First a little background:

My wife's white 2004 coupe was bought new in Nov, 2004 from one of the two local dealers.

Last Tuesday, 05-02-06, I had an appointment with a local 5 Star dealer for an oil change. The mileage was 8,904. It was the second oil change. The first occurred at approximately 4,000 miles. (I'm old and set in my ways: 7,000 miles between oil changes does not set very well with me) The dealer was also supposed to replace the headlights since they had developed the "fogging" problem.

Tuesday, 05-02-06:

I dropped it off at 0745 hours. At 1500, the dealer called to inform me that it could not be done as their only Crossfire mechanic had to leave early due to an emergency. He guaranteed that it would be done first thing in the morning. The next day, I learned that the mechanic was still off so I picked up the car and re-scheduled for Tuesday, 05-09-06. I can understand emergency situations, so it was not a thing to worry about.

Tuesday, 05-09-06:

I dropped it off at 0745 and was called at 1400 and told it was done. I went to pick it up and the clerk, not the service writer, would not release the car until she had determined that I'd turned in and paid for the rental car. I explained that I had no rental and wanted my car. After a brief argument with her, I got the service writer to explain that I had not taken a rental car. I paid my $85.00 fee for the oil change, checked the headlights, and left. I parked the car in the driveway with the hatch up and did various things. When I closed it and locked it for the night, I noticed that it made an unusual noise when I closed the hatch/trunk lid. It was late and I didn't want to mess with it at that time.

Wednesday, 05-10-06:

This morning, I noticed that the hatch/lid would move up and down, even though it was locked. I could not get it to stay in place despite numerous attempts to do so. There was 1/4 to 1/2" play in the hatch when it was locked. My wife drove it to work and called me upon arrival. She said the hatch/lid bounced so much that she thought it was going to pop open. I told her to make sure it was locked and I'd make another appointment. When I called, I learned that the earliest they can handle it will be Friday, 05-12-06. According to the service writer, it'll take 30 minutes to an hour.

My question:

Can I make the adjustment myself rather than waste time, and gas, taking it to the dealer. How do I adjust it?

I'm not impressed by the dealer. When we bought it, the second key was missing and it took two weeks to get it. I was told that it had to be ordered from Germany. They eventually found the key after I called the owner of the dealership. In April, 2005, I got a call saying that the key I'd ordered from Germany had arrived. I now have three keys, which is fine with me. (There was no charge for the third key.)

When we bought it, we were told that the luggage was a special promotion. In early January, 2006, the luggage was delivered to my house. So much for a special promotion.

The day/night we bought it and drove it home, I noticed that there was a faint yellow light on the dash. My son-in-law, who bought a Crossfire six months before us, checked it and found that it was a low tire. The brand new car, with 10 miles on the odometer, had a low tire. It was delivered that way. I can understand it because the sale was made at approximately 1930 hours on a Saturday. My wife, the salesman, and I were all tired and hungry. We were told to return it Monday morning for a final dealer prep. we did and everything was OK.

We both like the car. It handles well and is fun to drive. We've taken it on trips to CA and northern AZ with no problem other than a flat in Greer, AZ. That's another story but it worked out well.

Any tips on fixing the loose lid/hatch,/rear deck will be appreciated. I'm not looking forward to going back to the dealership and I refuse to have anything to do with the other local dealer.

John

PS: Sorry for the rant. Dealing with car dealers is not fun.