European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 25, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday March 25, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 15 Johnny Fox of Bobingen Points to the ill fated Purchase he Calls his $17,322 headache on wheels. A amps Davo Casoy confused buyer feels vanquished but his Long sad Story rattles on car from Page 14 was $15,750, the penalty cannot exceed $157.50. All refunds should be made within 15 Days of cancellation. Warranties All cars sold through the military program include Basic manufacturers warranties. Extended warranties  to cover certain systems on a car for considerably longer periods. However consumer experts told the stars and stripes that extended warranties Are not a Wise investment unless the car is to be driven More than 12,000 Miles a year or is certain to be owned for More than three years. Military car sales customers should also investigate the Validity of the extended warranty offered on the car they intend to buy. It is possible that the warranty will not be valid in Europe or the United states depending on the Model of car where it is delivered and How Long the customer intends to remain in Europe according to officials with the car manufacturers. A for instance the extended warranty offered by general motors is not valid in Europe pm officials said. If a customer intends to remain in Germany More than three years after purchasing a new car through the military car program an extended warranty is useless. If the customer plans to return to the states after three years the warranty will be honoured by american pm dealerships. Chrysler a extended warranty is valid in Europe and the states according to the company that Sells Chrysler on military installations. Ford does not offer an extended warranty on cars delivered to Europe but will sell extended coverage on stateside deliveries German Ford officials  repairs american cars often Are not easy to repair in Europe. Buyers who accept cars in Europe have two options for warranty repairs a cafes garages or authorized German garages. Cafes garages have a work backlog and repairs can take longer than americans Are accustomed to. A shortage of parts can also delay repairs cafes mechanics said. German garages have even less Access to american parts than cafes garages. Customers also complain that not All authorized German mechanics Are familiar with american cars and repairs Are delayed while mechanics consult books and specialists. For these reasons German mechanics will Seldom give estimates on How Long repairs will take car sales officials said. However All Domestic manufacturers have factory trained engineers in Germany. Customers who do not receive adequate warranty repairs should Contact the company that sold the car and insist that one of these engineers examine the vehicle Ross said. By Luke Britt staff writer for Sale 1989 Chevrolet Astro Van doors rattle Rolls while in Park very Low mileage because of months in repair garage. Still under warranty sort of. Contact Irato cafes customer in Stuttgart. A a if Johnny Fox wanted to sell the Astro Van he purchased through the army and air Force Exchange service he might run an and something like this. He said he doubts there would be Many takers. A but i done to want to sell it a said Fox a civilian employee in Bobingen Germany. A i want them to return my Money and take Back this  he a wanted that for 2 i years. Fox purchased the Van from a dealer in Stuttgart in june 1989. He paid in full with a Cashiers Check for $17,322. But on the test drive he was bothered by a rattle in the doors. After a closer inspection he concluded that both Back doors and the Drivers Side door were not shutting properly and he feared it would not be Safe for his two children now Ages 4 and 11. However military car sales officials say Fox has exaggerated the situation. Military car sales is the company hired by Chrysler and general motors to sell its cars on military installations in Europe. The company customer service manager John Toles told the stars and stripes in december that All possible measures had been taken to repair the Van and that although there was still a a a Small rattle in the doors the Van was not unsafe. He also said that Fox was Given a rental car for five Days and subsequently said he was satisfied with the repairs. Fox denied that. He said he was told by his Salesman that he had to accept the vehicle despite the problems because he had paid for it and Nad authorized a private company to ship it from Bremerhaven to Stuttgart which is the same As accepting it. On this Point at least there is no dispute. If buyers request delivery of new cars to a place other than a european port they waive the right to reject the vehicles. This should have been explained to Fox before he signed the Inland transportation agreement cafes officials said. Fox said he was not aware that he had Quot that Man has been sending me Back again and again to people who cannot fix my Van it s obvious the vehicle is defective but he refuses to acknowledge that Quot Johnny Fox waived his right of rejection until after the fact. Fox said the Salesman told him that if he did no to accept the vehicle military police would be called to impound it. He said the Salesman then promised to personally see that the problem with the doors was repaired As soon As possible. Fox accepted the Van and took it to a German garage the next Day. Two weeks later the garage told him to pick up the Van. They also told him they could not fix it. A they said there was a factory defect and that it was unrepairable a Fox said. Soon after in of said he detected that the Headliner sagged and that the Van would Roll Forward even though it was in Park. It was then he said that he became determined to return the Van. A i Wasny to going to put my family in an unsafe vehicle a he said. He called a fest european Headquarters then in Munich and was referred to military car sales. Fox said that Toles assured him the problems would be fixed and persuaded him not to seek a refund. What ensued according to Fox was months of bickering with military car sales German mechanics cafes and Chrysler corp. Over the problems with the Van. Some of the defects have been repaired but the doors still rattle Anil the Van occasionally will Roll while in Park he said. The Van was in and out of three garages from june 1989 to december 1991, foxes records show. Fast week he said the Van has been driven just 8,000 Miles. Fox contacted his congressman rep. . A a Sonny Montgomery d-miss., near the end of last year. Montgomery wrote to cafes Headquarters in Dallas for an explanation. In february Brig. Gen. John Finan vice commander of the Exchange service replied in a letter to Montgomery. The general wrote that German garages had repaired the Loose doors and that the congressman a letter was the first that cafes had heard of the transmission problems. A a i hat is simply not True a Fox said. A a in be been complaining about this for nearly three years. The general is  As of last week foxes Van was Back m a German garage