Thread: Dealer denting my Defender....

Originally Posted by BilboBoggles

OK - So I put my brand new Defender Limited Edition in for it's first service. I ask them to please be careful with it as it's pristine with not one dent or scratch yet. I'm very careful with this defender - it's the last one I will ever buy. (I have other defenders for offroading - this one is my baby...).

I pick it up and Bugger me the door is dented. I take it home and discover the wings are dented on one side and caved in on the other.

Yes it's a defender and probably should not be shiny... But I like to put the dents in it on my own.

Unfortunately this is is the one last dealer I trust in Melbourne, after being driven to the point of insanity by the idiots at the other dealers. BUT this last remaining usable dealer, has a crap panel shop they are associated with. So I can't get them to fix their mistakes, as I am sure it will come back worse, and in ten years I'll be looking at pealing clear coat.

So I paid for the one decent Land Rover Panel shop to fix the dents. Surprisingly it only cost a $200 to have the dents removed using PDR.


Does anyone else find that their defenders wings are dented every service by their dealers?

Courtesy of the dealer... both my wings badly dented, a 40cm gouge back to bare metal in the seat box paint when removing a seat, a slashed seat cover, ripped interior rubber matting over the transmission tunnel, several scratches in the dash, dinged a rear panel above a wheel arch and they somehow cut through the demister wires on the rear window so it didn't work. I made them replace and fix everything except the scratches in the dash which they said was already there.

Edit. Forgot to add the two sets of door rubbers that needed replacing after they tore holes in them.

Originally Posted by dullbird

I have seen many new defenders that look like they don't have straight panels on the forecourt.

Originally Posted by garrycol

That is why I would never buy a new Defender - when I pay $55-60K for a new vehicle I don't expect it to come with ripples and dents from new.

Garry

ex-SWMBO used to say the Defender was the only car that came new with cellulite !

I won't mention the dealer - and to be honest I've tried all of the dealers in Melbourne, and have had a fantastic experience with this one last trustworthy dealer.. Up until now...

I've sent them an email explaining my disappointment. I'm not asking them to pay for the damage - I've already had that fixed - But I would like to know how they plan to do things differently in the future... But sadly - no response yet.

Wow, I think I would have been quite upset if the dealer or anyone dented my car while servicing it.

A second vote here for using the chequer plate from Juddy on the forum to prevent it happening a second time. It took me ages to decide to put it on my car, and I only succumbed because aerial movement was eventually going to crack the wing and all I can say is I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner.

thanks everyone...


I might have to go with the chequer plate. I just installed a set on my TD5 to hide the peeling clearcoat - where the dealer from 10 years ago repainted the wings after dropping the winch on it whilst installing it before delivery, but that's another long story... But the wing top protectors are very good....

Whilst I am bitter and annoyed that they damaged the vehicle, I also know that I've received dents on the wings of my defenders just about every dealer service over the last 500,000 I've driven them. It's unfortunate that its inevitable. I thought they would take more care if I asked. And I was most surprised because this particular workshop has been very good over the last 4-5 years I've used them... (annoying too because I get my TD5 serviced by a non dealer Land Rover guru, and the one time he dented it - he told me , and apologised and offered to fix before I even noticed... And that's the only damage he's inflicted... )

I'll need to go look for that teaspoon of cement and harden the **** up...

Originally Posted by BilboBoggles

I might have to go with the chequer plate....

PPE is the last line of defence. Owners of no other vehicle would except the suggestion "oh, why don't you just bolt a bit of some thing a little bit less denty over that bit of your $60,000 car!"

Originally Posted by Leyland1980

PPE is the last line of defence. Owners of no other vehicle would except the suggestion "oh, why don't you just bolt a bit of some thing a little bit less denty over that bit of your $60,000 car!"

Yes PPE is the last line of defence, but the first is to remove the problem - which would be with a different shape and I'm fairly sure that most of us are not looking forward to that day.. Besides these are defenders we are talking about here, putting on a bit of chequer plate is the least of our problems..

I still say go the chequer plate, it's strong, protective, functional and looks good.