So we dropped off our 2013 SE to get serviced and some little teenager lot attendant apparently didn't know how to drive a 6spd and hit a pole with the car.

Now, we are leasing the car right now, had the intention of buying. But no way in hell am I gonna settle for an aftermarket paintjob. What would be my best approach and argument for getting an entirely new front bumper. The car is Milano red and just under 4000 miles.

I will upload a picture when I get a chance.

 

In addition to getting this fixed, you need to get in writing that there will be no "diminished value" accessed at the termination of the lease.

 

this is all I got for now.

gouged pretty bad

 

it doesn't look like much but I am concerned for the bumper tabs behind as well.

the black is the actual plastic torn up under the paint

 

the best you can do is have them repaint it.
a reputable painter will use OEM paint and have it match like nothing ever happened.
this should be on their dime, and I'm not sure how the lease and diminished value works.

what did the dealership have to say about it?

 

I haven't been over to talk yet, the service manager is a very good guy and I have done lots of business with him with my rsx, he knows how hard we were looking for this particular tsx.

they would have to respray the whole bumper, and blend it with the hood and fenders, that would be almost impossible

 

its not impossible.

Bumpers do not come painted. who do you think paints them!?
painters with skill.


Plus, Acura paints the steel body and plastic bumpers in different locations at the factory. thus why on lighter colors, there is a slight mismatch


So, you left the dealership without notifying any one of the damage!?
LOL good luck to you, sir.
hope your SA are as good as friends as you say they are....because if you took the car home, they could argue it could have happened anywhere.

 

Yes or robots in the factory.

however, we both know nothing is as good as the original factory(first) paintjob on a bumper. It may fade quicker, peel, crack, something. Especially since most dealers outsource their bodywork now.

Also, wouldn't they have to blend? which means sanding into the fenders as well?

I'm gonna opt for a new bumper, I am sure they can source that much easier.

 

Wow I'd be pretty friggin' pissed... Who knows if he did try to get it into second gear and revved the hell out of it lol. They fire the kid?

 

Not sure if they fired him, but I am definitely wanting a new bumper

got a 2013 MDX as a loaner

 

Oh I'd flip a tit if this happened to my car, why I always hate when other people drive my car...I'd try and get a new oem bumper painted on their dime and get paper work saying what happened... Good luck

 

Only time I take my car in for service is for warranty related work or recalls. This is exactly why I prefer to do all the maintenance and repairs myself. Plus I am OCD and a cheap bastard sometimes. Good luck with getting this mess rectified

 

i cant stand when people drive my cars when i had my GSR i took it to acura and got the same Tech every time that guy knew my integra in and out. I saw one kid try and drive it and was reving it i flipped and told the service writer nobody but my tech was able to drive that car. He humbley accepted that seeing as my family had been buying cars and servicing them for so many years and that was my second that i was taking there.

 

Long story, but with my Premium White Pearl, I scrapped a sharp pillar in my underground spot at the office. I had a scratch on my rear door and rear driver side fender.

They painted and matched it perfectly the pearl paint perfectly (3 year old car) -- I I paid them cash to do a quick and dirty job vs the proper way. Good times.

I'm sure they'll do a great job.

 

Sucks bro but I work for a Dealer Try to talk to The GM And Have them swap the bumper with Another Se They can do that

 

that's the plan, I want a replacement bumper and maybe some service coupons

 

Wow that sucks big time, your lucky he didn't hit the pole hard enough to crack the headlight.

That's why I always do a thorough walk-around the car to make sure there is no additional damage to my car, if there is. I'll make sure the make a report about it... otherwise its your word against them

 

Well now you have an reason to get the Aero bumper.

Seriously though the lot attendants are idiots. When i get my car serviced i like to sit outside next to the lot while i wait. Twice now i've seen the idiots flooring the car across the parking lot.

 

Demand the car be brought to the shape it was BEFORE the incident.
Be picky about the paint job. Demand the entire car get painted instead of trying to match the bumper. It WONT match up. Especially with the milano paint job.

The tact I would take is demanding it be perfect or you will claim a breach in contract of the lease. Id go as far as demand a brand new car and pay for the miles you have put on your car. It will be impossible for them to get it perfect and theyll cut every corner they can.

As well, get it in writing that it will not diminish the value of the car or demand a new one. The dealership can not hand you a car that is altered from how you handed it to them without your consent. I would quite literally walk away without the car if you see ANYTHING you dont like. Take pictures of color fade or orange peel if you see it and remember once you drive the car off the lot again you probably wont be able to do any more about it.

Good luck!

 

Throw around the term breach of contract. If you damaged the car and didnt pay for it youd be breaching the contract and theyd sure as hell fine you all day.
If they don't bring the car to the condition if was before they are not following their end of the contract and you should pursue the same legal means they wouldnt hesitate to hold you to.

 

Whoa there Nellie. Respraying the whole car will bring down the resale value, but respraying the bumper wont.

The paint on the bumper (from the factory or aftermarket) will never match 100%. There are flexing agents added to the paint for the bumper and you are spraying plastic and not metal. Even at the factory, the bumpers are sprayed separately and will have a slight mismatch.

They can swap a bumper from another car or they can replace the bumper with a new one and paint it - both are going to give you similar results.

Let me reiterate - a resprayed bumper will not affect resale, will not show up on CARFAX and needs not be reported to any future buyer as an "accident."

Now, that isn't to say that the OP should just say "gimme a new bumper and we're done." They do owe the OP some compensation - I'd say a clear bra covering the front end would resolve both issues - give him compensation and resolve the paint mis-match.

The OP does not want a whole car respray and this will never rise to the level of getting a new car.

 

Breach of contract? Get a grip.

They have an obligation to restore the car to the condition it was in when it was dropped off - a bumper respray fulfills that obligation. If they want to keep the customer then they will go above and beyond that.

 

Does this hold true for any panel? I had my door resprayed a few months after I got it due to a bad chip in the paint. The paint appears to match up perfectly even after 1.5 years.

 

Carfax is only involved if there is an insurance claim. I already did my homework on that.

I agree to an extent about the breach of contract because we DID have the intention of buying this car afterwards but with the bumper being replaced it will be an RDOT instead of the matching VIN bumper. Furthermore we got this car with 20 miles on it and were paying the agreed monthly amount for a brand new, unmolested car. I feel a bit stiffed having to pay full price now. It feels more like refurbished instead of new you know?

I would agree on wanting a replacement car, but the 2013 SE 6mt is pretty difficult to procure. We haven't modified anything on it aside from additional tint from the dealership and the "paint protection polymer" stuff.

I wouldn't know what to ask for as compensation aside from the replacement bumper.

 

No it doesn't. While a respray for a chip isn't anything YOU need to be concerned about, you do need to keep documentation (including pictures) if you want to argue "no diminished value."

Most dealers now have paint thickness gauge to test if a panel has been resprayed. That gauge doesn't work on plastic and bumpers won't even be questioned as they are routinely resprayed as part of the CPO process. A door panel is different. Was it resprayed because of a ding or because you were broadsided? Accordingly, the buyer might say "it was in an accident so it is worth less" which can be countered by photos and documents.

 

If you get the existing bumper resprayed then it'll have matching VIN - not that anyone cares about matching bumper numbers.

You're not parallel parking in any big cities are you? Otherwise your car would have bumpers with dimples from license plates.

This isn't the end of the world. Decide on a reasonable compensation and forget about it.

 

I know it's not, my gf is the heartbroken one. She's a bit nutso about the car.

I tried to explain that the dealer is eating the cost and none of this is getting reported and everything will be ok, but she's a female so logic is out the window lol.

What do you think is reasonable compensation?

 

I love America! Get a lawyer quick!

If the bumper is just scratched, take the respray. If its gouged, a new bumper.

 

It is gouged and cracked, which was why I wanted a bumper instead of gambling on plastic bondo and all that.