Ok I'm starting to boil over. Another thing is the car had 3 miles added on it. The repair place was 1/2 mile down the street from dealer.
So how does it end up with 2 extra miles when nobody should have been driving it other than to from the dealer which means it would only have 1 mile added on it. Both places said nobody would have reason to drive it. Yet they both are pointing fingers at the other guy.
Its a new car. Its not broken it yet. I'm being careful in its break in period so as to not screw it up, and instead somebody took a joyride in the car.

 

Wow, sorry to hear they made it worse. Regarding dealer reporting damage to consumer, states have dollar amounts set and if damage exceeds that amount then the customer is to be informed at purchase. For example in Georgia it's $400 and in Tennessee it's $1500. Of course the fly in the ointment is who decides that the damage exceeds the state set dollar limit? Also since they use their own body shops, the estimate of repairs can be set lower than the required reportable amount. Good luck and stay on them for this!!

 

So I was told that they will reattempt the repair. Not knowing enough about what can and cant be done to fix and buff out the dirt dust specks wouldn't sanding them down like they said create a thin spot in the clear coat which would cause problems over time? And the scratched trim can anything be done about that? Seems like it cant because its a textured surface. I know its not a huge thing but its new and it wasn't scratched before I took it in the first time.
I want them to fix it but sure dont trust them to hand over my car so they can go joyriding in it again. Best to take there myself and wait while they repair to make sure of this?
thx

 

Okay. MINI USA has regional reps who are assigned to various dealers. One of their jobs is to work with dealers to assist in the resolution of customer satisfaction issues that the dealer is unable to resolve alone.

You have such a situation.

Call the dealer.

Ask to speak to the General Manager regarding a customer satisfaction issue you have thus far been unable to resolve.

WITHOUT expressing anger and WITHOUT accusing anyone of anything say, "Based on my recent experience with your service department I have lost confidence in their ability to resolve my issue without oversight from someone further up the management chain. I need your help."

Then explain, calmly and clearly, EXACTLY what you need, and follow up your conversation with an email to the manager with whom you speak, restating exactly what you expect.

Ask the manager if this is a situation where we need to engage a rep from MINI USA.

Here's what I would expect.
1. All parts requiring smoothing and refinishing are to be removed from the car and refinished to factory standards.
2. All scratched trim pieces that were damaged during the prior attempt at repair need to be replaced and properly fitted to factory standards.
3. You need an explination as to why there were additional miles on your car when it was returned to you that were significantly in excess of the miles required to transport the car from the dealer to the body shop and back.

If there is any resistance or attempt to not take full responsibility for seeing that you are completely satisfied, call MINI USA and say, "My dealer has been unable to satisfy me and has made the issue worse and now I need your help and guidance."

MINI USA will reach out to the dealer and, if you keep your cool, but stay firm yet reasonable, you'll get satisfaction.

Yours in not a major issue -- it's easy to resolve. They just need to understand that you're not going away until it is resolved properly.

And, while there is always the option for you to find your own body shop, I would be very hesitant to say or do anything that shifts responsibility to you. They broke it -- they need to fix it, IMHO.

Keep us posted. Good luck.

 

Ive only heard from GM thru my MA who said that the GM will speak to the paint shop and make sure they do it right. I've emailed the GM explaining the problems so there is a "paper" trail. I believe I need to speak with him to see that the 2nd time it will be done properly. I have been fairly calm with them so far.
Will the parts have to be removed again and recoated to eliminate the dust/dirt specks?
Thanks for the advice.

 

Congratulations. They are cooperating and you have a commitment that they will redo the work properly and fix whatever collateral scrapes you have identified as having been the result of their previous work. That's all very good.

What's important is you have written confirmation from them that there is a problem they are willing to fix.

As to the MA as go-between, I think I would thank the MA for his/her cooperation and send an email to the MA with a cc to the GM that you appreciate his/her willingness to work with the GM to make sure the job is done properly. Then see what happens.

If I asked to speak to the GM and was not "allowed" to do so, I admit that might give me a little diaper rash as I'm generally not accustomed to being told to whom I can or can't speak at a car dealership.... but maybe that's just me. And if they are fixing your car, then there's no harm in doing the dance their way this time. Because, if the outcome of all this is not to your satisfaction, you can say you cooperated and did it the way they wanted and it didn't work out so now you are justified in doing things your way, starting with a conversation with the GM without a go-between.

I was told that the proper way to do lower painted front pieces involves removal and re-priming, wet sanding, and re-painting and re-clear coating the entire piece. This means that, instead of masking lights and such, the piece is booth sprayed to eliminate dust and to assure color conformity -- as mentioned before, they should do a test spray for color match.

But they get to do it however they do it, as long as standards are met. And the standard is dust-free factory finish, no over-spray, smooth as a baby's bottom and the right color.. How they get there is their business... this time.

FWIW, I don't think you are being overly picky or overly demanding to insist your new car is brought up to new car delivery standards. And I think writing to your MA with a cc to the GM saying you need this all to happen without further inconvenience to you is not unreasonable.

 

Friend, it happens that people can break your car and you haven't even ridden in it. This is often done by employees because they were not trained in the service and their beginners are careless about their work. Therefore, you need to look for really high-quality services, but it is quite difficult to find them, and therefore you need to ask friends or search on the forums. I myself searched the forums, but in the end I found the site of a personal company that provides professionals and I will tell you about it. This is a company that provides almost the cheapest cost to ship a car across the country where there is not only almost the cheapest delivery of cars, but also a very high-quality service and many professionals who will deliver your car safe and sound.