New car scratched before we left the lot. Dealer made new worse scratches. Advice pls

[ellap]

Hello everyone,

I am hoping to get some advice about this situation we are in, as it has never happened to us before and we don't know what to do.

We purchased a new 2011 Pilot on 9/30/11. It was a last hour sale, dark, and raining, and they gave us a fair price for our trade in, so we signed all of the paperwork and agreed to come back the next day, 10/1/11 to pick up our car and drop off our old SUV. The next day when we came back, we found out our original salesperson was fired/quit and the manager took care of us. He installed the floor mats for us, gave us our keys, and told us we were good to go. I asked him if he could go over the features in the car to us... he was surprised that the salesperson didn't go over it with us yet and sent a new salesperson to show us. While she was showing us, we found a scratch on the side panel (not sure what it is called, it is that strip that is on the front door). It was scratched down to the metal (you could see white). We pointed that out to her, she apologized and said to bring it in next week & they will fix it.

We brought it two weeks later, and when we went to pick it up the next day, they actually made it worse. They didn't clean the area before they spray painted it, so all the dirt and debris got caught beneath the new paint, and there was excess paint that dripped and dried that way. It wasn't a smooth finish. The general manager apologized, said they would order a new part for that, and replace it completely.

Yesterday we went to pick it up and that part was fine. By this time the car had been detailed about five times total (two before we even took it home, three times when we dropped it off to have the side panel fixed) and we found swirl scratches all over the car. It was everywhere, on the rear view mirrors, on the hood, the back, the side, the doors, etc. It was small scratches, some in the circular motion they made when they cleaned it (I am guessing) some straight. We thought it was wax at first but we tried and tried and it didn't come out.

So again, before we left the lot we showed it to the sales manager. He clearly saw it and at first tried to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal. He said it happens to all cars when it goes through a car wash. We explained to him that we are super careful and delicate with our car (garaged, always hand washed, etc) and that it was unacceptable that it was in this condition. He drove it off to have his people look at it and came back to us and said that they can put compound on it and make it look better. We didn't want it patched up like that... it's a new car! So he told us to call back the next day and speak to the general manager.

We spoke to the general manager today who did not see the car in person (yet) but said that he would have it buffed or waxed out. But neither my husband or my dad is happy with that solution. If it was a year old or done by our hands, it would be okay but we only had the car for a week and everything that has happened to it so far has been by the dealer's hands not ours. My husband got a bit too passionate about it and said that he wants a new car in exchange. The manager flatly said he's not going to do that nor will he take the car back. He said he would be willing to exchange it for a 2012 model but we'd have to pay extra.

I guess my question now is, how much extra is considered fair? Do they give us the full purchase price towards the new trade in? How is a situation like this handled? We paid $33.5 for the 2011 4WD EX-L with RES. I looked at the dealer's inventory online and the only color that they have in the pilot that our family wants (color is a big deal, not to me personally but to my parents) is the 2012 Touring. What would be a fair price difference to pay?

Thanks so much in advance for reading this and any advice.

[whizmo]

They screwed up, but to be expecting a new car at this point because of a poor detailing job seems a little extreme. While they are probably willing to bend over a little more than normal to get you into the 2012, your 2011 used car is worth what it is worth and that is several thousand less than you paid. You can ask for more, but good luck.... they're probably not going to take a huge $2500 bath because they left some swirl marks during a detailing job.

Car dealers are generally lousy at detailing. I'd suggest you find the absolute best detailing shop in your area (the one where people take their AMGs and Ferraris) and have them look at your paint and advise what needs to be done to make it new again. My guess is that they'd be willing to do the exterior detail for $150 or so and that the dealer would be willing to pay for it to make you happy. You'd then be "whole" with nothing out of pocket. I this sort of resolution is unacceptable, then I have to wonder if you're really just blowing this out of proportion because you want a 2012 and are having buyer's remorse.

Good luck regardless.

- Mark

[ellap]

Hi,

Thanks for your response.

We're not having buyer's remorse (it's our family car, although in dad's name) nor are we trying to get a 2012 out of it. I didn't mean to sound that way. They already had some 2012s in the lot when we bought the car but we wanted to save money so we looked at a 2011. I read that Sept was the best time to buy year-end models.

The car has 400 miles on it right now (almost a hundred from driving back and forth to the dealer), would we really loose several thousand from only driving it for a week? I don't even know where to look for a good detailing job, but I am afraid that if we take it there, what if it doesn't look any better? The dealer would say they can't do anything else.

I'm sad about this. It doesn't feel good to drive in a new car with scratches everywhere when it wasn't done by us. We have a 10-year-old car that doesn't have the scratches that this new one does. I just feel like the car's value has gone down through no fault of our own and I don't feel like it is fair.

[whizmo]

Originally Posted by ellap

The car has 400 miles on it right now (almost a hundred from driving back and forth to the dealer), would we really loose several thousand from only driving it for a week?

Yes. They'll have to sell your car as a used car and no one is going to buy your 400-mile used car without a several thousand dollar discount off a brand new one. Now normally the dealer will also want to turn a $2K profit or so on a flip like this - that's the reason the trade-in value of a 2011 is probably $4K less than what you paid. They may be willing to forgo that to make you happy. But unless they decide to do something exceptional for you (and you're free to ask), you're not going to get close to what you paid.

I don't even know where to look for a good detailing job, but I am afraid that if we take it there, what if it doesn't look any better?

Most major cities have hundreds of detailing shops. If you list where you live, I'm sure someone here would make a suggestion, or you could go online and find a good shop. You have nothing to lose by having a shop take a look at it. You need someone objective to look at your car and tell you how severe the damage is and what can be done to make it right.

Honestly, I can't imagine the dealer has done so much damage to your paint that a good detailing shop couldn't make it better than new.

I'm sad about this. It doesn't feel good to drive in a new car with scratches everywhere when it wasn't done by us. We have a 10-year-old car that doesn't have the scratches that this new one does. I just feel like the car's value has gone down through no fault of our own and I don't feel like it is fair.

Understandable, but it's a car, not someone in your family who has just been diagnosed with a disease. Time to step back, get perspective, and move forward to a good solution. A month from now, this will all be resolved and you'll have the perfect car you want. So someone can put a ding in it in the mall parking lot.

- Mark

[ant-ny]

i gotta agree with whizmo. we are talking about a cosmetic defect, not something mechanical. although frustrating, i am sure a decent shop can make it right or at least much less noticeable. if you could post some pics showing the scratches, that would be very helpful. good luck.

[1YESfan]

I think most of us knew knew someone who would take a hammer to a new car back in the day and give it a small tap so they would be less stressed for the next ding. It also seems as well that those who try to keep their vehicles pristine by parking far away or taking up two spaces are setting themselves up for a fail.

It's just a car and only a matter of time for something to happen. However, I'm always telling my 6 year old to give the car some room and "No, you can't help me wash it". Should be a matter of time before she takes a hammer or scrathes the Pilot on purpose if my priorities get too far out of wack. ;-)

[PM12EX-L]

i feel for you & could totally see how the issues you're dealing with could happen...i agree that you should take it to a professional detailer to get an opinion...not sure how much clearcoat is on these things, but maybe it's possible to wet-sand & buff the vehicle to remove the imperfections....me personally, i (like you) do all my own car washing/detailing because i don't trust others to do it....we just traded in our '08 Accord EX-L sedan with 84k miles...other than normal, minor front seat wear & small exterior debris/rock chips, this car was like-new (door jambs included)....the dealer may have washed the car a few times, but i always tried to make sure it went into the service center clean....hopefully the dealer will make things right...yeah, it might just be a car in the grand scheme of things, but it's also not a cheap investment.....i don't blame you for wanting it to be near-perfect, especially since it's brand new....i'm a bit of a perfectionist myself, & having owned a show-truck, i know how hard it is to keep a vehicle looking pristine.....but once again, see if you can research for a local auto body shop that specializes in custom paint work or restorations, or a high-end detail shop

[badphish]

its a sport utility vehicle who cares so nice that daddy is signing the loan why is mommy and daddy so involved with your purchase. maybe u should buy something u r 100 percent invested in. swirl marks really? that is your major concern? go park it in the walmart the row closest to the entrance for an hour while u buy car air freshener and floor mats, problem solved.
maybe the dealer can get u a bubble/shrink wrapped vehicle untouched by human hands. and drop it off a trailer in your driveway.

your lucky to have the finances to purchase a new vehicle especially a behemoth like the pilot
in the words of denis leary " STFU next!"

life sucks wear a helmet


my 2012 pilot doesnt have a ipod connector think how i feel