[WorkingGuru]

This increasing trend of dealers putting stickers saying "PDI done...Do Not Open" seems like it's to make customers think they cannot open the car to check inside! Absurd.

Buyers have a right to check the product inside out (if not even drive the car for a short distance) to convince themselves that the car meets their expectations.

Any buyer should make it absolutely clear that such stickering is unacceptable.
If a dealer fails to offer proper PDI, buyers should eMail the brand & demand for it. And if the brand says it's upto the dealer, then buyers should demand that dealers indemnify any possible defects / damages.

[SideView]

Originally Posted by mr_robot

Have I been cheated by the dealer?

I was shown two cars in Mist colour, both had Tata PDI do not open sticker on all four doors and the dealer refused to open

What is this TATA PDI, i think it some dealership BS, how will they be able to open and transport the car to dealership from stockyard if they cant open the doors.

Originally Posted by mr_robot

I even had a chat with the CEO of the dealership and he told me that ARAI selects random cars on the company lot and tests them(I didn't want to challenge his claim as I don't have any knowledge on how ARAI tests) and our car might have been a part of that test vehicle.
.

Again a load of BS, Never heard of ARAI conducting tests with customer cars from dealership.

Can you please name the dealership, so that fellow bhpians can avoid it in the future.

[mr_robot]

Originally Posted by SideView

Never heard of ARAI conducting tests with customer cars from dealership.

No, he was saying that the cars had been tested before dispatching to dealers i.e. at the Tata Plant.

[aneesh2M]

@ mr Robot, First of all IMO you haven't been cheated as cheating is a big allegation. Yes but you have been misguided to some extent by the dealer.

• Dealer has no right to lock the car and stop you from looking at all the points of the vehicle for which you have or going to pay.
• The point CEO made about ARAI testing is completely false. ARAI never test a car from dispatch lot which is to be sent to dealers. In case of any irregularity or a part of process if ARAI tests a car from dispatch lot (the possibility is 1% or less) the same car will never be sold to a customer. It will either land as a factory vehicle/test vehicle/media vehicle or will be dismantled in the factory.
• Dealer should give you the true reason for that 105 Kms done on ODO before delivery. (Even if the reason is vehicle been used for small test drive)
• I feel that the vehicle may have been used as a test drive car for 1 or 2 trials when actual trial vehicle was not available and someone insisted on immediate test drive.

• On your part you should have noted the VIN once you gave go-ahead for the billing.

Now coming to your observations.

• The white marks on the roof is a result of bad polishing done. These are just marks of left over wax which was left unnoticed.
• Marks of the door are not Scratches but what we call are minor scuffs which may happen due to something rubbing against it (like a person standing leaning on the car/dirty washing cloth etc.) and this can be corrected by just rubbing and polishing.

What you should do is visit the dealer and ask them to give your car a good detailing treatment at no extra cost, this should set the car right and sparkling to your satisfaction.
congratulations on a beautiful car, enjoy every bit of it.

[JJ1991]

This needs to be escalated we too had a very minor dent in our Nexon but it was covered with a ribbon verey cleverly during the delivery and when asked about later dealer denied any knowledge about it. Incidents like this reaffirms our decision that to never buy a Tata car again.

[jkrishnakj]

I do think that there is some story behind the 105 km that the dealer is trying to BS around.

I’d suggest that you take it to a detailer and it’ll be back to its swanky clean looks.

As for the # of colours of vehicles, let’s acknowledge that the dealers keep getting inventory and therefore, noting down the VIN is what’s key.

Enjoy the car. It’s a good car, lovely colour and don’t have apprehensions of something being done to you from Tata/dealership. Given so much that we read about them, there is always a seed germinating inside our head. Knock that off and enjoy the car.

[deltasierra]

From the pictures you've shared, the scuff marks on the doors are superficial and will vanish with light buffing, even hand buffing will do the job.

If the vehicle is doing good mechanically and you're happy with it, I'd advise you to rather get a complimentary detailing or, if possible, a Ceramic coat done from the dealership as a goodwill gesture.

The white spots on the roof, as others have mentioned look like compounding polish residue, they should go off as well.

Regarding, the 105km on the odo, it would be better to pressure the dealer to give correct info regarding the same. Normally distances covered in transporting the car from factory to stockyard to dealership shouldn't be more than 50-60km.

[Ravi Parwan]

I suggest the name of the thread be changed, as these white spots seem to be polish residues.

[R_Gowardhan]

Originally Posted by mr_robot

Please help by suggesting on how to correct this paint issue? Thanks in advance.

Looking at the pictures, it doesn't look like anything major. A simple touch up / rubbing - polishing job should be able to correct this. No, you are not cheated. Minor paint damages can occur while handling the cars over a period of time at the dealership.

The dealerships usually polish the car before delivery. The roof pictures look like improper handling of the polisher.

And I don't see a reason why the dealer would refuse to correct this.

However, if the dealer doesn't agree to help, you can get the job done from any competent garage. But get this done while the car is still new. Why do I say this? There's a feeling associated with a 100% satisfied ownership of a new car in the first 1-2 months and that paint damage is running on your mind. This is your first car. Enjoy the feeling

[IP_Man]

I don't understand why TATA customer has to go through this ordeal?

He has pad full price and not a penny less, he must get squeaky-clean car to his satisfaction.

Dealing with TATA dealer is never a pleasant experience, there are few cases, TATA dealer tried to sell reworked car as brand new. Never trust TATA dealer because TATA has absolutely no control on them.

My friend was about to sign on delivery form, he noticed slightly different reflection of light from driver side door. Paint finish was appearing perfect. Late on it was revealed that whole driver side door was repainted and dealer conveniently hided this fact and tried to sell car as brand new. My friend refused to take delivery and dealer has to refund full price paid.

[aneesh2M]

Originally Posted by IP_Man

I don't understand why TATA customer has to go through this ordeal?

He has pad full price and not a penny less, he must get squeaky-clean car to his satisfaction.

Dealing with TATA dealer is never a pleasant experience, there are few cases, TATA dealer tried to sell reworked car as brand new. Never trust TATA dealer because TATA has absolutely no control on them.

My friend was about to sign on delivery form, he noticed slightly different reflection of light from driver side door. Paint finish was appearing perfect. Late on it was revealed that whole driver side door was repainted and dealer conveniently hided this fact and tried to sell car as brand new. My friend refused to take delivery and dealer has to refund full price paid.

Hi, It is not about TATA Dealer but any dealer will repair the transit damage/showroom damage at his end. A car damaged to an extent which can be repaired by the dealer, like denting painting or some minor part replacement will be repaired at dealer end and will never go back to factory. It will be sold to a customer as it is a new car and not a used one.


Now the factor of transparency comes in. In India no dealer will tell you upfront that the car is repaired before delivery for some damages, not even a brand like Toyota/Maruti or even a BMW dealer will never let you know about workshop damages. Ideally dealer should offer some discount on such a car as a gesture but its not something followed here in INDIA.


Such a repair is fare as far as the repairs are done as per the standards and are up to the mark. Rest is up to us to check the vehicle before buying for any irregularities as your friend did.

[rajeshks777]

Originally Posted by mr_robot

Have I been cheated by the dealer?

Hello BHPians,

You might have read my pre booking saga with Tata Punch. I've been able to take delivery of Creative IRA MT Tropical Mist Colour.

Key Points on Pre-Delivery & Delivery Experience:
I was shown two cars in Mist colour, both had Tata PDI do not open sticker on all four doors and the dealer refused to open, visually I found the cars to be without any paint damages and dents, so I didn't care much as the cars were in shortage, refusing them meant waiting for at least 1 or 2 months more.

On the delivery day to my horror I found that the two cars which I inspected were still in the stockyard beside the showroom. They showroom people informed me that the cars were stored in the building on the roof, I had checked on the roof that day and didn't find a single tropical mist present there, also the odometer was clocked at 105km. Nothing was to be done, we paid for the car in full.
We were for the lack of a better word cheated by the dealer. Heartbroken, we took the car for Pooja and were happy that everything else seemed to be fine. A couple of days pass and I notice some smudges at different places in the car at a certain angle only, maybe the dealer attempted last minute paint damage/ scratch correction which held upto 2 days. The roof also started to show white colour as opposed to the gloss black at certain places, I had noticed the same damage on Tornado Blue colour which was put on display in my local dealer showroom. The car was of August 2021 manufacturing.
The paint damage according to me looks like the paint was peeled off and the dealer took a kids paint brush and corrected it, it doesn't shine like the other parts and it looks a shade more/less than the other areas with undamaged paint. They also did a Teflon coat before delivery.

What do you think fellow BHPians? Being the first car how do you deal with this dissatisfaction?

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

In my opinion, it is unacceptable in a new car and you should confront the dealer about it.

I do have a doubt, did you not notice these irregularities during delivery?

That is why it is always a good practice to note down the VIN during PDI. I had demanded the VIN as soon as the car was billed from the factory, and I got it.

Let's come to your query

Were you cheated ? No

If they gave you a car that was once a TD car, with odo clocked back to null, then it is definitely a cheating. This is just 105 km, which is perfectly normal if the RTO is 10-20 km from the dealer.

Punch was launched in August. You got the first lot of production. The paint imperfections may be due to minor scratches during transit.

What you can do now, is to take this issue to the head of the dealership and politely ask him/her to touch up your car to your satisfaction. I understand that it might be disappointing when it is a brand new car, that too, your first one. But it isn't a big deal honestly.

Enjoy the beautiful car. In 6 months time, 99% of all brand new cars get a couple of scratches no matter how careful one is. As long as the car is reliable and does its duty, you should not be worried. Even if there are issues, you have the warranty guarding you.

So, just relax and take away the negative emotions from it and relish the honeymoon period of your new car ownership.

Congrats!!

PS: There is no perfect car

I had a similar paint problem with my Nexon. Though I complained when I noticed that 3-4 days post delivery, I chose to ignore it. I know its only matter of time before the first scratch happens. But after the first service I noticed one more problem, large spots of yellow paint. I got mad that time, called the GM of the dealership and blasted him for 15 minutes on a sunday. I was really sad after spending 14 lakhs on a brand new car.

Good part comes after this. That guy was a through professional who understood the reason for my outburst and kept his cool. Next day he personally came to inspect my car after I refused to take it to the service center. I showed him both the issues. He acknowledged the problem and without any blame game he offered to do a free paint job. 2 days later they took the car and returned it in 30 hours after doing a good job.

My problem was solved to my satisfaction. I appreciated their professionalism, instead of bribing me by offering freebies they did a professional job and fixed the problem. mistakes happen but how you respond to that is important. And I even feel that the paint issue could have happened at the factory itself or during transit, not necessarily at the dealer as the damage was under clear coat.

After hearing a lot of negative comments about Tata ASS this is one positive sign I had which regained my trust on Tata and their dealers.

[nkrishnap]

Irrespective of all other things, the paint defects and damages on new vehicles is just becoming too common. I am not telling that it is alright to get a car with defects, just that these are way too common now a days.

A few defects you can get to see on new cars are

1. Paint seeds
2. Excessive orange peel on a few panels and panel edges.
3. Manufacturer level touch up and spot fixes (not done up to the mark)
4. Paint mismatch between body and bumpers. No it is not a standard as most dealerships claim it to be.

[mac187]

Originally Posted by mr_robot

I even had a chat with the CEO of the dealership and he told me that ARAI selects random cars on the company lot and tests them(I didn't want to challenge his claim as I don't have any knowledge on how ARAI tests) and our car might have been a part of that test vehicle.

Firstly, I feel sorry that you had a bad experience in otherwise joyous occasion. My experience has been that dealership teflon coating is not only money out of pocket, they also consistently do a shoddy job with it. I would suggest you to book an appointment with the best detailer in town and get the vehicle looking brand new, as it should.

Also, I thought I had heard all the BS dealers spread but this one is new to me. Normally, I don't use emoji

[mr_robot]

Originally Posted by mr_robot

A couple of days pass and I notice some smudges at different places in the car at a certain angle only, maybe the dealer attempted last minute paint damage/ scratch correction which held upto 2 days. The roof also started to show white colour as opposed to the gloss black at certain places

UPDATE:

I received a call from the Sales Head of the dealership today and he told me that we had checked everything prior to the delivery on 20th November (but this wasn't the vehicle that we pre-inspected in the stockyard on 17th November) and the dealership has no record of any scuffs till that point, but he assured that this issue will be resolved asap. I informed him that I would prefer to get this done during the first service.