Day before delivery, received call. Car door damaged.

[RealEvil_UK]

Meant to pick up car tomorrow lunchtime. Received a call 3 pm today, front passenger door is dented. I can either accept delivery and book in (1 month lead time ish) or refuse delivery tomorrow and wait 1 - 2 weeks for a repair.

I have chosen the latter as I cannot imagine how I could possibly pick up a brand new £40k car with a dented door.

I explained that I have now already sold my car, and have kids etc, and this will now cost me money in taxis/a hire car. There is no loan car available.

My entire experience with this company has been so disappointing. Every part of the experience thus far has been sub par (confusion over order process, 10 days to sort out part ex quote, they lost my deposit). I have made 15 phone calls in 3 weeks to get to this point.

Really, really, frustrated.

 

[Rooster6655]

The bright side is that they told you before pickup, I wouldn't put it past them to try to deliver it with a dented door and rushing you out with a signature for you then have to wait 6 weeks to know if your door gets fixed!

 

[JCremonini]

The least they can do is pay for a rental for the next two weeks. I would not accept anything else.

 

[RealEvil_UK]

Update:

So they called back and said they were going to replace the door from another vehicle (another brand new one not yet allocated to a customer) so delivery is back on for tomorrow.

Im stunned and slightly apprehensive. Stunned that they actually pulled their finger out, and apprehensive as I guess its possible (though unlikely) that the paint wont match 100%... Its black BTW.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Its black BTW

The Car or the Door?

Sorry ... hope it goes well tomorrow

 

[RealEvil_UK]

The Car or the Door?

Sorry ... hope it goes well tomorrow

Both! Just hope that they are the same shade of black...

 

[MrBadger]

Can't they just give you a different car? They did with us when they lost the original. I wouldn't want to start out life with Frankenstein's monster.

 

[WannabeOwner]

when they lost the original

I hope someone is writing a book!

 

[MrBadger]

Lost maybe too strong a word. They knew where it was, just couldn't get access as it had been locked up (along with I suspect a transporter load of others) in a secure compound and they could not get access to it for several days.

 

[antracing]

It’s only a door? Probably came off the line exactly the same time as yours? As long as they change it carefully it shouldn’t be an issue. At least you know about it though and can check.
Years ago they had a huge body shop at Avon mouth to repair damaged cars before they went out to customers who likely never knew.....

 

[RealEvil_UK]

It’s only a door? Probably came off the line exactly the same time as yours? As long as they change it carefully it shouldn’t be an issue. At least you know about it though and can check.
Years ago they had a huge body shop at Avon mouth to repair damaged cars before they went out to customers who likely never knew.....

I hope it's from a same/similar batch... They said it was another new one anyway.

I will check carefully but yeah... Wow. Somehow this all seems quite normal!

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Funny old thing but my black M3 is in the UK and due for delivery on 22nd. I think, perhaps, that I may need to look very carefully at the passenger side door, to see if it's been swapped...

 

[Durzel]

You should be fine. You’d think that black would arguably the easiest colour to match, being solid paint and.. well.. black.

Also the replacement door will be coming off a brand new car and going on a brand new car, so no need to worry unduly. Just look out for it when you inspect it.

 

[MrBadger]

Problem is, they paint everything on the car. And from what I've seen, they can make a right pigs ear of the hinge area when things need to be adjusted as the paint is just sprayed over everything, so paint needs to be 'broken' to move/remove the door. So the door is from the car in its final assembled position, not just a batch of doors or even a door painted off the car then refitted, both of which would have a nice covering of paint.

 

[Cwmwd]

The bright side is that they told you before pickup

I got told my car was undeliverable and collection was going to be delayed for 48 hours when I was 10 minutes away (on foot, having just left my old car with potential buyer). I was 110 miles from home at the time.

At least they had a loaner and offered to pay for my hotel stay from the night before...

 

[WannabeOwner]

Somehow this all seems quite normal!

my thought is I'd prefer a replaced door than a repaired door ... paint colour match aside.

I got told my car was undeliverable ... when I was 10 minutes away

its bound to happen ... car may have been fine at the poor but gets biffed en route to handover.

Tesla exacerbated by the turnover rate of handover - cars coming off transporter 30 minutes before being handed over. My local Renault dealer is most certainly not shifting 100 cars a cay (I bet he wished he was!), so presumably they have the car for plenty of time to PDI ...

So I suppose, if inevitable, its just down to how well Tesla handle the situation.

 

[Jason71]

For all we know they might replace bits before delivery all the time and we just don't know?
My advice to everyone would be when you collect a car is check the door for alignment issues. If it's not right it was probably fitted at the factory.