So, I am in the process of trading in my Mini on a new BMW... and get this: They told me that the rear quarter panel on the drivers side had been repainted. I say, "No way.. I saw them pull the plastic off, and I have owned the car since new... no paint at all." To prove it, the BMW guy takes out some device that measures the thickness of the paint on the body panels and low and behold the rear quarter-panel reads TWICE as thick as every other surface on the entire car. There was no disclosure from Mini at the time of sale. OBVIOUSLY the car has had repair... and that dropped the resale value by $1000 on the spot. I am obviously kinda ticked off!

Do they do paint work, ect at the port? Was it repaired at the factory? Anyone have any insight?

 

Probably your car was repainted/repaired at the VPC. It is not uncommon for some MINIs to receive damage during shipping and probably yours was one of them.


I believe MINI does not disclose in transit damage unless it exceeds a certain dollar amount or degree or severity.

It sucks but what can you do now? Get a lawyer to recover $1K.

By the way, why are you trading it in? Why don't you try to sell it privately and get more money for it?

 

Damage in shipping gets fixed in port. I don't think they have a legal obligation to disclose, however your $1000 drop would be the subject of my legal action against BMW if i were you. Hell just reading your story makes me..

I'd be on the phone with askmini, then on the phone with a good lawyer.


Paul

 

I think hiring a lawyer to recover $1K is going to be more expensive I would thinking. Not worth it.


Sell the car privately and get more money for it. You are not obligated to disclose the repair. Your VIN records can not be traced back to an accident.

 

But now he knows, wouldn't your conscience bother you? It would me. I would definately make a stink, file a small claim for 999.00, you can do that yourself.
Couldn't you discuss this with a lawyer first without charge? Or is it $$$ as soon as you call. Could also call the Atty General in the state it was sold in.

Paul

 

Here is what happened in Alabama in 1990.

In 1995, Dr. Ira Gore, the proud owner of a new BMW 535i, discovered that parts of his automobile had been repainted after having had it detailed in 1990. He found out that the Alabama dealership had done so to conceal damage due to acid rain, so he filed a complaint and was awarded the amount of $4 million. BMW of America appealed the verdict but the German car aficionado still walked away with $4000 in damages and $2 million in punitive damages.

 

Our sue happy society never ceases to amaze me . Go for it! Maybe you can get a couple of million out of that rear quarter panel

 

While the award amazes me. The thing that kills me is the corporations will do this $%^^ until they get spanked hard enough. BMW the parent company of MINI, Its dealership is banging a customer of $1000 for what they did. They had no problem taking full price for their mini.

SO while I agree things seem excessive, do you think BMW would stop this BS if they paid a $500 fine? Please really think about it. Hell they haven't learned from 1990. SO tell me, do you really think it was excessive?

He might not get a couple million, but if nothing is doneBMW is going to take $1000 from this guy. Probable means more than 2 mill punitive damages.

I think this is justified as the other one was. Deceptive practices for profit? There is no free market if they can pull this BS.


Paul

 

From a moral perspective, I think it is despicable that a "new" car sustains damage during transport and then it is turn around and sold to an unsuspecting customer as a totally "pristine" new automobile.

But for BMW and the rest of all car companies, money is thier sole motivator at the end of each and everyday. They are not going to dispose of a car because it gets a scratch on the cargo ship but rather they will fix it as best they can. That's fine by me but when such damage is not disclosed then I do have a problem with their modus operandi.

Whenever I take delivery of a new car, I check it with a fine toothcomb and make sure to do this during daylight time, not at night under artificial lighting.

I can spot a non-factory patch up paint job just by rubbing my fingers on the panel surface.

 

Lets make it easier to spot the problem. Let say he is going to trade in this mini at the dealership that he bought it at. They tell him its worth $1000 less because of the paint job on trade in. Yet they had no problem selling him it in the first place for the full price even though they new it was allready devalued by their own MO. I'm not saying they can't fix it and sell it, but I think $1k of goodies/cash/rebate should have been given.

Paul

 

I'm having a similar problem right now with a new Cooper S. The day I picked up our new car I noticed what looks like water marks all over the hood (you can only see it in the right light). I was hesitant to take the car but the sales person confirmed they would polish out (don't say it as I'm kicking myself as I type) and as he was a friend of a friend, in good faith I took the car with a open work order regarding the hood. As it turns out the authorized BMW body shop left polishing marks all over the hood as well as not getting the stains out so I had them take it to the detailer of my choice. He cleaned up the polishing marks but the stain lines in the hood are in deep. I asked for a different car and they flat out said no and the best they would offer was to repaint the hood. As I said that was not good enough as I paid full price for a new (as in new factory paint) car they now say they will order in a new hyper blue car and swap hoods. So what's the chance the paint will match? As this is all they have offerred I suggested a possible incentive / rebate / discount but they have said no as they have met their obligation. As much as I enjoy driving this car I'm so tempted to trade it in on something different due to the attitude of the dealership and BMW/MINI Canada.

PS : My paint problem looks as though it is from the wiper washers being used during transit and the fluid filling all the seams / creases in the plastic over the hood. I guess with the month it took to get to the dealership the fluid sitting on fresh paint got right into the paint. Something for people to look out for.

Dennis

 

dbo, so sorry for your problems. This is the first time I have ever read of such a problem with the paint or with the finish, and I have been involved in the MINI community since early 2002. I really hope that MINI takes care of your problem ASAP!


Clover

 

Since you drove it off the lot its yours.........if you told them to keep the car and fix.....and they couldn't......you would have got a new car. I am surprised that they can't get "water stains" off Good Luck!

 

My wife brought something up, How did they discover this? Did they eyball something or pull your vin up on their computer?


Paul

 

Call me nuts, but I've had my MINI for 2 1/2 years and have never used the wiper washer fluid. Now I feel justified.

 

The windshield wiper fluid in my MINI when I took delivery was much more aromatic than anything I've put in since. I assume it had a stronger carrier -- the stuff that makes it evaporate -- but it maybe it also had a higher solvent content?

BTW JD, I'm sorry about your bonnet paint problem. I hope the dealership you bought the MINI from makes it right as they should (have I mentioned that I'm an optomist?). The paint on my bonnet seems to be very soft, thin, and prone to scratching. It's taken such a beating that I've considered having it repainted. $1,000 or more drop in value -- that's pretty sobering. On the other hand, I'm not expecting to sell anytime soon. If you couldn't tell yours "touched up", that's a good sign....

 

The Vehicle Processing Center is considered by law to be an extension of the factory. They have the same equipment and use the same materials as the factory. Any transport damage that is repaired at the VPC is considered a factory repair, and is therefore is not subject to any type of disclosure.

The dealer is not at fault here. They received no discount on the car from the manufacturer, and may not have even known the car was repaired.

I would suggest working with the dealer and MINIUSA to see if you can come to a resolution on the $1,000 value differential. Particularly if this is the same dealer where you purchased the MINI.

The good news is that you own a MINI and not a VW, Honda or any domestic car. The valuation on the MINI, even with the repair, is likely much, much higher as a percentage of the original cost than it would be for a pristine version of anything else on the market right now.

Good Luck.

 

If he is returning at the same dealer I find it funny they do a better vehicle inspection on a car returning then delivering.

Great advice though.

MiniCooperJD, please give us an update. I hate when the little guy getting messed with.

Paul

 

What a scam. Do you think the dealer will then disclose this to the buyer of your used Mini and knock $1000 off the book price? No way. They're just squeezing you for extra profit.

I think fate is telling you to keep the Mini. Do you really want to get sucked into the world of "BMW attitude?" :smile:

 

There is a new device that dealers are using that measures the thickness of the paint. Since most new cars are dipped including the Mini the paint on all the body panels should be exactly the same or at least very close. The paint on the quarter panel was 3 times as thick.

 

Too late... the Mini is gone. It is a scam, and Mini knew it. There is a code (I bought a BMW and they told me all about it...) in the VPC documents that starts with D-001 or D-002 that signifies either paint damage or body damage during shipment. They are required to disclose after a certain percentage of the price of the car was damaged and repaired.

The BMW dealership that I bought the NEW car from says they disclose ALL damages, no matter how minor.

The Mini dealership will not comment or return my phone calls. Go figure.

I have to say that after I inspected the car in bright flourescent light I could still not tell there was damage repair, but science does not lie.

For the record, I made the BMW guy go over the entire new car before I would accept it. All the panels have the same paint thickness.

 

To me, there should be a good-faith disclosure.

There was none, and the dealer obviously knows it now that it will not return phone calls.

And for the record, the day that I traded it in the same dealer told me that the sunroof "cracking sound" and all the other rattles were "normal for the vehicle and cound not be replicated" What a crock of sh*t.

This soured the last day with the Mini. I took it straight to the other BMW dealership and never looked back.

 

This really sucks. I've read a few threads in the past two years concerning concerning body work done at the VPC. Our cooper is missing a little paint near the hinges on both sides and a couple of other people have responded that they have the same thing on theirs.

Oh, well, it's still fun to drive.:smile:

 

Well, it "was" fun to drive. I no longer own it. I bought the 325i this weekend.

 

Congrats on your new purchase. Let's hope you are able to resolve the issue.