Shipping Damage - Were You Compensated?

[nvabill]

So, after ordering and waiting for 9 months my Mach E came in and had shipping damage. Not a huge deal but it's in the body shop now and I'm sure they will do it right. It appears that the rail or convoy transport folks hit the underside of the right front fender while driving on or off the various truck or rail platforms.

My question for those of you faced with a similar situation did you get any type of compensation either from Ford or your dealer? Even though it will be repaired the vehicle will never be in factory fresh pristine condition again. I'm not very optimistic but before I ask I am curious if anyone has had luck receiving anything in a similar situation.

 

[Ninja4hire]

I'm in the same boat, as my MME just arrived and the dealership is replacing the front bumper because of transport damage.

Since the car is still theirs at this point and they are taking full responsibility for repairs, you shouldn't expect any discounts unless they like giving away money.

That being said the dealership should replace the parts with OEM parts, so in a sense it still is factory fresh (brand new, never being owned, no damage reported to insurance or carfax).

 

[RickMachE]

This ^^^

 

[nvabill]

This ^^^

Yeah, was kinda thinking that.

 

[Mrn]

My MME is scheduled to arrive early next week and I'm wondering what is appropriate if it arrives damaged. I have a 2k non-refundable deposit and am wondering if one would pay the remainder before repairs were done, or pay when they were acceptably finished. Paying up front guarantees the car is mine but could make repairs a low priority in their minds. Waiting might expose me to the dealership fixing it and selling with a mark-up to someone else.

 

[06VistaGT]

Mine had a dent from shipping. It was repaired at no cost, with a loaner vehicle provided for the few days it was in the body shop. But no financial compensation.

 

[generaltso]

My MME is scheduled to arrive early next week and I'm wondering what is appropriate if it arrives damaged. I have a 2k non-refundable deposit and am wondering if one would pay the remainder before repairs were done, or pay when they were acceptably finished. Paying up front guarantees the car is mine but could make repairs a low priority in their minds. Waiting might expose me to the dealership fixing it and selling with a mark-up to someone else.

Don‘t assume it‘s going to arrive damaged. That’s not the norm.

 

[TTort]

Is the dealer required to fess up when it is delivered with damage?

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

IIRC, there’s a system for deciding what to do with cars damaged enroute yo the dealers. It has several tiers which include:

1. Modest and repairable. These cars are repaired and repainted to new condition. Not “like new”, new. They are sold as new.
2. Moderate damage. These cars are repaired and sold as used.
3. Egads! Yeah, parts if they’re lucky.

You always have the opportunity to inspect and refuse the car if it doesn’t meet your expectations. A car sold as new does not have a damage history on CarFax as the damage occurred on Ford’s watch.

If the car was sold as used, it had significant damage and possibly beyond cosmetics. The reduction in value is built into the used car price. More or less.

If the damage you’re seeing is primarily cosmetic, wait and see. Look at it closely and if it bothers you refuse the car and order another. In this case the dealer isn’t hiding a thing from you. Work with them.

On the other hand, if you’re simply looking for a lower price, that’s not going to work in all likelihood.

This happens far more than we might think. Cars get damaged at the factory all the time for example. We’ve had several forum members whose cars were built then suddenly ended up back at the paint shop. If they weren’t in these forums they’d never know. Nor is this a unique to Ford issue.

 

[daverp]

Kamuelaflyer nailed it. They categorized them based on the damage, I think it's A - F which ranges from minor cosmetic to fell off the train and got hit by the next train.

They'll repair that to factory spec, since the car is unsold, and the work done by a factory designated facility, it will still be considered new and covered as new, they likely won't give you a discount as your have no harm to compensate. Ford is nice, legally they didn't even have to tell you this (absent a individual state law), once repaired that car is new, undamaged, and has no damage history.