Dealer delivers a paint-damaged Tata Punch to me

A couple of days after the delivery, I noticed some smudges on different parts that were visible only from a certain angle.

BHPian mr_robot recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Have I been cheated by the dealer?

Hello BHPians,

I took the delivery of my Tata Punch Creative IRA MT Tropical Mist Colour.

Key Points on Pre-Delivery & Delivery Experience:

I was shown two cars in the Mist colour. Both had Tata PDI's "do not open sticker" on all four doors. The dealer refused to open the doors. Visually, I found the cars to be without any paint damages and dents, so I didn't care much as the cars were in shortage, refusing them meant waiting for at least 1 or 2 months more.

On the delivery day to my horror, I found that the two cars which I inspected were still in the stockyard beside the showroom. The showroom people informed me that the cars were stored in the building on the roof. I had checked the roof that day and didn't find a single Tropical Mist colour model present there. Also, the odometer was clocked at 105km. Nothing was to be done, we paid for the car in full.

We were, for the lack of a better word, cheated by the dealer.

Heartbroken, we took the car for pooja and were happy that everything else seemed to be fine. A couple of days passed and I noticed some smudges at different places on the car that were visible from a certain angle only.

Maybe the dealer attempted last-minute paint damage/scratch correction that held for up to 2 days. The roof also started to show white colour as opposed to the gloss black at certain places. I had noticed the same kind of damage on a Tornado Blue colour model that was put on display at my local dealership. The car was manufactured in August 2021.

According to me, it looks like the paint was peeled off and the dealer took a kid's paintbrush and corrected it. It doesn't shine like the other parts and it looks more/less a shade different than the other areas with undamaged paint. They also did a Teflon coat before delivery.

What do you think fellow BHPians? Being the first car, how do you deal with this dissatisfaction? Also, please help by suggesting how to correct this paint issue? Thanks in advance.

Here's what BHPian PrasannaDhana had to say about the matter:

In my opinion, it is unacceptable in a new car and you should confront the dealer about it.

I do have a doubt, did you not notice these irregularities during delivery?

That is why it is always a good practice to note down the VIN during PDI. I had demanded the VIN as soon as the car was billed from the factory, and I got it.

Let's come to your query

Were you cheated? No

If they gave you a car that was once a TD car, with the odo clocked back to null, then it is definitely cheating. This is just 105 km, which is perfectly normal if the RTO is 10-20 km from the dealer.

Punch was launched in August. You got the first lot of production. The paint imperfections may be due to minor scratches during transit.

What you can do now, is to take this issue to the head of the dealership and politely ask him/her to touch up your car to your satisfaction. I understand that it might be disappointing when it is a brand new car, that too, your first one. But it isn't a big deal honestly.

Enjoy the beautiful car. In 6 months time, 99% of all brand new cars get a couple of scratches no matter how careful one is. As long as the car is reliable and does its duty, you should not be worried. Even if there are issues, you have the warranty guarding you.

So, just relax and take away the negative emotions from it and relish the honeymoon period of your new car ownership.

Congrats!

PS: There's no perfect car.

Here's what BHPian DriveOnceMore had to say about the matter:

Those white marks are because of the leftover cream/solution they use while doing Teflon coating. The places on which the patches are present are usually difficult to reach and hence most of the time you can spot it there. Try to rub it with your hand or microfiber cloth and those will go away. Sad to see the scratches though.

Did the car have those white stickers which Tata Motors applies as a seal? (Something they've started after this COVID thing has begun) Sometimes the glue used for those stickers leave a heavy amount of residue and then showroom guys try hard to get rid of them by rubbing with cloth (mostly dirty) or so, which could be the reason behind that. Happened while taking delivery of my cousin's Harrier too.

Here's what BHPian veedub89 had to say about the matter:

The Teflon coating that the dealer did before the delivery is why you have those white marks on the roof. Don't worry about it. Just clean it with a wet cloth and it will come off.

The marks that you see on the panels are very superficial. My guess is that these marks were put there after delivery. Most likely caused by the belt buckle of the guy cleaning your car when leaning against the body to clean the roof of the car. You will be surprised how common this issue is.

Again, don't worry so much. Enjoy your car and assume nobody cheated you unless you have some hard evidence to the contrary.

Life's too short to worry about such minor issues on a car no less.

And if these issues still bother you, be rest assured that they are all fixable. Visit your nearest car detailing store and you will come out happier than ever!

Here's what BHPian WorkingGuru had to say about the matter:

This increasing trend of dealers putting stickers saying "PDI done. Do Not Open" seems like it's to make customers think they cannot open the car to check inside! Absurd.

Buyers have a right to check the product inside out (if not even drive the car for a short distance) to convince themselves that the car meets their expectations.

Any buyer should make it absolutely clear that such stickering is unacceptable.

If a dealer fails to offer proper PDI, buyers should email the brand & demand for it. And if the brand says it's up to the dealer, then buyers should demand that dealers indemnify any possible defects/damages.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.