# Loaner car damage



## bimmer_2006 (Jul 30, 2010)

Hi,
This has been a major frustration to me in the past two days and I hope someone can give me advices on how I should deal with it.

So, I recently got a BMW loaner while my car was in the shop for some mechanical repairs under warranty. I have gone through the loaner car process many times in the past, and never had a problem, until yesterday when I went to pick up my car, they said I did 3 different damages to the loaner, 2 scrapes on the wheel and a dent on the hood. Just to be clear, I did not cause any of these! We did however, walk through the loaner before I drove it away and I did sign the paperwork, but the inspection was done very casually (by both the dealer person and me). The dealer guy basically said that this is a brand new car, and there is nothing wrong with it, and I kind of believed him, like I did many times in the past. Even though I pointed out a couple of minor things on the body, he just said "oh, these we don't care", but I totally ignored the wheels, and I don't remember any dents on the hood, it could have been due to the light condition at the time that caused it not show up clearly.

Anyway, so, I dropped it off yesterday, but was told that there are these 3 damages I'm responsible for. I don't know how much it is going to be, the dealer guy said he will call me back with an estimate. I feel really bad because I did sign the loaner agreement, but that was done much with a "trust system" I had with BMW dealerships, and I never thought this would this could come back and hunt me.

Some additional information regarding to this case, the loaner agreement paper had some errors, such as the going out mileage was 11, but in fact, it was almost 5K, and the gas says "empty", but in fact, it was half full, which I did actually fill back in when I returned it. And the interior of the car was poorly maintained, jitters everywhere and spills from the past drivers were not cleaned up.

So, with this, I feel I'm being a victim of my own carelessness, naivety and at same time, broken loaner system managed by this dealership.

What options do I have at this time?

Thanks in advance.


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## tturedraider (Nov 11, 2005)

Put up a fight. Take it up with the Service Dept. Manager and work your way up from there.


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## AzNMpower32 (Oct 23, 2005)

You should be more careful when it comes to loaner and rental car agreements. This could have happened to any rental car, not just a dealer loaner. You should have walked around the car and been detailed about existing damage, fuel, and mileage and insisted that the dealer personnel marked the contract as such before signing anything. Now you're learning the hard way.

Talk to the service manager and try to plead your case. However when it comes down to legal stuff and insurance, it's really what's on paper with your signature that matters.


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## hpowders (Jun 3, 2005)

Holy crap! Next time I get a loaner or airport rental car, I will really take the time to look the vehicle over completely!


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## mdsbuc (Mar 17, 2005)

It seems like there was some mixed identity with the car and the paperwork, assuming you only had the car for a day or two. 11 miles on the odometer going out and over 5000. coming in? Something's not right. :dunno:


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## TopDownInFL (Apr 25, 2008)

Personally, I have EVERYTHING marked on the outbound docs - every scratch (no matter how small), dent, ding (I look for PDRs - paintless dents - the same way pros do, look down the side of the car), nick, etc before I'll take the car. No way in hell I'm paying for anything that was done before hand. In most cases, I get the same as you - "oh, we don't care about those scratches", but *I* do.

Sorry to hear you're in this situation - fight it. but for next time, get everything documented.


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