The points about matching and fading are valid--but this is a contrasting color, right? I think (correct me if I'm wrong) that the roof, C-pillar, and mirrors are the only parts that would be silver, and they would all be getting painted. So they would all have the same batch of paint, and they would all match perfectly and fade the same way. They wouldn't match the rest of the body anyway, because they are a completely different color.

I don't know what kind of research can be done to find out if having the roof re-painted would devaule the car on resale. That would be the biggest question to me; if the answer was "no" then I wouldn't have a problem with the repaint.

If its a lease have them paint it. If you are financing it and plan to keep it for a while and are worried about resale value down the road, then have the dealer order another car for you.

Why should you suffer because someone made a mistake? Sure it was an honest mistake but its still not what you ordered.

The C pillars came painted silver and the roof is body color. The two would be adjacent and matching would be critical.

hi maybe have the roof wrapped?then on resale the real factory paint will be there.

I'd have been inclined to have them paint the c-pillar tops black and the bottoms / bumper piece body color to match. Looks much better than the contrasting c-pillar, IMO.

Well, depends on the body color, actually - some colors look OK with color matched roofs, some don't.

This is moot point now that the OP is reordering, but I wanted to point out that there would have been no issue with color matching or uneven fading because the roof was going to be repainted to a contrasting color.

There wouldn't, but a trained eye would be able to see that it was a respray and could cause resale issues in the future. Not worth the hassle if you are buying the car.

Hi, Ron - I plan to see my MA either tomorrow (Monday) or more likely Tuesday. I'll definitely ask about it and will post back here with his response.

Lee

Couldn't you ask to get both the C pillars and the roof re-painted together? That way you don't have to worry about the colors aging at a different rate and you get the look you want without having to wait for a new car to be built.

The dealer has come through and is ordering me a new MINI with the right roof color (and hopefully all else right as well). Thanks for the help on this guys. Ron

Tacoman, you bring up a good point. The VDCs have fully-equipped body shops to fix any shipment damage and other mistakes before releasing vehicles to the dealer. (This is why dealers are often mum about when they expect to receive your vehicle, even though MINI-trackers know that their car has arrived at the VDC.) I'm surprised the OP's discrepancy wasn't caught at the VDC and corrected (unless the spec sheet was incorrectly written). Are dealers obligated to disclose any paint work or other mitigation performed by the VDC? I wouldn't think so, but I could be wrong.

I would love to know the answer to this.

Ron - your resolution is wonderful news - both for you and also for me as a potential customer this week. Sounds like Mini made a choice along the lines of the best tenets of customer service. Who is your dealership?

They are not obligated. The VDC would be considered an extension of the manufacturer. In most all states, the dealer would be required to disclose pre-delivery body repairs, that exceed a certain limit, if they do them.

Damage to a vehicle pre-delivery is rather common. Vehicles are repaired every day at the end of the assembly line or after shipment. There is a difference as to where the vehicle is repaired and how much damage is involved. Factory repairs are generally of better quality with VDC repairs and dealer repairs slightly behind.

Minor abrasions such as bumper scrapes or scratches requiring a panel to be re-painted are common. Structural damage that is major is almost never repaired and sold to the consumer as new. Manufacturers donate a large number of cars yearly that have been damaged in transportation to local schools.

The dealer is MINI of St Louis (Missouri).

Whatever you do, just be civil about it, and keep it in perspective. The karma will come around. Good luck.

I don't see the big deal. They owe you nothing. I would not paint and order another car if it's not a color you like.

Hopefully they don't just paint it anyways, park it out back for a month, then bring it round and say "voila!" and and pass it off as a different 'new' car...........J/K............

Hey, Ron and others -

As promised I asked my MA about the situation (K from Princeton NJ). While he mentioned repaint could certainly be an option if the dealer and customer agreed to that as a resolution, he solidly maintained that a similar hypothetical situation with his own customer would likely be a re-order from the factory if that is what the customer chose, especially in a situation as significant as an entirely mispainted panel (eg. roof). Short and sweet. Just wanted to let you all know, even though in Ron's situation the case seems moot.

Good to know, thanks!