What should I do?

B

Boongie

New member
Hi all:

Last week, I took my new, gray metallic 2005 Camry back to the dealer to have several scratches in the body and bumpers removed by a guy who the dealer brings in once a week. He does paint touch-up for the dealer's new and used cars and is part of a franchise operation. His van was loaded with different paints that he custom mixes and numerous tools and polishes (all with a private label from the franchise). I stayed with him the whole time he was working on my car. He pulled out a Cyclo so I thought, OK, this guy knows what he is doing. It was sort of cloudy on the day he worked on my car (which I had just hand washed before I brought it in to the dealer) so I could not really see the result of his work using the reflection of the sun.



Today I hand washed my car again and it is sunny outside. That's when I noticed that he had put the "hologram" effect in my hood and door. On my front bumper, there appears to be what I would call a "haze" effect where he used the Cyclo. It almost looks like paint over spray. Can these problems be fixed?



I am planning on going back to the dealer tomorrow morning to show them the car. I am, of course, not planning on letting the same guy work on it. This dealer does have a body shop. But at this point, I am tempted it bring it somewhere else to have it fixed (if possible). Turbomangt, if you are reading this, I left you a phone message today about this problem.



Thanks for any suggestions on how to proceed.
 
Lowejackson said:
I think you have a good plan. Take it back to the dealer and explain why you are not satisfied with the repair work.
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Would you let the dealer try to remedy the problem? I definitely do not want the same person who caused the problems to touch my car again. The dealer does have a body shop. Or do I tell the dealer that I am taking the car somewhere else and see if they will pay for the repair?
 
It is reasonable in the first instance to let the dealer fix the damage. If they cannot or will not, then alternative arrangements should be made. Even the most skilled people make mistakes
 
mirrorfinishman said:
You would be very smart to give the dealer a chance to remedy the problem.
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Frank, do you think dealer prep involves anymore than removal of plastic bagging and washup? Do they ever touch it with polish, a pc or wax? or is this dealer specific?
 
I would think that most new car dealers usually only washup a new vehicle. The reason I mentioned that you would be smart to give the dealer a chance to fix the problem is because that's the best thing to do from a legal standpoint. It's a situation that was created by the dealer and it's up to them to get it fixed to your satisfaction. It's not a good idea to get anyone else involved, other than the dealer, at this point in time.
 
Yeah, it was *their* fault the car had the problem in the first place and *their* subcontractor who did the poor work. Getting anybody else involved will give them an "out", an outside party they can point their finger at.



I wonder whether the surface was clean when he took the Cyclo to it. Cyclos don't cause holograms unless they're misused (and very badly at that!), but buffing an unclean surface can cause problems like that. If you washed it, drove it there (even on a dry, "clean" day), and he just polished it without cleaning it again somehow, then he almost certainly ground some fine contamination into the paint. And he should've known better. I wouldn't polish a car that I merely drove around the block without cleaning it again with *something*. Heh heh, unfortunately, while the Cyclo is a good, and safe, tool, it doesn't come with user-intelligence built in ;)
 
In a perfect world, there is no doubt that it is the dealer responcibility, but it ain't perfect here. I spent an hour and about $10 getting some defects out of new car and am very happy. No chance for error or aggravation, and I'm always learning. The guys at the dealer fix car mechanicals, not paint and as you can see thier subcontractor was not as good as they thought.
 
pdsterns said:
In a perfect world, there is no doubt that it is the dealer responcibility, but it ain't perfect here. I spent an hour and about $10 getting some defects out of new car and am very happy. No chance for error or aggravation, and I'm always learning. The guys at the dealer fix car mechanicals, not paint and as you can see thier subcontractor was not as good as they thought.
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I did go back to the service manager at the dealer and I told him that I knew of a high quality detailer in my area and that I wanted to take my car to him to look at. I firmly told the service manager that I did not want the subcontractor to touch my car. He agreed and told me to let him know how much it would cost to correct the swirls and hazing. I took it to the detailer and he immediately got the hazing off my bumper with a Four Star product. He told me that he could get the swirls off the rest of the body if I made an appointment for a full exterior detail. I went back to the dealer and the service manager informed me that they had fired the subcontractor. Apparently, there was a more serious issue with another customer's car. I told him the price to correct the defects in my car. At that point he called his boss, the service director, who told the manager that he wanted me to take my car to the dealer body shop to work on it. I was not too pleased at this point since I had already spent half a day dealing with this. I went over to the body shop to check on the quality of their work (at this point I was not too trusting). The manager of the body shop informed me that they really don't do the kind of work that would be required of them to fix my car since they typically do collision work. He started to direct me over to the prep guys that work for service. I told the body shop manager that I did not want the same prep guys who did not properly take out the scratches in my car in the first place (which caused me to be sent over to the subcontractor at the dealer) to work on my car. I have read enough horror stories on this forum about dealer prep guys. The body shop manager did not dispute me and had me wait while he went back to the service department. After a few minutes he came back and told me that the dealership had agreed to let me take the car where I want to go and give them the bill for reimbursement. I think I may be getting a reputation at this dealership for being too picky (or maybe a pain in the neck) but considering what I have gone through the past three weeks with this "new" car I think I am being pretty calm.



To date, here is what has happened the last few weeks:

1. When I went to pick up the car, I found a rusty screw in the tread of the front tire, tire patched

2. Discolored plastic in the inside driver door panel due to somebody closing it by pulling on the map pocket, another subcontractor who does interior work had to heat up the plastic and ended up spraying paint on the discolored area (this subcontractor did a great job...I cannot tell that it was painted)

3. Cleaning residue left in the rear seat (leather) by the prep guys

4. Defective door bodyside molding which needed replacement

5. Scratches in the paint and small gouges in the front and rear bumper

6. Appointment made for me by the dealer to see the subcontractor to work on the body and bumpers on a Monday...I show up and was told that the subcontractor only comes in on Wednesday

7. Both rear brake rotors and pads needed replacement last week because of a pulsation that I felt when braking at higher speeds



To say the least, my Toyota ownership experience has not been a great one!
 
Yikes, you're sure going through a lot of [stuff] for a new car purchase!



Glad to hear that you're apparently getting things sorted out, but man what a hassle!



Glad to hear you're having the work done by somebody that you *know* can do it right :xyxthumbs
 
Did you find all this when you went to pick up the car? No offense, but I am so anal that I would do a walk around before signing the papers and if I found that many problems I would tell them to find another vehicle. I know that sounds really picky, but driving it off the lot brand new you shouldn't have to mess with any of this stuff. What a pain. Hope you get it all sorted out.
 
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