Ford & Invision split? Dealer installed aftermarket dvd headrests

[Allie]

Does anyone know if it's true that Audiovox bought Invision, so Ford no longer uses that brand as their DVD headrests? The dealer told me that when I asked them why they installed aftermarket Rosen DVD headrests.

 

A week ago I bought a new 2012 Ford Edge Limited (yep, I know it's now 2014). They had two 2012 leftovers with the same exact specs except that one had the manufacturer's DVD headrests and one did not. The one that did had 25 miles and a dead battery from sitting on the lot. I asked them to get it running and I test drove it, then spent 4 days negotiating a price. Finally about 8:30 pm one night we agreed on a price in email. They close at 9pm. The next morning at 9:12 am (they open at 9am) the sales guy emailed me that they sold it 'last night'. Quick, but ok, whatever. Not wanting to waste that negotiation, I asked if they would install the DVD headrests in the other leftover 2012 and give me the same deal.

 

The response was that it had been a demo and although they technically sold it as "new" (warranty started when I drove it off the lot), it had 14k miles (owner's son was driving it) so they would sell it to me with the extended warranty (for which they line item charged me $1500 but that's another story). So the price was a little lower due to the "demo" miles.

 

He said it would be $1995 for the DVD headrests (the exact price for Invision on the Ford Accessory website, by the way) and that I needed to bring them a $2000 check that day to cover the order and hold the car. I needed a week to get my funds together to buy the car (cash, not financing) so I dropped off at $2k check that evening. A week later I went in with a certified check for the balance.

 

Upon inspection of the DVD headrests, I told the sales guy they were different than what was on the other 2012 Edge they were selling. He replied that they were Ford headrests. I asked why they looked different (no inputs, etc). He said this was the latest model and to look over the information in the box when got home. Made sense so I took the car and left. I looked it over that night and saw they were actually Rosen, not Invision. I immediately contacted him and asked why they charged me for Ford's Invision but put in aftermarket without my consent. It took 3 days to get back to me, at which point he said he'd have to check with "his guy". Several emails and phone calls and a few more days, he said that Audiovox bought Invision so Ford no longer stocked them. I told him they were still on the Ford Accessory website. I also told him that the Rosen ones do not match (white stitching on the black leather when my seats have umber/red stitching). He said he'd check with "the guy" and call me back.

 

Several more calls and days later, he called me to say that the best they could do was to get me the missing game controller because Ford no longer offers Invision. I asked why they were still on the website, still in the brochures in their showroom, and what brand was coming in with the 2014 cars. He said he'd check and call me back. We are in week 2 now and I'm furious and feeling helpless.

 

I'm not sure who to ask about this Invision debacle. If Ford did stop stocking them, they had no right to take my check and install something of their choosing. Are Rosens even $1995? Considering I paid cash, I could have done my own research, chose one, and paid cash (less I'm sure) to someone to install them. But mostly, I would not have done that at all. I wanted the factory installed brand for several reasons. I do not want the mismatched, uncomfortable headrests with the inputs on the floor instead of built into the headrest.

 

I had been car shopping for 7 weeks at that point and had other options. The main selling point for those two vehicles was the factory headrests installed. I did not want to go through the aftermarket mashup. But they cashed my check and he's unwilling to give me what I paid for, telling me it's not available. Any thoughts?

 

Thanks.

Edited March 25, 2014 by Allie

[ls973800]

Sorry but I just found this post today. I really hate the way the forum is set up. You may have posted this and if someone else posted in the same topic a minute later, your post would get taken off the first page. The only way it could then be seen is if 1) someone made a reply to your post and it went back to the main page 2) a user opens all of the subject topics and checks each post listing, or 3) a user clicks the View New Content button at the top of the page. Unfortunately, when I click that button I always get a No New Content display, even if there is new content. It used to work, but not for the last month or two for me now.

 

Anyhow, sorry to hear about your problem. It's too late now, but there were things you could and should have done before writing the check and taking delivery. No need to rehash that now.

 

Does your buyer's agreement say something to the effect that the dealer would install Ford or factory DVD players? Or does it just say they would install DVD players? If it says Ford, I think you can push the issue and get a refund or get the Invision units. I am sure they are still available even if they had been bought out. I don't know, but I doubt if Rosen is now the factory supplier for Ford.

 

Rosen has a poor reputation on another forum I belong to regarding their navigation/radio/entertainment systems. I don't know anything about their DVD systems.

 

If a face to face meeting with the owner of the dealership or upper management doesn't get the results you want, I would seriously consider a small claims court case. There is no way you can stop payment on the check, it doesn't provide the same protection as a credit card.

[ls973800]

I just checked the Rosen website, and no where does it say they are the factory supplier for Ford. Here is a link which has the companies they say they were the FIRST OEM validated and approved mobile video supplier to. Don't know if they still supply to them

 

 

http://www.rosenelectronics.com/rosen-history.htm

 

copied from that link

 

Rosen was the First OEM validated and approved mobile video supplier to the following car companies/divisions:

• Cadillac
• Chevrolet
• GMC
• Land Rover
• Mazda
• Mercedes Benz
• Oldsmobile
• Pontiac
• Toyota

[Waldo]

Here's a simple question. Ask your dealer if your DVDs are covered under the factory warranty? If they are, then they are a Ford Certified accessory. If they are not, then they are just something the dealer grabbed through some other source.