New vehicle rejection or not?
New vehicle rejection or not?
Author
Discussion

Grumps.

Original Poster:

16,722 posts

58 months

Monday 24th April 2023
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A chap i know was due to take delivery of his brand new vehicle next weekend but the sales lady phoned him today to say that it has sustained damage whilst in their care and they would be repairing it with a new panels and bumper etc and so may be delayed a few weeks.

Bearing this in mind, does he have grounds for rejection and a insisting on a replacement vehicle being ordered?

Or should he wait for it to be repaired and inspect it before deciding?



2 sMoKiN bArReLs

31,681 posts

257 months

Monday 24th April 2023
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I know what I'd be doing! I'd want it new, not repaired.


CraigyMc

18,088 posts

258 months

Monday 24th April 2023
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2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
I know what I'd be doing! I'd want it new, not repaired.
A large number of cars are damaged en route to new owners. I had a TT that had a bonnet resprayed in the 16 miles it did before it arrived at my house, 10 miles from the port...

It does sound like there may be more to this though.

A sceptic might enquire as to the market value of the car now versus when it was ordered -- the dealer may want to sell it as new to someone else for more money today than what was ordered quite some time ago (this sort of scenario has been noted on various Land Rover forums, for example).

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

31,681 posts

257 months

Monday 24th April 2023
quotequote all
CraigyMc said:
A large number of cars are damaged en route to new owners. I had a TT that had a bonnet resprayed in the 16 miles it did before it arrived at my house, 10 miles from the port...
I was a main dealer for ten years....

If the car has had significant damage it will (probably) never be the same again. At the least the paint will probably age differently on the repaired panels. Plus! There are good & bad repairs, I know I'd not take the risk.

paradigital

1,071 posts

174 months

Monday 24th April 2023
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Even the best bodyshop paintwork will not match the finish (for better or worse) of the factory paint, this is simply down to the different application methods.

I’ve yet to see a repair that isn’t obviously a repair, unfortunately.

ridds

8,366 posts

266 months

Monday 24th April 2023
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Bit of paint, fair enough.

New panels and a bumper, I'd be saying no thanks.

Would need to know what was damaged and how to really make a decision.

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

31,681 posts

257 months

Monday 24th April 2023
quotequote all
ridds said:
Bit of paint, fair enough.

New panels and a bumper, I'd be saying no thanks.

Would need to know what was damaged and how to really make a decision.
yes You'd at least want to see it unrepaired (before you rejected it hehe)

InitialDave

14,251 posts

141 months

Monday 24th April 2023
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2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
CraigyMc said:
A large number of cars are damaged en route to new owners. I had a TT that had a bonnet resprayed in the 16 miles it did before it arrived at my house, 10 miles from the port...
I was a main dealer for ten years....

If the car has had significant damage it will (probably) never be the same again. At the least the paint will probably age differently on the repaired panels. Plus! There are good & bad repairs, I know I'd not take the risk.
I don't disagree in principle, but I think the only thing unusual in this situation is that they actually told him!

My suspicion is demanding a new car will take them as long to fulfill as doing the repair, plus ten minutes making sure they haven't told him what the VIN is yet...

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

31,681 posts

257 months

Monday 24th April 2023
quotequote all
InitialDave said:
I think the only thing unusual in this situation is that they actually told him!
Probably because the panels will take a while to arrive so they couldn't do it on the quiet!

Mikebentley

8,217 posts

162 months

Monday 24th April 2023
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I’d be insistent on seeing it pre repair and call their bluff.

Canon_Fodder

1,775 posts

85 months

Monday 24th April 2023
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Mikebentley said:
I’d be insistent on seeing it pre repair and call their bluff.
hehe

anonymous-user

76 months

Monday 24th April 2023
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Cars are damaged all the time between the factory and the dealership. "Held at port" is usually a euphemism for being repaired. But if this happened after it arrived at the dealership it's a different matter. As others have said I would want to see it before repair and if I decided to take it I would want it in writing that no record of it having being repaired would ever appear.

sean ie3

3,219 posts

158 months

Monday 24th April 2023
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I agree with pp's, ask to see the photographic evidence of before the repairs were made.

Wish

1,740 posts

271 months

Monday 24th April 2023
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I had this with a mini JCW vehicle arrived at dealership, had its PDI, the sales man called to say it was going for cleaning and would be ready in 3 hrs.

1 hour before collection called to say there had been a problem, apparently the car cleaner had picked up the wrong bottle and had poorer wheel acid over the car and engine bay, turning all the black plastics white.

Went to see the car and it was back in the service centre being priced for new parts. I was offered the car once repaired or they will order me a new car, 4 months wait. I asked for a new car to be ordered, which was done there and then and a new MINI convertible added to the demo fleet and given to us for 4 months.



2 sMoKiN bArReLs

31,681 posts

257 months

Monday 18th September 2023
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What was the outcome OP?

98elise

31,243 posts

183 months

Monday 18th September 2023
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2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
CraigyMc said:
A large number of cars are damaged en route to new owners. I had a TT that had a bonnet resprayed in the 16 miles it did before it arrived at my house, 10 miles from the port...
I was a main dealer for ten years....

If the car has had significant damage it will (probably) never be the same again. At the least the paint will probably age differently on the repaired panels. Plus! There are good & bad repairs, I know I'd not take the risk.
This. One of our cars we've had from fairy new. A few years ago the drivers door started looking very dull vs rest of the bodywork. That was followed by the door and part of the bumper.

Clearly it had a repair early in its life, which aged much faster than the original paint. It needed the clear coat respraying to make it look reasonable.


Drumroll

4,342 posts

142 months

Monday 18th September 2023
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A friend of mine works in insurance assessments based at an import dock. You would be very surprised how many new cars that arrive in the UK need repairing before they even get to the dealers showroom.

Welcome.

Original Poster:

16,722 posts

58 months

Monday 18th September 2023
quotequote all
Sorry guys!

And yes, had a name change in the meantime!

forgot to let you all know that they rejected it and got a new one ordered and also had a loan vehicle whilst it was being built and delivered which they collected end of June.

Ironically, when they collected the replacement, the replacement parts that were ordered for the damaged one still hadn’t even arrived so the damaged vehicle was sat parked up still waiting for repair apparently!

smile

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

31,681 posts

257 months

Tuesday 19th September 2023
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Good result!

QBee

22,065 posts

166 months

Tuesday 19th September 2023
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I have often wondered how 11 cars loaded on a 40 foot long transporter at crazy angles with 2 inch gaps between them manage to arrive at dealers hundreds of miles away intact, after travelling on the Great British pot hole fest we call roads.