I'm desperate for advice. I picked up a new 04 Golf on 6/30. It was night and rainy when I took delivery. The next morning I noticed that both front and rear bumers look cloudy/filmy. I took it back to the dealer and they tried to clean/buff but it did not help. All they will offer is to repaint both bumpers. I don't want repaints on a brand new car. I want them to swap with another same color Golf, or to take back the car.
How did it leave Brazil in this condition? How did the dealer detail it and do a pre-delivery inspection? Aren't they at all responsible?
I called VW's 800 number and they said all they can do is authorize a repaint, anything else is at the discretion of the dealer. Argh!
Can anything be done? Why should I have to live with a brand new car with repainted front and rear bumpers!!!
Bummer...I am not sure what you can do now that you took the car home. Way back in 91 I had a similar problem when I bought my jetta, but I noticed the dented hood before taking delivery. They offered a repair/repaint but I told them I wanted the hood swapped off another car. They said what about the person who buys that care? I said, don't care, I am not buying the other car!
Under no circumstances should you be required to accept a brand-new automobile with an obvious defect -- and this paint defect must be fairly obvious if the dealer tried to buff it out and even offered to repaint. Keep your discussions with the dealer civil, but you must insist strongly that they take back or replace the car, or as a minimum install new, factory-painted bumper covers. You must be very firm on this. Do not accept repainted bumpers on your new car! It is very difficult to prep and repaint poly bumper covers, and it is likely you will see premature peeling and cracking somewhere down the road.
I'd keep trying to solicit the help of VW of America to see if they won't make things right or apply a bit of corporate pressure to the particular franchise where you purchased the car. If the dealer still won't budge, you have several avenues of recourse short of formal legal action. Depending on the state where you live, you may be able to file a formal complaint with the attorney general. I've done this on several occasions here in Washington State, and the call and/or letter from the attorney general's office to the business in question has definitely lubricated my negotiations. Make sure you send a copy of your complaint to the dealership's general manager, so he has a chance to make things right.
I would also file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, again providing a copy of the complaint to the dealership's general manager. It also wouldn't hurt to post the name of the dealership and the salesman/general manager that you dealt with in this group. Often a bit of "peer pressure" including a few concerned calls or emails from concerned citizens will convince the dealer to reconsider its business practices. The point is to convince the dealer that the potential cost to his business from the negative word-of-mouth greatly exceeds the cost of making your car right. Avoid public allegations of wrongdoing unless they can be clearly substantiated -- even then, choose your words carefully. I'm not an attorney -- just an engineer with plenty of opinions and an activist bent -- so put my advice through your own personal filters and act accordingly.
Sorry that this experience has ruined what should be a fun experience -- buying a brand-new car. I can't stress enough how important it is to stay calm and professional in your discussions with the dealer. Although it may seem to you that the dealer's conduct has been less than professional, you don't want things to get too personal. Stay firm and understand your rights, and you should be able to obtain a satisfactory resolution.
I've got a red 2001 GTI purchased new June 15 2001, two days after the car was picked up my wife backed into a post. The rear bumper required a repaint. Three years later the repaint has not faded at all compared to the rest of the car. So while the repaint of the bumpers may not be a palatable option, my experience has shown that, if done well, it can work. Hope you get a solution that works for you.
The buyer of a new car should not have to take on the risk of prematurely cracking/peeling paint -- and it IS a big risk. If the bumpers are damaged and then repainted, it should not be sold as a new car. I know that dealers do repaints on "new" cars clandestinely, and new owners are often none the wiser, but this is not ethical. If you settle for a repaint of the bumpers -- and you will be settling -- you should be compensated in some way.
Can't they order a replacement bumper under warranty? I work at an injection facility that moulds bumpers for Pontiac and Ford.... and there are tons of extra bumpers (painted and unpainted) just lying around in inventory... now VW probably has a more efficient operation, but i'm sure there are spare parts sitting in invetory, people do needs new bumpers from time to time, and it looks like you do to!
Make sure you don't piss off the dealer, don't lose your cool or anything, just have a civilized conversation with the owner of the dealership, and see what can be worked out - we got a free underbody sheild plate for our 11 year old Volvo (last year) because "somebody" at "somepoint" must have ripped it off while doing work... we don't know if it was the dealer for sure, but it probably was, and guess what, we got a new 200 some odd dollar part for free, as well as a free oil change to smooth things over... I'm thinking I need to have the same talk with my VW dealer, as the underbody plate on my Golf is tearing too....
Dealers *can* be reasonable, just see what they are willing to do for you. They want your business on your next car, so a few hundred bucks for them is worth it when you come back, and recommend that dealer to all your friends ;-).
The original poster did not say that she was given the option of new unpainted/etched/primed bumper covers to which a fresh finish would be applied. If this were the case, I agree that a competent paint shop observing proper materials and processes could produce factory-quality results. The term "repaint" denotes to me that the original damaged bumper covers would be stripped, scuffed, etched, reprimed, etc., after which a new finish would be applied.
Repainting the original bumpers in this manner would likely not result in a part of factory quality. Since these poly covers have low surface energy and high thermal expansions, proper surface prep and paint formulation is often critical to the longevity of the result. My experience has been that most body shops, including (or rather, especially) those at dealers, do not have adequate controls in place to ensure that the work is done properly. It may look fine when first delivered, but the risk is high that down the road, the paint will crack and peel, particularly on front bumpers that see flexing when lightly scraped or bumped. Nothing destroys the resale value of a car like cracking, peeling paint.
Folks, the original poster paid good money for a NEW car. That's what she should get.
The moron detailers put tire snot or some other form of detailing crap on your bumpers and in the rain it desided to chemically alter your bumper paint. This usually clouds up the clear. Get it repainted. You won't notice the difference especially if they are just the bumpers.
alright,already! i belive it's time to get back into the real world. i pick up a package of soap at local retailer. after i get home and open the package, and then unwrap the first bar, i discover an edge of that bar has been "dented". this dent looks to have been caused by a drop to the floor...perhaps, from a shelf...do i take it back and demand a new one? nope...not because i didn't get what i paid for...undented soap...the reason i didn't take it back is because i have other things that are more important than my soap issue....in the real world, items that manufacturers turn out of the factory are delivered with a blemish or small defect which doesn't affect the product's ability to deliver it's stated purpose. i understand the original poster's message...he discovered a small defect in his vehicle's bumpers....and the last poster's observation about the clean up crew causing it with improper use of chemicals....[most detail guys don't have mba education] seems to be the actual cause. the poster that says get vw to replace the bumpers with two brand new ones from the factory...is not realistic...the dealer is offering to refinish the bumpers....call a local porsche dealer....ask him what shop does their refinishing work and get them to repaint your bumpers..tell them about your desire to have them look better than new.......any facility that does work for a porsche dealer certainly will know how to refinish your bumpers. life is a continuing compromise....pick your battles...those that are really important...and then go at them with gusto....certainly, this issue is going to turn out to be a blip on life's radar.
You expect no more from the purchase of a $20,000 car than you do a bar of soap? You are a marketers dream...sling them any old shit, they'll take it. I may have better things to do than complain about a dented bar of soap, but accepting a defect that requires re-painting a substantial portion of the front and rear of a new car is something I'd make the time to bitch about. Buying a $20,000 product isn't a "blip" on most people's life radar...it is a major purchase that gets made only a few times in a life for most.
One of the reasons I do a complete walk-around inspection IN the showroom... And I bring a high-powered light with me, just to look in the nooks and crannies.. If I'm buying a five-figure car, they'd better put up with it, or I walk.
It didn't... More than likely it was a solvent like cleaner that was applied to the clear coat.
VWOA is next to useless. Be prepared to go through multiple solutions with your dealer before they'll bother to do anything.
A) Get over it.... It's not brand-new anymore.... This will help you through the resolution process. B) Scout out a couple of body-repair factory collision centers. Ask for an estimate, and peek at their facilities. Then go back to the dealer and ask THEIR recommendation. If their paint facility is one of the facilities you inspected and liked, I'd try it. Stress that you are looking for a long-term guaruntee that the quality of the work will be protected against peeling and cracking. C) If not, negotiate that they work with the shop you liked. Getting the guaruntee from them will be harder with a "foreign" shop, but is well within your rights. They did deliver sub-standard goods. D) Failing all of that, inform them that you will be hiring a lawyer to "assist" in the matter. This tactic will usually get them to bend, because they'd have to pay the additional out-of-pocket expense (of more legal councel, and your attorney's fees in court. At that point, don't settle unless it's a 0 cost to you option (including your pocket shyster). E) Bring VWOA in after this fails.
BTW: Your loan company may be able to apply pressure on the dealer. Don't overlook this as an option.
The materials and processes that go into the manufacture of plastic components vary. Resin chemistries and additives are different. Some contain recovered (i.e., recycled) materials. Surface characteristics of as-molded parts can vary due to the use of different mold release agents. Often the part must be treated chemically to "activate" the surface for proper adhesion. Sometimes mechanical abrasion alone is acceptable. Shelf-life issues can sneak into the mix. Most shops, even those at dealers, don't have the visibility into the supply chain to know exactly what material they are dealing with on any given car.
What you refer to as a "virgin" bumper cover may have been properly cleaned, etched, even primed at the factory to prepare the surface for painting. This removes responsibility for most of the critical surface prep issues from the guy at the paint shop. He just needs to observe the more traditional surface prep and cleanliness issues and apply the proper paint system.
When you start with a bumper that has already been painted, properly preparing the surface is more difficult. Do you try to completely remove the old paint system and start with "virgin" plastic? Do you sand or etch? What process do you use to activate the plastic surface once the old finish is removed? How do you ensure that detailing finishes containing silicones, etc., didn't get ground into the surface of the plastic, inhibiting adhesion? When a technical bulletin is issued by a manufacturer to cover these issues, the processes may differ from part to part or car to car.
Most shops make light of the complexities inherent in refinishing plastic parts. This is why you see so many poor results driving around the neighborhood. As I hope you see, the process of "repainting" a used bumper cover is fraught with risk, particularly when attempted in a time-crunched shop with inexperienced personnel. Don't get me wrong, it can be done, but the risk is very high that premature peeling and cracking of the paint will result.
This is admirably Zen, but misguided. Let's put down the sprout sandwich and think about this a minute. Where then do you draw the line on defective products? You and I enjoy the vast array of high quality (and constantly improving) products today precisely because of our high expectations of quality.
And do I understand correctly that you are advising the original poster to bring her NEW VW to a body shop that works on Porsches and have them repaint the bumpers? And then you expect her to experience a deep and abiding peace as she pays for the repair out her own pocket?! And you recommend this after stating that you believe the VW dealer that she purchased the car from doesn't have a responsibility to provide NEW bumper covers on a NEW car?! Are you kidding me?!
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