Part missing after work/service :(

[Vanne]

So I go to pick up my car a day ago or so, and after getting in and driving for about 10 minutes, I look over to my empty pax seat and notice the b pillar cover (where the seat belt goes behind) is missing ??? WTF???

And I didn't get any work done on the inside of the car????

Not happy!!!

What would you do???

I rang them straight away, but as I picked the car up at business close no one was there anymore.. Closed till Monday morning..
Left them a message to call me ASAP when the shop opens...

Anyone have this happened to them?? There were 2 other coupes there at the same time as mine getting various work done.

Yeah any hints as what to do??

[Finnegan]

Calmly ask them to explain where that part is.

Like you said, no interior work, so they've got a lot of 'splaining to do.

Bottom line they need to make good on this. I'd check under the car as well and the engine bay to see if anything else has gone "missing".

[Vanne]

I hear you Finn, makes me kind of angry actually, as I payed a crap load of cash to have my underside refurbed.. Yeah that just makes me wonder and does not leave me with a good feeling... Hopefully there is a good explanation for it...

[WAMz4]

I once purchased new tires at a local mom and pop tire shop as I like to support local small business. I then went directly to a dealer to get an alignment as I do with all new tires. I reported a slight "warble" and they may not be properly balanced. The tech calls me back to the service area and shows me one of my rims is bent, and says the tire installer must have used an improper lift or something. I could see the inside lip of the rim was bent outward almost 1/4 of an inch. I called the tire shop from the dealer and they deny fault as they don't use lifts, just jacks for tire installs. I argued there was no bend or warble when I went in, but it was there when I came out.
They agreed to take a look at the damage if I come directly back to them. So I did. They pull my car around while I'm at the counter checking in. About 20 minutes later they call me back to their garage to show me they cant find anything wrong at all.
Sure enough, when I go back and look at the wheel the bend is miraculously gone! The tech claims he has checked all 4 wheels and finds no bent rims at all.
I tell the owner someone in his shop obviously has a bent BMW rim and thought they could trade it out on the next BMW that pulled in. I informed him I wouldn't be coming back and would warn friends and family as well.
That shop has since gone out of business.

[silverfishZ4M]

Vanne check under all your seats, it may have fallen off.

[Vanne]

Silver, i hear ya mate, thats the first thing i did when i got home.. no b-pilar cover under/behind/in boot/glovie/bloody anywhere in the car... *sniff

ill take Finns advise to stay calm untill i go there/speak to the manager..

WAM, mate i hear ya, not good when stuff like that happenes..

[Vanne]

Okay, development is that I had to work this morning, so called the shop, they are denying any knowledge of what I am talking about....

Sigh... And that for a stupid 40 buck part, after spending 3.5k us on parts and labour...

I am going to go there now and hopefully not loose the plot!!!

[ruscoupe]

Similar thing happened to me once. I've used this dealership for the last 20 years, purchased 6 different cars from them, and the service dept has never done me wrong in fact they've gone over and beyond for me countless times (ex: free oil change just because they misquoted me on how long a part would take to get in, and that was on top of the fact they'd given me a loaner car anyway so it wasn't even a big deal). They countered that no one had been inside the car other than to drive it into/out of the service bay, which made perfect sense to me. They weren't rude, but they did stand strong on their point and reminded me of how many people try to claim something happened at the dealership and demanding refunds/fixes/etc for free, and I know exactly where they're coming from. So I finally just accepted that it was entirely possible the issue had happened prior to getting the car to them and I just didn't notice. In my case, it was a sagging glovebox and the truth is I probably rarely even look at the thing.

I think there's a certain truth in that we tend to be a little more observant after someone else has worked on things we own, be it a car, a house, etc.

All the luck in the world to you, but keep in mind that if they've always treated you fairly, why would they pick something so trivial to deny responsibility of? Typically I've found that a legit service will go out of it's way to make things right. Note I said "legit".

[David70]

I have no idea what really happened but it seems odd to me that you spent $3500 for parts and labor and they stole a $40 part that there is almost no chance they needed. If they wanted to steal $40 from you they could have easily hid it in the parts and labor.

As someone that has made a big deal about someone else causing a problem only to find out later I screwed up, I would probably ask about it and then just let it go. Overall are you happy with the work and price they charge you?

[jdoublehcubed]

I totally disagree with David and Ruscoupe. I would scream bloody murder until they made it right, and be a huge PITA to them until they do so. I don't think anyone here thinks that the dealership itself is stole the part, that they need it for another car or something. Its far more likely that one of their techs, car movers, car washers, parts managers, etc. stole it for some other reason. Their people are their responsibility, and if they're hiring people who pull that kind of shit then they deserve to pay for the problems it causes.

How much pain I would inflict depends on how fast they make it right. If they quickly apologize and replace the part, I would let them off easy (some compensation for the time and aggravation in the form of a credit towards future service for example). If they stall you, the opposite applies.

Good luck!

[David70]

Originally Posted by jdoublehcubed

I would scream bloody murder until they made it right, and be a huge PITA to them until they do so.

If you're 100% sure it was there when you got there I can understand the reasoning behind telling them to pay for it or you're not coming back (calm and reasonable phone call or visit). After that, I am not screaming at anyone (or "inflicting pain") or making it my "mission" to get the money back when it is over $40. Too small of a problem and too many other things in life to do.

[jdoublehcubed]

If it was something easily missed, like some hardware in the engine bay or a fluid cap or something, I think that would be a lot more understandable. Its the obviousness of the missing item that really aggravates me; the service manager and tech both should have noticed it before signing off that the work was complete, which suggests that neither of them made any real effort to inspect the car after the work was completed.

I'm an aerospace engineer, and I have to review shoddy work performed on the shop floor all the time; it absolutely kills me when you see this kind of shit because there are already processes in place to prevent it. In the aerospace industry, we have people whose entire job is to inspect completed work to make sure it was done right, and we still have nonsense like this (or parts put in completely wrong locations, wrong fasteners, etc.).

Yes, it was only $40, but its the principle of a missing item like this thats the problem. You let them get away with a $40 item, next time who knows what will be missing.

[Asianoak]

I really appreciate the responses and reactions that some of you would have to this situation. I deal with the public daily and 99% of the time issues are customer generated, whether intentional or not. I have always been more willing to help and or come up with outside of the box options for customers who treat me with respect and are understanding. I also find it interesting reading the responses above how there seems to be two key approaches to the situation. One is to assume that it was intentional and be mad.... the other is to be understanding and rational... maybe it was an accident... or maybe it really was missing prior to reaching the dealership. I've only had my Z for six months now and so far each b pillar has fallen off at least twice... sometimes without people even being in the car. Just seems to me that staying calm and not screaming bloody murder gets people much further in life. Sure... throwing a fit may get the part replaced but that's it... the absolute minimum. Staying calm and treating them with respect could potentially get you much further in life... maybe not today but maybe a year from now the dealership will remember this event and how mature you handled it and go out of their way to help you with the next issue. Just my two cents.

[Asianoak]

I really appreciate the responses and reactions that some of you would have to this situation. I deal with the public daily and 99% of the time issues are customer generated, whether intentional or not. I have always been more willing to help and or come up with outside of the box options for customers who treat me with respect and are understanding. I also find it interesting reading the responses above how there seems to be two key approaches to the situation. One is to assume that it was intentional and be mad.... the other is to be understanding and rational... maybe it was an accident... or maybe it really was missing prior to reaching the dealership. I've only had my Z for six months now and so far each b pillar has fallen off at least twice... sometimes without people even being in the car. Just seems to me that staying calm and not screaming bloody murder gets people much further in life. Sure... throwing a fit may get the part replaced but that's it... the absolute minimum. Staying calm and treating them with respect could potentially get you much further in life... maybe not today but maybe a year from now the dealership will remember this event and how mature you handled it and go out of their way to help you with the next issue. Just my two cents.

[Asianoak]

I really appreciate the responses and reactions that some of you would have to this situation. I deal with the public daily and 99% of the time issues are customer generated, whether intentional or not. I have always been more willing to help and or come up with outside of the box options for customers who treat me with respect and are understanding. I also find it interesting reading the responses above how there seems to be two key approaches to the situation. One is to assume that it was intentional and be mad.... the other is to be understanding and rational... maybe it was an accident... or maybe it really was missing prior to reaching the dealership. I've only had my Z for six months now and so far each b pillar has fallen off at least twice... sometimes without people even being in the car. Just seems to me that staying calm and not screaming bloody murder gets people much further in life. Sure... throwing a fit may get the part replaced but that's it... the absolute minimum. Staying calm and treating them with respect could potentially get you much further in life... maybe not today but maybe a year from now the dealership will remember this event and how mature you handled it and go out of their way to help you with the next issue. Just my two cents.

[Vanne]

Yeah, as I said, I spoke to the manager, who pretty much told me it was impossible.. Sure fair enough. I then decided to email the owner of the shop (it's not about the cash, it's about the principle of the missing item) who also said that he investigated the matter himself, and none of his employees knew anything about the missing piece.
He also went on to say that he was glad that I was happy with the work done to the car, and that ofcourse his shop would replace the missing part.

Now would I bet my life on the piece being there before I dropped off the car? No, but I am pretty damn sure it was there and being an enthusiast I pretty much now my car 100% in and out. But no I would not bet my life on it.

Is it possible the part fell off?

Sure, anything is possible... But extremely un-likely as it's never come off before and I've since tried to pull the other side off and it doesn't budge unless I wreak the plastic clip/bolt that I think is holding it on.

Is it possible?? Ofcourse...

At any rate, I was happy to receive the email from the owner of the shop saying that they would replace the item. Will I get them to do so? Probably not as it's not the money, but the principle of matter.

So I am happy with the outcome, and I did not go stomping down to the garage and yelling, but it was just frustrating to hear someone tell you that pretty much your lying or hallucinating.

I guess it pays to keep a level head and if your not happy with a managers response, keep going up until someone gives you an answer you can live with.

See if the manager would have said, come on down, we will have a look for it, it would have probably stopped right there and then. It's mostly the tone of voice of the conversation that will determine the initial outcome.

Anyways, I am very happy with the work done on the car, and now am happy with the response I got from the owner.

[Vanne]

Ok, turn of events...

After the email I got from the owner , I haven't heard anything at all, I even emailed the manager with pictures of my part asking if they could please have a look around for said part, but didn't even get a response... Not even ok, we will look around..

No comms... Unbelievable.. And no coms probably as they found out that the missing bit costs 287us plus tax...

So not happy with what's going on... Looking for a new shop... Bloody hell... And for what it's worth, keeping calm gets you stuff all, not only that, but the manager pretty much called me a lier... Now /that's/ customer service..

[Vanne]

Oh and Asianoak, mate I've tried pulling off the cover that is still there and it's on bloody tight.. Not even remotely possible for it to fall off, unless it's been off previously and not put back on properly..

[Finnegan]

Wow. Frustrating course of events.

I've been on the forum a long time, and failing trim on B pillars hasn't come up as a common issue. First I've heard of it in fact. Vanos bolts, creaking firewall braces, engine mount bolts, 1st to 2nd shifting, exhaust hubs, loose rear ARB nuts, failed external window trim, headlight washer trim falling off....common issues all frequently discussed. I've got two cars in the garage with 60K miles and plenty of track use. Trim all present and accounted for.

Is it possible it fell off before ending up in the shop? Yes. But not likely. Is it possible Vanne wouldn't have noticed? Yes, but again, unlikely as well (the eye looks to that spot pretty readily on ingress to the car or when glancing around when driving). On the other hand, it's an odd piece to have go on walkabout. Also odd there'd be a market for it given the Z's relative rarity. That leaves us with the most likely thing being ***something*** happening at the shop. What? Who knows? Maybe it was damaged and someone pulled it off--thinking it could be passed off as "being like that when it came in". A damaged piece (in pieces) would be pretty hard to explain.

All that said there's no absolute proof of any possible scenario. I think the customer service could have been handled better, and that's the heart of the matter. Not who did or did not do whatever. I'm betting Vanne would have been happy with a better acknowledgement, and some decent follow-up, and probably even an offer to split the difference on cost of a replacement part had they followed through. (Not trying to speak for you, just guessing based on your posts in this thread so far.) I'm a patient level headed person for the most part, but customer service badly handled will spin me up pretty easily. This sure would. FWIW I get why you're frustrated and a über unhappy.

[David70]

If the plan is to just not go back I would make sure they knew why.