Signed Papers, Waiting for Delivery, then dealership damages the car?!
 

I signed all the papers for my trade in and for the purchase for a new 2015 FR-S RS 1.0 (all signatures / title transfers /etc was dated on Sunday). However, I did not take delivery of the car yet because the dealership was going to install some options for me on Monday (today).

I just got a call today saying that the delivery is going to be delayed a few days because there were scratches on the car and the dealership was having a body shop repair it. The dealership was very apologetic and said that I could inspect it when the time comes and they would let me back out of the deal if I felt uncomfortable with anything.

I asked for pictures of the damage but they said they couldn't give me any and it was already being repaired. Should I be concerned? Right now, I'm in the dark about what actually happened and how the damages occurred.

Has this happened to anybody before? Will this affect the value or show up on the Car Fax for the car down the road? My main concern is that all the paperwork shows that I bought the car, and then the damage and repairs happened after the date that I bought the car.

What do you all think? Under normal circumstances, I would consider refusing delivery and asking for another car, but there's a limited number of RS 1.0s. I doubt the dealership could get another one and I'm not sure they could get a trade.

UPDATE:
The dealership got back to me with more information:
First off they agreed to give me a copy of the work order from the body shop.

Secondly, they gave me details of the damage / what happened. The dealership was moving the car to their service garage to install some options / detail the car but the driver misjudged a curb and the passenger side skirt got scraped. They are removing that side skirt, ordering in a completely new part and getting it paint matched and installed.

They offered in writing (through email) that if it's not like new when I inspect it, I don't have to take the car. They also have a 3 day/250 mile guarantee 100% refund policy they keep mentioning. I'm not sure how legit this policy is but it's on their official website and everything. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with how it's working out. Of course I wish the scrape didn't happen but it was just an accident and I'm happy with the way the dealership is handling it so far.

I think everything SHOULD turn out fine - as long as the car is essentially 'new' and has a clean record (since it wasn't an accident, just a curb scrape) I'm happy. I might have over reacted a bit when I first heard the news :bonk: haha. I plan to just chill until Saturday and inspect the car in daylight then take delivery if it looks fine. If it doesn't, I'll just walk or look to another dealership for an RS 1.0 since I have that option in writing from the dealership.

Ask to see the work order for the body repairs since the shop probably billed for everything so they can send it as insurance.

I would probably inspect the car before knowing where the damage was and if I couldn't spot it, then find out where it was, and inspect again. if I still couldn't see it (always in sunlight), I would accept it.

If I saw it in the first look, I would get them to do it again. If I saw it after I was told where it is... I suppose it depends how hard I had to look.

As for the damage being on record, not sure, but I doubt it.

As for what the dealer responsibilities are, I would presume the law says something like "as new", and there may be a point at which you cannot refuse if the dealer has done all they can.

If it's already titled in your name you won't get a replacement, it's a dealer created issue on your purchased vehicle. You may not see a bill since the dealer liability insurance will take care of it. If the damage is on a removable part, ie. Fender, hood etc. Just ask for an OEM color matched replacement part.

I wouldn't worry. This happens all the time and people just don't know it.
In fact I give major kudos to your dealer for actually telling you instead of just stalling until it was fixed.
Like Hydaral said don't ask them to show you where it was scratched or in your head you will always see something that probably isn't even there. Now if you can find the spot on your own then they need to do a better job.

It happens, it's just bad luck.

My girlfriend's Impreza had $2k worth of hail damage back in May 2014 from that freak storm that went through Denver. Best thing is to get documentation and assurances that the repairs were done properly.

Don't overthink it. Sometimes it's just a genuine accident and nothing to make a big deal out of.

-alex

I would ask them for some money back on the car. Plain and simple. I would be very upset. But be calm and reason with them. I am sure you can get at least something from them.

I wouldn't accept the car unless I was legally bound by the dealership. As others have noted this probably happens all the time and the consumers don't even know about it. IMHO I'd see what would happen if you tell them you don't want the car unless you see the auto body shop work order. Just my 2 cents! ;)

yeah scratches happens all the time.
I detail on the side and when my brother in law picked up his new 2015 genesis sedan, I took my light and went over the entire car to look for defects. I think there was like 6 holograms. holograms are usually caused by rotary buffers. so basically I spotted all the areas there were scratches. if you've never done any paint correction, you might not be able to tell. but if you want to find it, it's best to do it in the dark with a decent WHITE light, so LED.
you'll see the hologram when you notice a spot that looks like an illusion. you'll see what I mean when you spot it.
so yeah, don't worry about it. happens all the time. bring it to a detail to get rid of the holograms

ask for a gas card, and call it a day

Right.

Go see the car. In my state the dealer or distributor (TMS) doesn't have to disclose pre-delivery damage below $800 on a "new" car, so if the limit is the same in CA the dealership was forced to disclose the damage, it's not something most would do voluntarily.

Something fishy going on here with the dealership. I'd want full disclosure before and after repairs before acceptance. It's not like there's a shortage of RS 1.0s so if they refuse your terms and/or cash settlement, walk.

Thanks for all the awesome replies guys, really helpful - especially asking for the work order.

The dealership got back to me with more information:
First off they agreed to give me a copy of the work order from the body shop.

Secondly, they gave me details of the damage / what happened. The dealership was moving the car to their service garage to install some options / detail the car but the driver misjudged a curb and the passenger side skirt got scraped. They are removing that side skirt, ordering in a completely new part and getting it paint matched and installed.

They offered in writing (through email) that if it's not like new when I inspect it, I don't have to take the car. They also have a 3 day/250 mile guarantee 100% refund policy they keep mentioning. I'm not sure how legit this policy is but it's on their official website and everything. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with how it's working out. Of course I wish the scrape didn't happen but it was just an accident and I'm happy with the way the dealership is handling it so far.

I think everything SHOULD turn out fine - as long as the car is essentially 'new' and has a clean record (since it wasn't an accident, just a curb scrape) I'm happy. I might have over reacted a bit when I first heard the news :bonk: haha. I plan to just chill until Saturday and inspect the car in daylight then take delivery if it looks fine. If it doesn't, I'll just walk or look to another dealership for an RS 1.0 since I have that option in writing from the dealership.

Good to hear you won't have to accept the car if it's not like new. Nah, I don't think you overreacted. I would have reacted the same way if that happened to me.

When buying a new car you want it brand spanking new. Good luck and keep us posted! ;)

Many, many new cars have something like this happen to them. There is not a protective force field around them until you pick it up. The vast majority of the time it just gets fixed and you never know about it.
The dealer could just as easily just fixed it and said nothing and still be well within their rights. They are fixing it so what is the big deal with so many "I would tell them to forget it".