I took delivery of my new MS on January 31, 2022. I did a pretty thorough (or so I thought) pre-delivery inspection and I was happy that the only issues I found were a misaligned rear hatch and some minor trim alignment issues. I was warned by the delivery agent that any paint issues such as scratches and chips must be found and reported within 24 hours of delivery. So I spent a little more time on that.
Last weekend I waxed the car for the first time. While I was rubbing out the front hood, I noticed that on the left front section there was a ridge that ran from the left edge to the raised area of the hood. The ridge is very perceptible when you run your hand over it, but it is almost impossible to see unless you focus on the area and then look at it from several different angles. It is more noticeable when in very bright sunlight. Now that I know it's there, I see it much more often. I have attached a photo, but I was unable to take a shot where the ridge is visible, but I circled the area to show where it can be found.
If I had to make a guess, I'd say that the assembly robot manhandled the hood during assembly.
I requested a service appointment and today someone from the service center called me. The first thing he asked was, did I report it within 24 hours of delivery. I explained that I was told the 24-hour 'rule' applied to paint damage and this was an incidence of panel damage. I mentioned that the damage is very hard to see but very easy to feel. He told me that because I was reporting after the 24 hour period, it would require special permission to approve any repair.
Has anyone heard of similar damage to the hood? Because of the automation used during assembly, I assume that other vehicles manufactured around the same time might have been similarly affected. Also looking for any ideas about how to explain this issue to the service center personnel so that they will take appropriate ownership. The vibe I got from the conversation with the service center guy leaves me concerned that they will try to deny it despite the lack of any other reasonable explanation beyond a manufacturing defect. My appointment for them to inspection appointment is today. Any input appreciated.