Scratches on new 2018 F80 at dealer delivery

[M4_CaptFlashheart]

This issue is as old as cars and dealerships. I picked my Riviera Blue M4 CP up a month ago and because it had been in a showroom for some time, it had 'acquired' the dreaded swirls and lights surface scratches in the paint. You couldn't notice it inside and it wasn't until I got home and it was stood outside in the sun that I noticed to my horror the amount of 'scratching'. It looked like it had been cleaned with a scouring pad!! I immediately drove back to dealership and pointed out all of the issues and found some parts where paint wasn't great. They agreed to have it corrected and ceramic coated. The ceramic coating never happened. The 'detailing' guy never materialised, instead i tracked my car to their bodyshop across town, it was there for a day, and returned to dealership. I inspected the car and yes the paintwork had had a first stage correction which sorted 99% of the paint but they'd just given it a quick wax rather than the promised ceramic coating. Instead of kicking off further (ive had so many issues with this dealership I decided not to continue) I decided to draw a line under using them. I added the BMW nano wax on top and gave the car a great shine and its booked with my detailer guy for a full detail and coating later in the year before winter time. I used another dealers for the run in service last week. Strict instructions, DO NOT CLEAN MY CAR, IVE JUST CLEANED IT MYSELF. They did clean the interior though and cleaned the wheels which had picked up some dust

The problem is that BMW paint is very soft on the M cars and also very thin. It scratches so easily.

Hope you got it sorted but that scratch to me looks like it was done when protection was removed and personally id accept nothing less than some extra goodies (carbon fibre is always good at easing the pain) and a full correction.

[IM2C]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

Because people such as you just sign the paper without a thought and give up all leverage.

Perhaps yelling it will stick in people’s minds longer.

You are pure emotion, aren't you? Lol.

"People such as you" comment is a hasty generalization based on a single comment trying to explain why someone would compromise.

Your "straw man" argument that there's no thought process before signing paper is laughable. It's the exact opposite of what I said.

[doug_999]

I must be missing something here in this thread.

From what I can tell, this is a deep scratch through the paint down to the metal - one that will be just about impossible to fix without a respray (no matter how good your guy is).

There seem to be two camps here
"Get over it dude, it is just a car"

and
"I would be livid and not accept delivery"

I'm personally in camp #2 - I really hate paying money for something that is damaged and worse I hate being told "trust us, we will fix it someday", when the fact is, the OP trusted them once already and they let him down.

I wonder if people in camp#1 buy clothes that have stains on them and say "well it is just a piece of clothing and will get dirty eventually anyway" - or do they return it to the store or better yet, don't even leave the store with it.

[Darth One]

Originally Posted by doug_999

I must be missing something here in this thread.

From what I can tell, this is a deep scratch through the paint down to the metal - one that will be just about impossible to fix without a respray (no matter how good your guy is).

There seem to be two camps here
"Get over it dude, it is just a car"

and
"I would be livid and not accept delivery"

I'm personally in camp #2 - I really hate paying money for something that is damaged and worse I hate being told "trust us, we will fix it someday", when the fact is, the OP trusted them once already and they let him down.

I wonder if people in camp#1 buy clothes that have stains on them and say "well it is just a piece of clothing and will get dirty eventually anyway" - or do they return it to the store or better yet, don't even leave the store with it.

I think you might misunderstand the message camp 1 is trying to send. We're trying to encourage him by saying that the car is still the same great car and the respray should bring it to satisfactory condition. I think it's fair to debate both sides in a hypothetical situation, but in this case, the OP already accepted delivery. Berating him isn't going to help things

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by doug_999

I must be missing something here in this thread.

From what I can tell, this is a deep scratch through the paint down to the metal - one that will be just about impossible to fix without a respray (no matter how good your guy is).

There seem to be two camps here
"Get over it dude, it is just a car"

and
"I would be livid and not accept delivery"

I'm personally in camp #2 - I really hate paying money for something that is damaged and worse I hate being told "trust us, we will fix it someday", when the fact is, the OP trusted them once already and they let him down.

I wonder if people in camp#1 buy clothes that have stains on them and say "well it is just a piece of clothing and will get dirty eventually anyway" - or do they return it to the store or better yet, don't even leave the store with it.

I think you missed the point in what Darth One is saying. Do people in camp 2 bring paint meters to make sure the car wasn't resprayed at the vehicle processing center when taking delivery? Of course not. Stuff gets fixed before delivery that you never see. Seeing it before it gets fixed isn't a rational reason to not take delivery of the car. While I don't see a reason to wait until 1,200 miles to fix it, it is fixable. If you want to take wait until it is fixed before taking delivery, fine, but to skip the car entirely at the end of a production cycle doesn't seem rational. Neither does expecting thousands of dollars in parts or cash restitution.

[IDBGOD]

Originally Posted by doug_999

Yea, $80K+ car and it has a massive scratch in it - that is through the paint.... realistic? seriously...

You walk - you say "I'll be back when it is factory fresh" - let them figure out how to make it perfect, but you don't pick it up and then be told "come back in a month and we will fix it".

and while under no obligation to compensate, they are under an obligation to make it perfect - and they should realize that they had something to do with this and own up to it.

Which they offered to do?

Last I checked, they already told the OP they would take care of it and it would be like new.

OP took delivery of the car as it was, frankly I probably would have too on a special order I had been eagerly expecting. Not going to let a scratch deter me any from my new car I've been waiting for... especially since the dealer has already owned up to the issue and offered to fix the car. Further demanding thousands off is just laughable IMHO and I would have laughed you out the door at your threats to walk away and sold your car to someone else. That's where the being realistic part comes in

The only real complaint to stand on is them recommending waiting until the 1200 mile service to fix the issue. He could have simply said that's not acceptable and pushed for a quicker fix, to which I'm sure he could get resolved more promptly as a loyal client of the dealership.

[IDBGOD]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I think you missed the point in what Darth One is saying. Do people in camp 2 bring paint meters to make sure the car wasn't resprayed at the vehicle processing center when taking delivery? Of course not. Stuff gets fixed before delivery that you never see. Seeing it before it gets fixed isn't a rational reason to not take delivery of the car. While I don't see a reason to wait until 1,200 miles to fix it, it is fixable. If you want to take wait until it is fixed before taking delivery, fine, but to skip the car entirely at the end of a production cycle doesn't seem rational. Neither does expecting thousands of dollars in parts or cash restitution.

[doug_999]

Originally Posted by IDBGOD

Which they offered to do?

Last I checked, they already told the OP they would take care of it and it would be like new.

Uh, yea, while he was doing the paperwork - and is it like new? so
1) they scratch the car
2) they promise to fix
3) they make it worse
4) they promise to fix - in a month

Originally Posted by IDBGOD

OP took delivery of the car as it was, frankly I probably would have too on a special order I had been eagerly expecting. Not going to let a scratch deter me any from my new car I've been waiting for... especially since the dealer has already owned up to the issue and offered to fix the car. Further demanding thousands off is just laughable IMHO and I would have laughed you out the door at your threats to walk away and sold your car to someone else. That's where the being realistic part comes in

I didn't say don't buy the car - I said don't pick up the car until it is factory perfect. And it is realistic to want something new, especially at $80K to not have a massive scratch.

I also said they were under no obligation to compensate you - but they were under obligation to deliver a car that is not damaged.

and that is not a personal view - it is a fact.

Originally Posted by Darth One

I think you might misunderstand the message camp 1 is trying to send. We're trying to encourage him by saying that the car is still the same great car and the respray should bring it to satisfactory condition. I think it's fair to debate both sides in a hypothetical situation, but in this case, the OP already accepted delivery. Berating him isn't going to help things

I'm not sure I berated him - maybe you are talking about other people?
What I am saying is this is a big deal - on a $80K custom ordered car, that I'm pretty sure they aren't making any more. AND, I would not have trust in my dealer if they delivered the car like that (come on, the porter didn't notice?), then said they could fix, but made it worse, then said "yea, don't worry about it, we will get it right eventually. PS - I would have however made damn sure that was noted on the paperwork - in terms of what the dealer still owes.

and to be clear, I do believe a competent body shop can make it perfect. Still, that's not part of being in Camp 1 or 2.

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I think you missed the point in what Darth One is saying. Do people in camp 2 bring paint meters to make sure the car wasn't resprayed at the vehicle processing center when taking delivery? Of course not. Stuff gets fixed before delivery that you never see. Seeing it before it gets fixed isn't a rational reason to not take delivery of the car. While I don't see a reason to wait until 1,200 miles to fix it, it is fixable. If you want to take wait until it is fixed before taking delivery, fine, but to skip the car entirely at the end of a production cycle doesn't seem rational. Neither does expecting thousands of dollars in parts or cash restitution.

Once again, I have not said he should not take the car - I just said he has the right and should have not taken the car until they made it perfect.

yea, lots of things get fixed at the port, and most of us will never know - unless it exceeds 3% of the vehicles value - then they need to tell you. And me, being in camp#2, says "that's fine" - it is like when the body shop fixes your car to factory specs - a good shop does that and you can't tell it has been fixed. That's all camp 2 is looking for. The silliness of saying you want to be there when they pull the wrap off is funny - I don't care what they do, just deliver the car to me without damage.

I've added a picture of the scratch to help. Please note, this is AFTER the dealer fixed it.

[Darth One]

Originally Posted by doug_999

I'm not sure I berated him - maybe you are talking about other people?

sorry, i don't mean you at all. i meant ik6speed and others who've taken somewhat of a hectoring tone.

and i agree that the dealership should have offered to fix it on the spot. i don't even know what the offer to fix it after break-in would accomplish. did they think he'd forget about it by then?

[Fuller]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I think you missed the point in what Darth One is saying. Do people in camp 2 bring paint meters to make sure the car wasn't resprayed at the vehicle processing center when taking delivery? Of course not. Stuff gets fixed before delivery that you never see. Seeing it before it gets fixed isn't a rational reason to not take delivery of the car. While I don't see a reason to wait until 1,200 miles to fix it, it is fixable. If you want to take wait until it is fixed before taking delivery, fine, but to skip the car entirely at the end of a production cycle doesn't seem rational. Neither does expecting thousands of dollars in parts or cash restitution.

Yes, the op already took delivery, so he just has to make the best of his situation, but for anyone else reading this thread who might find themselves in a similar situation, do not take delivery of your new car if you see a major flaw like this, or are otherwise not 100% satisfied with it.

Bottom line is, the car should be immaculate and ready at the time of delivery. I understand that, often times, some odds and ends work needs to be done to prepare the car for delivery but it needs to be done BEFORE the car is delivered. If there's a 2 foot long scratch on the hood, the car is NOT ready for delivery, case closed. The client is paying for a brand new car in immaculate condition, and that's what they should receive. If they receive any less, than they should be paying for less.

Yeah, sure, first world problem, but when you're paying first world money first world problems are relevant. How about if I decide to short them by a few thousand, then when they protest I'll say, "cmon, Ive only shorted you a few thousand, such a first world problem".

If you aren't satisfied with your car on the day of delivery, DO NOT sign anything until they fix it. Do not accept promises that they'll address it later down the road. Some dealers will keep their word, but some might not, or will compromise from what they originally promised to do. If you don't accept delivery, at least in many states, you still have the leverage. It sucks, but it's better than having what should be an exhilarating experience (that you paid good money for) marred by a flawed product and having to go back and forth to the dealership for repairs on your brand new car, instead of exploring your favorite roads with it.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by doug_999

Once again, I have not said he should not take the car - I just said he has the right and should have not taken the car until they made it perfect.

yea, lots of things get fixed at the port, and most of us will never know - unless it exceeds 3% of the vehicles value - then they need to tell you. And me, being in camp#2, says "that's fine" - it is like when the body shop fixes your car to factory specs - a good shop does that and you can't tell it has been fixed. That's all camp 2 is looking for. The silliness of saying you want to be there when they pull the wrap off is funny - I don't care what they do, just deliver the car to me without damage.

There are numerous people in this thread advocating either walking away, getting BMWNA involved or expecting compensation of some kind (including at least one suggesting an MPE was a reasonable request) in such a scenario (none of which matter to OP since he already took delivery). If everyone followed the original post, they would realize it was OP pushing to take delivery of the car before it was ready. Had he waited to show up until the car was ready like 99% of people, he probably would have never seen the scratch because it should have been fixed properly before he got there. Wet sanding was an attempt to fix on the fly since the customer was urgently trying to take delivery. It didn’t work, which shouldn’t matter since the solution is still respraying it. Obviously, they weren’t going to respray it while the customer waited and for all we know, the suggestion to fix at 1,200 miles was merely a way to allow the customer to enjoy the car for a while before it needed to go in anyway. No way to really know why they suggested fixing after 1,200 miles.

In a generic scenario where a customer waited until the dealer said the car was ready before going in, if there was damage I’d agree the dealer failed to properly prepare the car for delivery. In that case, I have no issue with saying either you will wait to take delivery until it is fixed, or take it and trust they will fix it later. But I think it is ridiculous to refuse the car altogether or expect some type of compensation as others have suggested in this thread. Maybe there is a camp 3 for anyone suggesting it is reasonable to go beyond waiting to take delivery.

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

There are numerous people in this thread advocating either walking away, getting BMWNA involved or expecting compensation of some kind (including at least one suggesting an MPE was a reasonable request) in such a scenario (none of which matter to OP since he already took delivery). If everyone followed the original post, they would realize it was OP pushing to take delivery of the car before it was ready. Had he waited to show up until the car was ready like 99% of people, he probably would have never seen the scratch because it should have been fixed properly before he got there. Wet sanding was an attempt to fix on the fly since the customer was urgently trying to take delivery. It didn’t work, which shouldn’t matter since the solution is still respraying it. Obviously, they weren’t going to respray it while the customer waited and for all we know, the suggestion to fix at 1,200 miles was merely a way to allow the customer to enjoy the car for a while before it needed to go in anyway. No way to really know why they suggested fixing after 1,200 miles.

In a generic scenario where a customer waited until the dealer said the car was ready before going in, if there was damage I’d agree the dealer failed to properly prepare the car for delivery. In that case, I have no issue with saying either you will wait to take delivery until it is fixed, or take it and trust they will fix it later. But I think it is ridiculous to refuse the car altogether or expect some type of compensation as others have suggested in this thread. Maybe there is a camp 3 for anyone suggesting it is reasonable to go beyond waiting to take delivery.

*1000 and the most reasonable post in this thread.

[Nikolas]

Originally Posted by SakhirM4

*1000 and the most reasonable post in this thread.

Well there is the guy that got a new car for the wrong stitching color.

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

There is a difference in what you expect from a 3 Star Michelin Restaurant and McDonalds.

Just as there is a difference in what you expect when buying a $80k vehicle and not a Kia.

In fact, even Kia would not present a new car like that to a potential customer.

That kind of attitude leaves them enabled to do it again.

The dealer offered to fix it what more do you expect? Getting mad and hostile won't make the scratch go away. I don't understand your anger. There was a defect, customer was upset and brought his concern to the dealer, and the dealer offered to fix it.

[IK6SPEED]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

The dealer offered to fix it what more do you expect? Getting mad and hostile won't make the scratch go away. I don't understand your anger. There was a defect, customer was upset and brought his concern to the dealer, and the dealer offered to fix it.

Dealer did shitty job of diffusing situation.

Period.

And for someone that had purchased multiple cars.

Would have been better if he left without signing anything and allow Dealer to come to him later.

Guess you think Dealer's actions were ok on a $80k Sale.

Bet it would be different story if it happened to you.

[paliknight]

Originally Posted by Nikolas

Well there is the guy that got a new car for the wrong stitching color.

Thats because the owner paid for something and received something else that's MUCH harder to change, and the mistake was made by BMW, not the dealer. Dealerships are cheap as shit so they will try to fix a mistake the cheapest way possible and I don't blame them because that's business.

In this case, I'd let them repaint and see how it looks. If it's not noticeable and matches the rest of the car then I wouldn't expect more than a key chain and a shirt for the trouble. If not, then OP can take further action as he pleases.

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

Dealer did shitty job of diffusing situation.

Period.

And for someone that had purchased multiple cars.

Would have been better if he left without signing anything and allow Dealer to come to him later.

Guess you think Dealer's actions were ok on a $80k Sale.

Bet it would be different story if it happened to you.

Dude you need to relax. If it happened to me I would have been very upset as well. But as I said in my first post, getting mad and hostile with the dealership won't make the scratch suddenly disappear. So you are left with a choice - either walk away from your dream car that you custom ordered all because of a scratch or let the dealer make it right and fix the scratch. Is really that simple. I would choose the latter and it sounds like OP made the same choice.

[IK6SPEED]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Dude you need to relax. If it happened to me I would have been very upset as well. But as I said in my first post, getting mad and hostile with the dealership won't make the scratch suddenly disappear. So you are left with a choice - either walk away from your dream car that you custom ordered all because of a scratch or let the dealer make it right and fix the scratch. Is really that simple. I would choose the latter and it sounds like OP made the same choice.

You are ASSUMING I would never accept car.

You need to reread what I actually posted and not put words in my mouth.

[Fuller]

Regardless of whether the op arranged to have it delivered earlier, or whether the fault lies with bmw, the dealer, or Willy wonka and the umpa lumpas, it's unacceptable to deliver a brand new $80k luxury car with a 2 foot long, deep scratch on the hood. If they couldn't accommodate the op's request for earlier delivery without compromising their work, they should have told him it wouldn't be possible.

Upon discovering the damage, taking delivery and accepting their promises to fix the issue afterwards places one at the mercy of the dealer. It's too easy to half ass it, or give the purchaser the run-around that way. The customer gives up all their leverage.

My suspicion is that many in this thread who believe that it would be unreasonable to not take delivery of the damaged car probably work at a dealership. Otherwise they're the ones who gave away their lunch money everyday in grade school.

[kerkiraios00]

Bro who cares what your SA,dealer,BMW or anyone thinks or feels!!!! Period!!! You spend good money on a car I'd be pissed and I'd complain.. That's a large scratch doesn't look small.. I'd have them fix it and give you some money back.. Honestly if you wanted a car that had imperfections I'm sure you would of bought a used M3 and saved some money.. That's unacceptable period!!! I'm pissed and it's not even my car...

[Ghosn]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

In fact, even Kia would not present a new car like that to a potential customer.

Well, their paint is of poor quality to begin with

https://www.caradvice.com.au/665118/...-yellow-paint/

[Darth One]

Originally Posted by Fuller

My suspicion is that many in this thread who believe that it would be unreasonable to not take delivery of the damaged car probably work at a dealership. Otherwise they're the ones who gave away their lunch money everyday in grade school.

See, you were one of the more reasonable voices on the other side of this argument until this.

It's so funny how there can be no disagreement on this forum without devolution into histrionics or personal digs. We're all just BS'ing about cars here