New car: scratches in PERFECT rectangular pattern (BOTHsides

[Feu]

After having my car alarm installed at the DEALER (alarm works great)
(exactly two weeks ago today), I just noticed yesterday, that BOTH front doors have a set of four scratches in a perfect rectangular pattern at the edge of each front door where it meets the rear door.

Is this possibly from the equipment?
I will go to the dealer tonight to ask what on earth happened.

The scratches aren't wide or very deep (except for one small part) or even visible from more than a few feet, but the car is only 1 mth old and I don't want to worry about rusting (in two small spots; it did go through all the way through the pain to the metal beneath) and other deterioration a few years from now resulting from the scratches... And, of course, the car should still look pretty new at this point.

I have not had the car serviced or worked on by anyone else, so I know it
has to be them, unless this is some new fangled PROFESSIONAL car theft technique that failed?

It seems maybe a new employee forgot to do something when clamping something to the door?

They also washed the car, so maybe it is something in their car wash procedure?

The fact that the scratches are in the shape of a PERFECT RECTANGLE and on BOTH doors, indicates to me that they could only have resulted from a procedure and not from someone scraping it in a parking lot etc.

[hoxlund]

good to hear

[dodecahedron]

hey, cool it hox, it's the Beer Garden!

Feu, sorry to hear your new car got scratched. i know i'd be upset.

[Action Jackson]

Um, maybe it went through a car wash?

[UALOneKPlus]

That really bites. You should go back and ask what they can do for you. Be prepared to negotiate, but be firm on what you're willing to accept as a resolution.

Good luck.

[Ian]

I took my car to the dealer for an oil change.. it came back with a big dent in the hood. Looked like some wrench monkey dropped a tool on it. They fixed it free of charge.

I don't let the dealer wash my car anymore. Every time it comes back, it has more scratches than when it came in. I'd rather pay a few bucks to have a professional wash it, or do it myself.

[Feu]

Thanks for the feedback guys!
I am not sure what hox's response was all about?

I am glad they fixed the damage to your car, Ian.
I assume they must have known they were the culprits.

I have had bad luck in the past:
1) Two and a half years ago I parked in a lot in the city. The attendant must have damaged it by scraping it up against one of the painted support beams.
I was in a rush to pick it up that night since I got stuck at work late and had a friend over from Europe (only reason I drove in to the city in the first place) that I had to leave waiting. The attendant pulled it up with the passenger side facing away from me. I got in and drove to a restaurant. The next morning, in the daylight of course, I walked around my car to get in and noticed a nasty large wide white paint scrape on the right rear.
I went back and filed a claim.
Their insurance company wrote back two weeks later that while they were sorry for what happened to my car they couldn't do anything since I had left the premises. I wrote several letters to no avail.
I suppose I was too trusting. I never thought they would damage my car and let me drive off without telling me.
I think the employee was scared of being fired.
That is the only reason I can come up with for them not telling me, since they were insured for such accidents.

2) Another time, two years later (same car, which I just traded in) I got back to my car in a supermarket parking lot, only to find a nasty looking dent/scrape and the spot next to my car conspicuously empty. I was only gone for 10 minutes to bu some cold medicine, but it was enough for someone to damage the car and drive off without leaving a note of culpability.

==================
Anyway, back to the current story, I will go visit the dealer tomorrow in the daylight and see what they say.
They did wash the car for free (it is standard as part of any visit for work I guess; this was my first visit after the purchase), which might well be when it happened.

Maybe a new employee (trainee perhaps) didn't take a precaution with the car washing equipment.

I will approach it politely.
The problem, if they don't respond, is that I would like to use them again for service and I obviously don't want to alienate them by contacting corporate...
They are only 5 minutes away by car.


Thanks again!

Happy Holidays!

[CameraMan]

My new car got a scratch just under the lock on the passenger side. I was in a Home Depot lot, and the offender car was still there.

It was a scratch, not a dent, so it wasn't too bad. I left a note on the bugger's car -

"You scratched the side of my brand new car. It's first damage. I place a curse on you and your family"

So.. either the person thinks I'm a whacko, or is cowering under the bed.

[MonteLDS]

I left a note on the bugger's car -

"You scratched the side of my brand new car. It's first damage. I place a curse on you and your family"

So.. either the person thinks I'm a whacko, or is cowering under the bed.

lol

[Feu]

My new car got a scratch just under the lock on the passenger side. I was in a Home Depot lot, and the offender car was still there.

It was a scratch, not a dent, so it wasn't too bad. I left a note on the bugger's car -

"You scratched the side of my brand new car. It's first damage. I place a curse on you and your family"

So.. either the person thinks I'm a whacko, or is cowering under the bed.

That is pretty funny.

I also prefer scratches to dents - they are far less visible.
I just wish it had been on the bumper or some other plastic trim and not the paint, which could cause rusting or paint peeling deterioration.
I wouldn't even bother to complain had it been on plastic or had it been a single scratch, but it was basically two entire decent-size rectangles of scratches.

[BuddhaTB]

Can we get some pics?

[F1Pilot]

Sorry to hear about your car, Feu. That's a bum trip.

[Feu]

Can we get some pics?

Sure.
I'll take some tomorrow in the daytime before going to the dealer.
I may need someone to host the pics though...

[Feu]

Sorry to hear about your car, Feu. That's a bum trip.

Thanks!
I still LOVE the car.
Hopefully I'll get it resolved tomorrow.

[Turkeyscore.com]

My new car got a scratch just under the lock on the passenger side. I was in a Home Depot lot, and the offender car was still there.

It was a scratch, not a dent, so it wasn't too bad. I left a note on the bugger's car -

"You scratched the side of my brand new car. It's first damage. I place a curse on you and your family"

So.. either the person thinks I'm a whacko, or is cowering under the bed.

lol, i mean i can understand placing a curse on the culprit, but the family?

[Feu]

Well don't I feel stupid (although my family and gf thought the same thing) now:

The marks which looked identical to, and even felt like, scratches turned out to be some kind of stuff used to prep the vehicle after washing/waxing.
The dealership removed the marks in a matter of a couple of minutes.

I am a very happy camper!

[F1Pilot]

Well don't I feel stupid (although my family and gf thought the same thing) now:

The marks which looked identical to, and even felt like, scratches turned out to be some kind of stuff used to prep the vehicle after washing/waxing.
The dealership removed the marks in a matter of a couple of minutes.

I am a very happy camper!

LOL! Well, that's great news! Glad you got it figured out.