Issue with New 2013 Coupe Purchase (Paint Damage) - Advice Needed!
 

Hi guys!

Would really like some opinions and would appreciate any help / support on my current situation.

A few months ago, I ordered a new C63 Coupe via European Delivery and picked up the car in Germany at the factory. Unfortunately they had forgotten to fill up my car with fuel, so they sorted this out while I waited around and toured the factory.

Upon returning, I was advised they had damaged my car - essentially, they had gotten a couple of deep stone chips on the hood of the car. I was told they had to drive on the Highway to get to the Petrol station?

Anyway, I was clearly disappointed but was given two options - repair the car there at the factory, or at VPC when it arrives. I chose the factory in Germany, as I was under the impression that would give it the best chance of getting back to perfect condition. I had been waiting a few months for the car at that time, so agreed to this (despite not being happy with having to repair / repaint a brand new car) and flew out the next day and they were going to repair the car and ship it over.

Fast forward 8 weeks, my car arrives at my dealer (which is in a different state to me) and I have it shipped to a reputable clear bra installation shop.

They inform me (without me telling them anything) that they think my hood has been damaged and repainted, as they can see uneven texture, specs of dust and the plastic cover underneath the hood is cracked. This all aligns with the repair that was done at the MB Factory. They describe it as an "average" repair job - not visible outside, but readily visible under fluorescent lights inside.

I contact my dealer who contacts Euro Delivery at MB USA, and I'm advised that this is an insurance related issue. They advise I can have my car repaired, clear bra reinstalled (clear bra has already been installed on entire front ent), and submit the bill to them for them to claim.

Now, my concern with this is:

- I've paid for a brand new car, waited 4 months for delivery, and now I have to get a respray (2nd respray at that) which will add an entry on my Carfax record / reduce resale value / can't CPO the car later on. I don't see this as acceptable for a brand new car.

- The other option is to simply let it go, live with the car as is. Again, I don't feel this to be acceptable for a brand new car.

Would appreciate any advice on the above. Am I right to demand that this is not acceptable for a brand new car and on a car that cost >80k, and to be demanding alternatives to the above two options?

I'm just not sure how far I want to push this / what my rights are, and also who to contact at MB if this doesn't go further with my current contact. I have tried signing up to Private Lounge but they cannot find my VIN in their database some reason...

This is my first MB / AMG and I must say may be my last depending on how this gets resolved...

Thanks for your time in advance!

Cheers
Christophe

You should've never accepted the car to begin with if they didnt replace your hood off a brand new car. Witnessed of course... otherwise should've scraped the deal if it couldn't be fixed 100% (not repainted)

Thanks BerBer63 - unfortunately, I have not seen the car in person since I left it at the factory in Germany. I guess that's the problem with buying the car from out of state..

I was assured it would be repaired appropriately at the factory..

I would raise the issue to MB Corporate immediately. Totally unacceptable.

If you leased the car, I wouldnt be as concerned frankly - if they do right by you great, I would accept whatever concession they give. If you bought the car...no way....brand new hood immediately, if not a brand new car, frankly. That's not acceptable.

Thanks Rory_breaker.

I have purchased the car and not leased.

Would you consider a new hood acceptable? Will there not be a mis-match in the paint between adjacent panels?

My car is Diamond White if that makes any difference.

How do I get hold of MB Corporate? I have been told to PM the moderators at Private Loung but I can't register, my VIN doesn't exist on their database yet..

Use a VIN found on eBay/Google to register!

Ask your dealer, they will provide you with the contact info you need. Or call MBUSA directly. Seriously, not acceptable, I hope you at the very least get a new hood and a couple payments deducted for the hassle.

I wouldnt worry about a new hood not matching as the car is literally brand new. I WOULD worry about it showing up on a Carfax or vehicle history report in the future, in which case I would push for a new car or a fat check for diminished value.

of course, the hood could have been damaged and repaired for a second time at some point after the factory performed their repairs. if that's the case, then you should go after whoever did the secondary damage/repair. BUT, let's assume that's not true due to the high coincidence factor.

you paid for a brand new car, it should be as brand new. they acknowledged they damaged it and said they would fix it, so assuming there wasn't a second repair as i suggested above, they should have done so 100%. if they didn't perform the repair properly, they should pay. ideally, they should knock some money off as well, but since you agreed to have them fix it, you may be out of luck there.

at the end of the day, it is a car, and it will get stone chips. i 100000% understand your frustration and anger, but since you did agree to have them do the repairs, i'd say the only recourse you may have is to have them do the repairs properly.

I'm sorry that you had to find out the hard way that even big body shops like MB cannot get a car back to absolute perfection. If this car is black, or metallic black, i'll bet my last penny that no matter what there will be at least one tiny imperfection to give away the refinish job. Hoods are incredibly hard to conceal a refinish job. What state are you in? PM, I can maybe recommend another body shop for you. I noticed you said that the texture is uneven in the paint, this CAN be fixed, depending on how bad it is. And dust specs as well. A little wetsanding followed by some polishing can remove these imperfections. As for the crack underneath? Your out of luck.


My take, take it to a good body shop, ask them if it can be wetsanded and polished, and have them do it. If you don't want to take it to a body shop, a PRO detailer is your best bet. Specializing in paint correction etc. I wouldn't go through the hassle with MB, because you will open another can of worms.

Here's how.
Since you said there is a crack in the hood, *and if they do end up replacing it, and the car is say... white, they will have to paint the entire nose of the vehicle to match it. So you will now have a brand new car with a refinished nose, and it will probably be on the carfax.
A jet black vehicle would not to be blended, just FYI.

Please pm me if you have any other questions.
My source of info? Father owns a body shop. And I paint.

If anyone has any questions about refinishing etc, feel free to hit me up. Best of luck. I need a drink of water after this. sheesh.

Buy a BS hood, get it professionally painted, charge MB for all parts and labour and you have yourself a gorgeous new BS hood for nothing. :)

You won't have to worry about a carfax report. Vehicles get damaged in transit alot. Honestly, you should have picked the VPC location to get it fixed, as they have alot of experience repairing vehicles damaged in transit.

It's no fun getting a damaged car, but it happens, especially in cars transported on an open car carrier versus the enclosed ones that your supercars and what not are transported in.

Drop your car off at the dealership, and tell them to fix it before you take final delivery. Your not going to get a new hood, but a proper body shop (assuming your MB has one attached to its dealership like mine does) will strip the hood and repaint it completely, although you may have to push the issue to get that option.

Again, it should not appear on carfax at all. That of course does not mean an eagle eyed mechanic or appraiser at the location you eventually want to trade the car into will not notice the repaint job. Just make sure you keep the paperwork that notes it was damaged in transit, and not caused by an accident, and you should be fine. Like I said, vehicles get damaged alot in transit, all dealerships across the US have experienced it, and understand.

Do you have a link to the truck on a website. Would be curious to inspect the rest of it. This was a pass at any price. The dealer not wanting to look at it again is also a bad sign as they don't want any liability and their non-comment is far from a ringing endorsement. Good pass..

5 year old thread bump hi 5!

Was the reply even to this thread or was this a Related Thread....LOL

Interesting read.
To get the same product as the factory hood, it would have to be a result of the same process.
Meaning have the robot dunk the hood into the primer electro coating vat then have the robot paint in the controlled environment factory booth then bake it in the factory oven.
That's what you pay for, this is what they should give you.
And it would not be that difficult at the factory for them to run an additional hood and then deliver it to the showroom.
I may be wrong but may even be more economical for the factory.