Resprayed Quarter Panel - Diminished Value
 

I picked up my Series.Yellow back in September. On the day I picked it up, I discovered a scratch on the passenger side rear quarter panel near the wheel arch (a couple inches long). Unfortunately, I already signed my paper work. The dealer eventually repaired it at their own body shop at no charge. However, I came to realization about a couple issues:

If you use a paint thickness meter to check the spot where the repair was done, it reads 220 vs 130 around rest of the car with factory paint. I know the thicker paint reading is normal for a respray but how much will this impact my resale value? e.g. if I were to trade the car in today, how much would this "repair" decrease my car's value?

The body shop probably did some color blending all the way to the passenger side door. However, the paint thickness meter reads 123 on the passenger side door vs. 184 on the driver side door (supposed to have factory paint). Now this makes me wonder if any paint work has been done on the driver side door?

I am just so disappointed that I have to deal with all this even when buying a brand new car. Any advice or help would be appreciated!


Update: Upon a closer look this morning, the repair actually does not look good at all. Found a lot of imperfections in the quarter panel where the repair was done - uneven spots in the clear coat (bubbles?), dust particles trapped in the clear coat/paint, over spray in window trims, masking tape marks on the door, and orange peel. At this point, I don't know if I can trust the dealer to rework the repair even if they are perfectly willing to. Not to mention all this was due to a defect that they tried to pass onto me in the first place. What would you do?

- Demand some kind of compensation?
- Ask for a new car?
- Take the car to another body shop and ask them to reimburse?

I can't get over the fact that I paid for a new car but yet it came with a defect, which required extensive body work done to a new car and it was done so poorly. :mad0259:

I’m just guessing, your an obsessive compulsive kinda a guy. I get it.
Unless the paint job quality is bad (runs, orange peel, color differences, hazing, cracking - you get the point) I would not lose any sleep on this. For one, it wasn’t in a wreck so it won’t show up anywhere when you sell it, and they should warranty their work, but mainly I wouldn’t worry about it because these cars will depreciate due to mileage and age waaay more than your respray will affect it. These cars will never be worth much years from now - unless your willing to wait 25+ years before you sell it, then maybe it will be worth half if your lucky - but hey, that goes for all of us here.

I am OCD :D

I guess my main concern is that if I trade in my car in 2-3 years, any dealer (including this very dealer that did my repair) or Carmax will use a meter to see if any paint work has been done and use that to deduct from my resale value. I just don't know what that amount might be. Anyone here with appraisal experience could chime in with an estimate/range, that would be helpful.

I have never seen a dealer check paint thickness on a car when getting a trade in. Maybe on some exotic...but you have a brz, not worth the time / effort.

They look around, maybe nitpick, and they check the carfax.

We’ll I’m certainly no expert, but I have traded in 15 or so cars and I’ve never had a paint thickness check to my knowledge. But I would guess it won’t significantly affect your price one way or the other. Most times the dealer you trade in read the vin, check the mileage, and give it a quick once over. Then they will call around to different car auction dealers and sell it to the highest dealer. I really wouldn’t worry yourself over it. Nothing you can do about it anyways.

Thanks for making me feel better guys! Maybe it's regional but when I brought my 2007 Legacy to a local Carmax here in SoCal for an appraisal, I thought they used a meter to check the paint. A door and a quarter panel on the Legacy were resprayed because it was keyed. It wasn't in an accident but Carmax was able to pick it up.

As for what I can do about my BRZ, I plan to ask the dealer for a written warranty on the repair and a statement of work showing it was just a scratch repair. I just don't know if I should/can ask for some kind of compensation for diminished value.

Oh lord. Worried about a dealer using a thickness gauge on paint.

The dealer did the repair. They know it was done. They won't care. Brand new cars get scratched and fixed by the dealers all the time it is just not common for the customer to know.
Dude, don't invent problems that just don't exist in this world.


https://media.giphy.com/media/OgVkehhYvgZyw/giphy.gif

There is no diminished value. People with thousands of dollars in damage can get a couple of hundred bucks in diminished value. You will not get squat for a two in scratch that was repainted. At this I am actually sort of dubious as to how bad the scratch was in the first place.

And obsessing over this is NOT OCD. OCD would be if there was no scratch and you kept going back to look for it anyway.

Scratch was couple inches long and deep enough to be felt when I ran my hand over it. That scratch itself wasn't that bad. Hence I left the dealer that night without making a big deal out of it. However, the repair was bigger than I expected. There is masking tape at the door jamb near the passenger side mirror. My worry is that another dealer, Carmax, or a private buyer (who knows his stuff) will think that the damage was more extensive or there was an accident.

Maybe not OCD in this case, more like paranoid.

Don't sweat it. There is no claim against it so they can think whatever they wish. Even if the value was impacted it would only be minor and totally meaningless after about 3 years or so when the depreciation peaks.

There are many things that diminish a car’s value but only 5 really matter. Number 1 is obviously mechanical performance & maintenance history , Number 2 is condition of the consumable parts (brakes, tires, suspension, Windows). Number 3 is amount of reconditioning needed to resell. Number 4 is Warranty status. And Number 5 is history of reported accidents, repaired frame damage, and title status.

If the car looks good visually when traded in, meaning it appears to need NO reconditioning, then it’s good. The car has never been reported to have been fixed so that’s a good thing.

Private buyers know they are buying a used car so they will be more concerned about maintenance/Service history.

Trust me, if you are selling your car privately and you show the buyer a fat binder with all your oil changes and other service history and receipts (tire receipts, brake pad receipts) then the buyer won’t even care the car was repaired, if they even ask (they most likely won’t.)

I would add a sixth that can sort of encompass some of the others and even negate them if they were good points.
That sixth would be mileage.
High mileage cars rarely are pristine and even if you can show perfect maintenance records the value is going to be less than one with lower miles.
It is very entertaining when you reach the trade in value part of the negotiation on your 4 year old car, they say "how many miles?", you reply "a little under 250,000" and total silence ensues. At that point they know the car is going off to auction and they risk losing money on whatever trade in value they give you.

So, in summery, the only way to get top dollar for a used car is to not ever drive it, keep it in perfect condition and perform above average maintenance on it. Doesn't sound like there is much fun in owning such a vehicle.

If it doesn't show up on a car fax report, then your goood.

Document it on VINwiki and at least there will be some record of this (in this case, it just so happens to be curated by you).

...and then getting halfway up the driveway and having to turn around and check again because you can't remember if you checked every spot or because it might have been scratched again while your back was turned.

Also, OP: don't worry about it, man. It's not a historically-significant car where provenance matters-- nobody's gonna hit it with a paint gauge...

I didn't even know a paint gauge existed before your post haha

Update: Upon a closer look this morning, the repair actually does not look good at all. Found a lot of imperfections in the quarter panel where the repair was done - uneven spots in the clear coat (bubbles?), dust particles trapped in the clear coat/paint, over spray in window trims, masking tape marks on the door, and orange peel. At this point, I don't know if I can trust the dealer to rework the repair even if they are perfectly willing to. Not to mention all this was due to a defect that they tried to pass onto me in the first place. What would you do?

- Demand some kind of compensation?
- Ask for a new car?
- Take the car to another body shop and ask them to reimburse?

I can't get over the fact that I paid for a new car but yet it came with a defect, which required extensive body work done to a new car and it was done so poorly. :mad0259:

They won't give you a new car. At this point it is yours unless you work some kind of a trade in deal with them and any financial institution involved.

Unfortunately, you didn't closely inspect it when you picked it up. The dealer SHOULD make it right, but it is pretty doubtful at this point. Probably would have been better off taking the car as it was delivered, or demanding a different deal when it was initially delivered. Now half the car will have a non factory respray in a hard to match color.

That shouldn't be on a carfax but multiple repair jobs get easier to spot, especially when shops try to just fix other shops' mistakes.

Let's look at the facts here:

1. They tried to pass a defect to me in the first place.
2. First time they tried to repair the scratch by just filling in some color.
3. Second time they tried to repair it, they botched the whole quarter panel. The extent of the repair was never discussed or explained to me. Had I known the extent of the 2nd repair and their lack of skills, I would have stopped there.
4. Now I have almost half of the car resprayed twice for a defect that was never disclosed to me in the first place.

Step 1: Acquire a box
Step 2: Cut a hole in the box
Step 3: Put your junk in that box
Step 4: Close up the box
Step 5: Wrap up the box
Step 6: Give the dealership that box
Step 7: Throw your hands up
Step 8: Have them open the box
Step 9: Stare into their eyes
Step 10: Trade in your car in 2 months for a 2018 TS or 40th anneversiary
Step 11: Pat yourself on the back for figuring out a proactive & mature real world solution to your problem which literally requires the least amount of effort and time wasted on your part.

- Just one dealer visit
- Just one dealer conversation
- You take the smallest hit on your car since time lapsed of ownership and car wear will be at their minimum

PM me your venmo, snapcash, paypal, square cash, google wallet, circle, coinbase, wirex or iMessage info (for apple pay) so I can send you an invoice and payment request for my life coach consulting services.

The salesman probably didn't even know the scratch was there, let alone maliciously try to pass it off. That is what the pre-delivery inspection is for.

All the other stuff, sure. You also had inspection time before taking the car back from being "fixed" to deny their repair.

There was no pre delivery inspection. Had I not discovered it before I drove off the lot, they would have probably denied it altogether. The bad repair job was clearly their fault regardless how much time has elapsed.

I paid for a new car, shouldn’t I get one with factory paint?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ask for a different car as your starting negotiation point and work from there

It is a bit of paint on a 2 inch scratch for Christ sake. Many new cars get touched up and it is not rare or unusual. The only fucking way you knew about the paint in the first place was by putting a gauge on it. Now all of a sudden there are all these horrible marks? Some paint is not "extensive bodywork". They could have told you to go pound salt in the first place since you signed for the car without inspecting it first. If you are not happy with it then have it done again but don't expect a new car or compensation like some entitled whiner. Have it repaired is reasonable all the other shit you seem to expect is NOT. At this point you are never going to be happy no matter how good a job they do so just trade the car for a nice Prius or something and move on with your life.

The dealer resprayed at least a whole quarter panel (possibly more) without discussing with me first. The sales guy told me they were just going to "color sand" the spot and it would be done in 2 days. Sure enough it took a whole week. On top of that, they did a poor job. I didn't have time to wash my car until this morning. Which part was my fault?

The plot thickens!!

All of this and we have yet to see any pictures?
We demand pictures!!!!

Where did I say it was your fault? Yes, you should expect a proper job of it. That means they should do whatever work is required to fix it. Why should they need to ask you your permission for every step of that work? I bet what he told you is that they were going to colour BLEND which is exactly what they did and the actual proper way to do it. So there is some extra paint there? What does it harm?
As I said you may as well just trade the car now since you are going to see things that not a single other person will ever notice but you are not entitled to compensation or a new car just because they are doing what would happen with any other car under these circumstances.

So you didn't drive the car or look it over before signing documents?

It wasn't cleaned after the repair? Did you inspect the repair before taking it back after the repair? If so, how did you not notice the poor quality then? Did you get an invoice for the repair with description of what they did?

And in Tcoats name we pray... Amen!!!

Hmmmm not really sure how to take that.

Naive question, but could it be considered a warranty claim that could be handled at an authorized shop?

Not really. The warranty doesn't cover scratched paint. Once the papers were signed the car is yours and any non warranty issues it has are also yours even if you haven't even left the lot with it.
The best way to deal with it would have been to inspect the car thoroughly before signing and include any minor repairs there could be in the sales agreement.
In this case the dealer did the work on goodwill and was under zero incentives or requirements to do a thing.

That's poopy, but I work in legal and it makes perfect sense. I also work in legal and know when there's a will there's a way...

I also believe i might have scraped the invisible bra into the actual paint on a completely not noticeable place on my bumper and am unbothered, if we want to be worried about things that will probably happen anyway.

I had a false sense of confidence because this is one of the largest Subaru dealers in LA and their body shop also repairs Porsches and other high-end cars and it was supposed to be a small repair. I only looked at the spot where the scratch used to be and nearby area because I thought they only worked on that area. I didn't get an invoice or statement of work (my fault, should have asked for one).

My untrained eyes found at least 10 spots of imperfections. Here is just a few examples:

https://i.imgur.com/fZ38atd.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/KuAEhtg.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/UPG4zL2.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3t7CNYc.jpg

I was simply wondering what you would do if this were your car. Glad to see some of you are so forgiving and considerate of how dealers conduct business.

What I would do is take it back again and say it is not satisfactory. I would do so in a calm professional manner. Although they did not have to do anything at all they did offer so they should do it right.
That said, you do not need to worry about the thickness of paint or have expectations of anything beyond having it done properly.

Personally, I have had stuff like this happen in the past. I inspect everything multiple times at multiple angles and different light sources if possible now. My last vehicle repair (from hitting a deer) I had one bodyshop "repair" it twice before I decided they couldnt do it properly and took it to a real bodyshop out of pocket.

Those look like they could be sanded / buffed out, not sure. It is hard to tell even in that picture and with the tape marks on.

Point is, you signed a contract and have had the vehicle three months now. You have made payments. You are the owner. The dealer doesn't HAVE to do anything. Now that they have made a repair the bodyshop should have some guarantee on their work. Show them the issues and go from there, but don't think you're going to get a different car without trading that one in.

Take it back.

Almost all the defect look like they could be we sanded and polish out. The main concern is the overspray on the qtr window mldg. It's easy enough to clean off... BUT! it is an indication that they did not pull the glass before painting. So you have a hard trap line/edge all the way around the glass that will eventually without much care can lead to peeling paint in the future. Be if a few year or 10.

At this point since you kind of fucked yourself by accepting the car and signing before verifying correct repairs you could be SOL as the dealer isn't obligated to fix it. :bonk:

Personally if you can swing it, I'd have a them or another shop wet-sand out the defects, remove the rear seat bottom and interior plastic, remove the glass, rocker mldg, remove the tail light and bumper. Then have them properly go over the tape/paint edge sanding it out and reclear beyond that. Cut and buff the paint. Make sure they clean the overspray off the parts and then reinstall them. Final detail. Walk around it with the shop/dealership owner together outside point out everything you saw and see.

Best case scenario, if the dealership take pride in themselves they might go the extra mile and throw in a free oil change or BS stuff from the parts department they have on hand. I wouldn't hold my breath if they were an issue the first time.


And on an unrelated note. You have to understand new cars aren't always new. Having worked down from the Ford plant for many years the shop I was at often had to repair new trucks that were damaged out in the lot or down the line. Anytime it was a part they couldn't just bolt on that needed paint, we go it. The cars were then quality control checked and thrown back into the pool to go to dealerships and new customers that never even knew their vehicle had been damaged. I did this until 2010 or so when they increased their in-house paint shop./

Just take it to a professional detailer to wet sand and polish.
Will look 1000% better than the dealers body shop.

" I picked up my Series.Yellow back in September. On the day I picked it up, I discovered a scratch on the passenger side rear quarter panel near the wheel arch (a couple inches long).
Unfortunately, I already signed my paper work. The dealer eventually repaired it at their own body shop at no charge. However, I came to realization about a couple issues: "

I would like to chime in here as I had a similar experience.
First, I would like to say that you picked up the car knowing the damage, hence, it's your problem now. The dealership will probably get it repainted if you ask.
If you would have walked away from the car when you were taking possession & asked for another car you probably would have been in your rights, but I'm not sure.
It would have been a hard thing to do as we are all so excited with our new purchase.

My experience, I bought a 2014 sport-tech WRB, did a walk around & all was good, signed papers, drove off WOOHOO!!!!
6 months later, after 10,000km, I went for a detailing, wanted Optipro & the guy looks at my car & says " Hey, when did you get it repainted?" :eyebulge: :eyebulge: :eyebulge:

So sure enough, looking at the car we can see overspray. We check the
paint thickness, yup, the drivers door all the way back has twice the amount of paint.

I talk to dealer, they say, yes it was repainted due to a scratch.
I say, but you never told me, he say all is good, 5 yr warranty not to worry.
I say, but I bought a new car, he says to go see sale manager, same story, go see general manager, same story...

So i'm thinking, what can I get? 1 or 2,000$, what is is worth? Can they do this? Is it legal? WTF!!!!!
They also tell me if I don't like the paint job they will redo it, no issues.

So, I call a lawyer, I get 30 mins free with my co.
I tell the story to the lawyer & he says, "WHAT, they told you they repainted the car!!???' I think he was laughing uncontrollably for the next minute....

He told me to go get a new car & proceeded to list at least 10 law which
they violated. Quebec law, so not sure of your laws.

So armed with this info I quietly told them ... new car pls or see you in court.
It took 1 month to get a new 2015 WRB Sport-tech.

So I gave them a 10,000km car & they gave me a 1.8km car.

Now, as mentioned in posts above, does it really make a difference?
My car now has over 50,000 km & I really think that after the abuse it gets on the road, if u want to track it, or whatever, no.

This is an entry sport car, budget sport car, not a 100,000k garage queen.
the paint may fade after 5 yrs but all the chips, dings & scratches, etc, may probably be worst.
(in 2014 I did not think this way, I felt like you).

Go enjoy your car, don't mod it till you push to it's max, then do incremental mods.