# Looking for level headed / objective people to ask what would you do when dealer bangs up your new car?



## WinterWolf (Apr 19, 2018)

I'll preface this saying I'm coming at this without much auto expertise. Just some basic knowledge and common sense.

Are you planning on keeping the car for a while? My wife and I will drive both of ours in to the ground and they die or until repairs aren't worth it anymore but I know some people like to trade up regularly. I don't know a lot about resale on more frequent trade in occurrences other than the value drops the minute it leaves a dealer under new ownership; so if you are "trade it in" people I wouldn't be much help. If there are no plans to trade it out and you plan on keeping for the foreseeable future; which seem likely since you purchased a longer term warranty here's what I'd do:

Don't bother with insurance or police unless you suspect damage beyond the bumper/cosmetic. BUT - Get details on the actual damage because if it extends to the framework I believe it can effect safety/integrity. SIDE STORY: Had a 05' Pontiac Sunfire that we bought from sister-in-law and had 1 previous owner before that. In 2016 Kelley Blue Book listed its value arround $2,500 - Carmax? only would give us $100 because an accident from a previous owner had caused a crack in the frame of the truck and they legally had to disclose that. We sold it to a coworker (with that disclosure) for $1,200 and she had not issues with it...

Maybe ask them for a statement that the car was damaged during a visit and the repairs were taken care of in house. Accept and expect that the cost of repairs and loaner car are covered by them and fully documented just in case. Maybe a little sketchy to ask to avoid police (see my side story) but also makes sense if it can be resolved without because it would hit their insurance. Depends on how they approached it I guess.

As for compensation it sounds like they are doing the right thing and taking care of it. Yeah it sucks and is inconvenient but it was an accident and they are owning up and fixing it. Are you entitled or owed something beyond that - I don't believe so personally; but in good customer service it is something that should been done especially if they want to turn a bad experience around.

If they don't offer anything then it doesn't hurt to bring up the subject. The worst they can do is say no and then lose your business and risk pissing you off so you do follow up with insurance/police. Are oil changes included in your service agreement? Car washes? Gas card? Credit towards new tires, remote start, some other upgrade? Just thinking outside the box on what might offset any potential decrease in value but hard to say without details.

Summarized thoughts: Get details and documentation and get a second opinion if you feel damage extensive but otherwise let them fix the mistake and give them a chance to do the right thing. It would be nice and the right thing to do on their part to get you extra compensation but it's not "owed". You'll have to determine what the right level is for you to be satisfied based on the experience.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I'd let them fix it, just inspect the repair well to make sure it looks like it did before. With it not being on carfax the damage/repair shouldn't hurt the car's value.

40 yrs ago my boss special ordered a Cadillac for his wife's birthday. It was involved in an accident during it's first dealership oil change - $11k in damage! The dealer fixed it but they didn't want a car that had been wrecked so they traded in at the same dealer - who knocked extra off the trade in value because it had been in a significant wreck.


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## Feetsdr (Jul 1, 2019)

THANKS! we do have the longest extended warranty - 8yr / 120K, 'cause my wife will hold on to it (and am I wrong? All the electronics in cars these days!? Lots of money to fix??!!


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## Missouri Bound (Apr 9, 2011)

Feetsdr said:


> THANKS! we do have the longest extended warranty - 8yr / 120K, 'cause my wife will hold on to it (and am I wrong? All the electronics in cars these days!? Lots of money to fix??!!


I don't think you are wrong. The longer you have it the more that will malfunction. Besides when you do decide to trade it in everything will be working as it should.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

I agree with Mark. Let them fix it and forget it. If they make you whole and provide wheels to drive while doing so it sounds like a win win situation to me.


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Assuming the damage is relatively minor, I agree with the others that say to let them fix it. If they use their own body shop or an independent that they normally use, ask for a copy of the work order. If your extended warrantee is bumper-to-bumper anything that goes wrong later would likely be covered but nice to have the record.

It sounds like they are willing to do everything to make it right with no cost and minimal convenience to you.

Jurisdictions differ, but I'm not sure you would want to call the police; it occurred on private property.

Don't sign any releases that they may present to you.

Maybe ask that they comp the first comparable service after your pre-paid maintenance package expires.


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## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

Accidents happen. I would ask them for a copy of the repair estimate. That will show you the parts they are going to replace and the work they are going to do.

Drive their loaner car for the duration of the repairs, and my guess is they will give you some swag when you pick up your car after it is repaired.

Since you pre-paid the maintenance, maybe they will throw in a car detailing or two.
Don't stress over it.


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## WinterWolf (Apr 19, 2018)

Feetsdr said:


> THANKS! we do have the longest extended warranty - 8yr / 120K, 'cause my wife will hold on to it (and am I wrong? All the electronics in cars these days!? Lots of money to fix??!!


Yes everything is electronic now. I paid out for the longest warranty on our most recent car's electronics because of just that too!


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Why in the world would someone even mention a Police report unless the car was damaged on a public roadway? Something ain't right. If they fix it to your satisfaction, leave it alone.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

chandler48 said:


> Why in the world would someone even mention a Police report unless the car was damaged on a public roadway? Something ain't right. If they fix it to your satisfaction, leave it alone.



Here even in Wal-mart parking and an incident occurs they call the police for an investigation. 

Years ago, I was a passenger when the driver backed out and hit the cart roundup train.

The only damage was a broken tail light. 

But the stupid manager insisted that a police report get filed. 

They cited the driver for failure to pay attention. 

I replaced the taillight, for free. 

Anyway, back to the OP.

As long as the dealer provides transportation, and repairs the bumper, you should be satisfied.

Get before and after pictures, just for comparison, and maybe even get an independent inspection after that says the problem is good as can be. 

They at least admitted it, and are trying to appease you, I have seen places that claim the damage was before they touched the vehicle. 

ED


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

If it is just a bumper with no collateral damage I'd just let them fix it. Minor repair, even if it gets on CarFax it won't make much if any difference. Not ideal, but this is a first world problem. We still are first world. Well, maybe.

I have some friends who once upon a time took a new Ford van in for service and it got dropped off the lift. Now that was a whole other thing.


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

These things happen when they take the brand new cars off the trailer. Goes into the body shop and sold, and nobody's the wiser.

Keep the pics when they send them, and let them repair it properly.


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## Drachenfire (Jun 6, 2017)

Since it is a new vehicle, I would ask for compensation for the depreciation due to the accident. No matter if the car is properly repaired it has been in an accident through no fault of yours, as such its value has depreciated and you should receive compensation.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

I'd ask them to throw in a few years of free oil changes and routine service. I bet they'd go for that.


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## Mike Milam (Mar 3, 2017)

After reading the topic line, I wasn't sure I could come in, lol.

Let them fix it and call it day. Get a copy of the repair invoice so you know what was done exactly. Then if it makes you feel better have another shop review the invoice and repair.


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## WinterWolf (Apr 19, 2018)

Mike Milam said:


> After reading the topic line, I wasn't sure I could come in, lol.


LMAO - That gave me a good outloud chuckle at work - Thanks


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## F250 (Feb 13, 2018)

We went through the exact scenario with my wife's Lexus RX450h nearly two years ago. The tire shop I'd used for over 10 years went to repair a tire on her car, but did not close the DS door before activating the lift. The lift arm caught the bottom of the DS door and we ended up with the door being torqued upwards by over 8 inches before they saw what was happening and stopped it. Had a heck of the time getting quality work from the shop they wanted to use. I debated getting the work done by the local Lexus dealer's body shop, but it was far enough away that I left it where it was. I did call the dealership's shop, though, and they said that people would be surprised at how often that very damage occurs in a repair shop!

Bottom line is this....

1) If it's the shop recommended/used by the dealer, it's probably OK (mine was not) to let them do the repairs.
2) It can still show up on Carfax as an "accident" because it is the Body Shop who is responsible for posting the incident/repair (or not). If they do not post it, it won't show up.
3) You can file what is called a Diminished Value claim with the dealer's insurance company and get some reimbursement, and this reimbursement is completely separate (in addition to) the repairs covered by the dealer. There are guidelines, and the age of the vehicle is one of them. Yours is more than new enough to qualify, and personally, I would pursue it. We did this in our case and got something like $1500. For your bumper issue, you probably would not see anything that large, but it could easily be several hundred dollars. Then again, depending upon how much damage there was, it may not be worth it. You won't know if you don't go seeking for it!


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## Feetsdr (Jul 1, 2019)

Thanks! Nice to read the more level headed opinions. I asked for your thoughts, so certainly can't / SHOULDN"T take issue with the 'move on' thinking.

Interesting to hear views contrasting to our thinking. I DO KNOW I can / have taken a scorched earth approach at times. And my wife and I joke / wonder if we have ;'kick me' signs on our backs - we seem to have more than our share of issues with vendors (or, yes, maybe its the same as everyone else, we just get more worked up). 

Are we Karens? I like to think no.

I was at a company years ago that was big on providing great customer service. Maybe I got my thinking there. A bank here that we used had the internal saying 'we don't want customers.... we want fans'.

And I like being loyal to companies.

If anyone;s interested, some examples of things we've dealt with / took issue with:

Costco (as much as we are fans).... made an appointment for a tire rotation. 2 hours later, the car was done but they didn't call us as they said they would. (supposedly an appointment means it should take 1/2 hour... I never had it that quick but interesting to hear that.

Ordered a $550 tool from Lowes in November. it didn't ship for 2 weeks, and then went via some no name carrier. After 3 more weeks and repeated calls to them, they said the carrier said it was 'lost' and refunded my money. I then ordered the tool from the manufacturer's site, they were having a sale and was less than Lowes. Ordered on Friday. Got it Monday, a week before Christmas.

My favorite: I keep $10 - $20 of change in the center console of the car (NOT as a lure... just throw change in there then get an amazon gift card from coinstar). Brought the car in for oil change. When I left, the change seemed less than before they had the car. I have a dashcam.... 



 he parks the car and then stays in there a bit. You can hear coins. Weasel!


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

Probably just needed some meth money.


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Wandering off topic, but we were previously not huge users of online purchases pre-Covid but ramped up recently. A few months ago I ordered a hard folding tonneau cover for my truck. I never expect them to be completely water tight but this one leaked a wee bit at an odd location (screw holding a tie-down strap to a panel frame) so I made an enquiry. They said they were sending me a new "part" and to just throw the old "part" out (printed warrantee terms said I had to return claim parts at my own expense). They sent me a complete new cover. Pretty impressive customer service in my mind. I sold the original one with full disclosure to the buyer. The new one leaks the same. They were willing to send my yet another, but I decided to call it and just live with it - I never had anything in there that is that important.


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## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

Good, sage, advice above, but after going through a deer strike a few months ago, I can maybe add a little bit. There's no way I'd let a shop that was NOT Subaru Certified make the repair. The auto manufactures seem to slowly be pushing the auto body repairs out of their dealership shops and into independent shops. There's a very clear and concise method to repair the vehicle provided from the manufacturer, and every certified shop should be following it. As much as it may seem like a simple bumper skin replacement, there's likely far more to it, because there's likely a bunch of crash sensors within that area that could have been compromised.

As for the other compensation, I'd personally let it slide. After having a long fight with my insurance, I'd be pretty happy to bein your scenario where the dealership is stepping up and doing the right thing. I'd also forgo getting a police report or anybody's insurance involved at this point.

Last, after I got my car back this fall, I was highly impressed how good of a job the independent, certified shop did on my car, and the only fault (if you can actually call it that) is that their paint work was actually superior to that from GM at the factory.......


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

Let them fix it. Look it over before accepting it and make sure it looks right in daylight and that the paint matches. Then get on with your life.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

lenaitch said:


> Wandering off topic, but we were previously not huge users of online purchases pre-Covid but ramped up recently. A few months ago I ordered a hard folding tonneau cover for my truck. I never expect them to be completely water tight but this one leaked a wee bit at an odd location (screw holding a tie-down strap to a panel frame) so I made an enquiry. They said they were sending me a new "part" and to just throw the old "part" out (printed warrantee terms said I had to return claim parts at my own expense). They sent me a complete new cover. Pretty impressive customer service in my mind. I sold the original one with full disclosure to the buyer. The new one leaks the same. They were willing to send my yet another, but I decided to call it and just live with it - I never had anything in there that is that important.


Flex- seal, spray, or paste.

I scoffed at the fool ads, until I tried it.

I was amazed enough to recommend it now. 


ED


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

LOL...OK, Ed, let's see your flex seal boat!



de-nagorg said:


> Flex- seal, spray, or paste.
> 
> I scoffed at the fool ads, until I tried it.
> 
> ...


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

raylo32 said:


> LOL...OK, Ed, let's see your flex seal boat!


No boat, a Fiberglass Bathtub, that now holds water though. 

ED


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## HotRodx10 (Aug 24, 2017)

As far as the repairs, everything that I would say has been said. I'll just add that typically the reason for involving the police is to have a supposedly objective reporter to determine who's at fault, so even in a parking lot, getting a police report is often necessary. In this case, there's no question of who's at fault, so no need for police involvement.


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