Found out dealer didn't disclose paint work

Okay, just to cheer everyone up, here’s a little story that I was involved in. I took a BMW X5 for a recall on the TV screen a few years ago. Being one of six cars at my disposal at the time, I told them as long as they give me a ride home, they don’t need to lend me a courtesy car, I’ll just pick it up whenever as I’m not in a rush. That evening, they ring me and ask me to pick the car up, it’s finished, it I say ‘don’t worry, traffic is terrible, I’ll come by tomorrow’

Next Day, I turn up, see the service manager, he smiles and gives me the keys ‘cars in the overflow carpark’ he smarms. I wander down, get in, turn the key and the parking sensors go nuts. I’m not normally a fool, so I figure maybe they hit the master switch off to change the TV, so I switch off, wait ten seconds, restart again expecting system to be reset...... bing bong bing bong again. I get out, walk around the car, and the back is smashed in, bumper and rear quarter, and the parking sensor domes have been pushed inside the bumper (fender) hence they are going off as they are seeing the inside of the fender!

I go straight bac to the service manager, tell him, the first thing he says is ‘where did you crash?’. I explained I hadn’t actually moved it, he sniggered and said I must have, so I pointed to the CCTV and asked him to get security to give me a copy of the last hour of tape, confirming the car hadn’t moved. Being rather short tempered, I then dragged the guy by his neck down to the car, with threats of calling cops falling on my deaf ears.

I showed him the damage, he claimed there was nothing on site that would hit the car in that position, to which I sarcastically responded - must be my steel flared trousers then dickhead. I dragged him back to his office, demanded that the car be put right immediately with a TOTAL RESPRAY and new parts, and that unless their boss, who I know well, provides me a statement of this being done, I’d sue them. I then picked up the keys to an M5 demonstrator off his desk, and drove myself out.

On the way home, the phone rang, it was the police, they explained the dealership had reported that I had stolen the demonstrator! I explained they had given me it in lieu of my own car that they had crashed, and I wasn’t prepared to take it back, the cops accepted it and left me alone.

A week and a half later, my X5 arrived on a transporter with a near £10000 invoice, paid by BMW UK, for the rectification works!

Needless to say, it was the last time that dealership got my business (and it was a recall that started it, where they get a fixed fee for a ten minute module change). I travel 100 miles to dealerships for all my cars now, rather than to them despite they are a multi dealership franchise with Porsche, ferrari, Bentley and the rest! Mugs

I have a few more stories about them and other dealers, I’m lucky I have such an evil demeanour as they haven’t yet won when they have ****ed up for me, but it’s more luck than judgement

 

Omg crazy

 

Why am I not surprised? I have several friends and one relative who bought cars from them and there's a common thread. None of them have ever shopped there more than once.

 

Bought my Cali from Miller. Great experience from beginning to end...T

 

Can see this going the same way as our Dr friend's dealings. with FMOV....

Dealer should buy it back from you at whatever you paid for it...looks like possible fraud case..which could cost them a LOT more in the long run.

599 Manual? nice!

 

Luckily I have my great uncles attitude to dealing with things.... hands on and immediate! I think sometimes because I do get so direct so quickly when there are issues, the idiots are so shocked they can’t react how they might if a courteous, well mannered person was to call them politely to task.... they are too scared for that!

 

Some years ago a case was reported on this side of the pond where a guy took his new Ford into a bodyshop to have a small scratch rectified. When he collected the car, the bodyshop manager commented that he he been unlucky to have a 'major' on a new car. What, says he!

To cut a long story short, it seems that the car had been badly smashed up in the manufacturer's parking lot, before delivery to the dealer, and they had repaired it. One would have expected Ford to put their hands up and just replace the car but no!

They fought this through to the highest level, appealing decisions which favoured the owner, and eventually won their case, claiming that the car had been competently repaired to 'as new' standards. It must have cost them tens of thousands in legal fees.

Now what strikes me is that they would not do this for a once off event. Better to hush it up and not risk bad publicity. I concluded that quite a lot of cars must be damaged before delivery and that the manufacturer was concerned about setting a precedent.

 

I have had this happen to me, (not with a Ferrari a CPO'd BMW factory Reps car), I got a great deal on the car and I took a bit of hit when I got rid of it, but I take a hit on every car I get rid of. I find it odd that you would loose 60K because of just that though.

 

I once witnessed a new car being off-loaded at a dealership where the car rode up out of the wheel tracks on the deck of the transporter and came crashing down on one of the side posts - which punched straight through the outer skin of the back fender. You know damn well that car was repaired and the eventual owner was never aware it had a hole in it.

 

Some advise, if you plan to own high end cars, find a really good detail ship that knows what they are doing, or learn how to do it yourself.

 

Not that it excuses the dealer's ineptitude or underhandedness, but I assume a PPI was forgone in this case?

 

Not so sure I'd have done a PPI buying a CPO car either. Isn't that kind of the point of buying, and most likely paying extra, for a CPO car?

I do remember someone finding out after the fact that their brand new Ferrari had some paint work done. Turns out it was paint flaws found on final inspection or something?! At what point does minor paint work become major body work though? I suppose if it was done at the factory and done correctly for minor flaws it shouldn't be a big deal. This sounds like a different case.

 

I'm impressed with your willingness to admit your mistakes. I doubt you'll make the same ones twice, so learning them early on will save you money in the long run.

Still, it's a pity the stealership (they've earned the moniker) hasn't at least tried to make it right with you. Apparently they share their questionable business practices with Brian Ross' Ferrari-Maserati of Vancouver.

 

Miller has a good reputation, but they are a car dealer with employees too... http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/gonna-hurt-1-million-ferrari-enzo-smashed-mechanic-connecticut-article-1.1843311

 

Which resulted in Mr. Fuchs taking his (considerable) business elsewhere although he has since returned to dealing with Miller.

 

Ouch.....

 

Now THAT makes a difference. In the voice of Montgomery Burns from The Simpsons - "Smiithers, release the hounds."


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I think its all going to depend on you proving the dealer knew. Unless you can prove that its going to be a very uphill battle.

 

If they claim they didn't know doesn't that sort of make a mockery out of the whole CPO program?

 

Sure but thats better than fraud in their eyes

 

Let see how the stealership tries to wriggle out of this one... Image Unavailable, Please Login