# Would you be happy with this repair?



## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

Right - I bought my 1 series 2 weeks ago, 10 months old M sport sport hatch in mineral grey. It's done 3,009 miles when I collected.

So overall presentation was fantastic, but when I got home I noticed a little dent about the size of a golf ball over the wheel arch. It went in over the weekend to be repaired fOC obviously at a main dealer ; not willing to name and shame at the moment

So it's been 'smart repaired' and I collected it this evening and I looked at it & my heart sank. Now , to your avarage joe, the colour match it's bob on & the dents gone so happy days, but look at it, this is drivers front wing where they've blown it in;





I got the service manager to come out & have a look with me - I felt like I was being a bit of a pain, I mean, the one series is the bottom of the range of bmw's and I don't want to look too fussy, but I think for it being such a new car with so little miles I just want it right.

What would you do? Keep quiet, wet sand it & get it right yourself ? Or take it back (40 mile round trip, risk them ragging the car round the carpark out of spite)

Cheers
Jamie


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## tapster (Sep 25, 2012)

I can't tell from the photo but BMW repair centres aren't perfect. I had someone reverse into my titanium Silver 3. I opted for it to go to a bmw dealer as I'd had it for 5 months at the time. They'd sprayed it the wrong shade! It's was so obvious. I can't believe they could have let it out of the body shop it was as if that wing was in the shade. Got it re done. 

Go back. Push for it to be put right. Don't settle for it if you think it's inferior. Perhaps go to another body shop and get an opinion?


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## President Swirl (Oct 23, 2011)

The cost of the car has no relevance mate. If you're not happy, tell them. If they bodge it again, ask for them to pay for it to be finished properly by a chosen detailer.


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## packard (Jun 8, 2009)

If be back within seconds, no questions.


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## rf860 (Jul 24, 2011)

That looks a mess. Take it back until they get it 100%.


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## Rundie (Oct 2, 2007)

Very poor, insist on it being done properly regardless of where it sits in the range (from an X5 owner)


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

rf860 said:


> That looks a mess. Take it back until they get it 100%.





packard said:


> If be back within seconds, no questions.


This ^ :thumb:


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

That's a ridiculous amount of orange peel, definitely get it sorted.


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## Mini devil (May 4, 2014)

Regardless of it was a low spec 1 series or the brand new m4 coming out, quality should always be top! After all you are practically advertising their company by driving and owning the car. I'd say get an opinion from a good body shop then go back with some 'posh body shop language' lol and get them to do it right like it should have been dome in the first place.


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

Not sure if it's the photo, but it doesn't look any worse than the door. BMWs are pretty orange peely anyway.


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## Mini devil (May 4, 2014)

SteveyG said:


> Not sure if it's the photo, but it doesn't look any worse than the door. BMWs are pretty orange peely anyway.


It's so dull though! I work in a BMW specialist and they are orange peely but not like that! That's so poor,


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

As mini devil says I thought it was plainly obvious the difference in peel.

The door being an orange & the wing being a tangareine :lol:


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## Rundie (Oct 2, 2007)

BMW's are not that bad, that repair is flat and much worse than the standard 'peel finish' of a BMW.


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

I wouldn't be happy.


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

That is a shocking finish for a BMW Approved bodyshop and I feel for you Jamie! :doublesho

Please take it back for your sake and those others that follow you - if they get away with that anymore (poor quality/falling standards) it soon becomes the 'norm' as with so much these days. 

Let us know how you get on please.

Alan W


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

Thanks for all the replies guys,

Alan, i've fired off an Email to the dealer this morning including pictues, with this one i thouhght highlights the imperfections the most;



Will keep y'all updated

Regards

Jamie


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

Nice photo Jamie and that definitely shows the sub standard paintwork and inferior finish. 

Good luck! :thumb:

Alan W


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

That photo is a lot clearer. Yes that's awful.


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## steveo3002 (Jan 30, 2006)

terrible job - sadly most customers accept these shoddy car park spray jobs 

be aware that the clear coat edge will show up if you polish the car much


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

Cheers guys, nice to know i'm not beeing over anal if everyone else can see it. 

Hopefully it'll get resolved.

Might just say to em, have it back & i'll take a M135i instead :lol:


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## steveo3002 (Jan 30, 2006)

ive worked at several non prestiege car dealers , often doing repairs for the sales teams , while they were the tightest meanest lot going asking for the cheapest bodge up i would never in a million years have tried to get away with such a bad job


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

so just had a phonecall with the 'head of sales' who received the picture on the previous page via email & he can't really see whats wrong with it..........

the mind boggles.


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

jay_bmw said:


> so just had a phonecall with the 'head of sales' who received the picture on the previous page via email & he can't really see whats wrong with it..........
> 
> the mind boggles.


His name isn't Stevie Wonder by any chance?

Definitely wouldn't be happy with that.


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## Natalie (Jan 19, 2011)

jay_bmw said:


> so just had a phonecall with the 'head of sales' who received the picture on the previous page via email & he can't really see whats wrong with it..........
> 
> the mind boggles.


Share the photo on Twitter or their Facebook page, amazing what can be resolved when it's in the public eye.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

The apprentice has done that on his lunch break with a rattle can. 

I'd be chapping at their door as they can't get away with that.


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

jay_bmw said:


> so just had a phonecall with the 'head of sales' who received the picture on the previous page via email & he can't really see whats wrong with it..........


That is shocking! 

Take a photo of the same area on the other side of the car and ask them why the two paint finishes look totally different volunteering that they should look the same, shouldn't they? 

If they should look the same then why don't they! 

Alan W


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## steveo3002 (Jan 30, 2006)

Natalie said:


> Share the photo on Twitter or their Facebook page, amazing what can be resolved when it's in the public eye.


think id go with this


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

Sadly , i come off facebook ages ago, maybe i'll create a Twitter account. 

I just dont know what to do at the moment, 

I've read somewhere on the AUC website that i can reject the car within 30 days or 1000 miles (i've had it 3 weeks today and done 500 miles) 

I'd be tempted to return it & get a brand new one for the amount this one cost me


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

jay_bmw said:


> I just dont know what to do at the moment,
> 
> I've read somewhere on the AUC website that i can reject the car within 30 days or 1000 miles (i've had it 3 weeks today and done 500 miles)
> 
> I'd be tempted to return it & get a brand new one for the amount this one cost me


Consider your options and then sleep on it for a few days. Things will hopefully be clearer and you'll be in a better pace to make a decision. :thumb:

Alan W


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

I was presented with a similar thing when my ex bought a new Twingo 133. The salesman was honest and showed a chip in the A pillar which had happened in transit but said it would be repaired and booked us in to get it sorted.

When they did the smart repair the buy didn't mask off the area so was overspray on all the black trim round the wing mirror, the finish was more like egg shell and not shiny nor was it the same white as the car. Really was a poor effort. I caused a fuss, spoke to head office and they allowed me to take it to a bodyshop of my choice. 

Personally looking at that repair, I'd say it's not the same finish as the rest of the paintwork and I'd point that out to them. I'm not saying a smart repair will be as good as a bodyshop but they don't need to be far off (a good mate does them for a living).


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## steveo3002 (Jan 30, 2006)

need to consider how this repair will hold up in a year or two's time , some repairers use top quality paints , might be safe to assume this hack job uses cheapo stuff that may fail ?


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

well, it was apparently done 'in house' at the BMW Main dealer, so god knows.


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## steveo3002 (Jan 30, 2006)

thats a poor smart repair done in the car park if ever i saw one 

remeber - the way to tell when a salesman is telling lies is that his mouth will move lol


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

I know! He even said 'its the best your going to get with a smart repair that i'm afraid' 
so i said 'oh right, have you contracted the work out then?'

he replied 'no, we have a small paint booth in our service centre where it was done' 

**** poor isn't the word.


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## Paintguy (Oct 31, 2005)

jay_bmw said:


> I know! He even said 'its the best your going to get with a smart repair that i'm afraid'


I'm coming up to 30 years as a painter with around 10 of those years doing SMART. That is definitely NOT the best you can get!

Sure, even with a really good SMART repair a trained eye might be able to see where it's been done, but that stands out like a dogs private parts.

Best of luck getting them to do it again properly.


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

Ive done better than that with aerosols !!!


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

jay_bmw said:


> I know! He even said 'its the best your going to get with a smart repair that i'm afraid'
> so i said 'oh right, have you contracted the work out then?'
> 
> he replied 'no, we have a small paint booth in our service centre where it was done'
> ...


Haha if that's the case then tell him you want a proper repair because that one is sh!te. :lol:

What a weak excuse that is. As I say a mate of mine does smart repairs and has repaired my mums car, came up looking as good as a body shop would do but just localised the spraying more than a body shop would do.


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

Hi lads, I've decided to give it a go wet sanding. It's a lot better than it was

It's just not worth the stress of going 40 miles out of my way, getting another car, going back again, it not being right again. At least it's the same shade that's the main thing, I think most of it can be wet sanded out.

Just one of those things I guess. 

I'll certainly not be taking the car back for any remedial work that's for sure.


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

It doesn't matter about the make or value of the car. Its your car if your not happy with it don't except it, no need to feel like your moaning.
Looking at those pics no way would i except that, and i work as a smart repairer last looks very much like the laquer has drawn into basecoat just not prepped/painted/finished properly pretty **** poor attempt. 
Ive worked in a bmw/merc approved bodyshop this is an insight into what it was like. You would be allocated a certain ammount of time to do the job in which you were expected to get it done in under that time so the company would make profit on the job which i understand. Say you attended a basic forty hour week, you would be expected to sell fifty to sixty hour a week, basically sell more hour's than you attended, if not your productivity, efficiency, idle time, would be looked into. And no this wasn't on bonus either, alot of bodyshops are like this now and worry more about quantity over quality hence to say im no longer at that bodyshop. My view is a happy customer will be a returning customer. Don't back down mate say you want it put right and done to the standard you want regardless of the opinions of the idiots that think its ok. :thumb:


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

jay_bmw said:


> Hi lads, I've decided to give it a go wet sanding. It's a lot better than it was
> 
> It's just not worth the stress of going 40 miles out of my way, getting another car, going back again, it not being right again. At least it's the same shade that's the main thing, I think most of it can be wet sanded out.
> 
> ...


Not being funny, but you've let them get away with it then.


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

Maybe so, but im buying a house at the moment and could do without the additional stress. they couldn't care less if they won or not, it'll be a drop in the ocean to them


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

Can't knock the man's decision, it is stressful faffing with houses and all that and cars are stressful enough. 

Good luck sorting though mate.


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

Cheers Alex thanks for sharing your experience too!


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

How did you get on with repairing the repair Jamie? 

Alan W


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

Looking at the image Jamie they've painted to that swage line hence the poor finish so close to it. Poor cowboy cost saving "trick".


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

Hi Alan - I've since used some 'scotchbrite' material & machined it & it looks a lot better, will add some pics later  thanks for asking!

Yeah Gally I know mate, tight buggers lol


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## Leicesterdave (Jan 25, 2012)

I had the EXACT same issue with VW at Macclesfield. I went back 3 times for them to sort it- and still they never got it right.

I asked them to extend the warranty on the car by a year which he said ok to. But it still bugs me!


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