The longer one works at something, the better they can become at it. The Chrysler 300 platform, for example, seems like it has been around for eons. So, manufacturing bugs and processes should have been worked out all these years later, right? It would be reasonable to think that the carmaker should have become really good at the car’s manufacturing process and worked out all the kinks. But, a dealer in Jacksonville, Florida, has somehow ended up with a Chrysler 300 that totally contradicts that.

Headlights on the Chrysler 300

Somehow, a 2020 Chrysler 300 Touring that is being sold as a new car has some glaring problems right from the get-go. Take a look at the headlights in the picture above. It does not take very long to see that the two headlights are not a match. The passenger side has a black inset housing, while the driver side has a chrome inset housing.

Okay, maybe there was a shift change at the factory, and another worker came along and picked up the wrong part when they started. That could be a reasonable explanation. Nevertheless, it should not have happened, but it is conceivable, assuming plant shifts work that way. But, more has happened to this car that leaves people scratching their heads.

The window trim on the Chrysler

Take a look at the image above. Pay particular attention to the window trim. See it? The chrome does not follow throughout the window trim as one would expect. Instead, it looks like only half of the trim was applied. This makes two glaring errors on the same car.

Speculation on the internet and in forums suggests that it was a bad day at the factory when this car was made. But, I find that hard to believe. Manufacturers have quality control checks in place to prevent things like this. One error might seem feasible. But, both of them on the same car suggests to me that something else is up.

Damaged before delivery?

Let me explain. This could have been a delivery of a damaged vehicle to the dealer. If a car arrives from a manufacturer at a dealership with damage the dealership has several options. They can refuse the shipment, accept the shipment and take care of the repairs and eventually work something out (maybe) with the manufacturer, or they can accept the car and send it straight to a wholesaler. For example, suppose that a massive hail storm strikes the transport truck while it is en route. The cars on the top row of the truck now have hail damage. The dealer can then choose what to do at this point.

I’m not saying a hail storm did what contributed to this odd combination of fails on the Chrysler 300 in the pictures. What I suggest is that perhaps the car arrived with some sort of damage and the dealer agreed to fix it before selling it for whatever reason. Unfortunately, the body shop was busy, or pressed for time, and did not pay close attention to their work leading to the mismatch situation. This is all speculative, of course.

If the car has had the damage repaired prior to the title ever being issued, many states require that the dealership disclose, in writing, what repair was done. That paperwork will then make itself into the “deal jacket” – basically a folder with all the pertinent information about the car. So, eventually, the customer will sign off an acknowledgment that they know of the repair. But, we still don’t know in this case if prior damage is what happened or if it was a factory error.

The mystery of the Chrysler 300 continues

The mystery of how this happened to the Chrysler 300 is deep. So our friends at Motor1 reached out to the dealership for comment. However, they reached someone who told them, “the photos of the new 300 were of poor quality and did not accurately represent the vehicle.” Sadly, a follow-up call went to a voice mailbox. So, unless someone with information on the vehicle steps forward, the world may never really know.