New Car Pickup Drama

[ThinkPad]

So yesterday was the big day when we were due to pick up the new car.
Travelled for 4.5 hours to reach the dealer (horrible journey but that is a different story). Arrvied to find damage in three areas. Wrong number plate on car and the car was not fully cleaned.

Very disappointed to say the least.
They took it away to the valeter to try to buff out the damage. 40 mins of standing around in the showroom with little communication.

One area was pretty much sorted except the trim on the rear quarter which shows a slight mark. Second area again mostly rectified.
Third area was the bonnet. There was a scratch around 12cm long. They certainly improved it but it was still visible.

Their initial solution was to respray the bonnet. I was not happy with that idea. After all it is a brand new car and the factory finish will surely not be achieved. They then offered me £500 discount to take it as it was. No was my answer. So we returned home (they kindly dropped us home).

They also suggested they could unscrew the bonnet from a different car and swap it. Again I did not like the sound of that. I am sure I have read there are sometimes build stickers on the bonnet, and anyway an expert will know bolts have been undone etc, so potentially on resale it could cause an issue.

Only other option, order a new car - means waiting another 3 months. What would you do in my shoes, and do you think I am over-reacting?

 

[EmilysDad]

I'd have been a bit miffed had I been you, but think I'd have taken the £500 & got the bonnet resprayed by a reputable body shop

 

[DREAMER NO2]

Think i would pull out .You say its a brand new car . You dont want work being done on a brand new car .They are going to fob this one off and on to you .No one in the right mind would take a new car that needs repairs to the body ,or any other place if it comes to that . What else is wrong that you dont know about .Tell the sales frog you want another car not this one .You takr it as it is and accept the concequences later on ....Me no way //

 

[ajlsl600]

my guess ,if yr not satisfied,reject the car .new cars aint cheap, or you call we buy any car and agree on its value, thats what the dealer does with yr trade in . new car should be unmarked. did you trade in , if so and you already have an agreed value maybe you take on the chin and wait for a replacement , if you do, write down the vin on the one you reject. not easy. not sure i would want to continue with dealer that was looking for me to collect new, poorly prepared , damaged car

 

[umblecumbuz]

A respray has a softer finish than MB original paintwork, so I would not have agreed to a respray.

Why not press for a bonnet exchange, which would give you an original finish (check in different lights and from varying angles to be sure there is an exact paint match), and ask for £500 on top.

A few years down the line when the car is sold on, can you really imagine that a buyer would check any stickers/numbers on the bonnet underside, then compare them with the original spec - then offer you a lower price if the spec was different? What numbers, anyway?

 

[EmilysDad]

And of course no brand new car ever gets any transport ding from the transporter resprayed ..... it's just that this time the prospective new owner saw first hand

 

[ThinkPad]

Thanks for replies. Yes certainly don't see why I should accept a car with damage, it should be new and not worked on, so just did not sit right with me. Will wait to hear what the dealer has to say, hoping they will be in touch soon...
Certainly not the most pleasant experience when spending £40k+

 

[Tony MB]

You say 2 areas pretty much sorted that and the bonnet problem would say to me at least a grand off the sale.
Remember as soon as you leave the dealership your into depreciation any way so i would be looking for more than £500 as is.
There's at least a £1000 pounds worth of repair if you took it to an Indy bodyshop

 

[bob 6600]

Poor PDI process and yes you will never know if it has had any repairs in the factory.

However, I would want dealer to repair AND a small compensation for the hassle.

 

[ian lunn]

You say two areas have been polished so as to not be able to see the damage. when body shops do this they are basically cutting back the lacquer layer (making it thinner) I purchased a use car a good few years ago where this had been done and within 3 years the area stud out as the lacquer was so thin it had lost its shine. Tell the dealer you will use there courtesy car until a NEW replacement arrives, Or take the new one as courtesy car again untill new one comes also you try for a upgrade as well. Remember Unless you ask you don't get.

 

[ajlsl600]

difficult,but i would not accept that damage on a 40k car .

 

[Yugguy]

"brand new" cars can often have spent months sitting in a manufacturer's compound.

 

[Ductman]

"brand new" cars can often have spent months sitting in a manufacturer's compound.

Not very often the case with MB. Most are built to order.

 

[Craiglxviii]

"brand new" cars can often have spent months sitting in a manufacturer's compound.

Or the multi storey long stay at BHX...

 

[CJD]

It all depends on how quickly you want to have your new car.
Ideally it should have been presented to you in perfect condition, on your agreed collection date, obviously this did not happen.
So you could walk away, or wait for another build slot - far from perfect.
I think I would accept a £500 sweetener on condition they swap the bonnet over from another identical car and you are happy with the match, which should be perfect considering they are both brand new vehicles.
Either way your new car purchase has been tarnished and left you unhappy, but that feeling will diminish - given time you will forgot it ever happened.

 

[Craiglxviii]

"brand new" cars can often have spent months sitting in a manufacturer's compound.

Or the multi storey long stay at BHX...

 

[KennyN]

You paid for a new car not a polished / painted or repaired car , now that you know where the "repairs" have been done then your eyes will always be drawn to that particular area and you will always be looking for that mis-match in the paint between the bonnet and the rest of the car.

You have upheld your part of the contract by paying for the car , they are not honoring their part by supplying a car that is not new (damaged)

I would insist on a new one and some form of compen. for the inconvenience, purely based on the fact that they were trying to palm you off with a 40k new car that was damaged hoping you wouldnt notice before you drove out of the showroom.

Kenny

 

[OrangeSport]

I would walk and buy somewhere else. They should've bent over backwards to make you happy.

 

[mikestrivens]

Which dealer would this be?

 

[Steve@Avantgarde]

One of my techs used to work for Honda at the delivery port, often cars were stripped and rebuilt before delivery following a bump en route. Also some models that arrived from Mexico often arrived with parts missing having been through bandit country. Im sure the owners never knew...

In my opinion, you are in the box seat. A repainted bonnet to a high standard and you would never know, or even think about it once you get into ownership. Done properly and when new and it will blend with the rest of the paintwork and it will blend as the paint ages. Resale value won't be affected and neither should another purchaser notice it.

On that basis, a good discount in cash back and a year or 2 free servicing would be good compensation.

However its your car, so you should do what you feel comfortable with.