Pre-existing damage on demo vehicle at signing?

Recently remote signed a deal for a demo vehicle. Everything looked great in pictures. Drove to pickup the vehicle and it turns out that there is a very obvious scratch on the vehicle that was not visible in the pictures provided. What is the generally accepted way to deal with this?

Dealer suggested some way of documenting the damage so that I won’t be dinged for it at the time of return. Is this actually possible? (Brand is BMW if that matters)

I had a ding on a BMW loaner. I told the manager and they paid to have it removed

I would insist that the dealer fix it now. Whether that means them reimbursing you for getting it fixed locally or you taking it back to the dealer so they can deal with it, that’s up for you to negotiate with the dealer.

I would not rely on anything the dealer may give you now saying you won’t be charged for it at lease end. The original dealer is typically out of the equation when it comes to lease end charges, that’s between you and BMWFS (and the inspection service).

I can see BMWFS saying they never agreed to any waiver and of course in 3 years time your sales manager and sales rep will be likely be long gone with everyone just saying :man_shrugging:

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Yep exactly what I was thinking.Thanks for confirming.

That piece of paper wouldn’t be worth wiping your ass with.

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I had a similar experience with a Jeep dealer when they sent me the papers to sign and the car . I found barely visible bird poop damage on the hood before signing. Dealer immediately offered to have it fixed themselves, replace the car with a different one, or reimburse the cost of buffing it if I choose to do it myself . We settled on three free oil changes.

Get “we owe” form from the dealer. And have them fix the scratch later on your schedule. Or show this form during the turn in inspection.

Will this work if I return this vehicle at a different dealer? Might also be an issue if I decide to transfer this lease I guess.

At this point, I am considering just getting this fixed at this dealer.

I had them add it to my lease contract prior to signing.

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There’s a spot to put down Previous Damage?

I think there actually is, don’t have paperwork in front of me. I just had them add scuffs to two rims even though I don’t think it would get dinged at turn in so I have something if BMWFS comes back later.

It is better if they fix it now, of course. I’m pretty sure that the signed “we owe” form should be enough to prove that the damage occurred before you leased the car, even if you return to a different dealer.

But the “we” in we owe is the dealer, not BMW. At the end of the lease, it is BMW, not the dealer you are dealing with. I would not be comfortable with a “we owe”, unless it is something the dealer agrees to fix in the next few week (and provide a loaner car, if needed.).

You show BMW that damage occurred prior to your lease. But yeah, I don’t know how they treat this situation. I had the same thing with Volvo, but the dealer fixed it when I brought the car back after a few weeks.

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