Damage on a new car

Falcon L

I picked up a new car today. When I got it home I noticed a dent in the roof. It looks like something sharp-ish hit the roof just above the windscreen and has left a dent about the size of a 2 euro coin. The car is metallic grey and the paint is penetrated to the white layer.

I contacted the dealership and they said they would sort it out. Any idea what they might propose to sort it? Any ideas on what my approach should be?

Neilw

They will send it to a bodyshop and fill the dent and respray, maybe just that section or possibly the whole roof.

If it's filled with filler without being pulled first, more than likely the filler will sink over time and look bad.

Just make sure the job is done right and your paint warranty is still intact.

godtabh

Did you inspect it before leaving them?

biko

They will probably arrange a dent doctor to have a look.

kildarelad

likely it happened on the delivery lorry

Falcon L

Neilw wrote: »

They will send it to a bodyshop and fill the dent and respray, maybe just that section or possibly the whole roof.

If it's filled with filler without being pulled first, more than likely the filler will sink over time and look bad.

Just make sure the job is done right and your paint warranty is still intact.

In fairness, the photo makes it look worse than it is, but I'm sure painting has to be involved. Good idea about the paint warranty.

godtabh wrote: »

Did you inspect it before leaving them?

Yes I did, and I'm sure the car was subjected to a PDI, but we all missed this. It was only when the car was under cover, and picking up the reflections of lighter surroundings, that it was spotted.

kildarelad wrote: »

likely it happened on the delivery lorry

Yeah, that's my thinking too. It looks like something rough dropped onto the roof, possibly a stone. It's clearly not a glancing blow.

colm_mcm

There's no way the valetor didn't see that when polishing it. Chancers.
I'd be throwing it back to them and demanding a different one. Mightn't be practical though if the car was a special order.

Falcon L

colm_mcm wrote: »

There's no way the valetor didn't see that when polishing it. Chancers.
I'd be throwing it back to them and demanding a different one. Mightn't be practical though if the car was a special order.

Yeah it was special order. It took 6 months to get it, so a different one isn't an option.

colm_mcm

Fair enough. I would definitely be trying to get something out of the situation then, apart from a repair. Mainly because they have to had known about it and did nothing.

Drummerboy08

colm_mcm wrote: »

There's no way the valetor didn't see that when polishing it. Chancers.
I'd be throwing it back to them and demanding a different one. Mightn't be practical though if the car was a special order.

And you'd be laughed out the gate!!!!

The dealer is clearly going to repair it, but there's nothing to say that this didn't happen in the OP's possession as it wasn't found at the dealer.

If the garage decided not to repair it it would be a tough ask for the OP to get them to do it unless he spent every moment since driving it out the door of the dealer in the car, even then it would be his word against theirs if it ever went legal.

Why would you "demand" and brand new car over a small dent?

Falcon L

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

And you'd be laughed out the gate!!!!

The dealer is clearly going to repair it, but there's nothing to say that this didn't happen in the OP's possession as it wasn't found at the dealer.

If the garage decided not to repair it it would be a tough ask for the OP to get them to do it unless he spent every moment since driving it out the door of the dealer in the car, even then it would be his word against theirs if it ever went legal.

Why would you "demand" and brand new car over a small dent?

I drove the car from the forecourt to my house and discovered it there. Nothing hit the car on the trip home. I called the dealer as soon as I saw it.

I agree that I would be swimming against the tide if the dealer decided to get thick about it, but I don't think I'll have a problem with them.

colm_mcm

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

And you'd be laughed out the gate!!!!

The dealer is clearly going to repair it, but there's nothing to say that this didn't happen in the OP's possession as it wasn't found at the dealer.

If the garage decided not to repair it it would be a tough ask for the OP to get them to do it unless he spent every moment since driving it out the door of the dealer in the car, even then it would be his word against theirs if it ever went legal.

Why would you "demand" and brand new car over a small dent?

Well, its not like the car is a year old, and a brand new car is something completely different to what he is supposed to have.
The car is registered a few hours and there's a dent. You could safely say the damage was already there, I'm sure there's even polish over the spot where the paint is missing.
I don't know when the car got damaged, I wasn't there - but you know yourself that some cars get damaged in delivery.
Yes, if it was me I wouldn't be happy with a resprayed roof on a new car, but on the other hand probably wouldn't wait for another identically specced car to be built and would grudgingly get it repaired, that's not saying I would be happy with that outcome.

Drummerboy08

colm_mcm wrote: »

Well, its not like the car is a year old, and a brand new car is something completely different to what he is supposed to have.
The car is registered a few hours and there's a dent. You could safely say the damage was already there, I'm sure there's even polish over the spot where the paint is missing.
I don't know when the car got damaged, I wasn't there - but you know yourself that some cars get damaged in delivery.
Yes, if it was me I wouldn't be happy with a resprayed roof on a new car, but on the other hand probably wouldn't wait for another identically specced car to be built and would grudgingly get it repaired, that's not saying I would be happy with that outcome.

You could safely ASSUME the damage was there, but there's no way in he'll you could prove it.

I've had cases where I know 100% there was no damage on a car, car was damaged an hour later and I'm accused of damaging it.

The dealer is offering to put the situation right, but it's not reasonable to expect a brand new car (whether its a factory order or not) for a repair that's at most €450.

Falcon L

I have to say that my wife is spitting fire over this.
She wants the dealership to order a new car and we'll drive this one until it arrives. I'm more of a realist and am quite calm about it.

I'll just have to accept a repair up to my standard, and live with it. Though like Colm, I won't claim to be happy about it.

Clearly the person that did the clean up before delivery wasn't into details as the plastic chrome protection tape was still on one of the trims.

Falcon L

Update: I brought the car to the dealer earlier this week and they said 'no problem, we'll repair it'

I collected it today good as new. The whole roof has been painted, but you'd never know it. I'm a picky bastid and it passes my inspection.

Not happy, but reasonably satisfied.

grogi

Falcon L wrote: »

Update: I brought the car to the dealer earlier this week and they said 'no problem, we'll repair it'

I collected it today good as new. The whole roof has been painted, but you'd never know it. I'm a picky bastid and it passes my inspection.

Not happy, but reasonably satisfied.

Happens. They should have fixed this before - and you'd be just happier...

mickdw

Jesus id be mighty pissed. If that had been found on inspection at dealer, I'd be rejecting it. Full stop.

godtabh

Fair play to the dealer. In and out in a week seems a decent turn around

colm_mcm

Heroes alright.

delly

Now that the story has had a happy conclusion, who wants to make an attempt at 'guess the car' game?

robtri

Falcon L wrote: »

Update: I brought the car to the dealer earlier this week and they said 'no problem, we'll repair it'

I collected it today good as new. The whole roof has been painted, but you'd never know it. I'm a picky bastid and it passes my inspection.

Not happy, but reasonably satisfied.

great result

kudos to the dealer... thats service for you

monkeysnapper

Something I've always wondered as I've never bought a brand new car .

When you go to collect your new car , arnt you supposed to do an inspection of car , I mean if I was handing over my hard earnt money I'd nearly bring a mechanic as well .

I'd want to inspect every single panel, see under it on a ramp . OK I might sound like a egit but you,re handing over serious money

robtri

monkeysnapper wrote: »

Something I've always wondered as I've never bought a brand new car .

When you go to collect your new car , arnt you supposed to do an inspection of car , I mean if I was handing over my hard earnt money I'd nearly bring a mechanic as well .

I'd want to inspect every single panel, see under it on a ramp . OK I might sound like a egit but you,re handing over serious money

OP said he did an inspection in the dealer and he didnt notice it..
he accepted the car and agreed its condition,
why I think the dealer really good on this one

vectra

I would be rejecting it point blank.

Jimmy Garlic

colm_mcm wrote: »

There's no way the valetor didn't see that when polishing it. Chancers.
I'd be throwing it back to them and demanding a different one. Mightn't be practical though if the car was a special order.

Maybe he did it.

Esel

I would insist on three years free services for not talking. I might reluctantly settle for two years. Use your very verrrrry irate partner as a bargaining chip - even have them make a few totally freaked-out calls to the MD of the dealership. Then have them freak out to the Service Manager; then threaten to Talk to Joe.

Someone fupped duck, and it wasn't you.

Falcon L

I suppose I'm satisfied because I have the whole deal to consider. I'm getting free services for 3 years, I got the wheels upgraded free, and a few other extras. The trade in agreed was significantly higher than any other dealers, In fact just €300 less than I paid for the car two and a half years ago.

The dealer really was great about it. The principal apologised and offered a premium replacement car to use while the repair was carried out. The least he could do, I suppose.

Regarding the inspection when I collected it. I walked round the car three times looking for any paint or panel damage. There was a shower of rain just as I arrived at the dealership to collected it and the roof was covered in beaded water. This is what hid the damage. When I got it home, under cover and dried off, the damage was then easily seen.

Worse damage is done to new cars, I'm sure. It's just that they're repaired before they're collected and the new owner knows nothing about it. This one just slipped through the net because the damage was so small, I guess.

grogi

Falcon L wrote: »

Worse damage is done to new cars, I'm sure. It's just that they're repaired before they're collected and the new owner knows nothing about it. This one just slipped through the net because the damage was so small, I guess.

That's it - you're sensible about that, the dealer is sensible about that.

Some people are just hysterical...

JoeA3

Seems like a very fair resolution to me that was handled very well by the dealer. Brand new cars get minor damage in transit all the time and most of it is fixed before any customer is any the wiser.

Talk of rejecting the car over it is OTT to say the least in my opinion.

vectra

JoeA3 wrote: »

Talk of rejecting the car over it is OTT to say the least in my opinion.

Really?

No way would I accept a panel repainted on a brand new car.

R.O.R

vectra wrote: »

Really?

No way would I accept a panel repainted on a brand new car.

You know 100% that your new car never had any repair work before you collected it?

JoeA3

vectra wrote: »

Really?

No way would I accept a panel repainted on a brand new car.

Yes really. Some perspective is sometimes required. What if you'd waited 3 months for the car to arrive? Wait again?! Neither would I want to create permanent aggro between myself and the dealer, particularly if I'd a good relationship with them.

Obviously I'd demand that the repair be done to the best possible standard, I'd even insist they use my preferred body shop. My own car picked up a door ding while it was in for a warranty job last year. It was only a couple of months old. What could I do? The dealers were very good about it, and covered the repair, despite the fact that another customer of theirs probably did it.

How can you be certain the Passat didn't get a touch up before you saw it?

EDIT: I doubt the entire panel was painted. For something like that, the actual paint would have been kept localised and the lacquer would be blended over.

FrontDoor

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

Why would you "demand" and brand new car over a small dent?

Would you buy a TV with a small dent?

Or a bruised apple?

JoeA3

FrontDoor wrote: »

Would you buy a TV with a small dent?

Or a bruised apple?

See, I think that's far too simplistic an argument. A car is a very big ticket item and cannot be compared to an an apple or even a TV lol. If there's an issue with a new TV, you stick it in the boot, and bring home a new one off the shelf. A car very often is much more difficult to just simply reject and replace. It may have been a factory order, it's already registered to you, so it's now effectively 2nd hand... There'll be huge hassle for you, never mind the dealers.

A car is more akin to a new house imo. Would you back out of a house purchase if the skirting boards were crooked?

pippip

I'm surprised the inspection wasn't done indoors. Never bought a brand new car but given its Ireland and rain etc I would have thought any dealer would want the customer to see the car for the first time in a perfect (dry) environment.

pippip

vectra wrote: »

I would be rejecting it point blank.

If noticed in the inspection, yes, once you've accepted it, no.

Both dealer and op have resolved this in the best way possible for both.

Comhrá

I'd be disappointed if my new car had a pre-delivery dent or :eek: a door ding

:eek: but I think the better body-shops do such excellent work that a quality

repair will be invisible anyway. I'd hate if it happened a new car of mine but

I'd accept that they do occasionally occur and a good dealer will help make

things right and all move on.

tossy

I don't know i think it depends on the car. If i was waiting for something niche or performance related i think i'd reject it. You are driving off the forecourt with on only the normal depreciation but also a 'repaired' car.

I think for me to accept it i would need 3 things

1. A letter from the national office of said manufacturer stating my paint/corrosion warranty was still intact.

2. A letter from the Garage stating the car was damaged pre delivery and was painted by them - the reason for this is when it comes to sell a re sprayed paned will set of alarm bels and how is the potential buyer to know you are not spinning them a story.

3. Some sort of good will gesture, a free service etc.

vectra

R.O.R wrote: »

You know 100% that your new car never had any repair work before you collected it?

I can only assume they would be obliged by law to inform you that your "NEW" car has had a panel repainted.?
Failing that I can assume they would be selling it fraudently.

grogi

vectra wrote: »

I can only assume they would be obliged by law to inform you that your "NEW" car has had a panel repainted.?
Failing that I can assume they would be selling it fraudently.

Did it ever crossed your mind that panels get resprayed at the factory as well?!

As long as it is fixed properly, there is absolutely nothing you should be mad about.

JoeA3

The selling dealer often wouldn't know. NVD (the distributors who transport cars up and down the country) have their own bodyshop facilities.

R.O.R

vectra wrote: »

I can only assume they would be obliged by law to inform you that your "NEW" car has had a panel repainted.?
Failing that I can assume they would be selling it fraudently.

As pointed out, the dealer wouldn't necessarily know it was damaged in transport and repaired, before it even made it to them.

vectra

R.O.R wrote: »

As pointed out, the dealer wouldn't necessarily know it was damaged in transport and repaired, before it even made it to them.

Fair enough.
But if I did spot something it would be rejected, especially if it arrived like the OP's car.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Falcon L

vectra wrote: »

Fair enough.
But if I did spot something it would be rejected, especially if it arrived like the OP's car.

If, like me, you missed something and discovered it under different light conditions when you got it home, what would you do?

JoeA3

Falcon L wrote: »

If, like me, you missed something and discovered it under different light conditions when you got it home, what would you do?

Rejecting the car for something like this after you've signed the deal, registered it in your name, and brought it home is not an option. So you did the only thing you could do and fortunately your dealer was good about it.

vectra

Falcon L wrote: »

If, like me, you missed something and discovered it under different light conditions when you got it home, what would you do?

Drop it back,
Point out the damage,
Demonstrate your total disgust ,
and reject it.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

JoeA3

Incidentally, my dealer's told me some scary stories about the transport guys. For my car he actually asked them on the phone (while I was sitting in front of him) to mark it as "fragile"!! That worried me slightly at the time.

Also, the dealer is caught too if they sign off on a car off the transporter and find damage later. Once the dealer signs off on it, it's their problem. So OP, your dealer most most likely had to foot the bill for your repair, despite the fact it probably happened on the truck / boat.

JoeA3

vectra wrote: »

Drop it back,
Point out the damage,
Demonstrate your total disgust ,
and reject it.

I genuinely don't think you'd get very far with that approach.

Falcon L

vectra wrote: »

Drop it back,
Point out the damage,
Demonstrate your total disgust ,
and reject it.

Once you drive it away, the car is yours. The 'reject it' boat has sailed. The dealer would be well within their rights to tell you to sling your hook. I knew my dealer would be good about it. I also know dealers who wouldn't.