Wtf Discolouration, Scratches And Other Damage To New Vigo Bonnet

[JustAnotherFarang]

Hi guys

Well I got my Silver bronze Vigo, got it home from BKK and took it to be washed after Songkran. When it came back I looked at it very closely and noticed a scratch in the shape of a long U about 1.5 inches on the bonnet. I pointed it out to my wife and she said it was not recent and probably came from a stone on the drive home, it was not the carwash guys.......I was sceptical to say the least but it was not so noticeable and thought to just let it go.

Then as I walked around the car looking closely I noticed about 6 little yellow/orange spots on the paintwork, quite hard to see unless you look real close. I tried giving them a wipe but it made no difference. On further examination, I could see about 12 of them in total. I thought maybe it was just some discolouration and having heard about something very similiar on this forum with a white Vigo, I remembered he got some stuff from the dealer to wipe it off.......... so I would take a trip to the dealer tomorrow. But on closer examination tonight, I can see that one of the marks looks uneven like it was badly sprayed or damaged and touched up................

Now I was beginning to get annoyed and told my wife that either it was damaged at the factory or damaged at the showroom and seeing that we have had it only a week, I want the bonnet replaced.......... well you would think so wouldnt you.........

My wife is not so worried, to be honest she is unconcerned and says thats the way it is and thats what we have to accept. she says that there is no warranty on the paintwork and we have to accept it

<deleted>

That seems like complete bollards to me. Is it really the case that I have no comeback on this. I am thinking that if it was a bad spray job they would replace it ?? ......... or maybe the dealer in Khon Kaen has damaged it or swopped out the bonnet........... but what can I do to prove my point that whatever happened, it just aint good enough

If neccesary, I will try to take some pics to show here

cheers for listening and i appreciate any good advice

JAF

Edited April 18, 2007 by JustAnotherFarang

[markr]

As it was not noticed on delivery they will probably deny all knowledge of the problem, paint does come with a warranty on new vehicles and is generally for six years however the warranty will only cover for oxidation or damage from the inside- out, i.e if there has been a stone chip and the paint starts to corrode then this will not be covered,

You need to make a point at the garage and dont give up! silicone and other chemicals interfering with the painting process will cause imperfections, it shouldn't happen but you never really know what goes on at the factory!

As i said make your point at the garage but dont go on the rampage and loose your head, just ask them nicely to sort it!

good luck

Mark

[undercover]

Bad news, seems strange you never noticed the marks before ? it will be interesting to hear if the garage says the same sort of thing, I remember a Thai woman a while ago being so disatisfied with the new car she had( I think a Honda ) that she took it back to the main dealer and smashed it to bits in view of their cctv camara.

Are you 100% sure its not just marks that can polish out ?

[JustAnotherFarang]

Bad news, seems strange you never noticed the marks before ? it will be interesting to hear if the garage says the same sort of thing, I remember a Thai woman a while ago being so disatisfied with the new car she had( I think a Honda ) that she took it back to the main dealer and smashed it to bits in view of their cctv camara.

Are you 100% sure its not just marks that can polish out ?

Sorry, you may not have seen my previous posts........ it was my wifes family who became guarantor and picked it up for us in Khon Kaen, delivered to BKK and then I drove it home, sorry for not making that clear in my post. I only noticed the marks yesterday and today. Songkran gives you little opportunity to notice these things with so much white powder everywhere.

The yellow spots will probably come out, I am assuming they will.......... but one particular mark looks like it has been touched up and sanded down unevenly......... have to look in the right light to see it though but its not a good job when you notice it

And here lies the crux of the problem. Having bought it elsewhere, looks like I only have the telephone through which to communicate wiith them............ and my wife is most calm so its going to be her job to try and sort it out. I have a feeling this is not going to be resolved as I might hope for

JAF

[solo siam]

Just claim it on the insurance.

[JustAnotherFarang]

Really, can I claim it on the insurance. I hadnt thought of that but I dont know if claimimg on the insurance is so wise for something like this

JAF

[markr]

Your insurance will probably have an excess amount which you will have to pay, so it really depends on how much it's gonna cost to fix it, if the garage wont pay and the bill is quite steep then your insurance company may be the way to go.

Give the garage a try first

Mark

Edited April 18, 2007 by markr

[danone]

i feel your pain. had my brand new car been damaged on the very first trip by gravel falling of a truck ...

anyway, its impossible to keep a car unhurt and tidy here, its just the way it is. cars are articles of daily use. if its not broken dont fix it.

but what i wanted to say: a person with experience can clearly tell when the body job had been done. let an insurance guy have a look at it. he may tell you then that the garage sold you a defective product. if the garage doesnt take responsibility i'd start to make a hel_l of a noise.

my first car i bought here was a lemon. i made such a long and loud noise, finally i got the brand new lemon replaced by a brand new car.

[solo siam]

Your insurance will probably have an excess amount which you will have to pay, so it really depends on how much it's gonna cost to fix it, if the garage wont pay and the bill is quite steep then your insurance company may be the way to go.

Give the garage a try first

Mark

no excess on any insurance I've claimed on (3 times) and no questions really, the insurance here is very good.

[JustAnotherFarang]

Well I am glad to report that even though I bought it in Khon Khaen, when I took it to my hometown Toyota dealer here in the South, he looked at it, agreed there was a problem and then said there was no problem as they could change it. It was the best possible news and it really was as simple as that

Just got to wait until I get my member card and then it will be replaced

Congratulations Toyota, thats 2 thumbs up for customer service

JAF

[jcgodber]

Correct me if I wrong but I would NEVER wash a brand new car or truck. It is my understanding that the paint needs time to harden and cure. I have been told the last 2 times I have bought a new vehicle here in Thailand to wait a while before washing.

JIm

[JustAnotherFarang]

In a way what you say makes sense............ and then again, it sounds like complete nonsense, no disresepct intended

Now I am curious, is this really true........ I lean heavily in the direction of codswallop but I might be swayed hahahaha

JAF

[JustAnotherFarang]

Does that mean i cant drive it in the rain.................

Buggers up sales during Songkran and the rainy season surely hahahaha

JAF

[markr]

Makes no difference with modern paints, your car was washed and polised before you picked it up, there would also been at least three weeks before the car was painted and the time you picked it up from the garage, theres no need to wait.

Mark

[undercover]

When you say change it do you mean the whole car or the panel ? if its the whole car how will they sell the old one ? its not new anymore !

I am joking by the way !

Edited April 20, 2007 by undercover

[danone]

you bought the car at another than your hometown dealer? and got it replaced?

something's fishy.

garages here dont belong to the car brands alone. they are owned by individual people. like my honda dealer on sukhumvit owns another garage in yala.

you must be exceptionally lucky. or pls explain.

[JustAnotherFarang]

you bought the car at another than your hometown dealer? and got it replaced?

something's fishy.

garages here dont belong to the car brands alone. they are owned by individual people. like my honda dealer on sukhumvit owns another garage in yala.

you must be exceptionally lucky. or pls explain.

Yes I bought the car from a Toyota dealer in khon Kaen, the apr was cheaper by 1.00 and my wifes family was my guarantor. They also offered 17 freebies whereas m local hometown dealer was offering a lot less

I did not get to see the car until I went to BKK and had little opportunity to check the body work thoroughly as we had planned to meet my wifes family in Cha Am for a family vacation........ expense free I may add which was a nice bonus. So straight off the bus to BKK, quick taxi ride, a bleary eyed look and then straight into BKK traffic. Never drove from BKK before but it was all traffic jams and lots of bullish driving........ quite stressful to say the least.

On returning to my hometown and washing the car after Songkran, it was then I noticed the discolouration and a little badly touched up spot on the bonnet. I was not happy when my wife stated that we would have to accept it. I argued that it was unacceptable and would try to sort it out with our local dealer.

The following day I went to the local Toyota dealer and asked them to check if the company in khon Kaen had changed the bonnet, which they hadn't. The mechanic looked at it, agreed there was a problem and said there was no problem as they would replace it........... As simple as that and nothing fishy whatsoever....... To be honest, dont really know what you are insinuating when you say there must be somethig fishy........ like what for an example ?

I may add that I am very well respected in my hometown as I am a teacher, respectably married, dont drink, never gamble or play around with the local lasses and just so happens I teach the children of the garage owners so maybe this helped, but I was given no indication that this was a deciding factor, in fact the Khon Kaen dealer reitterated the same advice to resolve the problem. Either way, I am delighted to know that they will replace it and hope anyone else who receives a new Toyota should have the same opportunity as me to replace any defective bits and pieces

Once again, a big 2 thumbs up for Toyota.

JAF

PS The only down sides I have noticed about the 2.5 Vigo is that there isnt much power in 1st gear and I have been stuck in loose sand/dirt twice already. Once at the beach and again at my friends house when I got stuck on his loose grit road. Other than that, its a perfect drive

[markr]

you bought the car at another than your hometown dealer? and got it replaced?

something's fishy.

garages here dont belong to the car brands alone. they are owned by individual people. like my honda dealer on sukhumvit owns another garage in yala.

you must be exceptionally lucky. or pls explain.

Most dealerships are owned by private individuals and have obtained a manufacturer franchise, i.e toyota will rarely own the garage that there vehicles are being sold from, for the garage to be able to sell toyota's vehicles they must operate under there guidlines, part of this means that there will be obliged to carry out warranty work even if the vehicle was sold by another toyota garage.

This generally only applies in the first year of the cars life, in most warranty cases the garage will claim the money back from the manufacturer, therefore costing them nothing.

Mark