Worn steering wheel tab/ button replaced under warranty?

Serious · 09-26-2010, 05:10 PM

Talking to another z4M owner at an HPDE on thursday he mentioned that he was able to get his steering wheel tabs & buttons replaced under warranty due to wear.

My SA acknowledged this was a common issue often seen with z4's but said he couldn't get them to warranty them, which sucks because they are over $100 for the button & tab pieces.

Has anyone else had success getting new tabs/buttons replaced under warranty?

Vertigo//SD · 09-26-2010, 05:26 PM

One of the plastic trim pieces on the right was cracked and the dealer replaced both under warranty.

-c- · 09-26-2010, 05:28 PM

Might have just been a fluke as some dealers treat customers differently depending how many BMW's they have bought in the past they may have just good willed it to keep him happy as BMW usually won't replace a part unless its defective as that peice is considered a normal wear and tear item .

Serious · 09-26-2010, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -c-

Might have just been a fluke as some dealers treat customers differently depending how many BMW's they have bought in the past they may have just good willed it to keep him happy as BMW usually won't replace a part unless its defective as that peice is considered a normal wear and tear item .

Well I've been personal friends with my SA for years, long before he was an SA.

He said he was getting these replaced under warranty and BMW put a stop to it.

As I was informed this is a fairly common issue and shouldn't really be considered "wear & tear" IMO. None of my other BMW's ever had steering wheel pieces wear like this.

-c- · 09-26-2010, 06:40 PM

i know its good to be close to the SA but they are still bound by the rules, i was just stating the normal dealers out their may not see it as a problem just as BMW dosnt see it as a problem either, what i meant by the "good will" was some dealers will eat the cost and replace the buttons just to make the customer happy (which your SA freind may be able to do), and others wont. my A6 has soft touch areas that wore badly and they seemed to degrade rather quicly for being a new car, took it to the dealer and they wouldnt touch it for warranty as they blame it on lotions, skin oils, jewelry and the like, not a defect of the manufacturers so i just replaced it myself.

but either way sometimes its just easier to eat the cost and replace it yourself and have a nice new one rather than jumping throug hoops to get them to replace it.

but if you get them to replace it kudos to you !

as far as parts wearing it also depends if BMW used different suppliers for the switches which inturn used different plastics and other forms of cost reduction to make them less resistant to wear.

but for the most part any moving thing in an automobile that rocks moves or slides they usually consider wear and tear, espeacially seats, steering wheels and anything that you touch allot of in an inteirior, at least thats how the OEM company i work for see things.

AtoB · 09-26-2010, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serious

Talking to another z4M owner at an HPDE on thursday he mentioned that he was able to get his steering wheel tabs & buttons replaced under warranty due to wear.

My SA acknowledged this was a common issue often seen with z4's but said he couldn't get them to warranty them, which sucks because they are over $100 for the button & tab pieces.

Has anyone else had success getting new tabs/buttons replaced under warranty?

Yes, twice actually... No problem with the dealer at all

dekaliber · 09-27-2010, 10:24 PM

Hot damn, so we're looking at PN 32348035326 for ~$160?

A piece of the left and right spoke covers seems to have chipped or rubbed off over the weekend. Sucks. I might try to see if they'll replace it next time I go in. Is it pretty easy to DIY in any case? Just some torx screws behind the steering wheel?

09-26-2010, 05:10 PM	#1
Serious 1M advocate 214 Rep 878 Posts Drives: 2018 S4. 2011 M3. 2012 S1000RR Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Seattle iTrader: (0)	Worn steering wheel tab/ button replaced under warranty? Talking to another z4M owner at an HPDE on thursday he mentioned that he was able to get his steering wheel tabs & buttons replaced under warranty due to wear. My SA acknowledged this was a common issue often seen with z4's but said he couldn't get them to warranty them, which sucks because they are over $100 for the button & tab pieces. Has anyone else had success getting new tabs/buttons replaced under warranty? __________________ 2012 BMW S1000RR 2011 BMW M3
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09-26-2010, 05:26 PM	#2
Vertigo//SD First Lieutenant 39 Rep 362 Posts Drives: X1 xDrive28i (temporarily) Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: San Diego, CA iTrader: (1)	One of the plastic trim pieces on the right was cracked and the dealer replaced both under warranty.
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09-26-2010, 05:28 PM	#3
-c- Colonel 891 Rep 2,737 Posts Drives: bmw Join Date: May 2010 Location: Chicago iTrader: (5)	Might have just been a fluke as some dealers treat customers differently depending how many BMW's they have bought in the past they may have just good willed it to keep him happy as BMW usually won't replace a part unless its defective as that peice is considered a normal wear and tear item .
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09-26-2010, 06:40 PM	#5
-c- Colonel 891 Rep 2,737 Posts Drives: bmw Join Date: May 2010 Location: Chicago iTrader: (5)	i know its good to be close to the SA but they are still bound by the rules, i was just stating the normal dealers out their may not see it as a problem just as BMW dosnt see it as a problem either, what i meant by the "good will" was some dealers will eat the cost and replace the buttons just to make the customer happy (which your SA freind may be able to do), and others wont. my A6 has soft touch areas that wore badly and they seemed to degrade rather quicly for being a new car, took it to the dealer and they wouldnt touch it for warranty as they blame it on lotions, skin oils, jewelry and the like, not a defect of the manufacturers so i just replaced it myself. but either way sometimes its just easier to eat the cost and replace it yourself and have a nice new one rather than jumping throug hoops to get them to replace it. but if you get them to replace it kudos to you ! as far as parts wearing it also depends if BMW used different suppliers for the switches which inturn used different plastics and other forms of cost reduction to make them less resistant to wear. but for the most part any moving thing in an automobile that rocks moves or slides they usually consider wear and tear, espeacially seats, steering wheels and anything that you touch allot of in an inteirior, at least thats how the OEM company i work for see things. Last edited by -c-; 09-26-2010 at 06:48 PM..
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09-27-2010, 10:24 PM	#7
dekaliber Major 75 Rep 1,143 Posts Drives: '07 Z4MC, '11 JCW, '18 Z06 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (1)	Hot damn, so we're looking at PN 32348035326 for ~$160? A piece of the left and right spoke covers seems to have chipped or rubbed off over the weekend. Sucks. I might try to see if they'll replace it next time I go in. Is it pretty easy to DIY in any case? Just some torx screws behind the steering wheel?
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