Vauxhall Dealer Scratched my Car

yammyr4

Hi All,

Looking for some advice, took my newish car in for it's first service on saturday, and when i got home found fine scratches/swirls on the bonnet and most of the rest of the car.

Now i picked up the car new on 1/3/2013, and took it straight to a detailer to inspect the car, expecting to only need a new car correction and coating applied. To my amazement, it needed a lot more done to it. So i booked it and tried to get dealer and Vauxhall to cover the cost of it, but they were not having any of it, as they said it was not inspected by them. So put it down to a learning lesson. The cost of the work was £700 in total. Since then the detailers are the only people to clean my car, and i have invoices to prove.

So when i spotted the defects on the paintwork, i went to see the detailer and they advised that the whole car is covered in swirls/scratches. They advised me to go to the dealer again, same day and show them the damage. I did this and the Sales manager came out and looked at and said he could not see anything that a normal car doesn't have! He then advised that i would have to take it up with the service manager, who was not back in until monday.

So this morning i stopped in on my way to work and showed the service manager, and he basically said the same thing. Although he originally said that he could see anything wrong with it. Later on he said that it looked no different to any other new car on there lot, so i picked up on this and said, so you can see them, but see it as normal. He said yes. I showed him estimates from the detailers to rectify the damage and he said he wasn't going to pay that for scratches, and would expect some sort of respray for that money! So i asked for the complaint escalation process and who i need to speak to next, so he gave me the Group Sales managers details.

Before i contact him, were do i stand from a legal stand point, can i take them to small claims court if needed (or the threat of taking them there), to try and resolve this?

Also does my legal cover on my car insurance also cover legal disputes like this?

Thanks

yammyr4

Oh just to add, the damage occured due to them washing the car (badly) without my knowledge, as knowhere on the website or during discussions did they mention they would wash it. I also did not expect them to wash it as i was waiting for the car. if they had mention they were going to wash it, then i would of told them not too.

This is my first ever brand new car, and not aware of what is done with or without the customers authority. I spent a lot of money on the car and the detailing afterwards and it has been undone in one wash by a naff dealer.

Bantex_2

Who in their right mind takes a Vauxhall to a detailer?

jimjames

Did you ask the dealer how the scratches got there? Unless they wash the car as part of the service then why would they rub all panels during a service?

Stoke

Bantex wrote: »

Who in their right mind takes a Vauxhall to a detailer?

Who in their right mind owns a Vauxhall. Sorry, had to be done

I can see what they mean when they say most cars have swirls, they do, because most cars are washed badly once, however if yours didn't have swirls to begin with then they should be looking at sorting that for you. Getting swirls out of a clear coat isn't that hard, so they should be more than willing considering you provided them with business!

yammyr4

Bantex wrote: »

Who in their right mind takes a Vauxhall to a detailer?

Me! Like i said it is my first ever brand new car.

yammyr4

jimjames wrote: »

Did you ask the dealer how the scratches got there? Unless they wash the car as part of the service then why would they rub all panels during a service?

Sorry not sure what you mean. The service manager advised me he had washed it when i went to pay. Not before. it is a free complimentary wash (not done right, as wheels were not cleaned, and water marks everywhere!) which is not stated anywhere on the website or in any discussions had.

yammyr4

Stoke wrote: »

Who in their right mind owns a Vauxhall. Sorry, had to be done

I can see what they mean when they say most cars have swirls, they do, because most cars are washed badly once, however if yours didn't have swirls to begin with then they should be looking at sorting that for you. Getting swirls out of a clear coat isn't that hard, so they should be more than willing considering you provided them with business!

Me, unfortuantely, but it is a great car, as long as it lasts, plus it was the only way to get one on 0% finance.

Yeah the car in the tiny showroom has shed loads of swirls on the bonnet!

If they do that sort of damage with a sponge and chamie (sp) then i would hate to see the damage they can inflict with a polishing machine!

poggles

yammyr4 wrote: »

Hi All,

Looking for some advice, took my newish car in for it's first service on saturday, and when i got home found fine scratches/swirls on the bonnet and most of the rest of the car.

Now i picked up the car new on 1/3/2013, and took it straight to a detailer to inspect the car, expecting to only need a new car correction and coating applied. To my amazement, it needed a lot more done to it. So i booked it and tried to get dealer and Vauxhall to cover the cost of it, but they were not having any of it, as they said it was not inspected by them. So put it down to a learning lesson. The cost of the work was £700 in total. Since then the detailers are the only people to clean my car, and i have invoices to prove.

So when i spotted the defects on the paintwork, i went to see the detailer and they advised that the whole car is covered in swirls/scratches. They advised me to go to the dealer again, same day and show them the damage. I did this and the Sales manager came out and looked at and said he could not see anything that a normal car doesn't have! He then advised that i would have to take it up with the service manager, who was not back in until monday.

So this morning i stopped in on my way to work and showed the service manager, and he basically said the same thing. Although he originally said that he could see anything wrong with it. Later on he said that it looked no different to any other new car on there lot, so i picked up on this and said, so you can see them, but see it as normal. He said yes. I showed him estimates from the detailers to rectify the damage and he said he wasn't going to pay that for scratches, and would expect some sort of respray for that money! So i asked for the complaint escalation process and who i need to speak to next, so he gave me the Group Sales managers details.

Before i contact him, were do i stand from a legal stand point, can i take them to small claims court if needed (or the threat of taking them there), to try and resolve this?

Also does my legal cover on my car insurance also cover legal disputes like this?

Thanks

You can attempt to take anyone to court over almost anything.
Whether or not you win such a claim will depend upon the evidence you can offer and, assuming a defence is filed, the balance of probability as to what may or may not have happened.

If you could somehow find who else had their car booked in for a service and washed by that dealer on the same day, and they too have similar swirl marks now in their paintwork (e.g. from a dirty chamois) then you would have a far more increased chance of winning I would say.

Any legal cover you have will almost certainly depend similarly that you have an above odds of ultimately winning the claim. No business (for that is what the legal cover is) is going to shell out money over a no-hope cause.

yammyr4

I think the issue with trying to find someone else, is they will need to have a car that was scratch free before it went in there. The thing is like the service manager said, they class a scratched car as normal, so would anyone actually know if they were not aware of detailing?

atrixblue.-MFR-.

[IMG]https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn<img src=http://static.moneysavingexpert.com/images/forum_smilies/angel-smiley-002.gif border=0 alt= title=You are wonderful smilieid=16 class=inlineimg>Nd9GcQybemjVOjuBHe5OkcMBOf5QELyoKzvziDUorg3T1gjQwqNHGgDVw[/IMG] I assume this is what is in your paint work swirl marks?
[IMG]https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn<img src=http://static.moneysavingexpert.com/images/forum_smilies/angel-smiley-002.gif border=0 alt= title=You are wonderful smilieid=16 class=inlineimg>Nd9GcQybemjVOjuBHe5OkcMBOf5QELyoKzvziDUorg3T1gjQwqNHGgDVw[/IMG]


If so then these are easily detailed out of paintwork by a detailer paying £700 for this extremely excessive unless they intend on giving you a top show quality finish in every nook and cranny in and outside using high end products and after care.


I also have to ask is how to you wash your car? because, if you use automated car wash places, then this is the results after a few uses, also a single bucket and sponge has the same effect, (read up on multiple bucket stages for home hand wash care of your car to find out what I mean).


they may have washed your car and did this damage and rightly so they should correct it.


but paying £700 to a detailer! I think you need to shop around, because If its just light swirl marks, theyre ripping you off for a mop and buff job that's about £150.00 in a body shop using cutting paste.


if they want to give you a super shine mirror high gloss finish then theres more work involved in doing that but still £700 seems so steep to me I wouldn't even entertain going back to those detailers.