Dealer Scratched My Truck :/

So my dealer scratched my truck today. About a 3 inch scratch on the drivers side door. Too deep to buff. They called me and told me what happened and want to repair for me, but that means repainting a 10" x 10" section and clear coating the whole door.

My fear is that if not done well I will have problems with the paint later down the road. The reason I bought this truck is because like my last Toyota I plan on hanging onto it for a very long time. Are my fears reasonable? I don't know anything about auto paints and clear coats.

Looking for some advise. If it was anywhere other then the drivers door where I see it everyday, I would probably just leave it.

 

No! Have them fix it! Your plans may change. When you go to trade in/sell for the next gen Taco it is coming out of YOUR pocket.

 

You should be fine, just have the dealer warranty the work for the life of the car. That's how most body shops work or insurance when you have repairs made after accident.

 

That's how you fix a scratch like that properly. I don't understand the problem here?

 

My problem is I don't like the idea of having the whole door clear coated as I don't know what would happen if it was done poorly. So I'm asking if it is worth the risk to fix a 3" scratch. I'm assuming that the factory paint and clear coat is better. But judging by your response, I am wrong. Anyway that's why I ask.

 

They need to paint the entire panel to look right.

 

I just had a bad experience with a past repair where an entire panel was replaced and painted to match, unfortunately within a few years the clear coat was peeling really bad. I would hate to have a similar issue with my door now just to fix a small scratch.

 

Have them fix it for free, if it doesnt match make them repaint the whole truck. Its free......

 

Here's a photo

 

Like stated the entire panel needs to be done. If they are offering to fix their mistake why fret? If it's not done properly, which I don't see why it wouldn't be, just readdress it to them.

 

That is a significant scratch. Demand the whole door be repainted. What a clumsy tech.

 

Haha isn't this the 3rd Gen forum?

Did I accidentally stumble into the 1st or 2nd gen page. Sorry your highness. Please except my sincerest apologies.

 

what color is the truck?

 

I would just let them fix it.

 

Just get them to warranty the work for the life of the vehicle, get it done and move on. You probably are owed something from them for your time to resolve this, but nothing big.

Edit - I measure how much I expect to get by taking what I make per hour and multiplying that by the amount of time it takes me to resolve it. Not trying to make out like a bandit or I would charge what they do.

 

Thanks all. I will make sure I have a lifetime warranty on the work documented. Probably wouldn't have thought about that if I hadn't come here.

 

What he said or you can start parting the truck out.

 

Hey,
So I worked for a Mercedes dealership, and we did have a body shop. Here’s my .02
Have them disassemble the door, totally strip it, handles glass trim you name it. Than wet sand touch up scratch, re clear entire door. If they don’t do the entire door you will end up with a clear that has to be buffed/feathered to the existing clear. That will show in the sun.
You are lucky your truck is white. And new. Make sure the color matches 100% don’t accept any BS about this is the best we can do. I personally saw a repair to an S63 and this car was mangled. You would never know where the repair was. The painter even matched the texture of the clear to the remainder of the car. That was first class work. A good body shop would do it as I describe. Anything less is cheap.

 

what other reasonable options do you have?
Lots of cars get repaired daily. You'll be OK. And if it's not up to your standards, ask them to correct it.