Denver Fiasco

[jwight]

Wow, talk about garbled information.

[strider63]

Originally Posted by MicroNut

OK, so here's the latest scoop:

There is no issue with smart center Denver's licence. Apologies for the confusion, I was just repeating what I was told by the dealership themselves. This is the good news.

The bad news (and the real problem) is that the state is currently refusing to title smarts in CO. This is because there is a discrepancy between the manufacturer name on the manufacturer's statement of origin (MSO) and the name associated with the cars' VIN numbers.

The MSO says smart, but the VIN number is coming up as Daimler. This is clearly the state being a bunch of idiots. VIN numbers starting WME are unique to smart. As far as I know, no other state seems to have this problem even though the MSOs and VINs are the same everywhere.

I guess Penske's lawyers are trying to resolve this as we speak. Let's hope it happens quickly.

Going to write a letter to the Governor now....

Well duh Smart is a division of Daimler.
I work for a local government and there is nothing that bugs me more than an obtuse paper pusher bureaucrat.
Best of luck Denver smart owners!!

[MicroNut]

Originally Posted by strider63

Well duh Smart is a division of Daimler.
I work for a local government and there is nothing that bugs me more than an obtuse paper pusher bureaucrat.
Best of luck Denver smart owners!!

Thanks Strider. I work for local government too, and I share your dislike of beaurocracy!

[MicroNut]

The Titles & Registration folks at the State called me back. In fairness to my previous comments about beaurocrats, the lady on the phone was very helpful.

They are aware of the issue with smart VIN numbers, and are working on it. In the mean time, there is a workaround: there is a New Vehicle Working Group that specifically reviews and resolves this kind of issue on an individual basis. One needs to fax them all relevant information (MSO, dealer invoice, etc.). They are empowered to issue the vehicle a title, regardless of what the computer says about the manufacturer.

I'm guessing that smart doesn't want customers to have to go through this extra hassle, but I told my contact at smart center Denver that I'm willing to "take one for the team" on this and be the guinea pig (well, OK, I want my @#$% smart).

[wadilaw]

Micronut:

Thank you for all the research and investigation. I cannot, yet somehow I can, believe the reason for the delay. Please keep us updated on your progress if you go the individual-petition route. I too would not mind the extra hassle to get my bloody car.

In an unrelated issue: How do we form a Rocky Mountain/Denver Forum on this site? Perhaps I am missing it, or the hosts have to add it, but I think we should form one so we can concentrate Colorado threads there, and eventually (if we ever get our cars) organize meetings with our Smarts

[jwight]

Maybe to "Denver Misunderstanding" or similar?

Anyway, sounds like there's a workaround for those owners who want their titles now.

Send your PMs to SMART if you'd like a Rocky Mountain chapter subforum - should be possible.

[MicroNut]

Originally Posted by jwight

Maybe to "Denver Misunderstanding" or similar?

Anyway, sounds like there's a workaround for those owners who want their titles now.

It's not a work around until Kuni agrees to let us use it. As of right now all car deliveries remain on hold. So far the pleadings have fallen on deaf ears, and continuing bad publicity on this forum is the best (only) leverage we have.

If you want something catchier, try Denver Debacle.

[jwight]

Have you tried emailing Ken, Dave and Roger (the Pep Boys!) Maybe a group e-mail with the names of all the CO owners held hostage by Kuni Denver would work.

[cosmart]

Originally Posted by MicroNut

OK, so here's the latest scoop:

This is clearly the state being a bunch of idiots.

This state has been taken over by the homeowner's association mentality. Micromanage everyone and everything to the n'th degree, for your own good.

[spdickey]

I wonder how much of a "dealer prep fee" Kuni Denver will be charging, it appears that at least in Colorado, they may be earning it for having to deal with the Colo DMV.