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Before you have your Prime shipped, please read this

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7.6K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  JFox562  
#1 ·
Many of us are buying our Primes remotely and having them shipped back. I am helping a friend work with an auto transport broker and their contracted driver after her new car arrived with damage. I am respecting her wish that I don’t name the broker service or the transport company until she resolves the issue with them but from my experience with helping her for the last month, here are a few tips that we wished we knew about before going with an auto transport broker service.

  1. Do your research on the auto transport broker company. Do they have any reviews? What is their track record with addressing damage claims? Are they registered with the Better Business Bureau?
  2. Ask the broker for the name of the assigned transport company and their insurance information. Validate with the transport company’s insurance company that they have current coverage. Don’t take their word that they are fully insured. Trust but verified.
  3. Ask the transport company’s insurance company what the deductible is. If they have a high deductible, keep in mind that their insurance will not pay if the damage is not above the deductible which can be $2500. It will be up to you to deal with the transport company/broker to get your claim paid in those cases where the damage is lower than the deductible.
  4. Call your insurance company to confirm if your car is covered during transport.
  5. At pick up, a rep at the dealership will sign a document called a Bill of Lading (BOL). This document shows the details of the pickup, car and an inspection report detailing any damage to the car. Make sure you get a copy of this document prior to the arrival of your new car. Have the dealership take a picture of the signed BOL and have it sent to you. You can also insist the transportation company email it to you before the arrival of your car. You want to know if the BOL has any notes of damage prior to the drop off of the car. That way there’s no chance the driver can claim there was pre-existing damage.

  6. Ask the dealership to take pictures of the car at pick up so that there is additional evidence that the car was in perfect shape at pick up.
7. When the car is dropped off, you want to do a full inspection of the car for any damage. Make sure you check the roof, the wheels/tires and underneath the car such as the lip of the bumper for scrapes. This is a new car so there should not be any damage. If you do spot any damage, note it in detail on the Bill of Lading that you will sign, take pictures of the damage and then call your broker that you found damage and will work with them to file a claim against the insurance of the transport company.

A large majority of our cars will be delivered perfectly but in those rare cases when something does happen to the car, you want to make sure you are protected.

Unless your car is in a covered carrier, there’s always a chance that the car is damaged on the way to its destination. How the auto transport company handles the claims distinguishes the good ones from the ones that just point their fingers to others and not take any responsibilities.

My friend is still patiently working with involved parties. By this point I would have called out the auto transport broker for the poor service she had received. For now, I will respect her wishes but I will let this group know what ends up being the resolution in the near future.
 
#2 ·
With the shortage of vehicles on car lots, this is not a Prime only concern. IMHO, this is very useful information and should be in the General section are of this forum.
 
#3 ·
Slightly OT... It's a good idea to do a walkaround inspection any time you are receiving your car that has been out of your possession... Just recently we had one of our cars serviced at a large dealership, and upon arriving home discovered that some lower body trim and mudguard on the passenger side had been damaged by the lift. Of course, this is on a Friday afternoon at closing time and the service department is closed on weekends here. Once you drive the car off the lot it can become a problematic you-said-she-said kind of thing... Fortunately, our dealer is really top notch and immediately brought the car into the service bay and repaired the damage, no questions asked - but it could have easily gone downhill and possibly cost a good chunk of change.

I've never thought of checking my car after just getting a simple oil change, but now I will.
 
#4 ·
Had the same thing happen twice at a BMW dealership. Once on the driver side and then a duplicate on the passenger side. This happened on two different services. Both times their body shop fixed the damage without question. The second time I was outraged and demanded the service tech be fired since the damage was exactly the same on sides of the car. Luckily the dealership was apologetic but come on, once, an accident, second time, no excuse. This wasn't a simple oil change, the driver side they had to get under the steering column. The second time, they had to replace a seat pad sensor and had to connect the car with Germany so they could diagnose. Kind of glad it got totaled and not my problem anymore. Sorry, a bit off topic but yes, after any service, do an inspection. It's just good practice. Checking oil level before driving off from an oil change is a good one too. The horror stories of engines got getting oil put back in is not something I want to go through.
 
#5 · (Edited)
We had our R4P shipped from Connecticutt to Colorado in an enclosed carrier. We initially went with one of several high rated brokers on yourknowwhere.com only to learn the first 'assigned carrier' that they found on the Dispatch Board had a horrid reputation over just the past 3 months so we decided to explore auto transport carriers who own and operate their own trucks. Price was pretty much the same as w/ the broker quotes, a little higher but not much. Plus, brokers can quote whatever they want and you won't know until you sign the contract w/ the carrier the broker finds.

Anyway, we took delivery on time and because we needed to be out in the bright sun on a very clear day I did not notice a significant clearcoat scuff during walk around inspection until I drove the car 1 block away into our garage. The carrier's customer service person offered to present the request to split the repair cost to management but a very friendly and reputable body shop specializing in high end imports close to us I went to to get an estimate did the buf and polish gratis--can't beat that! Plus I learned enough watching and asking questions to be able to do minor clearcoat repairs myself now. Here's what it looked like--was about 12" long:
Image

The carrier, BTW, is Intercity Lines, Inc. They own and operate 27 enclosed transport trucks and specialize in high end & classic vehicle transport. Hard to say where the scuff happened but the carrier obviously didn't notice it when he picked it up for us at a dealership. I would use them in a heartbeat again, and like the idea of enclosed transport esp over 2000 miles.
Image
 
#7 ·
Moral of the stories - nobody really treats your car like you do.

like the idea of enclosed transport esp over 2000 miles.
I'm guessing that most cars, even if brand new, have the adhesive protective wrap already removed by the time a shipper picks up the vehicle for transport... I'd agree that exposure to the elements over a good number of miles really increases the odds of some kind of damage...
 
#14 ·
My dad also bought a 1972 Datsun 510 4 door for his commute. We still have that but it's in rough shape.

The 510 was based off of the chassis of the original 240Z which also had an independent rear suspension; which was remarkable since it also was a rear wheel drive car.