New car damage dilemma

[Rita]

We ordered a new car and when we went to pick it up it had scratches around one door handle that could be buffed out. On the other side around the door handle was about an inch long scratch exposing the primer paint. This will have to be airbrushed.

Do any of you know how well airbrushing jobs usually turn out?

We have to wait until middle of next week to see how it looks. But now I?m wondering if we should pay the full price agreed upon since it will sorta be repainted or touched up.

Any opinions?

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[Kurt]

Re: New car damage delima

If done right it can be as good as new but inspect carefully. Many people would ask for a discount also. Assuming you are paying retail you might as well. It's not like they are going to be offended. If they act offended it is just an act. You could act offended and demand another car or simply ask them for lifetime free oil changes. BTW if you did ask for a new car they would just say OK and paint the one you got and hide it for 45 days while your "new" one got delivered. :roll:

 

[SHELLY]

Re: New car damage delima

We ordered a new car and when we went to pick it up it had scratches around one door handle that could be buffed out. On the other side around the door handle was about an inch long scratch exposing the primer paint. This will have to be airbrushed.

Do any of you know how well airbrushing jobs usually turn out?

We have to wait until middle of next week to see how it looks. But now I?m wondering if we should pay the full price agreed upon since it will sorta be repainted or touched up.

Any opinions?

.

It would have been better if you himmed-&-hawed on the day you went to pick it up...and worked to get the dealer to drop the price a bit then and there--on the condition (of course) that you thought the paint job was "pristine."

Since you (apparently) didn't do this--and assuming the fix looks pristine--you can point out the fact that you were "inconvenienced" by the dealership's inability to deliver the car "prepped and ready to go" (you DID probably pay dearly for Dealer Prep) on the contracted date. You should offer up a figure that you think is "reasonable compensation" to make you (the customer) satisfied. At the least, they should give you an apology, a couple coupons for a free oil change and a pine tree air freshener for your trouble.

You've got to ask yourself if you are prepared to take your money off the table and walk out the door...if that is an option...if you are, then you've got the power over the situation.

By the way, what kind of dealership is it?

 

[SHELLY]

Re: New car damage delima

If done right it can be as good as new but inspect carefully. Many people would ask for a discount also. Assuming you are paying retail you might as well. It's not like they are going to be offended. If they act offended it is just an act. You could act offended and demand another car or simply ask them for lifetime free oil changes. BTW if you did ask for a new car they would just say OK and paint the one you got and hide it for 45 days while your "new" one got delivered. :roll:

Make a big deal of letting them know you've got the VIN # to the old car. (i.e., Say, "I've already contacted my insurance company and gave them the VIN to that car, but I just phone them back and tell them I'll be calling in a new VIN for the same type of car.").

 

[Rita]

Re: New car damage delima

If done right it can be as good as new but inspect carefully. Many people would ask for a discount also. Assuming you are paying retail you might as well. It's not like they are going to be offended. If they act offended it is just an act. You could act offended and demand another car or simply ask them for lifetime free oil changes. BTW if you did ask for a new car they would just say OK and paint the one you got and hide it for 45 days while your "new" one got delivered. :roll:

Hmm - What if I ask for a different color?

.

 

[Rita]

Re: New car damage delima

.....
By the way, what kind of dealership is it?

Shelly, It's a Toyota Dealership. A little Scion car which we don't need right away, so waiting is not a problem. We could wait another 3 weeks and not be inconvenienced in the least.

.

 

[Diane4145]

We ordered a new car and when we went to pick it up it had scratches around one door handle that could be buffed out. On the other side around the door handle was about an inch long scratch exposing the primer paint. This will have to be airbrushed.

Do any of you know how well airbrushing jobs usually turn out?

We have to wait until middle of next week to see how it looks. But now I?m wondering if we should pay the full price agreed upon since it will sorta be repainted or touched up.

Any opinions?

.

Rita,

I sold Acura's years ago and believe me, they expect to do some discounting! ;-) Your NEW car should be totally blemish free, as ordered! It sounds like they will be able to correct the issues. Personally, I would still ask for a $500 credit toward future services, or a cash refund, if you prefer that. They would probably, be more inclined to do the credit. More cost affective, for them.

Good Luck!

Remember...You Don't Squeek, You Don't Get No Oil! :clap_1: :clap_1: :clap_1:

 

[SHELLY]

Re: New car damage delima

Shelly, It's a Toyota Dealership. A little Scion car which we don't need right away, so waiting is not a problem. We could wait another 3 weeks and not be inconvenienced in the least.

.

I wouldn't tell them that if you are angling for a discount.

(1) Don't expect them to offer you anything more than an apology--you've gotta take the initiative to let them know what compensation you think is fair and why you believe you deserve it.

(2) Don't expect them to agree to your compensation at first--they'll probably leave you sitting around the dealership while they go "discuss" it with the chain of command.

(3) They'll probably come back with some type of counter offer less than what you've asked for and an explanation as to why it it "fair." The amount of the compensation will be based on the popularity of the car.

(4) The profit margin on Scions are "razor thin" (only a couple hundred bones) without much wiggle room for negotiation--if you've got a trade-in, that is probably where the discount will come from.

(5) Are you prepared to walk away? Do you REALLY want to get THIS car and be done with the whole thing? You've got to get this issue straight in your mind before you decide to confront them.

(6) Pick a high number (say $500) and work down from there. Having a Plan B with something else you'll be willing to settle for--i.e., getting a few extra optional accessories in lieu (armrest, car mats, cargo net --which are dirt cheap to the dealers) may result in a win-win for both of you.

Toyota is pretty customer service oriented, so you should at least get "something." If you don't ask, you'll never know. Good Luck!

 

[Rita]

Re: New car damage delima

....
Toyota is pretty customer service oriented, so you should at least get "something." If you don't ask, you'll never know. Good Luck!

Boy, I guess so! They surveyed me to death after a service job on our van!
_______
I'm not liking the color of the NEW car as it is much darker than it looked on websites. I would much rather just have them order us another of a different color and let them sell this one to someone else. They indicated that they are "hard to come by". Soooo, I would think that would give them a car "on the lot" they could sell (the touched up one) and still have us as a customer for another.

The more I think about it, I don't want a NEW car that has been airbrushed when it is a color I'm not really fond of anyway. I'd rather just cancel the deal and let them order us another. (I suspect "airbrushed" damage on cars is not uncommon, but the customer usually doesn't have a clue as we do in this case.)

We are working with the sales manager and he seems a fair enough guy, but he IS a salesman, right? So he'll likely want us to follow through with this car.

He didn't even ask for a deposit or ask us to sign the order. I don't think they're too worried about being able to sell these cars, as the only one on the lot is their demo.

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[SGB]

Many years ago, I bought my first new car. It was a red Honda Prelude that I thought was pretty hot at the time. I had to wait months to get it. When it finally came in, it had a scratch near the gas cap and near the lock on the trunk. I pointed this out to the dealership before delivery and they told me that their bodyshop would fix it and it would be "like new". Unfortunately, I was very young and stupid and couldn't wait to get the car, so I agreed to let the body shop do its job. Well "like new" is not new. Especially when the body shop did a lousy job of painting the car. They painted whole sections. I alway regretted not having the patience to wait for another car to come in.

Get the color you want and don't take the scratched one.