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      12-07-2010, 07:48 PM   #1
blender
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Maximizing your odds for a successful dealer service

I am co-opting my own post into a new topic. Add your two cents:


Thoughts on maximizing your odds of a successful dealer service:
  • When possible, do your homework on any serious issues before you go to a dealer. You may have to lead them BY THE NOSE to the resolution on your problem. ANTICIPATE having to micro-manage them to success. Be pleasantly surprised if it turns out you don't have to....
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  • Use the rule "Trust but Verify". Tell them what you want done, trust them to do it, and VERIFY [a] that it got done properly and [b] that they didn't screw anything else up in the process.
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  • Find the least-worst dealer in your area, as rated by customers. Try the many BMW forums, or dealerRater-dot-com
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  • Call the service manager directly, and ask him to recommend a service adviser who is technical and knowledgeable. Explain you want someone with mechanical expertise who is technically proficient.
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  • THEN call the Service Adviser, mentioning that the service manager referred you to him. This allies you with the service manager in the SA's mind. Ask him if he's ever installed coil-overs, or where the redline is on an S54 motor. If you get a bad feeling from the guy, change SAs.
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  • ASK the adviser for his "A" game. Tell him you love your car and you pay close attention to everything that's done on it. This sets the expectation that your are WATCHING THEM CLOSELY on how they fix your car.
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  • Request politely but firmly that the Shop Foreman or a master mechanic be the one to work on your car. This is not a grocery-getter sedan and should not be treated like one.
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  • Be ready to involve the Service Manager in every discussion. Give him a chance to fix any problems by offering him "a chance to win back your business." Speaking his language is key here.
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  • Decide in advance if you trust them to wash your car. Anticipate minimum-wage lot monkeys with used rags "drying" your paint. Tell the SA if you want to forgo the wash. Or, put your own big 'DO NOT WASH' sign on the dash.
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  • When collecting your car, inspect your car THOROUGHLY before your drive it off the lot - inside and out. The dealer lot monkeys are NOT careful with customer cars, especially lowered ones. Check your leather seats and wheels for gouges. Check under the hood with the motor running for noises, leaks or missing accessories like strut tower bar caps.
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  • Check your fluid levels and caps if the dealer has touched anything. Check the valve cover gasket for pinches or leaks.
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  • Keep every service receipt on your car for at least a year. Ask for a written record of the valve shim measurements on inspection I/II. BMW has a form for this; print it out, take it with you and hand it to the SA with a request that it be completed anytime the valves are adjusted.
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  • EXPLICITLY state what kind of fluids are to be used, and how much. Leave no room for error. Yes, they are supposed to know. Yes, they ignore their own specs.
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  • Keep your own service log on a notepad in the glovebox. I like the small Moleskin notebooks for this.
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    Edit-- adding:
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  • Mondays generally have the least backlog of service cases; If you get there Monday AM, your car typically gets worked on the same day. Depending on backlog/volume, any other day can mean overnight stays until your car gets its turn in the shop.

That's been my experience with the overall crummy BMW dealerships here in LA. Two were decent; three were awful.

Last edited by blender; 12-13-2010 at 12:48 AM..
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