New Car - Scratch

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 02, 2019 7:51 pm
Hi all! So 4 days ago I purchased my first new vehicle. I bought 2019 Honda CR-V and I really like it. The whole process was actually pretty great. The dealer was awesome through the whole process.

Yesterday I noticed a 5-6 inch scratch on the back quarter panel! Oh no. I text the sales person and asked them if there is anything that can be done. He talked with the manager and they had me bring it in. They said they should be able to buff it out, and if not we would get it squared away.

I went to pick back up the vehicle this afternoon and unfortunately you can still see the scratch. It’s not prominent or nearly as visible as it was, but I can see it. I showed the sales person and he showed the manager. They basically said they can’t buff anymore without going through the clear coat. I Expressed that I am still concerned. It was a ~35k vehicle.

I understand I should of caught it before driving away, but neither I, nor the sales guy saw it.

It sounds like I’m going to have to make a decision....

Live with it, or push them re-paint the quarter panel.

I think they will repaint it and pay for it, but is that the best move? The body shop guy said after-factory paint isn’t as good as factory because the factory cures more and he wouldn’t repaint it if it was his. But, he is obviously biased, but I don’t know enough to make a good choice.

If they are willing to pay, should I opt to have them paint it? What’s the risk? Will it match? Thoughts? I understand that I made a mistake by not inspecting enough. I will not make that mistake again.

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 02, 2019 10:30 pm
Go into the show room when it's busy and start demanding to speak the person in charge. Make statements like, I just bought a brand new car and you won't stand behind it?

I had to do this once and man did they come quickly, promising that they would make me happy. Everyone in the show room was looking and listening so they had to make it good.

Remind them that the plan was to "try and buff it" but the promise was they would make it right.
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 6:50 am
did any agreement or advertising say,"brand new 2019 honda CR-V with scratch on quarter panel!!" ??

make em repair and do NOT leave the lot until you can see the repair in full sun.
the salesman may have known it was there when you bought it. salemen dont sell a car by saying,"heres everything wrong with this car and why you shouldnt buy it."
if the scratch isnt into the paint and only in the clearcoat then it should only need clearcoat.and since they tried to buff it out id say its only in the clear. either that or they are very incompetent.

the bodyshop guy saying:
" after-factory paint isn’t as good as factory because the factory cures more and he wouldn’t repaint it if it was his."
is full of sh*t. hes a body shop guy at a stealership and they typically do a lot of painting.
did he really say after-factory paint??
hes only concerned because the repair wont make $$$.



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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 6:54 am
'68 Coronet R/T wrote:Go into the show room when it's busy and start demanding to speak the person in charge. Make statements like, I just bought a brand new car and you won't stand behind it?

I had to do this once and man did they come quickly, promising that they would make me happy. Everyone in the show room was looking and listening so they had to make it good.

Remind them that the plan was to "try and buff it" but the promise was they would make it right.


I like your plan. But I really think that they will try to fix it, especially if I push a little. And if not, a scene I will make!



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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 7:09 am
tomsteve wrote:did any agreement or advertising say,"brand new 2019 honda CR-V with scratch on quarter panel!!" ??

make em repair and do NOT leave the lot until you can see the repair in full sun.
the salesman may have known it was there when you bought it. salemen dont sell a car by saying,"heres everything wrong with this car and why you shouldnt buy it."
if the scratch isnt into the paint and only in the clearcoat then it should only need clearcoat.and since they tried to buff it out id say its only in the clear. either that or they are very incompetent.

the bodyshop guy saying:
" after-factory paint isn’t as good as factory because the factory cures more and he wouldn’t repaint it if it was his."
is full of sh*t. hes a body shop guy at a stealership and they typically do a lot of painting.
did he really say after-factory paint??
hes only concerned because the repair wont make $$$.


The "after-factory" paint term could very much be my incompetence in the area and trying to repeat how he said it.

After they buffed it, when I went to pick it up, they had it parked in the sun. This is when I realized you could still see it. We went back in to talk to the sales manager and he basically said "I can have them buff it more but they did not feel comfortable going further". I told him that if they weren't comfortable, neither am I. He recommended I speak with the manager in the collision department.

The manager in the collision department came out and acknowledged he could see it and that he wasn't comfortable buffing any more. He said the whole panel would need repainted. I asked him what he would do if it was his brand new vehicle and he basically said "The factory paint is always better because the factory allows their paint to cure. When we paint it does not allow nearly the same time, and really isn't even the same curing process, so there is risk for a period of time that the painted area can more easily be damaged"

I asked him to let me think on it for the night and then I asked the Sales person if he would get clarification on whether the dealer will pay for this. I think they will, but I want them to confirm it.

I didn't hear back from the sales person, and I saw him talking with the sales manager when I left, so later I sent the sales person a text. He said the sales manager wanted to talk with the collision manager but they got busy. Hopefully their answer isn't to buff it more because they just explained why that was a bad idea.

My biggest fear is that I get them to repaint it and then the end result isn't good, or doesn't match, or is noticeable. I guess I should ask, if they repaint the 1/4 panel, should it match perfectly to the rest of the car? Where should my expectations be?

I attached a photo of the scratch before they tried buffing it out, including the smudge where I tried wiping it off. It is really a weird scratch because it is vertical and is in a slightly recessed area. The tail light and lower part of the 1/4 panel actually stick out further than the area where the scratch is.
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 10:23 am
The risk is minor.
Generally you have to wait 90 days before taking your car through a car wash.
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 11:52 am
'68 Coronet R/T wrote:The risk is minor.
Generally you have to wait 90 days before taking your car through a car wash.


Thank you. I just received a text back from the sales person. He said they would take care of it.

The thing that is a bit confusing though is he said it would only take a few hours. When I spoke with the manager in the collision department he said 2 days. Not sure what they are trying to do here.



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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 12:35 pm
I finally got a call back from the dealer. They are going to take the quarter panel off another car with matching paint and replace mine. They can then take their time re-painting the damaged piece.

Just to reiterate, this dealer has been great. I haven't meant to imply that they were doing anything wrong. They have been helpful the whole way and have reaffirmed they would get me taken care of.

I appreciate everyone taking the time to give me your 2 cents.



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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 7:03 pm
there's a few things wrong with this. I just don't see them taking the quarter off of another car and putting it on yours. it would be much faster to just repaint yours. and the other quarter runs a good chance of not matching perfectly. the paint they put on is going to be as good as what's on there or very close it won't be a problem. I would be curious if the scratch is all the way to the color maybe some very careful sanding and then just clear the panel. if they have to recolor the panel its going to take an experienced painter, and they are getting hard to come by
Jay D.
they say my name is Jay



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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 7:22 pm
badsix wrote:there's a few things wrong with this. I just don't see them taking the quarter off of another car and putting it on yours. it would be much faster to just repaint yours. and the other quarter runs a good chance of not matching perfectly. the paint they put on is going to be as good as what's on there or very close it won't be a problem. I would be curious if the scratch is all the way to the color maybe some very careful sanding and then just clear the panel. if they have to recolor the panel its going to take an experienced painter, and they are getting hard to come by
Jay D.


Pulling the panel off another car was actually their idea. I assumed we were going to be painting it but when they called and said to bring it in and they could fix it in a couple hours (vs a couple days) I questioned how.

If that is the case, and if it matches, is that not the best option?
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