No such thing as perfect (very long) (archive)

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In Reply to: Paint chip problem posted by Andre Yew on March 05, 2000 at 20:46:10:

In the past 8 months, I got my 323i, my boss got an M3, another coworker got a 3.2TL, and my wife got an S40. My car has similar (but worse) sounding scratches on the roof (like someone dropped a chain and dragged it around a bit) that I didn't notice until I'd left the dealership with it. I got screwed on that, as basically nobody cared..."it's not our responsibility [anymore]" was the common theme with BMWUSA, the local dealer, and the non-local dealer I bought it from.

My boss's car, the local dealer screwed him by getting the wrong wheels and refusing to order the right ones without additional charges. He ended up getting the right ones for free off a used M3 they had on the lot...one was curbed before he got them.

The coworker's Acura 3.2TL had one small scratch on the left rear quarter. We found that before accepting the car, and he decided to live with it rather than wait for another.

My wife's S40 had a nasty chip (down to the primer or metal) right above the door to the gas cap. It would seem some careless Volvo employee missed the gas tank when filling the car up. We also noticed that one before accepting the car and the dealer took it to a local body shop for some touchup.

I don't look too closely at the coworkers cars...but mine has developed many more chips...mostly on the top of the hood, one or two on the wheels. My wife's has developed a few light scratches (probably just clearcoat).

What's my point? We all expect our cars to be perfect when they're brand new, but the harsh reality is that between leaving the assembly line and getting to your driveway, the car is handled by so many people who don't give a damn that it's likely to develop a few blemishes before you get it. Unless you plan to store it in a garage and never really drive it, it's not going to stay perfect for long anyway.

My boss solved this problem by leasing. Something happens to his car? Oh well, it's only his for another 2 years...then someone else can worry about it. He's not going to.

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