New car damaged by dealership

I've seen a few people on this thread comment that the "repair will show over time". You guys must use some really pi$$ poor bodyshops! A good quality repair in a proper bodyshop (not a "smart" repair done in a carpark) will be good for the lifetime of the vehicle.

Demand a new replacement feck that,

I'm shopping for a ,2017 ATM and I'll expect a car without dents

Would not accept any excuses ref purchase of a brand new car

True, but you just don't know. I've seen questionable repairs from very highly accredited body shops used by main dealers. This repair is probably coming directly out of the dealerships pockets, you just don't know what quality the repair will be. And that's the point, this is a new car and that kind of uncertainty is not expected or welcome. It's up to the OP if they want to roll the dice or not.

Yeah I agree, there are good bodyshops but there are also lots of average ones who just rush through insurance jobs every week. Hence why I suggested to the OP that he makes sure he's involved in the repair-process itself, engage directly with the bodyshop and if not happy, insist that the repair is carried out by a body shop that you are happy with.

On the plus side, this is a new car with fresh factory paint, so if paint is required, matching/blending is much easier than it would be on an older car.

Brand new un-registered cars are repaired every day of the week. Some of them are repaired before they leave the docks.

The point is the OP knows it's damaged and therefore feelings towards the car are affected.

Possibly a repair will be acceptable (and a proper repair,not a filler job) but I can't believe that no matter how good a paint job is done it will match the factory applied paint over the complete lifetime of the car. Also that is substantial damage including damage to the pillar.

I see that the sill of the car is badly scratched and pushed in. That is bad news. Very bad.

The sill is a structural part of the car and if that has been damaged, then it and any repair work could *potentially* have caused a twist or strain to be induced elsehere in the chassis. It would be an imperceptibly minuscule strain, but there all the same. This could also have an effect on the performance of the chassis in a crash.

With all the sensors and accelerators in cars these days, you could not absolutely guarantee with 100% certainty that any such infinitesimal misalignment consequent to the strain in the chassis would not interfere with the inertial instrumentation and control systems in the car. Even dealerships are rarely successful in resolving such instrumentation issues - they usually just replace parts and eventually throw their hands up and put it down as one of those cars with no apparent fault but is nonetheless unfixable.

The cill is also exposed to the full caustic environment of wet, dirt and road salt. A repair will probably involve sanding or cutting through the galvanised coating leaving the area more succeptible to corrosion. And corrosion in a cill is like cancer. By the time it becomes evident and blisters the paint the damage is already done and there is probably a spread of extensive corrosion inside the cill section, potentially severely weakening it and making its crash performance unpredictable.

Even with repairing, the whole side of the car would have to be re-painted to make it look right.

There is no way I would accept that car after seeing that level of damage even if it's not discernable after repair. At least not without getting some form of discount.

The sill of the chassis could be bent in too, nevermind the panels

Sounds messy? I’d try sort it out directly with them but it would be either rejection and a different car or a discount for me. No only repair offer

In an arbitration under CIArb rules the decision is binding on both parties including potential liability for costs which are capped at €1,600. Why would you agree to arbitration? What is your claim? You can take car or negotiate a discount, that doesn’t need an arbitrator but rather might need a mediator. Either way and element of cost is being introduced which would better be spent on a discount or a high quality body shop.

It’s really being exaggerated in this thread. If people thing the car is structurally damaged then I think they are just wrong. If the op is worried just reject the car.

As others have stated, bear in mind how the repair work will look in a few years time and if you ever sell, how much will you lose because of it. Best of luck in whatever ye decide.

Is/was there a picture that isn't loading for me?

Sorry, but this is where a little knowledge can be dangerous.

All cars chassis' flex to absorb vibrations in the road, tyres are rubber people change alloys, suspension sags over time, shock absorbers wear out, bushings wear out, the metal expands and contracts with heat, etc.

All Electronic Stability Control systems have online (constantly running) calibration to account for the above variables, and also have tolerances of a few percent so it won't go nuts if you fully load the car and it sees the suspension is low at the back.

I suppose it is *theoretically possible* for a twisted car say to drive straight but for the stability control to throw errors, but it would want to be an absolutly awful cut-and-shut job really.

Crash safety structures have enormous tolerances, especially anything that is subject to a knock or bang on the outside of the car.

I personally wouldn’t accept the car - the “new car” experience would be ruined for me!