Panel Dented after Dealer Service

[Magee]

Just had the 15,000 km service on my G6E on Thursday and noticed today that there is a small dent on the driver side front guard. Picture is attached but it is hard to photograph due to reflection. I will take it back to the dealer on Monday but I interested if anyone else has ever had a similar dent in the front guards after servicing and whether the dealer has ever accepted responsibility.

I wash my car regularly and the last time was 2 weeks ago and the dent was not there. Also the damage looks similar to dents after hailstorms so I am sure something has been dropped on the guard.

[zlcrazy]

Hey,

Its a tough one to prove. Once you have left the dealerships ground they can use any excuse to not accept responsibility. Even if you noticed it 5mins later after leaving an went back they could say you must of done it or parked it somewhere or it wasnt there when you left etc etc.

Not saying that this will happen but it could. Working for a Ford Dealer i understand how "we" would see it. But in saying that when i have damaged a customers car i report it to my supervisor straight away and accept responsibility. I would hate it to happen to me so i act as if the car is mine so to speak and know how i would feel if they tried to get away with it etc.

Unfortunately not all dealers are the same, an more importantly not all staff are the same.

I hope you have success with it if you are sure it happened when your vehicle was in their care.

[BHDOGS]

You haven't got a hope of them taking responsibility

[nuthin' fancy]

I had to have an engine replaced under warranty and while there someone backed into the car. The dealership owned up, the damage was very minor (they said just the number plate was damaged) but when I went to replace the number plate, the bumper was damaged. I tore strips off them and made them replace the bumper.

Be firm with them and get them to fix their damage.

They are happy to charge in the region of $100 per hour for their skill, care and expertise but all too often all they do is demonstrate they have none.

Good luck.

[Magee]

Thanks for the replies. I agree that my chances of getting them to fix it are slim. l hope that they take into consideration that I have been loyal customer getting my previous 2 Fords serviced there from new. I will be taking my previous old rego papers with me in case they have short memories.

[05_ENFORCER]

Sorry Magee, you have no ground to stand on.

When I used to have my vehicles service by Ford I would have one of the service gymps come with me to visually look over the vehicle noting on the service sheet that there was no previous damage...........................after the bastards dented my passenger side fender back in 2005.

NEVER again, will I return to THAT dealership................


.

[In Focus]

The "service advisor" at the dealer I go to (not Ford) walks you around the car at drop-off and then at pick-up. Takes us thirty seconds, and there is no dispute. Under the bonnet's another story, so it's worth a look there as well before you leave.

[poppa smurf]

I'm not sure if your chances are "slim, it all depends on the service manager and the dealer principle.

I've found a couple of dealerships, well I should say dealer managers, albeit 100 Km's from where I live, (locals were ******,) who were very good when I had major dramas with warranty issues.

some are good, some are bad.......go in with a smile and a good attitude, explain the situation in a calm, friendly manner, explain you are more than happy with the service but you have found this small problem........ You may be very pleased with the outcome.

we should all "inspect" our vehicle thoroughly before we sign anything and take possession but hindsight is always 20/20.

[neptune blue]

No chance of getting them to fix it as too much time has elapsed since the alleged incident
I would ring one of them paintless dent removal guys
Will cost you 60-70 bucks but at least it will be fixed instantly

[strik9]

good luck,
my missus picked her car up with a cracked windscreen and she noticed before she left. there was even loose gravel on the road as it was being resurfaced . nope you signed this when you dropped the car off, even if it happened on a test drive we are,nt accountable .

then went on to say if we fixed every broken windscreen that got chipped on a test drive we wouldnt be in business . hate to think how they would explain a dint away.
but all the best go your hardest for sure.

[buickman]

Originally Posted by neptune blue

No chance of getting them to fix it as too much time has elapsed since the alleged incident
I would ring one of them paintless dent removal guys
Will cost you 60-70 bucks but at least it will be fixed instantly

The cost would be $150+ for a top job I paid $200 for PDR on my wife’s 2011 Mazda 3 driver’s side rear door because some inconsiderate individual dented her car at Eastland Ringwood

[Pepscobra]

No chance, sorry mate :(

Just take it on the chin and choose your service centre more carefully in future.
Lucky for you that dent should come out ok by paintless dent removal system as its in an easy to reach spot.

[blackf6]

slap some bog in it and buff it up good as new......

[sprint347dave]

picture this,,you go to a car park,,you get there early,,no other cars around,and when you come back there are 7 other cars the exact same as yours,,normally you would just bend over and read the number plate to find yours but dew to your sore back you cant,,or hit the remote to open your door,,but cant because of a flat battery in your remote,,so next best thing,,look for the car with the tiny dent in the front guard

[BPXR6T]

Happened to me. The dealer said prove it.

[Mulga]

Recently picked up my car with a cracked windscreen.....luckily for me the guy that I bought the car off at the dealership drove the car into into the service area and he confirmed that it was not cracked when he drove it in. The service area tried to argue that the damage may have been done earlier (which is quite possible) and the crack appeared whilst they were test driving the car. Anyway they have agreed to replace the windscreen.

[mik]

It costs nothing to try, another vote for poppa's idea, speak th the service guy and tell him what has happened. ............... these things occur from time to time , they will have someone to fix accidental damage, if they are a decent mob they will do the right thing.

[Yellow_Festiva]

This has happened to me a few times now. Every time I have found damage the best I got was a 'sorry... but it's only a Festiva'.. (last time I used them to 'service' my car) and the worst I got was a point blank denial and the whole workshop of guys crowding around the car saying they it wasn't them in a very intimidating manner.

Funny thing was, I didn't tell them where the dent was, yet 3 of them went straight to the spot and rubbed it with their finger. Of course, they knew nothing about it.. sure.

On Ford service dept did call to own up to damage they 'may' have caused to my Focus and repaired the section prior to my collection.

If you have hostory with that service centre they will be foolish to lose a customer over a small dent like that, having said that, if you have been a pain in the past they will be glad to lose your business.

Perhaps compromise on splitting the repair bill?? Perhaps a discount on the next service?? They will have their own PDR people who will give a better price to them when they do a few cars at a time.

If you need to go it alone, scan some forums for other happy customers in your area. A guy did my Focus and got out 2 decent dents (20c size) and 1 smaller dent (5c size) for $100.

For a while I resorted to taking a video of my car prior to dropping it off as I was sick to death of the attitude some workers had... I now do a walk around prior to paying for it, and will insist that they do that with me prior to dropping off the new car. I know I will be seen as a pain in the **** but that may save me an argument when I collect as to what was or wasn't there prior to my drop off.

Good luck!

[Spurious]

I had a similar experience when I dropped my car at an auto repairer for new ball joints & 2 new tyres.

I made a point of walking the mechanic around the vehicle & told him that my rims were newish (about 9 months) & there's not a mark on them. I made it clear, VERY clear that I wanted them back that way.

So anyhow the mechanic under quoted the cost & time involved in doing the ball joints & I wound up spending 5 hours in the workshop stripping & refitting the suspension.

As soon as I arrived to help out I noticed that the new tyres were fitted, rims were still on the shop floor waiting to go on. Both rims had been gouged to buggery on the tyre fitting machine. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I called the mechanic to look & he new straight away it was his guy in the other dept' that did it 'cause I went to the trouble of the "walk around chat' when I dropped the car off.

The tyre fitter owned up to it & supposedly took responsibilty on the spot. Next day was a different story though.
I fronted the guy & simply said "I want 2 new rims thanks" (I hadn't paid for the new tyres yet either).
His response "you'd like that wouldn't you". You're damn right I would!
A noticeable change in his attitude overnight. He rang his boss who suggested they send the rims off to be repaired, taking maybe 2/3 weeks. The tyre fitter said he had a mate who had some stock ford rims so the next time he "drops by" he'll arrange for some.
I said NO, not good enough. I want new rims, not repaired rims!

I didn't want to wait either. I absolutely detest being subjected to someone else's screw up. In the end I paid cost price for the tyres & went & bought 2 new rims at my own expense.

I later found out that the tyre fitter ended up in the shitte & got fired! He had been doing vehicle services on his mates cars for free & booking up parts on the store account. Plus the services were done in an area of the workshop not meant for this work. I still go to the same workshop, especially after finding out that they're not all incompetent.

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by FlivverFord

I had a similar experience when I dropped my car at an auto repairer for new ball joints & 2 new tyres.

I made a point of walking the mechanic around the vehicle & told him that my rims were newish (about 9 months) & there's not a mark on them. I made it clear, VERY clear that I wanted them back that way.

So anyhow the mechanic under quoted the cost & time involved in doing the ball joints & I wound up spending 5 hours in the workshop stripping & refitting the suspension.

As soon as I arrived to help out I noticed that the new tyres were fitted, rims were still on the shop floor waiting to go on. Both rims had been gouged to buggery on the tyre fitting machine. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I called the mechanic to look & he new straight away it was his guy in the other dept' that did it 'cause I went to the trouble of the "walk around chat' when I dropped the car off.

The tyre fitter owned up to it & supposedly took responsibilty on the spot. Next day was a different story though.
I fronted the guy & simply said "I want 2 new rims thanks" (I hadn't paid for the new tyres yet either).
His response "you'd like that wouldn't you". You're damn right I would!
A noticeable change in his attitude overnight. He rang his boss who suggested they send the rims off to be repaired, taking maybe 2/3 weeks. The tyre fitter said he had a mate who had some stock ford rims so the next time he "drops by" he'll arrange for some.
I said NO, not good enough. I want new rims, not repaired rims!

I didn't want to wait either. I absolutely detest being subjected to someone else's screw up. In the end I paid cost price for the tyres & went & bought 2 new rims at my own expense.

I later found out that the tyre fitter ended up in the shitte & got fired! He had been doing vehicle services on his mates cars for free & booking up parts on the store account. Plus the services were done in an area of the workshop not meant for this work. I still go to the same workshop, especially after finding out that they're not all incompetent.

is this the same 10yo bomb you were smashing them for warranty on 10yo ball joints

pushing them for rims replaced with new on 10yo bomb..

im sorta like this....

and nice work, you never **** up

you walk tall amongst midgets

[ebxr8240]

You can see the good will from home grown car companies ..
Ive bought overseas brands and I havn't had any issues..
I all comes down to customer care ..

[XHBrad]

I wait while they service my hilux, and before I sign the docket I check it over making sure everything is all good.. I do all other work myself part from logbook servicing for warranty. I don't see the pint paying over $100 an hour labour for someone who is less competent than me to do a half cocked job I can do better myself for nothing..

Good luck with sorting something out with the dealership, if they want to keep business they'll help you out.. Just let them know, bad word spreads quicker than good word they will pull there heads in..

[Silver Ghia]

Back to the OP, if you are not 100% certain the dent happened at the dealers, you can't hold them responsible for the dent.

Then there's the matter of proving it to them that it was done there....

[Outbackjack]

Even if you saw then put the dent there they would still do a Bart Simpson.

[martyal44]

Back to the OP and his photo to me it looks really obvious that some workshop tool and or part was dropped on it, and not a carpark dent, so the OP can only go back and negotiate about it, surely they might want his continued business??!

[Magee]

Well it must be Christmas. Dropped round to my Ford Dealer this morning and showed them the damage. After checking with the Service Manager they have agreed to repair the damage. As the previous poster noted it was obvious that a tool had been dropped and they didn't even argue.

I have to agree with Poppa Smurf after this one "Smiles get you miles"

Merry Christmas Everyone and thank for your comments.

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by Magee

Well it must be Christmas. Dropped round to my Ford Dealer this morning and showed them the damage. After checking with the Service Manager they have agreed to repair the damage. As the previous poster noted it was obvious that a tool had been dropped and they didn't even argue.

I have to agree with Poppa Smurf after this one "Smiles get you miles"

Merry Christmas Everyone and thank for your comments.

mate a bloody big well done on this one, after reading all the negatives and my wife reminding me about all that I went through I had let doubt seep in.

these things appear minor to "ordinary" folk but to us "car guy's" it is huge.

merry xmas right back at you and yours from me and mine, it will be that little bit better for you now.

[Stefan]

Time to give the Dealer a wrap....they get a flogging most other times.

[XBROO]

Yep we like to name and shame, time for the opposite here.

[Magee]

Happy to give the Dealer a good wrap. It is Sterling Ford in Bundoora. They have already rung back to confirm the booking with the dent repair guy.