First Edition arrived damaged. Help!

[66Fan]

I went to pick up my First Edition today. The dealer disclosed that there was damage to the tailgate from the transportation. The damage is behind the spare tire and isn’t visible with the spare tire on. The dealership said that I can take ownership and they will replace the tailgate for free after the part arrives and they paint it. This sounds reasonable, but what about the loss of future resale value? The dealership didn’t offer any discount on price, which is MSRP. I am holding off on taking ownership (and making payment) until I know how to best proceed. I am comfortable negotiating, but I’m not sure what to ask for in this situation. Hoping that the bronco6g group mind can help! What should I do?

If you want to pursue a diminished value claim and hold the transportation provider's insurance to it, contact Billy at Collision Safety Consultants in Belmont, NC.
Give him as much detail as you have/can and he will let you know if it is worth it.

He will likely work remotely, so don't let the Carolina thing push you away.

Tell him a friend of ETI told you about him.

That said, it doesn't look like much... and he charges a percentage of recovered value... so it may not be worth it.

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[mybikeisred]

Sounds pretty unanimous so far, go get that bronco asap.

 

[ElJeffe]

Very much agree with earlier posters' sentiments: the dealer did the right thing by telling you, and offering to fix it while still giving you some immediate-term fun of driving it.

I'd add that given it's a tailgate, it's easy for them to replace as one big piece. Quite straightforward with no impact to surrounding body panels. If you're gonna have damage, this (or my windshield... dammit!) is the type of damage you want. At the type of dealer you want to have it at.

Enjoy your new Bronco, and feel free to back into stuff while you wait for your new tailgate!

 

[SevenT]

I had the exact same bend in my swinggate. My dealership had it repaired at a local shop and it looks great. I dropped it off last Monday, got it back last Thursday afternoon and it's just fine.

The guys at the body shop said they think it's a defect in the Ford design of the swinggate.

Anyway, the fix was to replace the whole swinggate and align it.

Chris, you need to quit backing into stuff and getting Ford to fix it for free.

 

[ChrisD]

Chris, you need to quit backing into stuff and getting Ford to fix it for free.

Don't judge me!

 

[ChrisD]

Why in the world do you think the resale value would change. And why in the world haven't you signed the papers and driven that thing home. Parts will take a while to come in. Enjoy it.

They ordered my swinggate sometime between Christmas and New Year and it arrived on the 13th of January. Once I brought it in, it took 3 days to repair. It was pretty painless.

I mean, the options right now are take delivery and get it fixed or refuse delivery and order a regular Bronco, not a FE, or well, buy something else, or don't buy anything. I guess there are a lot of options. Me, getting it fixed for free and getting the vehicle I wanted and waited for is just plain worth it.

 

[Monster1926]

Where at? I’ll talk to them for you.

 

[Broncodave]

One more vote for don't worry about it. Have them replace when it comes in. Good to go!

 

[BroncoKong Jr.]

OP's question has been answered (repeatedly). So since thread tangents are a B6G hallmark, I'll go ahead and do it.

What kinda comms you got in there? What antenna mount is that?

edit: Found your thread! Nice work! Very helpful.

 

[helifino16]

Work done at the dealer - identified before delivery - will not show up on Carfax. When I worked at one, we did lots of body work on new cars And never took money off for it.

 

[kput]

No such thing as "dimished value" on a dealer repair like this. The transport companies pay for the repair and the dealer facilitates it. Let them fix it, and enjoy your new ride.

I'd have them 100% verify with the body shop there won't be anything filed to the CarFax report, as some shops will file no matter what, but other than that

 

[kodiakisland]

Vehicles are damaged in transport and fixed before sale all the time. There is no loss in value.
Yeah, it sucks, especially what you're paying for it, but it's more common than you think.

 

[CantBstill]

What makes you think you should get a discount? Yea it sucks that its damaged but the dealership said they would make it right. I would get it in writing and email if possible.

 

[Lucky Nut]

They could sell that bad boy for 100k tomorrow. Don't negotiate too hard, bud.

 

[RubiconSasquatch]

I agree with the sentiment here. With one caveat - make sure they agree to fix it to your satisfaction and look at the repair from all angles.

I once bought an F-150 that somehow got a significant crease in the door while they were porting it for delivery. Meaning between the test drive and handing me the keys. Same day, while it was in their possession. They of course repaired it, but I didn’t inspect the repair closely enough. For the 3ish years I owned that truck it had a weird “ghosting” effect in that part of the door. I’m not a body work expert, no idea why it was that way, but if the light was just right and if you looked from a certain angle, and only in the repaired area, the reflection was almost like a bad 3D image. Very strange. Don’t let something like that happen to you!

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