A few questions about buying new

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 4:49 pm

its worth checking the build date. Ask the dealer to show you the build date on the vehicle- some vehicles do not have them on the VIN. If its sold as 2017 but built in 2016 then take it up. Incidentally build dates are normally not coded. The VIN does use codes. When you buy parts for an MX-5 the dealer asks for the VIN to determine the right parts i.e due to model variations.

JBT · Postby **JBT** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 5:42 pm

The build date (month/year) will be on a separate plate to the VIN.

Younge · Postby **Younge** » Wed Apr 12, 2017 3:15 pm

Dealer informed me my order status has changed to " IN TRANSIT" and could take up to 2 weeks.
Does anyone know why it takes this amount of time?
The last car i bought got delivered from the dock to the dealer in 5 working days .....

Thanks again for all the feedback. Starting to get very real now.

Lokiel · Postby **Lokiel** » Wed Apr 12, 2017 3:34 pm

Are there additional retrofits that need to be made for Aussie ADRs?

davekmoore, can you please answer this?

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Wed Apr 12, 2017 5:02 pm

Transit time can be Japan to Australia X days and then there is X days to clear the goods and deliver to car makers processing depot etc. A buyer can reasonably ask what is the expected time the vehicle will be available for them to pick up from the dealer. I dont think a buyer has any control over how long it takes and expediting is not going to help.In transit merely means its on the way.

davekmoore · Postby **davekmoore** » Wed Apr 12, 2017 6:00 pm

Younge wrote:Dealer informed me my order status has changed to " IN TRANSIT" and could take up to 2 weeks.
Does anyone know why it takes this amount of time?
The last car i bought got delivered from the dock to the dealer in 5 working days .....

Thanks again for all the feedback. Starting to get very real now.

Your car's estimated build date was 23 March. They build them in Hiroshima. Once built it goes into a holding yard. Although we'd all love this to happen, they don't fly individual cars to individual dealers as that might prove a little expensive! Built cars wait in the compound until the next ship docks and unloads, then re-loads with many cars including yours. Then the ship travels to Australia. Then it unloads at various ports and the cars go in to another holding compound. The compliance date is usually created at that compound. AFAIK there is no extra compliance work done on Mazda passenger cars at that stage (although there may be to BT-50s, including checking emissions). It's just a matter of being patient now. There is nothing further the dealer can do. One final check at handover might be to ensure the VIN is as on your build sheet.

Younge · Postby **Younge** » Thu Apr 13, 2017 12:31 pm

Thank you everyone for your feedback

Received this in email "We are going to be good to go for next week. I’ll talk to you on Tuesday."

Have booked her in to get paint protection and tinting for late next week. Anything else i should look at doing whilst she is new?

JBT · Postby **JBT** » Thu Apr 13, 2017 1:54 pm

Clean your driving shoes, top up your credit card (for petrol purchases), get a cap/hat and put in a leave application for a week of driving.

stilletto_rebel · Postby **stilletto_rebel** » Thu Apr 13, 2017 2:00 pm

Younge wrote: Anything else i should look at doing whilst she is new?

Yes. Cancel the 'paint protection' snake oil and spend the money on a quality auto detail wax instead.

To back up my words a 30-second google search found this:
http://autoexpert.com.au/buying-a-car/new-cars/qa/should-i-get-paint-protection-for-my-new-car

Wivvix · Postby **Wivvix** » Thu Apr 13, 2017 3:11 pm

Yeah I agree with Stiletto - pass on the paint protection or tinting offered by the dealership. You need to check what product they are actually using and reviews on that product. In my experience the product offered by the dealership was mediocre and you'd have no ability to vet the installer's knowledge or experience; which is the difference between getting good value for your money and getting nothing for it at all.

If you are concerned about keeping the paint in perfect condition, my advice would be to look into XPEL ultimate.
Personally I'm not that concerned and I'm just waxing mine and parking it under cover during the day. If it needs a respray in 5 or 10 years then that's great, that I means I'll have an excuse to paint it the color I really want... (BRG)

Otherwise the main thing to check for before you get in your new car and drive it out of the dealership, is for scratches in the paintwork. I found a few on mine and the service manager was really quite unhelpful, but after talking it through they came around to share my view that $40,000 is a lot to pay for a scratched car and fixed it. If the issue is material don't be afraid to threaten walking away, because they own the car until you sign the hand-over/release form.

Younge · Postby **Younge** » Thu Apr 13, 2017 6:50 pm

Sorry, I should have been more clear.
I'm driving her to a friend who looks after all my cars for tinting and paint protection

For those of you in brisbane he works down at Milton and called Byron!

Booked my leave for next week and really looking forward to collecting her!

Will do my best to not keep her at the same revs and away from high rpm for the first 500km.

Happy Easter everyone.

MikeVictor · Postby **MikeVictor** » Fri Apr 14, 2017 9:48 am

Interestingly I don't have a velcro strap securing my toolkit and first aid kit in the boot, it has a plastic fastener.

To throw in my 2c-

Good call on the detailer doing the ceramic or wax. The only thing I usually get a dealer to do is a tint. I know this can be done for less elsewhere however I want it done when I pick up the car.

Tyre pressure recommended is 29psi if memory serves.

You can bed the brakes in easily when you get it by doing some firm (not violent) slow downs (don't come to a complete stop!) from 50, 80 then 100km/h if you can find some quiet and private road to do this. Apply firm pressure like stepping on tennis ball but don't stop completely. Do a few stops at different speeds and your brakes will be ready to go.

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:54 am

People can make their own choices on add on costs like tinting and paint protection. For a new car maybe one of those clear imperceptible films can prevent or minimise the inevitable stone chips Car paint will probably outlast most cars if looked after - modern paints are far superior to the old systems. Tinting is of course out of control- you are supposed to be able to identify a driver or even see their eyes but today that's a lost battle due to many being too dark.