Almost had my car 1 month and just noticed a scratch right above the fog light that was touched up with paint. Are the dealers supposed to tell you if they damaged it or was done during transport? Wish I would have noticed it before I picked up the car.
Do I bring it up to the dealer? 3" scratch above light

 

That is an unacceptable bit of damage on a new car. And a lousy touch up job as well. It should be fixed properly and they deserve a talking to.

 

Take it back and say "What the hell?!?" However, being a month later, be prepared for them to do nothing.

Seriously, walk in and CALMLY start a conversation about it, and see where it goes. If you are pleasant about it, they may be more willing to make it right.

 

I would call that "Concealment" or a "Undisclosed defect", In a nice soft voice with a smirk. The correct terms often trigger the memory of car dealers who had unpleasant experiences involving the use of those terms in the past. It is sloppiness on their part because a little touch up paint better applied, a little clear, and good machine polish in the area and no one would of ever noticed the flaw. Stand your ground you were sold a defective product. BTW I would start by asking to speak with the owner of the Dealership, as the underlings may not want him to know they dinged a new car.

Jim

 

 

Yeah its a bit upsetting to discover the damage after Ive had it for a few weeks. So would I talk to my sales guy at all or just try and deal with the dealership owner? If it happened during transport would that have been on any paperwork?

 

Unfortunately, the dealer does not have to disclose transit damage, if under a certain amount.
Varies from state to state.

 

 

This is a correct statement - provided that the repair is done correctly and is undetectable under normal circumstances. It is also not an uncommon occurrence - which is why the VDC has a paint booth, and factory technicians to do repairs there. That said, that touch-up is just a half-assed repair that SHOULD HAVE BEEN disclosed and is unacceptable. I would bring it up with the dealer and have them correct it.

 

Send an email with pictures to your MA and copy either the sales manager, or the general manager, whichever email you have access to, and wait for a response. Be pleasant about it, because the managers, and maybe even the MA, were probably unaware of the damage. (This way you have a paper trail in case you want to kick it up higher on the corporate ladder if you get an unacceptable response.)

See my experience with shipping blocks at delivery here:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-delivery.html

 

Yes, a halfass repair is another matter.

 

Man, a month though. Thats going to be tough to prove. Hopefully, your dealership is understanding because its going to come down to a he said, she said situation

 

I think MINI will correct this as it is clear the repair was done awhile ago. They can tell that the bad repair has been there for a month or more.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember is to be non-accusatory and to be nice. "Oh my goodness, I was washing my car and saw this! When can you take care of it for me?"

If there is any hesitation or resistance to doing the repair or giving you a loaner and all the rest, call MINI USA at once.

Always be nice. Don't give anyone anything to push back on. Don't ever give them the excuse to make your attitude the issue.

It's a shame this happened, but it does happen. They will make it right. Please keep us posted.

 

I think it would be easy to miss such a thing for a month in the winter if you live in a snowy, salty, dark, dirty place like I do. I think it totally sucks and would expect Mini to make it right.

 

So emailed MA yesterday and GM this am. Almost 4pm and still heard nothing. So I call to see if they got my email. Was gonna check and call back. Calls back and they said they will have body shop repair it next week. So its good they dont seem to be pushing back and agreed to fix it. Still will hold my breath. No apologies or acknowledgement of the cover up. So I hope its a good repair and not just a quick spot repair that will fade or look discolored in time.
Do you think they should be able to do a spot repair without having to paint the whole bumper?
I wasnt worried about proving it was that way when I picked it up cuz I took pics at the dealers and if you zoom in on the pic you can see the scratch and the pic is time and date stamped.
thanks for all the info and advice. Helps to get input. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

I wouldn't worry, none of the scenarios that we can dream up when dealing with a car dealer occurred. It is obvious they want to make you happy with your purchase, consider you a valued customer, and want your return business. Think of it this way no apologizes necessary, just a normal day of taking care of a customer and getting the job done, who knows they may give you a ball cap for your troubles. Modern paint products are so good that I would doubt that you will have any fading or issues. The products used now are not what I grew up with. Inspect the repair very well, speak to the body shop manger to understand how to care for the repair properly. I would ask if the repaired section is covered by the new car warranty.

Down the road when the car has 100 K on the odometer you won't care. After it has been driven into the rain, snow, dirt, hit by baseballs, dinged in a parking lot, chipped a windshield, leaked oil, stolen, wrecked three times, it won't matter. Enjoy you new car. BTW I hope you never experience any of the above.

Jim

 

That's a good dealership!

When we bought my wife's 350Z it had a few blemishes that we noticed and and told the salesperson.Nothing was written down.

They did try fixing the issues but made things worse and finally told us tuff s---- we are not doing more and said should have had this in writing.

 

I sure do hope that they dont make it worse. And should I get what they plan on doing to fix it in writing? I want to talk to the repair place to make sure I know exactly what they plan on doing for the fix.
Another thing does this damage/repair end up on its car history like Carfax? Which could lower its value later?
Something one didnt have to deal with on cars 20 years ago.

 

Just give them the car and let them fix it. A body shop generally knows what it's doing or it wouldn't stay in business. When you pick the car up inspect it well and if you're not happy with the fix, then let them know. You're gonna give yourself an ulcer worrying about all the "what ifs".
I had to have my hood, bumper, front facia, and grills replaced. You can't tell it was ever damaged. Since it's not going on your insurance I don't think you could make a diminished value claim. For a small blemish like this I wouldn't think it would go on the carfax anyway.

 

The dealer agreed to do the repair/repaint. Generally they have to maintain "factory" standards, which in BMW/MINI world are generally pretty high.

Out here in SoCal, most dealership body shops provide a "lifetime" warranty on their work -- if the paint fades or doesn't age correctly with the rest of the car they usually stand by their work for as long as you own the car.

Yes, this is aggravating and inconvenient. I agree with vetsvette. Not worth an ulcer.

 

Yeah I know its pretty minor damage. Just never had to deal with this situation before with a new car.

 

So pick up car. Gap between hood bumper looks uneven/wider. Have pics to refer to. So go to the paint/body shop to see if it can be adjusted.
Then I notice clear coat drip/sag and then all kinds of ruff specks from dust in the paint clear coat of the bumper. Manager says those areas mighta gotten missed cuz the buffer cant get in the nooks of the fog light area. I said isn't that what hands are for? So nobody puts there hand on the finished area to check for this stuff?
So they said they should be able to buff out the dirt dust specks and paint sag. Again more time I have to waste fixing something that shouldnt have even happened.
And dont ever believe it will be "just like new" again
When stuff gets pulled apart it never goes together the same.
Should have just lived with the scratch, cuz it wont be "just like new"

 

Wow, completely unacceptable outcome (IMHO).

Suggestion: I would call the General Manager of the dealership -- not the body shop manager or the MA -- but the General Manager.

I would be extremely polite to everyone I talked to, including the GM.

If I was told the GM is unavailable, I would ask when will he/she be available to take my urgent call regarding a very disappointing customer satisfaction issue that requires the GM's immediate attention.

Once in contact with the GM, I would politely and thoroughly explain, without complaining about anything, that an attempt was made to repair a paint issue on my new MINI, and that the body shop people agreed the job was not done to MINI factory standards. I would then say, though this is taking too much of my time and attention, I am willing to give them another opportunity to make things right but I need the GM's help in assuring that we get the right outcome this time.

I would then ask for the GM's email so I can send him/her a summary of our conversation (and, hopefully, in that summary I can say, "As per our telephone conversation of X/XX/2018, I appreciate your willingness to personally follow up to assure that the second attempt at repairing the paint defect and re-fitting of all body parts is done to MINI factory standards."

If there is any hesitation from the dealer, time to start an email chain with MINI USA. I would not let this one go.

BTW, a tire hit the lower front of my car a few years ago. Insurance covered it. I was hoping for a quick turn around at the body shop. The body shop guy said they would need a week because the only proper way to do lower front paint repair is to remove and disassemble all parts, strip, prime, paint, and clearcoat, and re-assemble. And, to get the proper paint match requires spraying a sample area, letting it cure, clearcoating, and then confirming the match.

Good to keep this in mind as you explain to the GM your expectations for a proper job.

Don't get frustrated. Don't give up. Be courteous, but hang tough. MINI USA/BMWNA spends a fortune on customer satisfaction. Help them get their money's worth.

And don't let anyone tell you "independent" dealerships can't be told what to do. Franchisees must comply with MINIUSA standards, which are specific and high.

Sorry you are having a hassle. Find the friend at the dealership or MINI USA who will help you make this right.

Please keep us posted.

 

I'd be on restrained boil over mode, screw polite. Which loser dealership are we talking about?

If I was me, I'd spend a few bucks on a lawyer to send a letter, that I probably mostly wrote and tell them I need a new unblemished car or substantial compensation for my time and efforts and not unblemished new vehicle they sold me. Might want to mention the fraud of trying to touch up the damage instead of pointing it out up front and working to make it right day one!

Nice people and businesses deserve polite, others deserve toughness.

 

I've lived over six decades. Gave up on restrained boil over mode 30 plus years ago. Learned that there is more power in courtesy. Never have to give up the moral authority that comes from being on the right side of an issue. Never have to cede ground. But there's enough rage in the world already. In my experience as a professional negotiator, the folks who adopt a firm, clear, yet courteous stance usually prevail in difficult negotiations.

But if my system ever fails me, I'm callin' you Moocher and hiring you to do the restrained boil routine for me!