Approved used BMW - what should I expect of the paintwork?
Discussion
New to the forums and BMW as it happens. Recently picked up a 2017 F31 335D with just over 20,000 miles on it. It's a great spec and I'd waited a while for one to come up like it.
When I went to do the deal and pick it up (approx 2 hour drive), it had a couple of marks that I noticed on the paintwork:
One 1.5cm ish circle where the lacquer had been taken off on the roof, presumably by bird crap.
A groove/ dent in the rear bumper.
Couple of stone chips on the front.
I pointed them out and after a bit of back and forth with the salesman the car went off to the body shop whilst I waited. When the car returned the groove had been badly filled in the back bumper - the damage is now just a different shape, albet slightly more subtle. The roof ignored/ forgotten and the couple of stone chips improved however you can still see them.
On top of this, annoyingly having cleaned it today I have noticed on the side door a fair bit of lacquer missing which looks to be the result of a shopping trolley or similar. It hasn't been anywhere near a shop so I'm annoyed to say I must have missed it on collection. My fault, my only excuse was it was a gloomy foggy day!
I know I've done the deal now and driven away however I wondered what anyone else experience has been like of Approved used BMW, particularly with regards the paint work?
When I went to do the deal and pick it up (approx 2 hour drive), it had a couple of marks that I noticed on the paintwork:
One 1.5cm ish circle where the lacquer had been taken off on the roof, presumably by bird crap.
A groove/ dent in the rear bumper.
Couple of stone chips on the front.
I pointed them out and after a bit of back and forth with the salesman the car went off to the body shop whilst I waited. When the car returned the groove had been badly filled in the back bumper - the damage is now just a different shape, albet slightly more subtle. The roof ignored/ forgotten and the couple of stone chips improved however you can still see them.
On top of this, annoyingly having cleaned it today I have noticed on the side door a fair bit of lacquer missing which looks to be the result of a shopping trolley or similar. It hasn't been anywhere near a shop so I'm annoyed to say I must have missed it on collection. My fault, my only excuse was it was a gloomy foggy day!
I know I've done the deal now and driven away however I wondered what anyone else experience has been like of Approved used BMW, particularly with regards the paint work?
This is the problem with approved used BMW's, sometimes they just aren't up to the standard they make out. The salesman will always tell you its showroom condition with only X amount of miles but that's there job.
You'd be lucky to get hold of the salesman again now as they dodge your calls, you need to speak to the dealer principal next.
You'd be lucky to get hold of the salesman again now as they dodge your calls, you need to speak to the dealer principal next.
No specific guidelines published here, other than "Paintwork and trim restored to a standard appropriate to the vehicle’s age and
mileage and full valet prior to delivery"
This is a very old document, but can't find anything newer.
https://www.bmwbrochures.co.uk/AUC_SPG_2013/files/...
mileage and full valet prior to delivery"
This is a very old document, but can't find anything newer.
https://www.bmwbrochures.co.uk/AUC_SPG_2013/files/...
In 2013 I bought an AUC car from a BMW dealer in Birmingham. When I viewed the car I noticed a few areas that needed sorting, but agreed to do so once they were done...
Collected the car, which on getting it home I noticed there were a few areas of the paint that still looked very poor. I ended up taking it to another (same) dealership nearer to me. They said the car wasn't right but the supplying dealer would want to resolve the problem due to the cost. Was a nightmare, but in the end they did resolve the problems.
If what you've bought isn't right I would urge you to take it back.
Collected the car, which on getting it home I noticed there were a few areas of the paint that still looked very poor. I ended up taking it to another (same) dealership nearer to me. They said the car wasn't right but the supplying dealer would want to resolve the problem due to the cost. Was a nightmare, but in the end they did resolve the problems.
If what you've bought isn't right I would urge you to take it back.
I've had three AUC cars from three different dealers and all have been very good. Cars range from 555 miles (although 5 years old) to 50k miles and they have been presented well and any work required done to a high standard.
However in the summer I rejected a three year old X3 3.0d as it just looked like a car that had not been looked after and I would always be nervous of finding things wrong with it.
They did offer to machine polish it but then presented it covered in dust and polish residue. Strangely I never saw it advertised again so assume they sold it quickly.
However in the summer I rejected a three year old X3 3.0d as it just looked like a car that had not been looked after and I would always be nervous of finding things wrong with it.
They did offer to machine polish it but then presented it covered in dust and polish residue. Strangely I never saw it advertised again so assume they sold it quickly.
I bought my M240 used approved last year and the bodywork was immaculate really, and still is.
However there were a couple of issues whcih I had to accept, theres a couple of marks on the leather on the steering wheel which have been repaired, I suspect the previous owner had a ring or two which caught it.
The drivers seat bolster on the upright section had some wear, again I was basically told that's how it was sold but I took it knowing about those issues and i'm still very happy with the car overall, I've repaired the seat myself ordering the correct colour leather cream online, the steering wheel doesn't bother me.
I suppose the thing is even though they are called "approved used" it doesn't mean that they are brand new cars and when buying one 5 years old you have to accept it's not going to be as it was from the factory.
I had a similar issue previously with a Ford Focus ST which was approved used and had a scratch on the rear bumper badly touched up, that was less than 3 years old at the time.
Ironically i've bought a 20 year old Porsche privately that's in far better condition than most approved used cars i've seen on any dealers forecourt.
However there were a couple of issues whcih I had to accept, theres a couple of marks on the leather on the steering wheel which have been repaired, I suspect the previous owner had a ring or two which caught it.
The drivers seat bolster on the upright section had some wear, again I was basically told that's how it was sold but I took it knowing about those issues and i'm still very happy with the car overall, I've repaired the seat myself ordering the correct colour leather cream online, the steering wheel doesn't bother me.
I suppose the thing is even though they are called "approved used" it doesn't mean that they are brand new cars and when buying one 5 years old you have to accept it's not going to be as it was from the factory.
I had a similar issue previously with a Ford Focus ST which was approved used and had a scratch on the rear bumper badly touched up, that was less than 3 years old at the time.
Ironically i've bought a 20 year old Porsche privately that's in far better condition than most approved used cars i've seen on any dealers forecourt.
I just bought a 7 yr old, 39k miles AUC Mercedes. I looked and bought the car when it was raining. I saw the alloys needed sorting and a couple of bodywork marks which they sorted out.
After a couple of days I saw loads of stonechips on the bonnet and loads behind the wheel arch and front doors, stones obviously flicked directly onto the bodywork from the front wheels.
I didn't get any luck from the merc dealer as this was the condition it was in when I bought it (fair enough)
But it bothered me, I saw the issues every time I looked at the car, so booked into the local paint shop, resprayed bumper, bonnet, both wings and both front doors!! £900 but I'm happy.
After a couple of days I saw loads of stonechips on the bonnet and loads behind the wheel arch and front doors, stones obviously flicked directly onto the bodywork from the front wheels.
I didn't get any luck from the merc dealer as this was the condition it was in when I bought it (fair enough)
But it bothered me, I saw the issues every time I looked at the car, so booked into the local paint shop, resprayed bumper, bonnet, both wings and both front doors!! £900 but I'm happy.
My experience is they’ll do the bare minimum in terms of prep. The 2 AUC’s I’ve ever bought (long distance so over the phone)- E46 M3 and E39 530i (long distance) both turned out to have been owned by heavy smokers (despite my asking specifically about this) with the E39 also having the lacquer peel off the bonnet after 6 months.
I also traded in a 2014 F31 335d (2 years old at the time) which between ordering its replacement suffered a puncture in Scotland- as it occurred on a Sunday and there was no spare my only option was a Falken tyre (in itself decent enough) however this meant it was mismatched with the Michelin PSS on the other wheels. Normally I’d have then replaced the Falken with another Michelin but as they tried to chip down my PX value as the new car had taken longer than expected I didn’t bother. They pre-sold my PX and I saw it locally a few weeks later still with the mismatched Falken still on it! The Michelin’s were also non-runflats which meant they weren’t OE spec for that model.
Overall I’d say the main benefit of AUC is the warranty (esp on M cars) and come back/escalation to BMW UK is things go wrong- but generally a reputable specialist will prep better and be more picky on the stock they buy in.
I also traded in a 2014 F31 335d (2 years old at the time) which between ordering its replacement suffered a puncture in Scotland- as it occurred on a Sunday and there was no spare my only option was a Falken tyre (in itself decent enough) however this meant it was mismatched with the Michelin PSS on the other wheels. Normally I’d have then replaced the Falken with another Michelin but as they tried to chip down my PX value as the new car had taken longer than expected I didn’t bother. They pre-sold my PX and I saw it locally a few weeks later still with the mismatched Falken still on it! The Michelin’s were also non-runflats which meant they weren’t OE spec for that model.
Overall I’d say the main benefit of AUC is the warranty (esp on M cars) and come back/escalation to BMW UK is things go wrong- but generally a reputable specialist will prep better and be more picky on the stock they buy in.
I've sadly had experience of paint issues with an AUC car.
I purchased a 2016 45k mile F31 335d from Barons, traveled a 400 mile round journey twice inc collecting it as i'd been looking for months and this one was the exact spec i'd been on the look out for. Only downside was it is sapphire black, so I was conscious about marks on it.
Viewed the car in wet weather - not ideal, noted a couple of scratches but in fairness these are what I would class as acceptable for a used 45k mile car. Picked the car up in the dry, car was wet as it was showery but not as bad as when test driven. Traveled home in horrendous weather, following day gave the car a rinse off which was when the problems really started to show.
The front bumper, bonnet and side skirts were peppered with gravel rash, my 115k E91 looked show room fresh next to it. My brother viewed the car with me and couldn't believe it when I showed him.
I couldn't prove it, but it was like some kind of silicone or chemical had been applied which kind of masked the stone rash which over the week of ownership had washed off. As a test I sprayed some old dash shine on a side skirt - it hides it for a short space of time. Then to add to this the rear bumper started to show signs of lacquer peel, at which point I took a real close look and found it had been previously painted. Along with this they had also refaced the wheels, but fitted the old corroded roundels and badges back on.
I contacted the dealer, not really knowing what to expect - after some back and forth they agreed the bumper was bad and that the wheel badges and roundels should have been sorted but they drew the line with the gravel rash saying it was reasonable wear and tear for a 45k 5 year old car. They sent me all new roundels and badges, and after a quote from a local body shop was sent in they sent me a bank transfer of the amount.
I've had it 8 months now and in all honesty I wouldn't class the paintwork as AUC standard having since seen others same age vehicles for sale, I think it should have been rectified to meet their standards. I've since seen a same age and mileage F31 with the exact same issue - I know the buyer, and the dealer in question rectified the front bumper and skirts,
What I will be clear on though is that the staff at Barons were spot on when buying the car and dealing with the bumper complaint, I didn't get anywhere with the stone rash but at the same time maybe I should have spotted it.
To sum up, I think the level of AUC bodywork varies from dealer to dealer and that they do add chemicals/materials to improve temporarily where they can.
I purchased a 2016 45k mile F31 335d from Barons, traveled a 400 mile round journey twice inc collecting it as i'd been looking for months and this one was the exact spec i'd been on the look out for. Only downside was it is sapphire black, so I was conscious about marks on it.
Viewed the car in wet weather - not ideal, noted a couple of scratches but in fairness these are what I would class as acceptable for a used 45k mile car. Picked the car up in the dry, car was wet as it was showery but not as bad as when test driven. Traveled home in horrendous weather, following day gave the car a rinse off which was when the problems really started to show.
The front bumper, bonnet and side skirts were peppered with gravel rash, my 115k E91 looked show room fresh next to it. My brother viewed the car with me and couldn't believe it when I showed him.
I couldn't prove it, but it was like some kind of silicone or chemical had been applied which kind of masked the stone rash which over the week of ownership had washed off. As a test I sprayed some old dash shine on a side skirt - it hides it for a short space of time. Then to add to this the rear bumper started to show signs of lacquer peel, at which point I took a real close look and found it had been previously painted. Along with this they had also refaced the wheels, but fitted the old corroded roundels and badges back on.
I contacted the dealer, not really knowing what to expect - after some back and forth they agreed the bumper was bad and that the wheel badges and roundels should have been sorted but they drew the line with the gravel rash saying it was reasonable wear and tear for a 45k 5 year old car. They sent me all new roundels and badges, and after a quote from a local body shop was sent in they sent me a bank transfer of the amount.
I've had it 8 months now and in all honesty I wouldn't class the paintwork as AUC standard having since seen others same age vehicles for sale, I think it should have been rectified to meet their standards. I've since seen a same age and mileage F31 with the exact same issue - I know the buyer, and the dealer in question rectified the front bumper and skirts,
What I will be clear on though is that the staff at Barons were spot on when buying the car and dealing with the bumper complaint, I didn't get anywhere with the stone rash but at the same time maybe I should have spotted it.
To sum up, I think the level of AUC bodywork varies from dealer to dealer and that they do add chemicals/materials to improve temporarily where they can.
On covering up damage, my F30 66 reg was otherwise pretty swish when I bought at 1yr old and 5k miles, still looks ‘new’ now at 30k miles.
But after a while I did spot a few odd patches of damage that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Nothing I can’t live with, but I think dealers definitely slap on the products to make the cars look a lot better than they are.
I’d never buy an AUC and accept any damage/defect I could easily see.
I’d never let them rectify with a few hours job. It’d either be properly painted or I’d not be even considering it.
Or ideally I’d knock them on price for a proper fix. If they didn’t want that then I’d walk knowing they’d have fixed it cheap.
But after a while I did spot a few odd patches of damage that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Nothing I can’t live with, but I think dealers definitely slap on the products to make the cars look a lot better than they are.
I’d never buy an AUC and accept any damage/defect I could easily see.
I’d never let them rectify with a few hours job. It’d either be properly painted or I’d not be even considering it.
Or ideally I’d knock them on price for a proper fix. If they didn’t want that then I’d walk knowing they’d have fixed it cheap.
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff