Brand New Car - Paint Issues

niceguy235uk

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Hi guys,

Long story short, picked up a brand new car a few weeks ago, and it has now been decided that the mis matched doors came from the factory in this condition, however i may work on getting some money off rather than outright rejecting it or having it painted as it would no longer be new!

With that in mind, what would you lot consider a fair amount, considering this would have an impact on future value of it?

Car was £35k before discount.
 
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When you say mismatched, do you mean the colour? If so, how could it have come from the factory like that given that it will have all been sprayed at the same time?

Again I’m making the assumption you’re talking about colour so I’d feel it’d be far more likely that your car was damaged in transit and a sub-standard repair has taken place.

If this indeed a possibility, it may give you cause to reconsider your options.
 
Hi guys,

Long story short, picked up a brand new car a few weeks ago, and it has now been decided that the mis matched doors came from the factory in this condition, however i may work on getting some money off rather than outright rejecting it or having it painted as it would no longer be new!

With that in mind, what would you lot consider a fair amount, considering this would have an impact on future value of it?

Car was £35k before discount.
That's down to each person. Personally I'd be looking at the equivalent second hand price for a near new model and refunding the difference. I would reject the car and allow them to repair to your standard otherwise
When you say mismatched, do you mean the colour? If so, how could it have come from the factory like that given that it will have all been sprayed at the same time?

Again I’m making the assumption you’re talking about colour so I’d feel it’d be far more likely that your car was damaged in transit and a sub-standard repair has taken place.

If this indeed a possibility, it may give you cause to reconsider your options.
I agree damage in transit.

Is the car on finance? If so make the finance company aware. They legally own the vehicle and may take dealing with the dealership off your hands.
 
Plus, if you have noticed the mismatch, then this may very well be an issue at the time of handing it back or selling on.

As @Delvey had said, definitely inform finance company, if appropriate.

In the current climate of huge waiting lists, I can see the attraction of taking off some money but, if it was my car ordered new, there would be no way I’d accept it as is.
 
Thanks guys,

I would rather not go into too much detail at the mo as i have now involved CS of the brand.

Basically, and this has been conformed by the dealer and also the manufacturer, the doors are painted separately to the rest of the body at the assembly plant, which saves the process of spraying the body and then having an extra process of physically removing the doors to be assembled with windows etc.

They are then refitted once the inside of the car has been fitted out further down the production line towards the end. This then leaves a big chance of getting doors fitted that were sprayed from a different batch of paint.

It has also been confirmed that no repairs have been carried out to the bodywork, which i did suspect initially. The dealer also said that they are normally informed if a vehicle is damaged at the import centre and they are then given the option of repair or replace, which is quite rare with most manufacturers.

You couldn't make it up!

The vehicle is financed however the dealer has offered a full refund, but considering the lead times of new orders, i would rather not have to wait another 12 months for another one so was thinking of suggesting to them some form of good will discount.

ETA: The model is fairly new and at the moment built to order so there are virtually no second hand ones around and the couple that are, are more expensive at a year old than new!
 
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His about giving them an opportunity to put it right whilst retaining your right to reject? Make sure you get in writing etc
 
His about giving them an opportunity to put it right whilst retaining your right to reject? Make sure you get in writing etc

I did also think about this, however their bodyshop said that to get it right, nearly the whole car would need spraying, and the best will in the world, would never be the same as a proper factory finish. Even they said that!
 
What a complete pain, I really sympathise.

Personally, I wouldn’t be able to stomach this in a brand new car and I’d be rejecting it. Back on topic, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have a clue how much to negotiate off the vehicle, if you decide to keep it.

How bad is the discrepancy? Is this something which would not be noticed by most?
 
Thanks guys,

I would rather not go into too much detail at the mo as i have now involved CS of the brand.

Basically, and this has been conformed by the dealer and also the manufacturer, the doors are painted separately to the rest of the body at the assembly plant, which saves the process of spraying the body and then having an extra process of physically removing the doors to be assembled with windows etc.

They are then refitted once the inside of the car has been fitted out further down the production line towards the end. This then leaves a big chance of getting doors fitted that were sprayed from a different batch of paint.

It has also been confirmed that no repairs have been carried out to the bodywork, which i did suspect initially. The dealer also said that they are normally informed if a vehicle is damaged at the import centre and they are then given the option of repair or replace, which is quite rare with most manufacturers.

You couldn't make it up!

The vehicle is financed however the dealer has offered a full refund, but considering the lead times of new orders, i would rather not have to wait another 12 months for another one so was thinking of suggesting to them some form of good will discount.

ETA: The model is fairly new and at the moment built to order so there are virtually no second hand ones around and the couple that are, are more expensive at a year old than new!
You could confirm if the doors have been resprayed. A paint thickness meter would show this, which any decent paint shop/detailer and me would have.
Not having seen the mismatch it’s hard to say. Paint issues do happen, but its not uncommon for paint get damaged and the dealer fix the issue. I personally still think the latter. I just can’t see in a factory that getting past any QC process.
 
I did actually purchase a paint gauge (albeit a generic one from amazon) and went round all the panels and they all gave exactly the same reading for each panel. Even on another car i had it measures equally all round.

It is quite noticeable as it's the drivers side so i see it every time i get in it! I will post up a photo when we have agreed a solution.

Thanks again guys.
 
If it bothers you now, it’ll never stop bothering you, even if you get some money back.

Really feel for you, hope you get a resolution.
 
My body shop guy, who is excellent btw charges £100+vat/panel, add up the panels on the car and then 35% for your trouble, as a starting point.
 
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I did actually purchase a paint gauge (albeit a generic one from amazon) and went round all the panels and they all gave exactly the same reading for each panel. Even on another car i had it measures equally all round.

It is quite noticeable as it's the drivers side so i see it every time i get in it! I will post up a photo when we have agreed a solution.

Thanks again guys.
You find the the paint thickness is very tightly monitored so you expect consistence, but If the driver’s door reads 220 microns and the adjoining bumper reads 110 microns, you can absolutely bet that door has seen paintwork.

I guess it is a factory issue, my experience of a recent repair is the bumper was perfectly matched by the paint shop. The thing is watch out for a cheap over spay. A proper rub down and respray will be invisible and last. Its would something like £300-400 a panel depend on size and three/four layers of paint.
 
You find the the paint thickness is very tightly monitored so you expect consistence, but If the driver’s door reads 220 microns and the adjoining bumper reads 110 microns, you can absolutely bet that door has seen paintwork.

I guess it is a factory issue, my experience of a recent repair is the bumper was perfectly matched by the paint shop. The thing is watch out for a cheap over spay. A proper rub down and respray will be invisible and last. Its would something like £300-400 a panel depend on size and three/four layers of paint.
Thanks.

Yes this is my concern, along with the longevity of the 'repair', and if there are any paint issues in the future under the anti corrosion warranty.

The paint shop that they used, i have had to use before when the wife managed to take the front of our S4, and when it came back, it was perfect in every way. And the car was pushing 7 years old.
 
If it bothers you now, it’ll never stop bothering you, even if you get some money back.

Really feel for you, hope you get a resolution.
This.
The lead time might be 12 months, but I imagine this is something you'll keep for years. Likely affect the resale value as well. And its brand new.
Personally I would send it back. Do inform the finance company, they'll likely want to view it.
 
My body shop guy, who is excellent btw charges £100+vat/panel, add up the panels on the car and then 35% for your trouble, as a starting point.

That is incredibly cheap, do you live in the midlands by any chance ?
 
That is incredibly cheap, do you live in the midlands by any chance ?
No, I’m in the NW. Matt who runs the place is very skilled and despite the low price he had my car for a full 3 days and it wasn’t a quick ‘spray and pay’.
 
Ok quick update..

Complained to the finance company and they have investigated the issue (amongst may others that have become apparent in the meantime).

The vehicle was taken back for the dealer to carry out a paint inspection by an 'independent' company arranged by them, at the request of the manufacturer, and this has come back as inconclusive, and is pending further investigation.

Anyway, apart from that, they have offered a small amount for compensation for the other problems, and will keep the case open for when more evidence is obtained about the paint issues.

They have sent me a final response detailing their offer, however, i feel that this is way too low and would like to counter offer (ignoring the paint issue for now).

Question is, as they have sent a final response, can i go back to them with my counter offer, or is this seen as final and no negotiations will be entered in to? At the bottom of the letter it does say that i can take it up with the financial ombudsman, but i would rather not go down that route, as this could potentially draw this out much longer.

Cheers.
 
Ok quick update..

Complained to the finance company and they have investigated the issue (amongst may others that have become apparent in the meantime).

The vehicle was taken back for the dealer to carry out a paint inspection by an 'independent' company arranged by them, at the request of the manufacturer, and this has come back as inconclusive, and is pending further investigation.

Anyway, apart from that, they have offered a small amount for compensation for the other problems, and will keep the case open for when more evidence is obtained about the paint issues.

They have sent me a final response detailing their offer, however, i feel that this is way too low and would like to counter offer (ignoring the paint issue for now).

Question is, as they have sent a final response, can i go back to them with my counter offer, or is this seen as final and no negotiations will be entered in to? At the bottom of the letter it does say that i can take it up with the financial ombudsman, but i would rather not go down that route, as this could potentially draw this out much longer.

Cheers.
Seams they have admitted an issue and it’s up to you to decide what you want. I would counter off. I did this in a similar case and while I didn’t get a 100percent of what I wanted, I did get 75.
 
Take the full refund that was offered and move on to another brand.

It will bug you long after you've had some financial compensation.

Yes - getting a new car could be a pain - but look at the hassle so far. Take the refund would be my suggestion.

Playing backwards and forwards with offers/counter offers is just a waste of your time. You'll never be happy knowing even if it's resprayed/new doors/fixed etc.
 
Thanks.

As part of the offer, they offered a whole £150 distress payment! :D
 

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