[Blue_Silver]

Interesting thread, good to hear the POV from the other side.
However, below are my views on the points in here: (won't get into technical as that is better explained by others)

1. A customer is in the market to purchase a new car, they put their emotions in shelling the money out. For a dealer its a piece of inventory which might get dented but at least from a Indian mentality any new thing is considered "precious".

2. Customers usually trust the dealer to give what factory made, if given a chance and if factories would have a shop of their own. People wouldn't have came to the dealers to get their vehicles. As they would like to live with their mistakes rather then someone elses.

3. Honesty or trust is something which gets breached, if the customer comes to know about the repainting from someone it hurts their sentiment more over it also dents the pride which they had with their new purchase.

I Tried to explain or give a perspective from a customers mentality point of view as these are bigger motives then any logical ones. More so these cannot be convinced by any logic as even after compensation these point will dent the image for most customers.

[voldemort]

Because, trust! Speaking of which, I suspect you wouldn't want to tell us which brand you sell.

The dealer making no mention of the repaint at all and hoping that the customer spending their hard earned money is an idiot is just unacceptable.

(It wasn't clear from your post whether you declare to the customer that you have repainted the car, if repainting had happened. If you do declare, great! Although don't expect your customer to be happy about it).

And even if they mention it I'll always have that nagging fear that the actual damage was something much worse than can be seen on the surface.

Heck, even if I'm ordering a book from Amazon I wouldn't be happy if it's damaged in transit.

Sort out your process for transporting vehicles. Don't expect the customer to happily accept a repainted car after you damaged it in transit. And let's be honest, a dealer repaint can never match a factory finish.

Also, I just read the other thread about a Skoda Slavia owner having to resort to his connections to get a dealer to accept that they repainted the car, and eventually get a refund. For a brief moment I wondered whether you were the dealer involved .

[navin]

Originally Posted by Kedrock

So, why is repainting a panel (on a new car) a big deal?

Originally Posted by MyLife_MyCar

As a dealer, you must be transparent with customers and share the history of jobs on a new car upfront.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Correct, be truthful and let the customer decide.

Originally Posted by ArTigor

I do not know why it was repainted, whether it was a surface-level issue or some greater damage.

Kedrock,

I guess you got your feedback.

Your customer should be given the option to decide. Opinions might differ. One customer might insist on a different car (and would be willing to wait for one), another might settle and take delivery of the car with the scratch and ask the dealer for free detailing when the car comes back for its first service (and might have collected a few more scratches), a third might accept that you deliver the car after the scratch is repaired (and tested using a Dry Film Thickness gauge).

A good customer often translates to a repeat customer. My family, for example, has, over the last ten years, purchased 2 Camrys, 1 Corolla and 2 HyRyders from the same salesman at the same dealership. I can't count how many friends and relatives I have referred to him/them.

[Kedrock]

Dear all

To answer a few queries:

1. Insurance pays for damages. Transit insurance covers damages from plant to the stockyard. Stock insurance pays for damages occured while vehicle is in stock. Trade plate (that red TC plate) insurance covers damages while vehicle is driven from stockyard to the showroom.
2. Never ever the vehicle is sent back to the plant for repairs. As per the agreement, dealers have to ensure required equipment (paint booth etc) to fix the damages.
3. For all dents (minor or major) insurance companies approve panel replacement. (except for damages on the body e.g. side body where fixing the dent is better than cutting and welding a new panel) For scratches panel is repainted.
4. A panel repaint costs 2000-3000 INR. Customer's discount expectation has no ends. For common colors like white, black, grey and red paint is matched perfectly and a naked eye won't be able to tell. Fancy colors like pearl white are tricky to match and have higher chances of getting caught.
5. For 4-5% margin investing in a flatbed, covered shed for stock doesn't make sense. Also, almost all damages occur while the vehicle is shifted from stockyard to showroom or in the showroom itself. Damages aren't that common, 1 in 100 cars is the average.

Thank you all once again, you views highlight what the customer really wants, fairness and discounts (obviously).

[isiv]

All reasons why a repainted panel is a big deal have already been talked about - new car purchase, emotional, aspirational, financial, full price paid etc. etc. Bottom line - it is a B-I-G deal.

I do appreciate you admitting damages occur between stockyard and showroom - which is totally under dealership control. While 'what's the big deal about it' is a valid question, there are few others also you can ask (wish you had), such as the following

- Why do damages occur? Bad handling? Genuine error?
- How can I prevent rather than cure? Improved processes/facilities? Better training?

Somewhat related question on options (for dealer as well as buyer) - what if a damage occurs after registration & before delivery?

Witnessed unregistered (brand new) vehicles being revved to shreds by dealership boys. Maybe they get some kick out of that, I don't know. Many damages occur due to this kind of handling rather than genuine errors, and that IMO can surely be prevented.

I understand running a dealership can be daunting. Most businesses are. Inefficiency of any kind carries a cost and it cannot be played down so that customers bear it for you.

[udidecoy.2302]

Transparency from the dealer side about any cosmetic damages or fix-ups is always appreciated. But, if the fault is from dealer side, then, why would customer bear the brunt of it? At the end of the day, being careful in handling the new cars is an important part of the entire sales process and not delivering on that front seems to me that someone has not done their job well. Even in our workplace, we need to compensate for any bugs or issues that we introduce. We can't expect end users to adjust with a new product with niggles especially when considering that people are spending a fortune.

[ferrarirules]

Originally Posted by Kedrock

Dear all

To answer a few queries:

1. Insurance pays for damages. Transit insurance covers damages from plant to the stockyard. Stock insurance pays for damages occured while vehicle is in stock. Trade plate (that red TC plate) insurance covers damages while vehicle is driven from stockyard to the showroom.
2. Never ever the vehicle is sent back to the plant for repairs. As per the agreement, dealers have to ensure required equipment (paint booth etc) to fix the damages.
3. For all dents (minor or major)----.

Interesting thread.. You asked "Is it a big deal?". Answer is "yes it is". A lot of people are saying that they are paying for a brand new car and not a refurbished one. I completely agree with the thought. At the same time I understand, mistakes happens and things go wrong. But the dealer cannot write off a damaged car that will result in huge losses. Dealer is just getting a small margin out of the total car cost.

Having said that, everyone who provided an analogy of a refurbished product got it spot on. "Refurbished product" is a world accepted norm, you have iphones, iwatches, bose headsets and many more electronic items under the sun selling as a refurbished product. The seller is upfront about the details of a refurbished product and the related terms and conditions.

Same model can be adopted by a car dealers/car manufacturers as well. They can be upfront about it being a "refurbished car" and they can sweeten the deal by offering discounts plus goodwill warranty on the products. Yes it will result in some losses but as you mentioned it is 1 in 100 so it will not pinch as much.

All in all, transparency is always the key to a great association. The issue in our country and our people is that transparency is what we lack the most.

[GeeTee TSI]

Thanks for initiating discussion from the point of view of the fraternity.

Personally, I would expect owning up and a sweetener to my broken heart in the event of a scratched (even if repainted) brand new car.
While service centers have paint booth facilities, it is nowhere close to the dust free 'clinical' environment at the factory and I doubt even the paint quality inspection booths are comparable to those at the plant

So it is fair to be compensated reasonably

That said, why on earth are the service centres so careless with customer cars brought for service?! I have never ever experienced a visit to the service center without a new scratch that I discover days later during washing

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by Kedrock

4. A panel repaint costs 2000-3000 INR. Customer's discount expectation has no ends.

The 2nd line is uncalled for. A panel repaint might cost only 2000-3000 but factory finish is factory finish. Bodyshop repair cannot match it. Also there is the intangible factor of a new vs repainted car.

Dealership may lose some of the margin in discounts but will definitely gain goodwill of the customer in most cases

But, thank you for presenting views from other side of the spectrum.

[sudeepg]

Originally Posted by Kedrock

Dear all

So, why repainting a panel (on a new car) is made into a big deal?

Please read this thread. This is how dealerships erode customer trust

skoda-lost-repeat-customer-who-owned-fabia-12-years-problematic-slavia-purchase-refunded

If only dealerships had the habit of being open and honest, most customers in india would never make it a big deal as long an acceptable solution was offered.

Lies, coverup, refusal, all do only one thing to a business - Erode customer trust.

[voldemort]

Originally Posted by Kedrock

A panel repaint costs 2000-3000 INR. Customer's discount expectation has no ends.

Primary expectation of a customer: brand new car that hasn't been damaged/repainted else. That's what he is paying you for.

For common colors like white, black, grey and red paint is matched perfectly and a naked eye won't be able to tell. Fancy colors like pearl white are tricky to match and have higher chances of getting caught.

Sounds like somebody "got caught" several times.

For 4-5% margin investing in a flatbed, covered shed for stock doesn't make sense. Also, almost all damages occur while the vehicle is shifted from stockyard to showroom or in the showroom itself. Damages aren't that common, 1 in 100 cars is the average.

It's the responsibility of the dealer to ensure that they give the customer undamaged cars. Is that so hard to understand?

you views highlight what the customer really wants, fairness and discounts (obviously).

Conversely, based on your own words I could claim what the dealer wants is for the customer to happily pay full amount for a damaged car and not "get caught".

Have some empathy.

[adwaith]

Originally Posted by Kedrock

So, why repainting a panel (on a new car) is made into a big deal?

When I buy something new, I want it brand new. Not repaired, not tweaked, not restored but brand new. That's what I pay for. More often than not, repainted panels don't look or feel as good as factory painted panels.

ranjith_cbz has eloborated on this aspect in the post below.

Originally Posted by ranjith_cbz

Strongly disagree with this empathetic reasoning and sentiment towards dealerships. If your suggestion is to accept repainting of a new car before delivery without a fuss then i wonder why cars have to be painted at factory in the first place? Maybe cars can come just assembled at factory and painted at dealerships as they too have paint booths, what say?

It is also quite interesting that this thread popped up shorty after this one which is on a related topic. Could be a coincidence but interesting nevertheless.

The posts in that thread also show the sentiment of what the users of this forum think about the subject matter of your post.

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by Kedrock

Dear all

To answer a few queries:

.
2. Never ever the vehicle is sent back to the plant for repairs. As per the agreement, dealers have to ensure required equipment (paint booth etc) to fix the damages.

4. A panel repaint costs 2000-3000 INR. ...

5. ... Also, almost all damages occur while the vehicle is shifted from stockyard to showroom or in the showroom itself. Damages aren't that common, 1 in 100 cars is the average.

Thank you all once again, you views highlight what the customer really wants, fairness and discounts (obviously).

Thanks for this information. It is really great you're able to share some data around the amount, the frequency etc.

To respond,

The 1 in 100 cars is from the dealer / manufacturer POV. For the customer, it's a life-impacting decision which has status, finances, dependability etc. attached to it. So, while it can be said that since its 1 in a 100, the dealer may not need to divulge the details, for the customer, if s/he finds out, they would be rightfully furious.

If the amount is only a few grand as you mention, why not do this
1. Take pics of the damaged / scratched panels
2. Repaint them with the best technology possible at the dealer (or even outside if you don't have the resources)
3. Provide the customer a one-time repaint service for that panel whenever they wish. Or if they see further damages or peeling, provide them the re-painting free of cost

As you may see, the dealer is completely covered through insurance for all damages. But the customer is the one taking the impact, either through the paint finish not looking good, or in a future date, a notionally higher depreciation of their vehicle due to a defect at sale. And no insurance covers that for the customer.

At the end of the day, in a country like India, you will end up having nicks and scratches anyway. But it should not be the dealer deciding which is minor and which is not. Leave it to the customer. And give them the flexibility to either choose to live with it or wait for another vehicle. If your brand is a fast moving one, I am sure there will be folks who would not mind a repainted panel IF a) they are sure that there is no accident, b) they can see the extent of the damage prior to the re-paint and c) are given written assurances for fixing future problems.

[Theyota]

If the car is fixed back to the original factory condition by dealer or OEM, there is no reason to complain/ask for discount/reject it. In my personal opinion it is ludicrous.

[Stribog]

Originally Posted by Kedrock

Dear all

I request you to share your perspective on the topic.

As an automotive dealer, we handle the new cars with utmost care however, on rare occasions (while shifting the cars from stockyard to showroom) the new vehicles may get scratches, tiny dents. We send these cars to workshop and get them fixed (panel or panels repainted) before delivery.

Now, as we are delivering a new car we expect the prospect to treat the car as new only but almost all the times prospect demand a huge discount/ different car. On this forum also, almost everyone who's been delivered a repainted car treats the new car as a lemon/ used/ defective one. Many a times the dealer is labelled as fraud.

As a dealer my responsibility is to deliver a brand new car. If any defect in paint is observed in PDI we rectify the same before delivery.

So, why repainting a panel (on a new car) is made into a big deal?

Need your perspective to handle such queries in a better way to ensure customer satisfaction while not digging a whole into the pocket.

Regards

Be open and honest about it. In the skoda slavia case, the way I read it, the customer was initially reasonable, but the dealer lied, denied, lied some more, then the company did the same.

I head CS for a large firm and the first thing I drill into my team is, if you mess up, own it.

In this case even before delivery if the showroom had said "apologies sir there was a mishap, we had to do repainting of the quarter panel, here are 10k worth free accessories for your trouble" no reasonable person will be churlish about it.

Granted 5/100 would still make a fuss but those are the kinds will anyway make a fuss, but silently just "fixing it" and hoping the customer will never realise the error is just wrong.