Is this acceptable for a brand new BMW?

[m3nace]

So three weeks ago I took delivery of a brand new 320i Auto for my SO. A day after delivery i noticed on the drivers side rear door that it looked as if there was some panel beating done. I notified Forsdicks Sandton immediately and since then been awaiting a response from them. Yesterday I get a mail back stating that as per their regional manager they will repair the door. Surely this should have picked up in the pre-delivery inspection and is not acceptable when buying a brand new vehicle? Any ideas as to how I should proceed with this?

 

[Nastaliq]

You go there and throw the biggest fuss you have ever thrown. On a brand new vehicle, there should be no panelling!WTF.

Insist that they give you another one, the damage is their fault, not yours, and you my friend are paying for a new vehicle, not a damaged one.

Interestingly, you are paying insurance on a brand new vehicle, do you think your premiums will drop, since the value of the car has dropped now that its been damaged.

Go there, go apesh!T on them. Insist on a new car. ITs not your fault.

 

[Hellas]

You would be surprised at the vehicles that are sold as new that fell off the truck on their way to being delivered...

 

[tcal69]

:ttiuwp:

 

[calypso]

Yep, I once saw an Audi A6 that was delivered via SA. Anchor fell on it (a big one). Car looked like a write off, but it was repaired and sold as new. Repaired bumps and scratches are nothing new, but Im not quite sure where you would go from there.

You should have seen the first SLS that was delivered to my town, was buggered.

 

[Mamba]

Mr Donauer CEO of BMW SA:
E-mail address: [email protected]

Ms Emmie Fourie
Personal Assistant to: Managing Director
Dept Code: ZA
P.O Box 2955, Pretoria 0001
Phone: +27-12-522-2305
mailto: [email protected]
Url: http://www.bmw.co.za/

 

[Cole]

yeah its terrible to think what a "brand new" car can go through before getting to you, seriously bad!
heard about a holding area that got flooded once, same story, cars got drained out, new interior and sold as brand new... WTF?!

 

[BMW M]

To add my 2c... When I bought the Dynamic, as a demo with 3000km on, I opened the righ rear door and all the plastic covering was still there on the doorsills etc. Only on that door, they are supposed to remove all 'protective sheeting' during PDI. So took the car back and insisted that they do the PDI again, and I wanted to see the report... Only then where the two stone chip marks on the fender noticed and repaired aswell as the Sunvisors vanity mirror light replaced.

So give them hell!!

 

[zaleonardz]

Folks, I used to be in the industry (never for BMW though) but I can tell you horror stories.

There is a good chance that these brand new cars have been to the panel beaters 2 or three times, have some or all of their windows replaced (cause of dumb fscks throwing rocks at the cars, specially when they are on the trains), have had rear or front bumber and undercarrage protectors replaced cause they were scraped something motherless when loading/offloading onto the carriers. Roof damage, lifts lowered on cars, carriers that have rolled with cars still on them, some are sold again as they sustained no damage (from being strapped in) but they did do a full 360 or at least a 180.

You would be frikken dumbfounded, and this is not an isolated incident, this happens daily.........

Ultimately, if a carrier company damages a vehicle beyond repair, they have to pay for it, and it is the dealer in question's responsiblity to accept or decline a car. Once he accepts it, its his baby, but he can decline it out of principle, so your beef is with the dealer.

 

[m3nace]

Cool thanks for the info guys. I think I will pop around and ask to have a look at the PDI sheet and check from there.

 

[ambroseg1]

Folks, I used to be in the industry (never for BMW though) but I can tell you horror stories.

There is a good chance that these brand new cars have been to the panel beaters 2 or three times, have some or all of their windows replaced (cause of dumb fscks throwing rocks at the cars, specially when they are on the trains), have had rear or front bumber and undercarrage protectors replaced cause they were scraped something motherless when loading/offloading onto the carriers. Roof damage, lifts lowered on cars, carriers that have rolled with cars still on them, some are sold again as they sustained no damage (from being strapped in) but they did do a full 360 or at least a 180.

You would be frikken dumbfounded, and this is not an isolated incident, this happens daily.........

Ultimately, if a carrier company damages a vehicle beyond repair, they have to pay for it, and it is the dealer in question's responsiblity to accept or decline a car. Once he accepts it, its his baby, but he can decline it out of principle, so your beef is with the dealer.

yip. have to agree here. when buying a new, take it to a good panel beater and tell them you will give them R500 if they can spot if the car was fixed before.

 

[akash]

Take the car back to the sale person that sold you the car.

This is a brand new car that you bought not a panel beaten one, no matter how small it is.

 

[calypso]

See if you know someone with a paint depth guage, that can prove a respray.

 

[Muney]

See if you know someone with a paint depth guage, that can prove a respray.

This. Then take it back and demad a 330i! :mmm:

 

[Chismakop]

If you can prove to them that you did not damage the car... you can start exercising your rights after the new consumer act has been implemented(31 March 2011). It is for any goods or services bought after 25 April 2010 . CPA is the name of the new act. It is applicable to every industry.

 

[Hellas]

Every deal has a 7 day return period (cooling off period)

 

[Mike1]

Wow...

Im a bit disturbed by the comments on this thread.

I am a car salesman and if you came to me with even half the attitudes shown above I would tell you to get out my showroom and come to me when you are willing to treat me as a human being and not an animal.

My Advice:

- Proceed and treat the people you are dealing with as you wish to be dealt with.
- They have already offered to fix the door. This shows that the dealer is willing to take responsibility and assist you. This means they are being your friend.
- Treat the dealer like sh*t at your own peril. We are still living humans and k@k happens. Treat them like dirt and you will only get the same response.
- Have a short meeting with the regional manager or Sales Manager. Inquire about either another vehicle or compensation of some kind. Be it a free service / Motorplan extension or maybe just an expensive gift from the boutique store.
- Suggest that an enquiry be made about the damage. This offers the dealer a chance to explain. Remember - This may be a surprise to them too.

Essentially you and the members of this forum need to realise that being a @sshole and "kicking up a huge fuss" is going to get you nowhere. Let me explain why:

1. The Salesman made nothing on your deal. Its a 320I and he no doubt used all his profit and trade assist to give you the best deal. In fact. BMW sales people do not enjoy selling 320i's because they have almost no profit which means that they eat salti-cracks at the end of the month.
2. The Salesman has no doubt run about like a lunatic to make this deal and experience the best he can. There is a sense of achievement for the salesman.
3. Dealerships do not revolve around one customer. We service up to 100 to 200 people daily just through our service departments. Nevermind on our floors. So when it seems that things are slow and nobody cares this is far from the truth. Be patient and remain regal in knowing that someone is helping you.

Be civil and discuss the way forward. And Mamba... There is nothing worse then being called by the CEO of BMW for something you didnt realise was wrong. I assure you. You do that to me and I will simply hand you over to another person who will give no hesitation in being the most unhelpful person ever. The solution to things like this is not always to go to the top first. I find your approach immature and unnecessary. And yes. I have read your threads.

Checking the PDI sheet will not help. The mechanics are just that. They work on engines and not on paint. If there has been damage at the dealer you would be better of checking the VDS Acceptance Form. All claims to damage usually happen on the trucks and all claims go through VDS. I can assure you that damage no doubt occurred on a truck.

Should this dealer not befriend the customer or fulfill their promise as a dealer then go contact the CEO.

I should not be making this post but threads like these get my back up.

Its not like anyone ever posts about the good things their dealers do now is it???

Good Luck with your claim M3nce. :thumbsup:

Mike

P.S - Drop me the VIN via PM and I check the repair history as even touch-up paints are booked to a car as a comment. The repair would need top be done at an approved panelshop and they always place a comment on the system.

 

[herr bmw]

drive it into there show room, lock it and keep the keys in your pocket.throw a tantrum,oh put stickers(pointing out the damage) on the car and do this on a saturday morning when potential buyers go to look at new cars.

think they will help you very quickly

 

[Mike1]

What the hell?

The dealership has offered to fix the car?!

What will this help?:

drive it into there show room, lock it and keep the keys in your pocket.throw a tantrum,oh put stickers(pointing out the damage) on the car and do this on a saturday morning when potential buyers go to look at new cars.

think they will help you very quickly

Read the original post. They are helping him. They have accepted responsibility and behaving like a twit will not get you any further than kicked out by security.

Why is it that whenever any dealer is mentioned and there is any "issue" the obvious advice posted is to behave like spoilt children?

And for the rest of the keyboard bouncing "lock my car in the showroom" ninjas here who are getting all rowdy... Please - Spare yourself the embarressment as I had a customer pull that stunt only two weeks ago and he was laughed out of the showroom by several of my more than happy clients who were collecting documents.

Ai...

Mike

 

[herr bmw]

or do what minimike19 says.good advice.

by the way minimike19,i cant stop talking about my dealer,best service ive every had