Dealer gouged roof while installing roof rails!

suspendmix

Uggh! I've had my MDX all of 1 week! I dropped off my MDX to the dealership this morning to have side roof rails, moldings and running boards installed. Well, I just got a call from them indicating that when installing the rails, a technician, slipped and gouged the paint on the roof to the point where they need to send it to the body shop. The shop is subleted by this dealership and they guaranteed that it will color match but I'm concerned by several things.

1) Isn't the paint and clearcoat now compromised? Meaning that the likelihood of fading or corrosion is higher? If so, how much higher?

2) They've indicated they will need to leave it for 3-5 days at the bodyshop. Does that seem excessive?

3) I have about 500 miles on the car and its a new 2008 MDX. I don't plan on asking for a new car because of this but do you think some kind of compensation from the dealership is appropriate? If so, what would be appropriate? Free labor on the running board, molding and side rail install (but it was all lumped together in the purchase price of the car)? Free services in the future? Oil changes/tire rotation? I'm not trying to break the bank or screw them over in any way, I know mistakes happen but my understanding is that any kind of body work will never restore the car back to its original integrity. It would be different if they blew up a battery or something, that can easily be replaced that would have no further ramifications down the road.

Thanks for any input!

mdxrrrrr

First of all I do understand accident do happen, but when they do, the customer should not be the one to pay the price.

If I was you, I would demand they give you a new MDX set up the same way as the one they. No matter what they do, you now have a brand new car that has been repainted. When you go to sell it, if someone knows cars and paint they will be able to see that it has been repainted. And you will be the one getting docked for that it it could be several thousand dollars depending on the person you are selling it to and how honest you want to be about the repainting issue.

To properly repaint it that need to repaint the entire panel that was damaged. The clearcoat will need to be removed over that entire panel and then reshot. But a good body man will be able to see around the seams where it was taped off. You can do what you want, but depending on how particular you are, you may always feel like you are now driving damaged goods. It may not be fair, but when you make the first ding it is less painful, but when someone else does you don't forget.

If they refuse to give you a new car to replace it, then I would go after something that will give you some consolation for having to keep that car. Maybe the wood trimmed steering wheel, knobs, chrome wheels. Or maybe just a cash refund. Whatever it is it needs to be something that will truly help you forget their mistake. Don't settle, until you are truly happy with what they are offering. This is you new car and you deserve to enjoy your new car experience for longer than 500 miles.

Good Luck with it, please post again once you get it resolved.

suspendmix

Well, I just got it back!

I didn't think the scratch warranted asking for a new car and quite honestly, I'm sure there weren't any more 08's around. They were up front with what happened, how they did it and what they were going to do to fix the vehicle. I did ask them for some service compensation and the service manager said without hesitation that it would not be a problem since they knew it was an inconvienence holding onto my car for so long, not to mention the damage. We eventually agreed to the 1st 4 scheduled services would be free and just as importantly, that they would pay for the car work rather than file an insurance claim. The reason for this was that I did not want any of this showing up on CARFAX since I would assume that it would show up on there as body work/paint job as opposed to something minor like repairing scratch. I couldn't believe all the dealer servicing that showed up on my old Volvo when i saw the CARFAX on that! He also assured me that neither his dealership nor the body shop would report this to CARFAX.

I finally got the keys back and to my naked eye in the bright sun, I could not tell that there was any work done. The service manager explained that they sanded out and filled up the scratch (not sure of the process) and then painted the area down to one end of the panel and then the other side to the the rear quarter panel. They had to blend it in back there with the existing paint. He pointed out that if there were any potential for fading, that would be where it would be noticed but again, if it did occur for the lifetime of the car, they'll have it redone again and give me another loaner for the duration.

All in all, it wasn't a bad experience. I mean, obviously, no one wants to have their new car damaged in any way but the professionalism and class that this dealership handled the situation was commendable. I would have no problem having any service done there (well, even if the 1st few weren't free) due to their honesty and willingness to "make it right." It can be so hard to find an honest place to service your car sometimes!

If you want the dealership (SF Bay Area) just PM me or search my past posts, I think Ive wrote up my buying experience somewhere on here.

BTW, the side rails, running boards and side moldings just look great! I loved it without it but damn, I couldn't keep from looking back several times as I was walking off!

stever

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They'd probably appreciate a good rating. Glad it all worked out!