Dealer scratched my drivers side door today...

[thehalcyon]

Took my car in to get the windows adjusted because there was an air leak noise at hwy speeds. As well as to replace the clip in the center armrest that wore was not working.

Got the call to come pickup the car, so I did. Drove back to work and when I got out of my car I noticed this ding on my drivers side door. My heart sank.

It looks like it was opened carelessly and made contact with something.
Probably not noticeable to your average car owner, since its on the edge of the door.


I called back right away and told them what I saw, the Service manager was polite and understanding of my frustration.

I've already spent lots of gas and time shuffling back and forth to and from this dealership in the past couple weeks. (out on the otherside of town), now I'm going to have to miss more work hours , and waste more gas to have it "looked at".

He mentioned that whatever the damage was they would do their best to "fix" it. And provide me with a rental car while they did.

At this point I'm very unsure if I should even return there... I'm very skeptical and worried something else will happen or they will make it worse. I don't have the option to take it to another dealership in town. The other one I had a horrible sales experience with.

One thing is for sure, I don't want the door painted. Does that only leave me with having someone try to buff it out with a polisher and some compound?

I was thinking of taking it to the dealer and mentioning to the service manager that I would like a detailer of my choice in town, to try to correct the damage and have them foot the bill.

Is that a reasonable request, what would you do if this happened to your car?

Thanks

[tracer bullet]

You might be able to take care of it yourself. There's a chance it's something else transferred to the car, not a part of the car transferred to something else. Can't tell from the pics. If you haven't already, start with your fingernail or a towel, it might come right off.

If not then a little polishing or rubbing compound might smooth things out enough to make it disappear.

[gregthegr8]

Also, if you have a clay bar, I'd try that as well first as it may get everything off.

[onehungevo]

That sucks. I took my old BMW to the dealer for a minor scrap for repair. They ended up incorrectly removing the bumper and breaking the clips. The dealer told me it was normal for the bumper to stick out an inch on either side. Crazy. After a few weeks of discussion BMW customer service agreed to fix the problem.

I refused to have the BMW that incorrectly repaired my car in the first place try to make it right. i picked another dealer and BMW paid for it all.

My suggestion is to contact BMW customer service. Good luck

[the1andonly]

Im super particular about my car too but stuff happens and will happen again. Id tell them to mail you the exact paint that BMW sells at the parts department, put it on and call it a day. It should look close to new if not perfect...have them throw in a free oil change and you'll forget about it in a few days...

i usually give myself a day or two to be upset about these things and it usually wears off in a few days...

[luv135i]

You should be able to take care of that no problem

[froop]

Polish should fix that right up I reckon.

I was reversing out of my driveway the other day and some asshole left a wheelie bin in the middle of it. I couldn't see it as my driveway is very steep and only flattens out at the end (where the bin was) and it was also very early in the morning and still dark. Ended up smacking it pretty hard and left about a 1cm x 10cm deep scratch along the corner of the bumper. I could see black in the scratch and I though for sure it needed a respray.

I ended up taking some Autoglym Super Resin Polish to it and it's now 95% gone. If you look very closely you can see the clear coat indentation but apart from that it's invisible. Unfortunately I don't have any photos but the moral of the story is to just try some polish before wasting more petrol and time driving down to the stealership.

[rking117]

that will buff out. A little wet sanding and then a wool pad and some cutting compound and you will be all set. That isnt through the clear and will come right out. Just take it to a shop that details cars and they will take care of it for you.

BTW those are great photos and from them I am able to see the paint just fine. Hope it works out.

[thehalcyon]

Thanks for all the responses. I was thinking it would buff out but Phil at detailers domain thinks it may be burned. So taking a machine polisher to it would just make it worse.
Is there something I can try by hand that is gentle first?

Im really worried about the dealer wanting to paint it.

[135iMike]

Your camera is awesome (what are you shooting with?) and your paint looks amazing; good luck getting it fixed up dude.

[thehalcyon]

Originally Posted by 135iMike

Your camera is awesome (what are you shooting with?) and your paint looks amazing; good luck getting it fixed up dude.

Thanks. Camera is a Sony Nex5 (original ver) with a Sigma30mm f/2.8 EX DN Lens. Its a very sharp combo, been quite happy so far.

[Qunadry]

First try Meguiars Ultimate compound. If this does not work, try the Quixx scratch removal product. I have had good results with both.

[kensington]

If its scraped past the paint you can buff all you want, it aint gonna work. Everyone has this idea that anything can be buffed out.

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by kensington

If its scraped past the paint you can buff all you want, it aint gonna work. Everyone has this idea that anything can be buffed out.

1) True 2) Because this doesn't look like it's past the paint.

[doublevanosrc]

That's what happens when you open a door and it touches the car next to it. The scratch is caused as you exit the car it rises(or drops when getting in) rubbing on the car next to it. Like others have mention it should come off with a little work.

[thehalcyon]

Update:

After 2 days I received a call back from the Service manager at the dealership. Over the phone he says he looked at the pictures I sent him and that, he didn't understand my concern about the paint being possibly burnt.

He then goes to tell me " Mr. B, I find it very hard to believe that this would happen during your visit at our dealership". I told him that was nonsense the car was new and the only damage was a paintchip or two on the hood. Paint work was otherwise immaculate. I drove from the dealership straight to work without stopping and got out and noticed the damage. We arrange for a meeting at 3:00pm. I show up 5 min early, I'm in the waiting from till 3:20 before he comes out to greet me.

I walk over with him to show the damage to the car, and he of course says he can't see it. I tell him maybe its the lighting, so I move the car outside and park it in the shade (easier to see) and he then begins to explain for 10 min how it is extremely unlikely that this happened going on about hoists and chains and that the damage would look different. He asks me, "OK Mr.B tell me what you think happened?"
I explain that its pretty obvious the door was opened too far and came in contact with something.

So for about 10 min he is arguing with me on how it is a grey area and that he doesn't think its possible they did the damage blah blah. He goes on to tell me the damage is very insignificant and that you can't even see it. Yea maybe if I did the damage myself.

Are you kidding me? I must be a magnet for terrible customer service. I'm the only person that drives my car, I literally park a mile away from the nearest car or object anywhere I go. And its obvious it was done from swinging the door open too far. Not something else hitting it at that angle.

I tell him I'd want professional detailer to inspect the damage to get a professional opinion on how to proceed. He starts insisting about how hes got some certified body shop that could do this etc. Ok, I agree to bring the car over and have them take a look.

I end up going to some Acura dealership's collision center and a nice fellow greets me.He gets some compound and what looks like a mesh cloth and starts rubbing away at it.Luckily it seems to have gotten rid of most of it. 10 - 20% of it remains, which I can probably go over it again myself and further get rid of it. Phew!


Thank you to everyone for the advice and suggestions.

In the end I'm very disappointed with the dealership back peddling after I called the first day right away.

The service manager makes what should be a very simple, "We're sorry we fucked up. We'll get that fixed for you" into an ordeal.

no responsibility taken by the dealership, no apology whatsoever, no compensation for missed work hours or gas spent to sort this out (driving 60km roundtrip each visit) Really wasn't expecting much maybe a gas card would have been nice.

no mention of the unresolved warranty work (door seal still makes noise on hwy speeds), no followup or reply to emails regarding this issue.


I'll try to get some pictures of what It looks like now, its getting dark so the light is poor.

[thehalcyon]

Dusk, no light.



Using a flashlight to light up the area:

[Dackelone]

^^That looks much better than the first bunch of pics.

[froop]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

^^That looks much better than the first bunch of pics.

Definitely.

Honestly, get some polish and a a microfibre pad and you should be able to fix that right up. It probably doesn't matter what you use but I use Autoglym Super Resin Polish and it has performed absolutely amazingly for me at removing scuffs and big scratches. It's an extremely light cut but is somehow super effective and as an added bonus it also lays down a protective hydrophobic sealant and be used over the entire car.

[dtwyim]

Your door probably dinged another car at the dealer's lot. The other car probably have it worse. Glad yours is mostly fixed.

[golf_234]

People often don't understand how dynamic paint is. There are quite a few layers on there. You have what like 6 layers of orange peel clear coat. Op

-Agressive polish
-Mild Polish
-Sealant
-Wax

I guaranteeee that will come out. Don't sweat it. If it were down to the paint or through the paint I would be furious too. But this case is a little smudge not even worth worrying.

[KingOfJericho]

I agree with what many have said. The "damage" is tiny and can be fixed very easily (and seems to have been). I don't think it was worth ruffling so many feathers at the dealership. You want them on your side, not against you. A dent is one thing, but a very minor paint issue on the door jamb seems incredibly minor. They opened your door and rested it against something, it's not like they hit it with a hammer.