I bought a Clubman S last year brand new.

My locking thingy fell into the door several months ago and I just got around to taking it in.

I took it to my local dealer, not my selling dealer.

When they took the door panel off, there was evidence that it had been off prior, clips were broken, the locking rod was bent, and there were scuff marks.

Also, the paint depth on the outside of that door was twice the depth of any other surface on the car, indicating that it was painted.

Ive never had ANY work done to it, so it was prior to delivery.

What would you do? What can I do?

 

Drive it...

You didn't know before, but you do now...

Had they told you, would you not have taken delivery?

What would you hope to gain from complaining? Some kind of apology from MINI that your car was damaged in transit, so they repaired... It's not that uncommon...

Does it really make a difference?

 

BMW/MINI does repair some minor damages in VDC and if I don't make mistake if the value of repair does not exceed to some amount of the car value they don't disclose it. take a look at thread below:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...on-center.html

because of that specific reason I refused to take the delivery of my first MINI that I have ordered.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...f-my-mini.html

 

For one, the local dealer won't fix the door lock thing under warranty due to the obviousness that the panel was taken off by someone else.

Second, ever try to sell a car and claim it had no bodywork only to find out it did?

The value of my car was immediately diminished today as I can no longer consciousably sell it as damage free as far as body is concerned.

 

you can check but it is my understanding that in most states this is perfectly legal.

A dealer or the manufacturer CAN make repairs, I've heard up to 20% of the vehicle value and still call the vehicle new with no disclosure . . .

this covers damage that happens in shipment and often is made at the vehicle receiving center when the ship arrives.

it isn't nice but all I can say is buyer beware . . . i discovered the same thing on a VW I bought a long time ago.

If the work wasn't done right you may have a valid warranty claim

 

This has been done in the auto industry for at least 50+ years.
Got a "new" Corvette in 66. Was doing some detailing on it and found that the entire front end had been replaced. Dealer was decent enough to refund 100% of costs. Won't happen in these days.

 

I was a new car dealer for more than forty years and my companies sold tens of thousands of new cars. You will find that the situation you describe is not unusual. Cars are damaged on the assembly line and repaired at the factory before shipping, they are damaged in transit and repaired at port, they are damaged in transit to the dealer and repaired when received, and they are damaged on the lot and repaired before sold.

It takes very little damage, even a simple scratch, to require a door being repainted and the removal of a door panel to do it right. Most every State has a consumer protection law on the books to protect the ultimate buyer. Most of these laws will limit the repairs to between $1,000-2,000 before notification is required.

Unless the damage is obvious or causing a problem, your value is unaffected. Value is going to come into play if there is previous frame damage, a total re-paint, or when even the amateur will notice the repair with casual observation. As far as your telling the next owner about the previous history, you would have to let your conscience be your guide. By the terms of the Law, you would have no obligation to disclose what was not required to be disclosed to you.

In all reality, what would you expect the manufacturer or the dealer do regarding such minor damage? As many as ten percent of the new cars sold could have had this kind of history. They cannot go back in time and if every minor scratch was disclosed, what kind of discount would then be expected? The economic impact would be tremendous and every car they sell would see a price increase. You really need to let it go and enjoy your car!

 

It happens more often than we know of.

Minor incidents coming off the boat, on or off the car carrier or even in the dealer's own storage lot. When I was in college, I worked part-time at a mega Honda dealer for its PDI department. It was normal for us to take the new cars to top off them with fuel prior to delivery to customers. While on one of these fuel runs (literally across the street from the dealer), the Civic I was driving was rear-ended by another Civic driven by another PDI tech. What could we do? He thought I pulled off, but I had stopped for pedestrians and he tapped the back of the car I was driving. Both cars required new bumpers and had to be carefully repainted before they could be delivered. I don't know if the customers for either of these cars was ever aware, but I do know that both cars were delivered soon after the repairs were done.

The cars had like 9 miles on the odometers... They WERE brand new.

It happens. The door is minor, so is a bumper. Now if the car was wrapped around a pole, and totaled, that's a totally different issue!

Enjoy it in good health!

 

Good post jallen.

 

What everyone says is fine, but his dealer is refusing to fix his vehicle due to the shoddy work preformed by Mini...unbeknownest to the OP.

gary

 

which comes back to the second statement in my post

there may be a valid warranty claim

just because the dealer refuses warranty coverage that doesn't mean that is the final answer. It is then up to OP to fight. First step is contact MINI corporate. It is amazing what a well written, factual and not passionate letter, sent traceable (registered) to company exec's can accomplish.

Playing what if - they can respond that the damage was done by you and not them . . .


but rereading OP's post: if they fixed the locking thingy, I'm afraid you don't have a claim

 

The OP stated that they won't fix the lock thingy under warranty...

gary

 

 

Damage to new vehicles is going to happen...Denying warranty because of it like in the OP's case is wrong. He should not have to write letters to anyone to get his car fixed. Somewhere there is an internal record of his car being repaired and the dealer refusing warranty should do their job, verify it if they won't take his word, and fix his car. The poor guy is left between the rock and the rock cause of damage, that is going to happen, that was unknown to him when he bought the car brand new.

gary

 

^^^THIS!

If the repair was performed by BMW/MINI, there IS a record of it. I would contact the dealership where you bought the MINI and let them know what happened.

The first damage ever done to Schultze was done by the dealership when I brought him in for routine service. They paid for everything and not once did I feel as though Schultze's value diminished in any way, shape or form.

You've enjoyed & loved your MINI up to this point; now that you know there's been minor paint repair, do you enjoy/love your MINI any less or regret any of the fabulously fun times you've had with your MINI?

 

The thing that puzzles me the most is that if the repairs were made at the factory or at the VDC, I would have expected them to have done a better job (no broken/bent parts, scratches, etcetera.)

The VDC repaired a scratch in my front bumper and repainted it, and I had no idea until it came up on the vehicle history report that the MINI dealer pulled up for me. I'm a stickler for paint & bodywork, and even knowing now that a repair was made, I'll be damned if I can find where the scratch was, or even any evidence of paint work.

I'm guessing the selling dealer did the work, so it may or may not have been documented. Have your local dealer pull up the vehicle history report and see what's on there.

 

FYI there is record of BMW/mini repairs like this - my service record has a record for a slight scratch on one of the club doors. Didn't find it until i looked real hard, but thats all and its no longer than an eraser.

 

take the mini to another dealer who will do the job and mark your unhappiness on the survey of the dealer who denied you service. i had that happened to me with my bmw and found a dealer who would go the extra mile to fix my in warranty issues. i can't understand why a dealer would deny you warranty service when they will still get paid by bmw/mini.

 

While working as a mechanic for Pacific Honda, eions ago, a Civic came in for severly worn rear tires, at about 9K miles since new delivery. Honda N.O.A. refused the claim because of the very poor repairs done to the rear suspension that I found. The customer was unaware of the repair and claimed the car MUST have been damage prior to delivery. Through research of my own, I found the car had been damaged coming off of the truck during delivery and since the transportation company had the car repaired, Honda was not liable for the tires, alignment or warranty of the rear suspension from that point on.
With a few letters to the owner of the Honda franchise and Honda N.O.A. an agreement was made and the car was replaced. I'm not sure what the ammount of previous damage was, towards the allowable damage before disclosure is required in California, as I was quitely asked to step back from the incident. I did have a loyal repeat customer though.
It does happen, as stated by so many others and can require a bit of work to find proper documentation to provide to the manufacture.
Sorry to hear of the incident.....