[bimmer4life24]

First Bimmer and here it is...

Dealer said they own a body shop that can take care of it for me and make it so that you cannot tell it even happened.

Happened on the truck from Ohio to Illinois.

Should I have them replace the front and rear bumper instead of buffing it out?

Any help/advice is appreciated.

Thanks in advance, guys.

[TTBear]

They won't be able to buff those scratches, out, as the scratches are all the way through the paint.

No need to replace the bumpers, at all - there is no physical damage to them, so you shouldn't need to replace them.

Just allow the dealer to paint the bumpers - if they use the proper paint (i.e. - elasticizers, to allow flex), it will be fine.

[bimmer4life24]

Originally Posted by TTBear

They won't be able to buff those scratches, out, as the scratches are all the way through the paint.

No need to replace the bumpers, at all - there is no physical damage to them, so you shouldn't need to replace them.

Just allow the dealer to paint the bumpers - if they use the proper paint (i.e. - elasticizers, to allow flex), it will be fine.

Good to know...thanks for the tip.

[hyperzulu]

This should have been fixed at the vehicle delivery center if it happened aboard a ship. Maybe it happened on the truck or at the dealership. Either way, it's no big deal. Have them repair it. Stuff like this happens on the boat and nobody ever knows.

[bimmer4life24]

Originally Posted by hyperzulu

This should have been fixed at the vehicle delivery center if it happened aboard a ship. Maybe it happened on the truck or at the dealership. Either way, it's no big deal. Have them repair it. Stuff like this happens on the boat and nobody ever knows.

Happened on the truck from Ohio to Illinois. I would like to see this truck driver

[hyperzulu]

Originally Posted by bimmer4life24

Happened on the truck from Ohio to Illinois. I would like to see this truck driver

At least you get to drive your car and it will be fixed. If it had happened on the boat, you would have to wait for the VDC to get around to fixing it. Scratches are usually quick, but never know how stacked their queue is...

[Wheelwright]

It is likely your dealership will not match the paint as precisely as factory does (I know that the bodyshop didn't match my jetblack bumper accurately). Part of it is because bumper is plastic which requires elastic agents to be added thus changing paint composition. The dealership will probably go with low to average quality bodyshop because they are all about maximizing profits. And they will hope they can get away with it. It is up to you if you accept it or not. Most people don't care about slight discoloration. Some people want to take a look under many different light conditions to make sure the job equals factory quality. I don't know which person you are. In any case I hope you will have better luck than I did with the entire process especially considering it is a brand new car which should be flawless.

[overcoil]

Did you accept the car? You drove off the lot w/car?

If you didn't accept the car, I would either not accept it or have them fix it and then inspect it before taking it.

Also most any professional appraiser will be able to detect the repaint and of course that would drop the value. There should be some type of monetary reduction if you do accept the car.

Is that Mineral White or Alpine White - supposedly Mineral White is tough to match. Any body shop painter confirm ?

[bimmer4life24]

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

Did you accept the car? You drove off the lot w/car?

If you didn't accept the car, I would either not accept it or have them fix it and then inspect it before taking it.

Also most any professional appraiser will be able to detect the repaint and of course that would drop the value. There should be some type of monetary reduction if you do accept the car.

Have not accepted the car yet, nor have I driven it. Dealer emailed me the photos.

[Cyberdemon]

Let them repaint it, you do not need new bumpers. AW is a fairly easy color to match, so assuming they have a competent body shop, you should be able to get a car and never tell there was any damage.

Regarding it dropping the value, if it's a lease there is no point, but you could argue for them wasting time and try to get something thrown in (oil changes, discounted parts), if you purchased the car outright you could try to appeal for some money back or refuse to accept the car.

Ultimately it comes down to how much of a pain in the ass do you want to stand in between you and your new car. My old TL came with clearcoat overspray (a big drip in the paint) from the factory, and I could have complained about it but it would have just added a week between me driving my new car. I sold the car with no issues whatsoever, so the depreciation point is fairly moot. Chances are if you go to sell the car there will be other flaws bigger than the paint depth on the bumper.

[golf4501]

Originally Posted by bimmer4life24

Have not accepted the car yet, nor have I driven it. Dealer emailed me the photos.

What dealer are you going thru? I'd make sure it is a certified BMW body shop I don't think everyone is. Good Luck!

[worktolivelife]

Bumper off and a complete re spray? I would wager any "smart repair" cost effective for dealer job would be noticeable if you choose to look carefully but may ultimately depend on the body shops skill

[worktolivelife]

Ask them to colour code the side reflectors while they are at it ;-)

[JP Medina]

Just to let you all know, about 50% of the cars suffer some kind of damage in the delivery process, but not too many dealers let you know.
They have already told you about the problema, so let them fix it and inspect it as deep as you are able to, because once accepted there is no way back.
I don´t think It will be a big issue, your car will be fine soon and you will be driving it all around. Good Luck!

[overcoil]

With the scratch over the crease, that (my guess) will be tricky.
Also inspect the repaired paint under fluorescent which now may be LED and in direct and indirect sunlight.
I've had factory overspray and factory paint booth mild defects but these scratches look deep and problematic.

[2+3=5]

It's unfortunate as you pay good money for a brand new flawless item .... See how well they can fix it then decide ... Yes you should be further compensated for this and hopefully they will continue their open disclosure and discussion!

[chaswyck1]

The solution of not accepting the car is a tough one. This appears to be an ordered car so the OP would have to start the whole process over again and wait perhaps another eight weeks for his car. If he used the UDE credit, he would no longer be eligible for that. Any other incentives in place at the time of the original order wouldn't apply either. Seems to me that even though you haven't accepted the car yet, the dealer has more leverage here than you do. I say you have them fix it, inspect it carefully and take the car as long as the paint job is reasonably good. You might want to let them know that you're considering not accepting the car so they choose a top notch body shop for the paint job. Either way, is a tough situation and it sucks.

[Sportstick]

You are not the technician, so it really is not up to you to decide the method of replacement or repair. However, you are the absolute judge of whether whatever they do is acceptable or not. So, tell them to take their best shot and then inspect the hell out of it. Look close-up, from a distance, straight-on and at an angle, in sunlight and shade. Compare, when standing back and checking a vehicle profile, the front fascia match to the front fender compared to the rear fascia match to the rear quarter panel. Fascias may be a minor shade of difference versus the sheetmetal. They come from a different supplier to the assembly plant, already painted, based on approved color harmony, but due to the plastic substrate and different paint composition (elasticizers), there may be a slight variation from the plant. So, get very familiar with the OE look, especially on the rear, which will remain. The final result in profile should be perfect color bookends...same match front and rear.

If they manage to get it back to looking perfectly original, that is all that really matters.

[2+3=5]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

You are not the technician, so it really is not up to you to decide the method of replacement or repair. However, you are the absolute judge of whether whatever they do is acceptable or not. So, tell them to take their best shot and then inspect the hell out of it. Look close-up, from a distance, straight-on and at an angle, in sunlight and shade. Compare, when standing back and checking a vehicle profile, the front fascia match to the front fender compared to the rear fascia match to the rear quarter panel. Fascias may be a minor shade of difference versus the sheetmetal. They come from a different supplier to the assembly plant, already painted, based on approved color harmony, but due to the plastic substrate and different paint composition (elasticizers), there may be a slight variation from the plant. So, get very familiar with the OE look, especially on the rear, which will remain. The final result in profile should be perfect color bookends...same match front and rear.

If they manage to get it back to looking perfectly original, that is all that really matters.

bring a couple friends to help... extra sets of eyes are useful!

[bimmer4life24]

Thanks for all the input, guys.

I just came back from the dealer. There were even more scratches on the driver door and at that point I was like I cannot take this home. The scratches were real deep on the bumper and was not comfortable with any repairs to be made. The dealer gave me the option to have them fix it or order a new one. This made me feel comfortable with the dealer as far as trust goes. I'm glad they called me and even told me there was damage to begin with.

What I ended up doing was locating one on the east coast that had a few more options than mine and got it. Will hear from the dealer tomorrow to see if everything is good.

Thanks again, everyone.

[CF22]

Well that sucks, though it's good the dealer was honest and they found you another car, hopefully it works out.

[chaswyck1]

All's well that ends well.