EX damaged and they tried to cover it up!

[Kevint1987]

Hey yall! New to the forums and hoping to get some input on this troubling matter. I am a new owner of a brand new 2017 EX Sport (June 29 2017) and had to bring her in for some adjustments to the rear lift gate and warped rear bumper (both factory defects covered by warranty)

It was in the dealerships possession for a period of 4 days. At first my impression was that they were very transparent with me. They explained to me everything that was to be done and set me up with a rental during the repair process.

Fast forward 4 days my baby is ready! I inspected the repairs I was told were done. Brand new bumper installed was perfect. I could see that they attempted to correct the liftgate alignment but were unsuccessful as there was still obvious alignment issues but none that effected function. I made my concerns clear to the SA, he made note of it and suggested the correct adjustments be made at my first scheduled service (only at 1k KM) as to not inconvenience me any more. I reluctantly agreed as I felt I was being treated well and it made sense to do it all at one shot instead of being without my car over the long weekend.

I also requested that my EX was not to be washed as I detail it myself every weekend and they followed my instructions. As the car was fairly dirty being left out in the rain and sun for 4 days I didnt notice any cosmetic damage (if any). That wasn't until the following morning.

As per my weekly ritual I detailed the interior and hand washed the exterior. While drying I notice some dried polishing compound residue on the driver side window seam. I thought what an odd place for this to be as they worked only on the rear end. I continued on as I figured body shops are busy places and it's plausible that compound was accidentally thrown onto my vehicle. Seconds later my heart stops. Right beside the driver side door handle is a nickle sized ding and 3 small paint chips that were clearly and obviously touched up and compounded over so as to elude the owner of this event!

At this point I'm just living! I quickly call the dealership but they are closed for the long weekend. I leave a lengthy detailed email (like this one) to the SA overseeing the repairs as well as the service manager.

Tomorrow I will be expecting a response from the dealership. What do y'all think will be the result of this claim? The dealership did mention that the body work is outsourced to a nearby body shop they are affiliated with. Will this be a finger pointing war? Will they claim I caused the damage? I had just got her back less than 14 hrs ago!

Appreciate any input.

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Kevin.
That is indeed a very unfortunate predicament. This is one instance in which a car wash may have been helpful. I would think the since a repair was attempted that the odds would be in your favour in making a case that the damage was likely caused by the dealer or more likely, the body shop. I don't think the average owner would have all the necessary products laying around to attempt a DIY fix. Good luck.

Peter

 

[Kevint1987]

Hey Peter thanks for the Input! Had it been I who caused the damage I would consider investing in some tools to diy it. However this in my opinion is a clear attempt at deceit and poor business practice. Accidents happen all the time, I get it, but to cause damage and then try to cover it up just has me up the wall!
This happened at the dealership I purchased this EX from as well.

 

[ExPlat]

I understand your frustration. I had some damage to my dashboard APIM bezel while getting a warranty service done but didn't notice it until days later. I took it back a week later and in calm, friendly tones explained what I believed had happened.
The Service Manager looked at it, took some pictures, we chatted, he didn't like thinking one of his techs had damaged my car, we chatted some more. The end result? It took about a month to get the backordered part but it is now installed. I like to win and being on good terms with the people in charge of the service shops is a good thing.

 

[thefranchise713]

I understand your frustration. I had some damage to my dashboard APIM bezel while getting a warranty service done but didn't notice it until days later. I took it back a week later and in calm, friendly tones explained what I believed had happened.
The Service Manager looked at it, took some pictures, we chatted, he didn't like thinking one of his techs had damaged my car, we chatted some more. The end result? It took about a month to get the backordered part but it is now installed. I like to win and being on good terms with the people in charge of the service shops is a good thing.

Great advice all around here.

Stay calm and aim to earn the benefit of the doubt, because really that's all the leverage you have.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Had my Ex in for warranty work and they called me asking if there was a dent in my door prior to dropping it off. I stated nope... apparently someone put a little door ding in my passenger door from the parking lot.

Fortunately there was no paint missing and they had a paintless dent repair man come down. Kept it an extra day and the dent was pulled out. To the eye and feel, you could never tell.

They realized what happened, called me and fixed it. That is what one is supposed to do. Was I angry. Yup.. but they were upfront and I know that things do happen.

For you, I would expect it repaired at no charge. Stay calm, be firm.

 

[Kevint1987]

Excellent advise by all! Thanks a ton! I am however really expecting this to become a difficult one. If whom ever it was that caused the damage was willing to take the chance by trying to cover it up, the likelihood of them owning up to it I believe to be slim. It really is my words vs theirs. All I feel I have going for me is that I made my claim the instant I noticed it (less than 14 hrs later).

Time will tell I suppose. Will keep you all posted with the result.

 

[luc]

mistakes happen all the time but trying to cover it up is unacceptable
Years ago, the leather of the rear seal console on my Jaguar got damaged by a tech trying to take a short cut to remove the front console and "he" tried to hide it by putting some black die and leather conditioner on it
I only noticed it the next day and went back to the dealership
I asked to talk to the service dept manager and he was even more pi##ed off as his tech than i was
As he told me, he do his best to please his customers and "his" employees own it to him to be honest with him and not putting him in such a situation/
Not only was the console replaced free of charge and a $50 starbucks gift card given to me but, and more importantly, the tech was put on probation.
My point here is that you should bypass the SA and, in a friendly tone, explain to the manager the situation and how such a behavior reflect poorly on his dept.
Give him a chance to fix the issue
Good luck

 

[613GT500]

While this isn't an issue as a result of a new delivery, here in ON Canada; dealerships are legally allowed to "cover up" and not disclose repairs under $3000.00!
So, I am not the least surprised they are trying to hide this issue also.
I know not all dealerships are the same; but I've had more negative than postive dealings with pretty much all dealerships here in my local region (even have incriminating eveidence recorded by my dashcam!)

 

[Kevint1987]

That's very discerning news. As of now it's 12:15pm Tuesday the first working day since the weekend and I have yet to hear anything back via email or call from ether the SA or the service manager at my dealership. I have left follow up emails and calls to both employees all of which seem to fall on deaf ears.

Again I am a reasonable person and assume the department is busy since being closed three days. If I don't hear anything today the next step is to show up that way no one can avoid me.

My overwhelming feeling is that everyday that goes by the least they will take this incident seriously.

Will keep y'all posted

 

[613GT500]

That's very discerning news. As of now it's 12:15pm Tuesday the first working day since the weekend and I have yet to hear anything back via email or call from ether the SA or the service manager at my dealership. I have left follow up emails and calls to both employees all of which seem to fall on deaf ears.

Again I am a reasonable person and assume the department is busy since being closed three days. If I don't hear anything today the next step is to show up that way no one can avoid me.

My overwhelming feeling is that everyday that goes by the least they will take this incident seriously.

Will keep y'all posted

Good luck and I hope it is resolved 100% to your satisfaction.
Not that it will make you feel better, but I also requested no washing of my vehicle during PDI; but was told otherwise and ended up with swirls and had to bring the EX in for paint correction and opti-coat $$$.

 

[Kevint1987]

So just to update you all the dealership did get back to me. Instead of the service manager or service advisor returning my calls/emails it was the customer service manager making contact which seemed strange to me.

She was very professional, apologetic, and most importantly took full responsibility of the incident on behalf of the dealership even though it was the fault of the body shop they are affiliated with. She also followed up with the poor attempt of the liftgate repair. So far I am happy with the result. The repair process will determine the ultimate outcome. I am scheduled to drop off my EX this Saturday morning.

Thanks to all that commented. Will most definitely update everyone on the end result.

Any ideas on potential issues repairing the affected area as well as what to look out for once I inspect the corrections?

 

[blwnsmoke]

Just make sure you can't tell that it was repaired.. just that simple. They can do a lot these days with skilled body shop work. If it isn't flawless, then the entire area needs to be repainted.

 

[Kevint1987]

Excellent advice! Ill post pictures of before and after for you all to critique.

 

[thefranchise713]

Alright, progress! Glad to see it.