My experience with my new Pacifica has turned truly bizarre. Below is a summary and update followed by a couple questions:
June 5 - At 8am I left my new Pacifica (purchased 4/27/18) at the dealer due to the “service airbag” message. It has about 1,000 miles on the odometer at this point. The dealer diagnoses a wiring problem and decides the best solution is to replace the body wiring harness and orders the part. The Pacifica sits at the dealer while we wait for the part.
June 12 - Part has not arrived. The dealer estimates that the van would remain there for an additional 10 days.
June 18 - In response to my 6/14/18 posting on this Forum, Chrysler Customer Care leaves me a voicemail saying that they would have MOPAR expedite the part to the dealer.
June 26 - I call the dealer (again) for an update and the dealer still had not received the part so the dealer contacts Chrysler and Chrysler suddenly agrees to send them the part via overnight delivery.
June 29 - At 1pm the dealer finishes the body wiring harness repair and I pick it up. Given that the van has sat at the dealer for 25 days I inspect it and discover that a rodent has ripped many holes into the hood insulation pad and that the front bumper just below the passenger side headlamp is slightly detached.
June 30 - At 8am I take the Pacifica back at the dealer so they can determine if the rodent had nested in the vehicle and caused any further damage, and to check on the bumper. At midday the dealer calls to report that they did not find any signs of a nest or further rodent damage. The dealer orders a hood insulation pad and we agree that I will bring the Pacifica back when the insulation pad arrives. The staff on hand that day were unable to repair the bumper. They said that they would prefer their body shop work on it, but the body shop was closed that day.
July 12 - At 8am I drop the Pacifica off at the dealer for an appointment to have the hood insulation pad installed and for their body shop to look at the bumper. The body shop staff person inspects the bumper. He said they will need to remove the bumper to make the repair and the soonest they could do this would be on July 18. I leave the Pacifica at the dealer to have the hood insulation pad replaced. At 2:45pm the dealer calls me to report that they were unable to replace the hood insulation pad because the new hood insulation pad Chrysler sent them had arrived damaged. The dealer says they have ordered another insulation pad but that there are apparently none available anywhere in the country and so he does not know when it will arrive.
QUESTIONS:
* Is there any chance the loose fiberglass fibers from the damaged hood insulation could enter the passenger compartment (and thus my kids’ lungs) through the fresh air intake or AC system? The dealer said this was unlikely because the engine compartment is “pretty well sealed.”
* Do I risk making the bumper worse by having the dealer’s body shop take it off and then reinstall it? The front bumper below the passenger side headlamp is slightly detached (a very small gap is visible between the headlamp and bumper). I might be able to live with it but the van is brand new. I just don’t want this repair to lead to additional headaches.
