LeGreatOne Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Thursday 12/30/2004 Hello Forum Members, I bought a new Subaru Legacy on Tuesday 12/28/04 and I'm bringing it back to the dealership this morning. I test drove the Subaru while it was dirty, and had to wait for the car to be washed before taking delivery. I really didn't inspect the car. The salesman mentioned that he had to move several cars to get this particular car out of the lot (it was packed in there rather tight) and that I should feel free to call if I happened to notice anything in the next day or two. Well, I have noticed something! Yesterday I went to check the tire air pressure and I discovered that the vehicle has suffered damage. It's minor paint damage (looks as though someone was parked too close and scraped it backing out), but it detracts from the overall esthetics and should be remedied at once. I think that when the car was washed, the damage was waxed over so it didn't stand out, and then yesterday when I was looking at TIRE LEVEL in the bright sunlight I could SEE it! Someone had previously damaged the paint and I just didn't notice it. I'm assuming the dealer will want to keep me as a customer and that he'll do the right thing and remedy this problem. However, it seems rather disturbing that the dealer would allow the car to be sold without disclosing this problem, or without having repaired it already. Has anyone had to deal with this sort or problem, and if so, what was the outcome? Thanks! LGO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundBoy Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 cars are damages all the time when they get to dealers... either by the factory people, the shipping people, or someone at the dealership itself. Ask that they fix it.. depending on how bad the damage is to the paint.. it might not be ok for you for them to just paint bad blend it in. if you are not satisfied.. don't buy the car.. you are within your rights to back out of the deal within a certian number of days... the dealership will do everything to avoid this though. know your rights.. and YOU dictate what will happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockBlocker Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Did you sign the vehicle inspection form at time of delivery.? If so that could be a real problem for you to work around. Dont let them push you around though. If they totally refuse to fix it then let them know you will be calling corporate and that you will be giving them a 0 on the CSI survey. Being nice is always best but sometimes you have to resort to being mean in the end. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frontrangeSubie Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Key thing is....DONT GO IN THE DEALERSHIP AND THROW A FIT.....they will fix it to your satisfaction if you are at least cordial....Don't threaten them....You will ALWAYS have better luck doing things diplomatically.....I guarantee you.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGreatOne Posted December 30, 2004 Author Share Posted December 30, 2004 I was burned up about it yesterday, but I'm not immature enough to consider paint damage a major seismic event... I mean, it IS only paint, regardless of how disappointing it may be. This morning I took the car to the dealer, pointed out the damage and told them that I hadn't noticed it when I took delivery, but that I expected the dealership would want to do the right thing. Surprisingly, they did! They said the car was probably damaged in the parking lot or possibly on the car carrier. They knew it had been damaged before it was sold, I'm fairly certain of that. Anyway, I drop the car off next Tuesday or Thursday and leave it for the day. Hope they can match the paint so the repair isn't obvious, it's actually a nice car, and the majority of the paint is beautiful. We'll see... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanoswrx Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 When I picked up my car it had a little door ding and some scratches on the steering column (like someone tried to put the key in on the wrong side). They fixed the door ding very well and promptly, but they forgot to fix the steering column plastic. I didn't bother leaving it their longer and just took it home. figure I will have them fix it the next time I have to take it to the dealer, which probably won't be for a long while. But they should fix it I would think, most dealers are very cool about stuff like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockBlocker Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Great to hear it is working out for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_hunter Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 I was burned up about it yesterday, but I'm not immature enough to consider paint damage a major seismic event... I mean, it IS only paint, regardless of how disappointing it may be. This morning I took the car to the dealer, pointed out the damage and told them that I hadn't noticed it when I took delivery, but that I expected the dealership would want to do the right thing. Surprisingly, they did! They said the car was probably damaged in the parking lot or possibly on the car carrier. They knew it had been damaged before it was sold, I'm fairly certain of that. Anyway, I drop the car off next Tuesday or Thursday and leave it for the day. Hope they can match the paint so the repair isn't obvious, it's actually a nice car, and the majority of the paint is beautiful. We'll see... If you're only leaving it for the day, then they won't be repainting, which is to your advantage. You really don't want to have a brand new car with the factory paint compromised (it detracts from the value of the car, even if it's a super good paint job). I suspect they may bring in an airbrush expert to fix the damage, which is a better solution in my opinion -- they can fill scratches or scrapes pretty well. Let us know how it turns out! Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 If you're only leaving it for the day, then they won't be repainting, which is to your advantage. You really don't want to have a brand new car with the factory paint compromised (it detracts from the value of the car, even if it's a super good paint job). I suspect they may bring in an airbrush expert to fix the damage, which is a better solution in my opinion -- they can fill scratches or scrapes pretty well. Let us know how it turns out! Craig I just had this done to my RR bumper yesterday (AeroColours). Someone got a little lazy parking their car a few weeks ago in a busy parking lot and left me a nice gouge. Try as I might, I can't see any issue with the repair work. I have looked it over and the only possible issue I see is some slight orange peel. It seems to be common throughout the paint, so not sure it wasn't there before. Cost me $150. Not bad, considering the car was a month old/ My brother took delivery of an LLBean Outback the day after I got my LGT. Before he drove off the lot, I noticed some chips in the bumper guard. We pointed it out to the dealer prior to leaving.....they had it taken care of when the car went back in for paint protectant and some accessories to be installed. Most dealers are good about fixing these issues....more common than you might think and no, they don't have to disclose it to you if it was a cosmetic fix. Not sure if they must disclose real repair work, since the info doesn't get reported to places like CarFax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Great to hear about yr buy but sorry to hear about the damage. Great to hear that the dealer came forward and said that they would fix, thats great news. If you want post who the dealer is. All the best in '05 Adam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChruiSSer Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Yea the customer is ALWAYS right. It's good that they were willing to do it for you. It's amazing at how MOST of the cars aren't damaged. On the trailer there's VERY LITTLE tolerance between cars, and the trailer, and cab. It's amazing that more cars aren't damaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGreatOne Posted January 6, 2005 Author Share Posted January 6, 2005 Update 01/05/05 I dropped the car off Monday for the paint repair. I went to the dealer Tuesday evening and the car wasn't ready. Wednesday afternoon I phoned the dealer and was told the car was ready and was just being brought around from the shop. I had a dental appointment that went rather long Wednesday, so I phoned to say I'd be a little later in stopping by to get the car. Unfortunately, the fellow I spoke with said that he'd looked over the car and the paint did not match. The fellow said that he'd spoken to the store owner and they would try to get it repaired properly. Of course, I've had to leave the car for yet another day. Note that the dealer has not offered me a loaner car. I'm beginning to wonder whether they're using the car as a demo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockBlocker Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 Sorry to hear that. It is probably one of two things. The color of car can be hard to blend or the company they are using to paint it. Some colors are very hard to repaint especially if they are trying to blend and not repaint the whole panel. Best wishes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Throttlejockey Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 When I looked mine over before I bought it I noticed the bottom of the front bumper was scratched up. Obviously it happened when they loaded or took it off the truck because it had just come off the truck. I told them I wanted a new bumper cover, not a repaint. They took one off a silver wagon they had, so I was happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGreatOne Posted January 6, 2005 Author Share Posted January 6, 2005 Thursday, January 06. This morning I did a Web search and found this site. Interesting! http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2004/20040802.jsp It's a new paint repair process. I went by the Subaru dealership on the way home from work and the car wasn't ready. I was told that there was a problem matching the paint code in the VIN with a code from Subaru... Perhaps what they really meant was the painter used the wrong color. However, that was supposed to have been resolved last night and corrected today. I asked to SEE the car and they said it was at another shop. I'm becoming suspicious that things are not what they're supposed to be! I agreed to let them have it another day, but told them I need the car, and its been in the shop an awful long time for a car I just bought a week or so ago. I want to give them the opportunity to make good on this, but the down-time is getting to be a pain. I wonder if anyone local is using the paint repair process described in the link above? Forty-five minutes would be preferable to four days, that's a certainty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Hang in there, shouldnt be too much longer for u I hope. Thanks for the updates too, greatly appreciated. Adam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_hunter Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Yeah, that's airbrush / micro paint repair. If they are repainting entire panels of your car, then you should ask for your money back. You should not be paying for a brand new car with compromised paint. It's really their problem, not yours. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGreatOne Posted January 8, 2005 Author Share Posted January 8, 2005 Friday January 07 I didn't receive a phone call from the dealership today, so I drove by after work. The car wasn't there. I was told the paint had only arrived today and they would have the car ready by this evening. Interesting that it's 7:38 pm as I post this update, and no one has phoned to say the car is ready. While at the dealership I asked whether something had happened to the car, whether it may have been in an accident or otherwise damaged and the folks there were trying to avoid telling me. I was told that was not the case, but then the sales manager mentioned that a previous customer had taken a short test drive and only got as far as a nearby traffic light, when she was rear-ended by another driver... Of course, that wasn't the car I bought... Or was it? When I get the car back, I'm going to check every body panel, every part of the car I can access. I SERIOUSLY suspect something underhanded is going on. I mean, this just doesn't make sense! If I don't receive a phone call from the dealer this evening, I am going to visit them in the morning (Saturday, January 09), and demand that they turn over the car. If they refuse, I'm going to demand that they refund my deposit and cancel the deal. My expectation is that they will not agree to that demand, and I will contact the Maryland Attorney General's office in regard to the state's Lemon Law and possible fraud. I have a simple life code: I believe in giving EVERYONE the benefit of the doubt until he or she proves proves to be unworthy. This dealer is rapidly approaching that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockBlocker Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Thursday, January 06. I went by the Subaru dealership on the way home from work and the car wasn't ready. I was told that there was a problem matching the paint code in the VIN with a code from Subaru... Perhaps what they really meant was the painter used the wrong color. However, that was supposed to have been resolved last night and corrected today. I asked to SEE the car and they said it was at another shop.[/qUOTE] When a vehicle is this new it can be a problem to get the color code since it is not published yet for companies like Dupont, PPG and others. The manufacturer sometimes takes up to six months to release. We went through this at a Lexus Dealer. I am sure you are getting concerned and worried but hang in there, sounds like they are trying to make it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGreatOne Posted January 8, 2005 Author Share Posted January 8, 2005 Perhaps, but when one is told "one day", it stretches to five, and the car isn't even at the dealership location, one is likely to become concerned. As an 8 pm update, I have just received a phone call indicating the car has been painted, but needs additional time to dry... I advised the caller to keep the car indoors so there would be less dust and it could dry, and I'd pick it up tomorrow morning. Of course, they may not have completed the job at all. If they've only just applied the paint, they may not have had the car buffed and then resprayed with clearcoat. The clearcoat may require a buffing, as well. I truly hope they haven't been lieing and the car is okay. I'd much prefer to think I did the right thing in allowing them time to correct the problem. It is such a disappointment when a person or business proves to be unworthy of respect or trust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_hunter Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 You're showing a lot of patience. I hope it turns out OK. BTW, where was the damage at? CRaig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGreatOne Posted January 8, 2005 Author Share Posted January 8, 2005 Viewable damage is/was on the driver's side rear fender panel, which is part of the bumper structure. It's a flexible plastic panel or cover (not sure which, haven't looked up the parts.) As I'm not sure if it was caused by a minor scrape on the car carrier, a minor scrape in the dealer's lot, or a HIT during a customer's test drive, I'm going to get under the car, remove the door panels, and pull back the trunk liner to check for evidence of repair. I'm sure that I sound paranoid... Visual evidence is only some minor paint damage. The rest of the car's paint and body look beautiful, and I seriously doubt any air bags had deployed. Except for the paint in that one area, the car seems to be in good shape. The only other complaint, if one can call it that, would be that either the toe-in at the front is off or the steering wheel was not centered correctly, as it's off-center by half an inch. THAT could have been caused by a bump against a curb. The car does not pull to either side, though, so the wheel was probably mounted a bit off-center. I may be making more of this than necessary, but I'm rather certain that dealership personnel knew the car's paint was damaged and didn't disclose it to me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been told to call them if I found anything in a day or two... I realize a sales person wants to make a sale, but honesty is worth a lot of goodwill, and they have a large lot full of new cars! They had other cars within a coupla hundred bucks of this one, and they could have said "That one has some paint damage, you can bring it back for repair, or we can find another similar car." THAT would have impressed me. It's Saturday morning, so I'll get a ride to the dealership in an hour or so. The car is supposed to be there for pick up this morning. Perhaps the paint will look great, and my only complaint will be that I was inconvenienced during the past week. I do like the car, and I'd like to think the dealer wanted to get the paint right and there was no other reason for keeping it so long. I'm looking to buy another Legacy, a GT model, in a few months, so I hope this dealership will prove worthy of my business. They seem like nice folks, but excuses and delays and apologies are cumulative. One has to ask himself whether this is an isolated incident, or the usual business practice of the dealership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_hunter Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Tell you what, next time around, inspect the car thoroughly *before* taking delivery. I always do. When I got my WRX, we spotted a ding and they called the dent doctor over to fix it on the spot, before I bought the car. If they hadn't been able to fix it right there, I would have picked a different car or waited and bought somewhere else. CRaig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGreatOne Posted January 8, 2005 Author Share Posted January 8, 2005 I went to the car dealership and picked up the car this morning. The paint repair is awful. The paint does not match, and unfortunately, instead of painting only the damaged area, the painter decided to do a much larger section. It's REALLY obvious that something has happened to the car, and it has been devalued by the attempt at repair, so they're going to have to redo it or replace the bumper sometime this week. They have an identically colored Legacy on the lot, and I suggested to the sales manager that they simply switch bumpers. That would satisfy me, and they'd have time to repair the bumper properly before selling the other car. I'm rather certain they'll try to avoid replacing the bumper, so I expect I'm going to have to resort to legal action against them. I'm not at all happy about this. I gave them the opportunity to make good and so far they've blown it. I'm very certain at this point that I can force them to take the car back under the Maryland Lemon Law. I could also be nasty and contact the local radio and television stations, thus affecting their reputation and future sales. However, I don't want to have to do that. I just want this problem corrected, promptly and completely! Has anyone contacted Subaru of America (or whatever the USA corporate office is called) with a similar problem? If so, what was the result? Were you satisfied? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGreatOne Posted January 8, 2005 Author Share Posted January 8, 2005 I am so disappointed with this terrible paint repair. I went to phone Subaru of America's Customer Service, but they're not open on weekends, so I sent them an Email and I'll follow up with a phone call on Monday. I relayed what had happened (as best as I could given one has a 1500 character limit), and what I want done to resolve the problem. I aked that someone at corporate intervene and phone the dealership so this problem can be resolved without legal action. Again, I like the car, but I cannot accept this horrible mis-matched paint! There's an identically colored Legacy on their lot that could serve as a bumper donor. They could satisfy my complaint and have time to get the damaged bumper painted properly before placing it on the donor car. If they can't do this for me, they will have devalued my car substantially and I will definitely contact the Maryland State Attorney General's office in regard to the Lemon Law and possible fraud for not having disclosed the damage to me prior to sale. The folks at the dealership seem like nice people, but apologies and excuses don't remedy problems. ACTION, PROPER ACTION, remedies problems. To date I have not mentioned the Dealership by name, and I will not do that if this matter is resolved satisfactorily. I realize bad things can happen to good people, but come on guys, PROVE to me that you're good people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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