Dealer chipped wheel - am I overreacting?

[jra85]

Originally Posted by jphughan

"Wouldn't have been able to live" with a repainted wheel, never mind a chipped wheel? Seriously?

Figure of speech bud. If you're cool with the dealer damaging something you worked hard and saved to pay for and did everything in your power to keep pristine, and then just letting it slide, then more power to you for being so carefree. The dealers must love you

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by jra85

Figure of speech bud. If you're cool with the dealer damaging something you worked hard and saved to pay for and did everything in your power to keep pristine, and then just letting it slide, then more power to you for being so carefree. The dealers must love you

Yeah, I got that it was a figure of speech, thanks. Still seems excessive for a wheel chip. I never said I was cool with somebody damaging my stuff; I just recognize that a car that's actually driven out on the road rather than kept hermetically sealed is going to end up with issues one way or another, so trying to keep it absolutely pristine is a losing battle. And even when the damage is someone else's fault and there's a possible avenue of recourse, I always weigh the time and stress cost of fighting over the issue (and the longer-term effects of the fight) against the best possible end result, and in this case I think I'd opt to keep a low blood pressure and get on with enjoying my life. I've watched friends spend absurd amounts of time and money trying to keep their cars absolutely immaculate over time, and even they end up saying they wished they weren't so OCD that they felt the need to do it. My car exists to benefit me, not the other way around.

[jra85]

Originally Posted by jphughan

I've watched friends spend absurd amounts of time and money trying to keep their cars absolutely immaculate over time, and even they end up saying they wished they weren't so OCD that they felt the need to do it.

Consider me to be like your friends (though in this case, I ensured I wasn't the one spending the money to fix it) You're right, there's a point where you have to let things slide, it's just a car and it's going to get damaged with use. But two large paint chips in my wheel or a mismatched repaint on a single wheel (see "imkrister"'s post above about his experience of the repaint not matching the original finish) were not something I was going to settle for, especially when I didn't cause it and it could have easily been avoided with proper care on the dealer's part.

OP, sorry for the thread hijack and hopefully you get the wheel sorted out to your preference!

[KFN]

Originally Posted by GB///M5

that sucks OP. Hope they get it taken care of and repair the wheel. Which dealer was this? Perillo?

Fields BMW Northfield. They are very conveniently located, but I should have just gone to The Werk Shop, as originally planned. Not at all convenient, but they are enthusiasts who seem to actually care. I'll be going there from now on.

I've come to believe that leaving a car in the care of a dealership is no better than having it valet parked.

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses everyone.

[Beemdog]

Re-finishing the whole wheel (or set of wheels) for one chip that didn't get into the aluminum seems extreme. If this happens to me and the dealer won't fix it, I would consider touch-up (preceded by a prime and fill to level the chipped area). It would be cool if someone here had the paint color code for the ZCP wheels-- and I know color codes are generally hard to come by for wheel paints. I've done this before on other cars and if you color match the touch-up and polish it a bit, the chip just about disappears.

Would love to get a new wheel every time a shop damages it, but I just don't see that happening most of the time.

[crypticc]

There's still paint dust on the wheels. They did or of course

[nthretourNAFTW]

you have to throw a fit in good faith (no exaggeration) it's often the only way to get justice down against corporate types. Then after they relent, you have to show you respect them for making the only right decision. No long term relation issue.

Why do things like that happen. The service manager might care about customer satisfaction but techs and mechanics are paid the same working on an m3 or 128i.
If the technical team is not getting along with the dealer management they will take it on customers car. Not in your control.

[nthretourNAFTW]

then there is local small claims courts, the best business bureau and BMWNA.

[KFN]

Follow up:

After I got the car home and looked over it carefully, three of the wheels show paint damage.

As it happens, Fields BMW responded quite promptly via email with a promise to make repairs, but the message went to spam. I didn't see it until after I bitched up a storm, of course.

Looks like the dealer is going to make it right.

[jra85]

Originally Posted by KFN

Looks like the dealer is going to make it right.

Good to hear they're at least offering a resolution. Are they going to repaint? If so, better ask them to paint the fourth wheel too so that they definitely all match.

[Mpoweroo1]

I would put money it was from the stupid car wash machine, happened on my wifes car. Dealer fought us on it but in the end replaced the wheels.

Now when I go, I tell them not to wash the car avoids the wheel damage and keeps the paint scratch free!