[Hotelcalif]

One of the guys in our car club has had his S for about a month.He picked it up on a cold rainy day and thats all we have had for weeks.After a close look at the car there is no doubt that the left side of the car has been painted after it left the factory.The fender on the left side is not even painted on the inside.What would happen to a car that might have been damaged in transport?Whoever fixed it did a terrible job.
And this was a NEW car,not a demo or used.

[cjay]

My first Cooper had paint chips on the passenger door that look like they were retouched by a 5 year old when it was delivered.

My second Cooper had half the drivers door re-sprayed and the 2 front wheels had been damaged and repaired. It also had a thumb print in the paint on the tailgate but i think that was a factory option

Bridgers site had pics from a US distribution center recently, a MINI was getting a whole new roof!!

Sadly I think repairs pre delivery are common.

cjay.

[Paul]

My Cooper had blue paint "dust" on the interior plastic panels on the passenger side, obviously it had been repsrayed but I couldn't see where.

[Hotelcalif]

You would think on these cars that quality control would be at its best.If this were my car I would want it replaced.It would have been OK if it had been done right but it is terrible.

[andyupnorth]

It's a fact that about 25% of all new cars are damaged in transit in some way or other. Hence the paint and bodyshop facilties at PDI centres.

[Farley]

So is it a good assumption that if your Mini is at the BMW checkpoint at the port too long it was probably damaged? Mine is still on the boat, but I think this thread will add to my paranoia once it lands.

[drtdsmith]

The law in most states requires a dealership to reveal any repairs that the car has needed since it was built, but the trick is that you have to ask. That way, if they say "no" and you find out otherwise, you've got some sort of legal standing. I went over my car very closely even after the dealer volunteered that my MINI had had no intervening incidents. I kept finding small patches of the coating the cars are shipped in and they kept wiping them off. That's all I found. The trick, of course, is that it's best to see this stuff before you drive away. My dealership (in Charleston, SC) was great about allowing me to take time with the car. The whole delivery event was over two hours (including the financing stuff). Don't wait: get the dealer to fix the problems as soon as possible. You paid for a perfect car and you deserve it.