to be conducted in the most respectful manner possible. However the cards were played, you still purchased a car from the dealership in the end and said dealership should have provided you with a car that didn't need more than 25K in repairs. That's ridiculous. I hope it works out for you in the end.

It absolutely sucks, I'd go after the dealer which provided the PPI, even if you were to fly there if you have no idea what you are looking at how will it help? at the end of the day you paid professionals to look at it on your behalf, they must be held responsible for their actions it's not like they missed something minor, they missed some major stuff.

 

I feel sorry for you and what you had to go through, I hope you will get to enjoy it in spring.

I'd be pissed as well bro. Good luck with everything!

Don't think an authorized dealer is ideal for PPI unless they're the only ones close by.

 

A good independent is the way to go.

 

Anyways, if you want to buy much older exotics, there is no choice in many cases but to get a PPI ,IMHO.

 

Sorry for your situation .

I'd definitely be bashing LofH on every high end car Forum until they step up and do something about it. I wouldn't settle for less than half of the repair bills. That sucks!

 

I'd definitely be bashing LofH on every high end car Forum until they step up and do something about it.

 

Let us know how that works out for you.

 

Let us know how that works out for you.

 

Care to elaborate? You would just do nothing? I mean they are a Lamborghini dealer, so there is no reason they shouldn't have caught all these things. Hell, they could have still stuck with the asking price with the mindset that these things are going up in value so at least Sprite would have known. But to provide a clean PPI on a Lambo from a Lambo dealer just seems like they're either saying "hey, we aren't too worried about screwing a buyer" OR "hey, we have incompetent mechanics". I'm not saying that bashing them on car forums is going to result in them fully covering Sprites repair bills. At the same time, a lawyer might be a waste of time and effort. I wouldn't just let it go though. Fortunately, I'm sure increasing values will negate the repairs in the future.

It will be interesting to see if ANYONE steps up to do the right thing.

What amazes me is that a 2000 mile car is having all of these issues. Hopefully it isn't a lemon with continuous issues. Also, can this be considered some type of fraud? Seems like this was a conscious effort to mislead a buyer. If this was a mortgage transaction there would be lawsuits and a loss of license situation.

The whole situation really sucks. I'm sorry purchasing this special car has become a tainted memory. I'm sure in the long run everything will work out just fine and you will be able to enjoy the car to its fullest.

 

Kind of off topic but when I worked at an independent shop we did a PPI for a guy on an Alfa I think. We pushed every button, moved every lever, and turned every knob as well as checking everything else. Spent well over an hour. Sent a ton of pictures to the prospective buyer and had a conversation on the phone as well as a write up. Personally I think this is how PPIs should be done.

 

What you received looks similar to the sheet that is used when appraising a used car that is looking to be traded in.

Sucks to hear I would be pissed. If the car wasnt so rare I would go back on the deal etc but in the end what can you do. Lambo Miami did a shit PPI on my SL but in the end couldnt do anything about it. Glad to hear the car will be back up to speed. Let me know if you need me to go to Atlanta and keep the tires rotated for you

Sprite, I think you know of the issue I had with a PPI from Lambo of Miami. Live and learn. I did have a very solid PPI with Motorcars of Georgia, and a very solid one with Lambo Bev hills. Not every tech is the same as not every PPI is the same.

 

A personal call from Brian Trochelmann at MoG showed me he went through the car with a fine toothed comb. Same with Mike Jaworski at Bev Hills.

 

What is odd to me is how sometimes even the best people mess up. I recently recommended a highly respected tech to a friend. This tech has worked on my friend's cars as well as mine. The guy I recommended did not have a good experience and made me look bad.

 

Anyway, I hope you get that beautiful baby sorted and she has no further problems.

 

Edit: Damnit KMR.....lol I told you so!

 

Edit 2: I believe 05lsv had a great experience w Lambo Houston, or was it Dallas? One was great and one was bad. I know that jpegs had a horrible experience w Dallas.

Are you guys getting compression/leakdown tests with your PPIs or is that only relevant to older cars?

 

 

What amazes me is that a 2000 mile car is having all of these issues. Hopefully it isn't a lemon with continuous issues. Also, can this be considered some type of fraud? Seems like this was a conscious effort to mislead a buyer. If this was a mortgage transaction there would be lawsuits and a loss of license situation.

 

5 year old car with 2000 miles, sure there can be issues.

 

Ultra low mileage is only a guarantee of cosmetic quality, and little else. Even tires I'm sure need to be changed.

 

Better than 165,000 miles but certainly not as ideal driver wise as say 15-30k for a car this age.

 

That's why if you really want a driver, never buy an ultra low mileage car unless you're willing to do a full rebuild of everything and don't care about spending the money.

 

EDIT: This doesn't necessarily qualify for a 5 year old car, but an F40 with 1000 miles, different story (and there are many of those).

What amazes me is that a 2000 mile car is having all of these issues. Hopefully it isn't a lemon with continuous issues. Also, can this be considered some type of fraud? Seems like this was a conscious effort to mislead a buyer. If this was a mortgage transaction there would be lawsuits and a loss of license situation.

 

 

That is a crazy amount of stuff to have to deal with on a 2k mile car. Hopefully they do something for you.

Seriously, that is the extent of their PPI?

 

No E-Gear clutch snap measurement at the very least? Windshield wipers and an air filter but didn't notice the wing motor or mirror issue... really.

 

Looks more like a jiffy-lube check list than something from a lamborghini tech.

Seriously, that is the extent of their PPI?

 

No E-Gear clutch snap measurement at the very least? Windshield wipers and an air filter but didn't notice the wing motor or mirror issue... really.

 

Looks more like a jiffy-lube check list than something from a lamborghini tech.

 

They did do an e-gear snap and claim they drove the car and didn't notice any issues. However, it did have the issue when I got the car and it was transported directly from their dealership to my house. I find it very unlikely that it broke during transport.

sprite I'd suggest a call to the GM to follow up on your email. You want to give them every opportunity to make this right, that will be the easiest path... although possibly unlikeliest.

 

 

Care to elaborate? You would just do nothing? I mean they are a Lamborghini dealer, so there is no reason they shouldn't have caught all these things. Hell, they could have still stuck with the asking price with the mindset that these things are going up in value so at least Sprite would have known. But to provide a clean PPI on a Lambo from a Lambo dealer just seems like they're either saying "hey, we aren't too worried about screwing a buyer" OR "hey, we have incompetent mechanics". I'm not saying that bashing them on car forums is going to result in them fully covering Sprites repair bills. At the same time, a lawyer might be a waste of time and effort. I wouldn't just let it go though. Fortunately, I'm sure increasing values will negate the repairs in the future.

 

 

Bitching on a forum isn't the way to handle this. I agree with Ali, buyer or his agent should have seen and driven the car in person. The only way I'd do a deal like this sight unseen is if I'm getting a tremendous discount. If I'm paying retail then I'd get my fat ass out there and see the car in person and get a ppi.

 

As far as the broker goes, he brokered the car, as long as he kept up his end of the deal, there's no recourse.

 

Now, on another note, was this car sold new through Lambo Miami?