[CosmicGeneral]

Hi Everyone,

To give a bit of background, I had booked an Seltos HTX AT diesel & received allocation. When I went for PDI initially, there were no scratches so had cleared all payments, however vehicle is yet to be registered.

As a precaution , I went in to check the vehicle once before registration which was supposed to be this week, to my shock Now I'm noticing a scratch where paint has come off which previously wasn't there , as usual the SA was downplaying it, saying its just mud etc until I checked further & then said they will get it fixed asap. I'm not sure what they will do or how this type of issue is usually fixed.

I spoke to few of my friends/detailers regarding this & they were of opinion that this isnt a minor scratch but will require paint work.

I've since mailed their CRM/Manager regarding this problem & notified them to not go for registration until the issue is resolved , with me verifying the same.

Attached are the pictures, I'm unsure if this is just a small scratch that can be fixed .

As it stands
- All payments completed
- Registration pending
- Insurance for the same engine/chassis has been completed & payment done.
-Apart from the scratch everything else looks fine with vehicle

Questions:
- How are such issues fixed? Is it common ?
- Should I go ahead with this vehicle or what are the next steps that I should take in this type of case ?

Requesting advice from fellow members here.

[Anki_252hp]

The scratch is deep so the whole door has to be painted, Since the registration is not done yet, you can refuse delivery & ask them to get a different vehicle allotted as no matter how good they do the paint job, it won't be as good as the factory paint.

Only issue can be your Insurance but I am sure dealer will find a way out as its not your fault. They may get the insurance transferred to the person who will get this car or get the vehicle details changed for you.

[CosmicGeneral]

Thanks for inputs.. Unfortunately I feel I'm stuck in a situation, I went for half /half loan, the loan has also been disbursed to the dealer already , only thing pending is registration.

Can a loan be cancelled in such a case where due to dealer negligence the damage was done , that too in a window between post-PDI & registration.

Insurance was done via Tata AIG, so there is a 15 day window for updating which can be done for new vehicle/engine number or complete cancellation.

After following up today, the gm/technical team contacted me & said they will do a complete fix on the vehicle & I can verify. This has been a very damning experience for a vehicle worth 21.6 lakhs+ :(

[Cresterk]

That seems like a very small scratch. Why not just let them try to fix it and if the result is unnoticeable, take delivery? A new car is always precious to us owners but it is no collector's edition ferrari where a slight fault in the paint will lead to it losing lakhs in value. Nor are we going to store it in some climate controlled garage behind velvet ropes, waiting for it to appreciate in value. Considering how people drive here and the general lack of respect for other people's property, your car is going to be marked with a lot more scratches in a year.

[CosmicGeneral]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

That seems like a very small scratch. Why not just let them try to fix it and if the result is unnoticeable, take delivery? A new car is always precious to us owners but it is no collector's edition ferrari where a slight fault in the paint will lead to it losing lakhs in value. Nor are we going to store it in some climate controlled garage behind velvet ropes, waiting for it to appreciate in value. Considering how people drive here and the general lack of respect for other people's property, your car is going to be marked with a lot more scratches in a year.

Good points , I guess I might be over thinking this.... , the whole process of cancellation is complicated with loan in picture etc, as spoke to few contacts. Lesson learned though as this is gonna be my first own car .

I'm completely fine with taking delivery if the result is unnoticeable , Will revisit them once they finish fixing it & then take a call.

Overall apart from this problem, there wasnt much of issues with anything else.

[Engine_Roars]

That scratch is not worth the stress that you are taking specially when they are ready to fix. I reckon, allow them to fix their issue and see how it goes from there.

[Anki_252hp]

You can also use this situation in your favour, pressure dealer to repair as well as add some freebies along with the car. Completely agree with @cresterk, eventually there will be some scratches within a year in normal running conditions of India.

[PrasadS]

Looking at the scratch, it seems like someone has hit it with a door edge. Dealers do parallel park closely at the warehouse,i assume, to save space so maybe it occurred there post PDI. These scratches are very common once the car is on road and you parallel park, and the neighbouring car's occupant absent mindedly open the door onto your car.

Just a suggestion (not sure if its feasible or idiotic)If it's too bothersome to you, instead of repainting, can you not get the door replaced with a car of similar color? Might save you the hassle of the paperwork and the dealer is then free to work on it and pass it onto unsuspecting people like they usually do

[lordrayden]

Originally Posted by CosmicGeneral

Requesting advice from fellow members here.

Originally Posted by Cresterk

That seems like a very small scratch. Why not just let them try to fix it and if the result is unnoticeable, take delivery?

Completely concur with Cresterk here.

While I agree that we expect to get an immaculate product when paying 20 big ones, that's not always practical. A very nice quote I feel is very apt in such situations is "Most of the time, there are no solutions, only trade-offs".

Also, how exactly is the dealer going to fix it? We all know that no dealer paint fix job will match a factory finish. If he fixes it (something that he's gonna have to do for free by the way), after a year would that patch fade differently from the rest of the car and make things look worse.

If I were in your place, I would just leave it, take delivery focus on what's good about your awesome new car and enjoy it:
- Take it on the NICE road and feel the mid-range rush of that diesel .
- Start the engine, sit in the car for hours and explore all the shiny new features.

And don't think you are being suckered by the dealer if you accept this car. Newly delivered cars having some scratches is more common than you might think. Both my previous two cars had small defects but it only bothered me for a short while, maybe because I'm getting older .
- My current D-segment SUV had 2 minor/light scratches about 2 cms long. However not deep enough to reach the undercoat like yours.
- A previous C-segment sedan has a slight deformity in the glass that I could see when I looked at it at a certain angle.

[raptor_diwan]

When you observe the scratch from a certain distance, it may not seem like a big issue. These types of scratches are generally normal, and you don't have to worry too much about them. As others have mentioned, you can take advantage of this opportunity to request some additional accessories from the dealer, and also ask them to fix the scratch. Just ensure that the work being done is not noticeable and is of good quality. It's always a good idea to take care of any issues with your vehicle promptly, but in this case, you can rest assured that this scratch is a minor issue that can be easily addressed.

And there are some people who don't even like a single scratch on their car when they take delivery. They would prefer a brand new car as they are paying for it. If you are one of those people, I would suggest looking for a different vehicle or considering a repaint. Usually, even if the dealer offers to do a whole-door repaint, it may be done at a local shop with low quality paint, which is not worth it in my opinion.

After the company fixes the scratch, check it out. If the scratch is not noticeable, go ahead with it. There is no need to stress too much over it.

[krishnakumar]

My suggestion on this would be to get a repaint done from the dealer if you can and pressurize them to throw in a few freebies along with it. Like others said, it is not worth the hassle to go through as it is only a paint defect (which can be very well fixed by a skilled body shop) and nothing mechanical.

But keep the expectations of a paint job from the dealer to be low. It'll tick you off for a few 100kms and after that you'll just enjoy the car for what it is when you start making memories with the car!

Few years down the line, if you feel the car paint is getting dull or something, get a repaint done from expert body shops like Krithi Car Care or similar places and it'll revitalize the car for many more years to come.

My XUV300 has had its front left fender, front bumper and bonnet repainted due to such unavoidable instances on Indian roads. All within a year and 10000kms. But those 10000kms, I truly enjoyed and now at 16000km (and 1.5 years) it really doesn't bother me. I'm saving up to get those panels properly painted maybe 1-2 years down the line.

If you're someone to keep the car for a 7-8 years, then the resale value hit due to this will also be negligible. You wouldn't care at that point someone is haggling you for a minor scratch because most likely you have your eyes set on an upgrade!

Anyway, congrats on the car! But use this situation to your advantage and get a trade off that you can make peace with quickly.

[AJ56]

I’ll disagree with most above and tell you to push for a panel change from an existing car, no one here would accept a scratched phone, or a piece of clothing with a small rip in it or any other product we buy which comes damaged from the shop, our cars should be no exception. Dealers often have many cars in the exact same colour and changing doors is a perfect solution without losing factory finish.

Do not let the dealer repaint anything, their body shops are terrible at masking and will cover the rest of the car with overspray, and you’ll see white compound residue in all the seams and panel gaps around the panel repainted. You will also lose factory finish and instead of a small scratch, the entire door will look bad with all sorts of paint imperfections found in dealer body work.

Note: Do not let the dealer replace the panel with a new one, which is then painted to match your cars colour in their body shop, specifically request for another panel off another car in their inventory.

I had the exact same issue on my Amaze back when I bought it, front door had a small nick in it on delivery day, pushed them and they agreed to replace my front door with another black Amaze’s door.

[RedTerrano]

For a moment, I thought the white horizontal lines were the scratches. Then I figured out it's a reflection of some other vehicle!

From the pics, I think this is a minor scratch. As others have rightly pointed out, all vehicles in India get scratched sooner or later. I suggest get a third party (3M?) provide a written quote to fix the scratch. Then negotiate with the dealer to get accessories worth more than the quote (remember you deserve to be compensated for your trauma)

Enjoy your new steed, and do post pics here.
Best of luck and many congratulations.

[ashivas89]

Since you live in Bangalore, inevitably such dings and scratches such as these will be picked up within even a year of ownership (one can wish that's not the case..).

My two cents?

Let the scratch be.. it is tiny. The dealership might end up messing up the entire door with their amateur repainting effort (all of them suck at repainting, without exceptions). Get them to just touch up the scratch and throw in freebies or a discount instead. A detailing session for your car for example..

Congrats on your purchase and many many miles of happy motoring

[CosmicGeneral]

Originally Posted by PrasadS

Looking at the scratch, it seems like someone has hit it with a door edge. Dealers do parallel park closely at the warehouse,i assume, to save space so maybe it occurred there post PDI.

This is exactly what happened, the brought the vehicle to the jampacked mini stock yard & some door nearby has nicked it.

Originally Posted by lordrayden

Also, how exactly is the dealer going to fix it? We all know that no dealer paint fix job will match a factory finish. If he fixes it (something that he's gonna have to do for free by the way), after a year would that patch fade differently from the rest of the car and make things look worse.

They mentioned they'd fix it by their internal bodyshop and I need to visit to verify. My biggest concern is I'm planning for a PPF & I dunno what kind of shoddy temporary fix these people will do , later which can be problematic like you've highlighted [ fade etc ]

Originally Posted by raptor_diwan

When you observe the scratch from a certain distance, it may not seem like a big issue. scratch is a minor issue that can be easily addressed.

True from afar it wasnt that noticeable but when vehicle is cleaned polished it will definitely stand out

Originally Posted by krishnakumar

My suggestion on this would be to get a repaint done from the dealer if you can and pressurize them to throw in a few freebies along with it.
Anyway, congrats on the car! But use this situation to your advantage and get a trade off that you can make peace with quickly.

Thanks, yes I do plan to keep this for atleast 4-5 years or more. Will be discussing with the SA on this further, But KIA folks are adamant because of market demand [maybe?] .

Originally Posted by AJ56

Do not let the dealer repaint anything, their body shops are terrible at masking and will cover the rest of the car with overspray, and you’ll see white compound residue in all the seams and panel gaps around the panel repainted. You will also lose factory finish and instead of a small scratch, the entire door will look bad with all sorts of paint imperfections found in dealer body work.

Noted, Was thinking along same lines too, They have mentioned repainting when I discussed with their manager, unfortunately which is out of my control , all I keep hearing is "sir we will get it fixed" , when I ask how they plan to fix it , I get the answer "we have professional service inhouse bodyshop sir, they will fix it from same color as official factory paint etc" . I share same concern as you about temporary fix till delivery is done and then late down the line i have a bad paint job showing up .

I will take a look once the work is done, if I notice any problems , I will definitely push for replacement of the door if its unsatisfactory.

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

For a moment, I thought the white horizontal lines were the scratches. Then I figured out it's a reflection of some other vehicle!

Enjoy your new steed, and do post pics here.
Best of luck and many congratulations.

Thanks, yes its about maybe finger nail size, but can see the white under paint. The illusion of the vehicle reflection does look like a big scratch but it isnt

I'm awaiting their teams response on the fix for the issue, once verified I will give a goahead for registration.

thanks for all the inputs folks, much appreciated ..