So frustrated with BMW dealerships at the moment.

[Serious]

BMW makes great cars, but honestly these dealerships are incompetent.

My car has ~49.5k miles and is coming off warranty and going onto CPO so naturally I am going to get a few small issues fixed before.

So I have a list of small issues, mostly trim and some small driving issues like an idle that stumbles occassionally, about 7 complaints in all. First dealership calls me back after leaving the car and says "oh we couldn't find ANY of your issues, come pick your car up."

Ummm ok well I admit that some issues would be hard to diagnose; but a few like how the ebrake would barely engage and broken trim piece around the shifter shouldve been fairly obvious. I get them to fix those two things, and ask them about the steering wheel tabs, because mine are peeling off and a friend said he got his replaced under warranty, so of course they deny it and at this point based on the dealerships reputation of terrible service and obvious disinterest at fixing the car I just take it.

So onto dealership number two which has a much better rep. Only reason it's going back to the dealer because I realized that the glovebox door lid notch which turns the light off was broken and the light is staying on all the time and ruining the battery. I also mention the steering wheel tabs and how others have had them replaced under warranty and how on cold starts the car will bog down to about 300rpm and nearly die. Not a huge concern but an irraiting and obvious irregularity with the car since my e46 m3 never did this in the 3.5 years I owned it and I run exactly the same gas in this car as I did in that one, so E10 fuel isn't a concern.

Get the call back today, won't warranty steering wheel tabs and apparently it's normal for a $60,000 BMW to bog to shit on cold start. Basically since there isn't a code they won't fix anything.

Complaints have nothing to do with the car, but damn it's frustrating buying $60,000 worth of car from these people and then being screwed over on nickel and dime B.S. when BMWNA is paying for the repairs anyways.
Everytime I go in I feel like I have to beg these people do to their jobs, as I am inconviencing them in some way... and then to top it off am fed a load of BS about how it's operating normally or the car isn't being driven right etc. which may work fine on some unknowledgable old lady in a 528i but I always try to make it clear that's it's not a good idea to feed me the normal SA BS)

But I'm sure the alignment + wheel & tire balance will be $250+ LOL (and yes I know not to take it to the dealer for those things, but with only 500mi of warranty and no time in the next week I was kinda screwed.)

oh well, back to fixing my own cars which is nice since it is honestly less of a hassle to buy the parts online and just do it myself.

FYI dealerships are two local seattle BMW dealerships, I would say avoid but if you live in this area they are the only two options. Ugh.

[mousitch]

Feel your pain. Fixing it yourself is a great feeling but knowing it should be fixed for free is annoying. I always get the feeling as soon as i leave my dealership the service guys are flipping me off. The whole dealership basically hates the fact that i refuse to buy a single thing from them. There salesman are assholes, they are overpriced and have a crappy inventory. Quite simply I buy out of town. Then run into my local for inspections and warranty repairs. But in all reality I can't wait till warranty runs out because I know I can do a better job and know it's done right. That's my baby and I really don't like anyone else touching her. In the past I have forgone free service just cause I know I care and they don't. Shame on you BMW.

They will hate me more know if they read this lol

[dekaliber]

A concern of mine as well. Thankfully I haven't really had to bring it in for anything major but I do have those tabs on the steering wheel where a few spots have worn off. Honestly I wish they would just buy the parts and let me install everything. That goes for the oil/filters too because at least I wouldn't overfill it.

[r4gs]

i'm wondering if it's a blessing in disguise that i'm now out of the original warranty and maintenance and into the cpo. as perhaps is common among very particular owners, we tend to fuss and fawn over our cars much more so than say the average, prefers-to-fuss-minimally-with-cars kind of consumer. i've not forked over a single cent for any of the nitpicking things i've brought my car in twice to have replaced/looked at/serviced. tough customer!

[Erhan]

I was going over my service records and apparently it's been a year since I got my oil change. In some other topics people were saying BMW is being a bitch about free service these days... Well, I hope they change my oil :\

[Crimson92]

Serious,

I know how you feel. I am dealing with dealership BS right now.

Its not just us guys, the e9x m3 guys are having problems with bmw dealers as.

Its a shame that the talent that work at dealers are no better than jiffy lube guys.

[FerRrari]

BMW Seattle has always been real good to me and they make sure to fix any issues I bring to their attention... BMW Bellevue on the other hand... don't want to even drive near them!

As far as replacing a worn steering wheel, that's not covered just like worn seat bolsters aren't covered, but if you have a good relationship with the dealer they might do a one time courtesy.

BTW for allignment I'd go to Cantrell, they're fantastic!

[Serious]

Originally Posted by FerRrari

BMW Seattle has always been real good to me and they make sure to fix any issues I bring to their attention... BMW Bellevue on the other hand... don't want to even drive near them!

As far as replacing a worn steering wheel, that's not covered just like worn seat bolsters aren't covered, but if you have a good relationship with the dealer they might do a one time courtesy.

BTW for allignment I'd go to Cantrell, they're fantastic!

It's not the wheel, it's the tabs that the buttons are on... common issue with z4's. Many owners have had them replaced under warranty, even my SA at BMW Bellevue admitted this.

Besides it's not the fact that stuff isn't covered, it's the fact that it's the tech's are lazy as shit and unless the computer pumps out a "code" they just assume everything is fine with the car... then the SA feeds you a bunch of BS about how it's normal for a $60k BMW to die at idle.

The SA actually told me that whether the car idles or not is determined by break-in procedure or the valve adjustment or the vanos LOL (well if the car has a vanos problem, then since it's under warranty replace it! idiots!!!!!). Anyone who has even the slightest mechanical knowledge of how an engine works would easily recognize this as BS and them trying to dance around problems by trying to confuse customers with technical terms and jargon.

I have personal friends who are BMW SA's so I know their job might not be the most enjoyable dealing with picky angry customers, but I think way the customers are handled is mainly what makes us angry and bad to deal with. I have never had to deal with such bad customer service as frequently as I do with BMW dealerships, I am constantly having to argue with them just to get them to do their jobs to an acceptable level and more often than not I still leave frustrated and vowing never to buy a car from these idiots again (even though I know I am pigeon holed into buying a car from them because they are the only dealers around).

[jmillet]

Originally Posted by FerRrari

BMW Seattle has always been real good to me and they make sure to fix any issues I bring to their attention... BMW Bellevue on the other hand... don't want to even drive near them!

As far as replacing a worn steering wheel, that's not covered just like worn seat bolsters aren't covered, but if you have a good relationship with the dealer they might do a one time courtesy.

BTW for allignment I'd go to Cantrell, they're fantastic!

I too have been getting all my warranty work done by BMW Seattle and their service has been overall excellent for the past 15 years. I always deal with SA Alex Long and he ensures a competent tech works on my Bimmer. My last warranty job was a steering expansion hose replacement and they did the job while I waited. Super service.
I do all my own regular maintenance like oil service and Inspection I so don't rely a dealer for routine service.

[Serious]

This just in... tech says it's a manufacturing tolerance of the individual throttle butterflies. (quite peculiar since the car only does it on cold start never any other time at idle). Nor will they replace the intake throttle housings or throttle plates because the problem isn't severe enough.

So apparently BMW doesn't have the ability to properly cast throttle body housing assembly or stamp out a properly size throttle plate. What a joke, screw these idiots.

BTW I wonder what changed from it being the vanos/valve adjustment/break-in procedure problem that it was yesterday.... maybe tomorrow the problem will be caused by my muffler bearings being out of spec, or a faulty vtec auto accumulator.

[esqu1re]

Obviously, all of your problems are caused by your [insert any aftermarket part you've put on].

*sarcasm*

[pokeybritches]

Originally Posted by Serious

BTW I wonder what changed from it being the vanos/valve adjustment/break-in procedure problem that it was yesterday.... maybe tomorrow the problem will be caused by my muffler bearings being out of spec, or a faulty vtec auto accumulator.

It's obviously your headlight fluid that's a quart low.

Honestly, I think it's a software issue, as so many of our Z's have the rpm dip.

The thing that bothers me the most is that during these "inspections," it's very rare to have things replaced unless we the customers have a complaint about it. I had no idea interior trim wasn't covered under extended warranty and maintenance, and when I brought my car in to have everything done at once at just over 50k miles, I was told, "You should have brought it in earlier." My steering wheel tabs have been broken for at least 20k miles, and the same goes for the cracks in the plastic around the shifter. It's an hour and a half drive round-trip to the nearest dealership, and I was certain they wouldn't have the parts in stock (never do), so asking for several hours off work in as many days while forking over $40+ in gas isn't always feasible. It would take less time to buy the parts and do it myself. It definitely wouldn't cost me as much as CPO+maintenance did, unless my engine grenades from sheared cam bolts that BMW has yet to recall.

[Finnegan]

Originally Posted by Serious

This just in... tech says it's a manufacturing tolerance of the individual throttle butterflies. (quite peculiar since the car only does it on cold start never any other time at idle). Nor will they replace the intake throttle housings or throttle plates because the problem isn't severe enough.

So apparently BMW doesn't have the ability to properly cast throttle body housing assembly or stamp out a properly size throttle plate. What a joke, screw these idiots.

BTW I wonder what changed from it being the vanos/valve adjustment/break-in procedure problem that it was yesterday.... maybe tomorrow the problem will be caused by my muffler bearings being out of spec, or a faulty vtec auto accumulator.

Honestly, these guys remind me of the incompetent and stupid outsourced IT a lot of folks encounter. They have no idea how anything works, and just run through their standard scripts like the drones they are. These guys are no different. Typically the outsourced IT guys try to baffle folks with bullshit the same way (tehnobabble) and then change their story day to day as well. 9 times out of 10 they blame the end user too because they simply have no freakin' clue.

Same with doctors. See that number on the test? You're fine. It's hard to find one that will observe and listen to actual symptoms and consider those. No, just the numbers on the test--who cares what you feel like or what symptoms you have. If you ever have anything wrong with you that's out of the ordinary good luck getting it treated...

All of which doesn't help you one bit but I think it can be traced to the same sources: cutting expenses at the expense of the customer by having untrained staff (in the case of doctors too many patients no time--again costs) who have no idea what they are talking about. They just read the "answers" out of the recipe book (which they don't even bother to try and understand either and get it wrong).

I happen to have a great dealer and shop, but several of the "techs" there are actual mechnanics with 20 or so years of experience. They actually know how an car and its mechnical systems operate and don't rely only on the paint by numbers method. Sadly that is not the case with most BMW shops.

I suspect the experienced guys cost a lot more to have around, hence many places have dumped them for less experienced "techs" who only know how to read codes off a computer and have no idea how anything really works....more paint by numbers stuff...just like the SAs who are several levels worse.

[Serious]

Originally Posted by esqu1re

Obviously, all of your problems are caused by your [insert any aftermarket part you've put on].

*sarcasm*

Yep that is the first thing they asked me...

"oh so what aftermarket software do you have on the car??????"

"ummmm.... none the is bone stock." (I know not to even bring the car to the dealership if you have even one aftermarket part on the car)

[AWM3]

Originally Posted by Serious

BMW makes great cars, but honestly these dealerships are incompetent.

Complaints have nothing to do with the car, but damn it's frustrating buying $60,000 worth of car from these people and then being screwed over on nickel and dime B.S. when BMWNA is paying for the repairs anyways.
Everytime I go in I feel like I have to beg these people do to their jobs, as I am inconviencing them in some way... and then to top it off am fed a load of BS about how it's operating normally or the car isn't being driven right etc. which may work fine on some unknowledgable old lady in a 528i but I always try to make it clear that's it's not a good idea to feed me the normal SA BS)

But I'm sure the alignment + wheel & tire balance will be $250+ LOL (and yes I know not to take it to the dealer for those things, but with only 500mi of warranty and no time in the next week I was kinda screwed.)

oh well, back to fixing my own cars which is nice since it is honestly less of a hassle to buy the parts online and just do it myself.

FYI dealerships are two local seattle BMW dealerships, I would say avoid but if you live in this area they are the only two options. Ugh.

It's now a 30 thousand dollar car (on a good day, maybe less) so don't kid yourself that you are driving an expensive car. Your aren't. It's just an expensive to repair car.

[mousitch]

Originally Posted by car62

It's now a 30 thousand dollar car (on a good day, maybe less) so don't kid yourself that you are driving an expensive car. Your aren't. It's just an expensive to repair car.

Expensive is relative term. Just depends on how much money you make. On my budget $30,000 is an expensive car.

[r4gs]

^haha, well tt's definitely NOT inclusive of the extra dough for mods no?

my sa's friendly and very patient, and always accedes to my specific requests (the last visit i insisted on having only the shop foreman work on checking my engine mounts and doing a full clutch bleed after i'd switched out the cdv secretly).

i'm wondering if m coupe owners are treated, or rather, approached differently because of how bold and unique our cars are. a lot of the execs and service staff at bmw of san antonio recognize my car (and pathetically, me as a consequence of this) whenever i drop by. can't say i don't enjoy the attention

[mousitch]

Originally Posted by r4gs

^haha, well tt's definitely NOT inclusive of the extra dough for mods no?

my sa's friendly and very patient, and always accedes to my specific requests (the last visit i insisted on having only the shop foreman work on checking my engine mounts and doing a full clutch bleed after i'd switched out the cdv secretly).

i'm wondering if m coupe owners are treated, or rather, approached differently because of how bold and unique our cars are. a lot of the execs and service staff at bmw of san antonio recognize my car (and pathetically, me as a consequence of this) whenever i drop by. can't say i don't enjoy the attention

Mods, visa baby.

[Serious]

Originally Posted by car62

It's now a 30 thousand dollar car (on a good day, maybe less) so don't kid yourself that you are driving an expensive car. Your aren't. It's just an expensive to repair car.

Pfft BMW makes more money selling their CPO cars then a new 3 series at invoice.

Besides even at $25k the car still shouldn't die at idle, I can buy an $800 early 90's volvo that cold starts better than my car.

BTW I called and complained to BMWNA, I know it won't make any difference but at least the people at BMW were kind and listened to my concerns. I don't expect anything out of it, just wanted to be heard.

[AWM3]

My car is not very good on cold starts either. Sometimes I have to start it twice. Some common sense things you could consider are running through a few bottles of fuel injector cleaner to see if that helps, or try changing brands of fuel to see if it seems better with a different brand of gas. These engines do seem to be very touchy about fuel brand and quality. Even if you are buying a top tier brand, you never know if the particular gas station you are going to is playing any games with the premium fuel. They often do.

[SHEEDI]

BMW = Big Money Wasted LOL

[nemex12]

lol, the same old story. i really, really hate bmw dealerships. i made an oath never to bring my car to my local dealer because the last time they gave me the car with a flat tire,i felt the car strange right after i left the dealership and drove home,after 2 days of the car sitting in my garage i realized it was plain flat. after i took the car back to the dealership they told me that they didnt give me the car with a flat tire but i explained that i put the car in my house and didnt leave so their logical explanation was "it was a kid from your neiborghood who made you a joke, it happens all the time" yeah right!!! the worst thing is that they charged me over 200 bucks just to check the car out and they didnt find even any problem with the tire)i had put some air in it to take it to the dealership. i had to pay because the guy who had the authority to void the bill wasnt there and they didnt know if he was coming back and after i came out i noticed the tire was still losing air. what a morons
EDIT:UNBELIEVABLE!!!! JUST CAME FROM THE DEALER WHERE MY CAR WAS FOR OIL CHANGE AND NOW MY LEFT FENDER HAVE A VERY BIG SCRATCH, THEY TOLD ME THEY WERE GOING TO FIX IT BUT I DONT KNOW, I FEEL LIKE FIXING ITS NOT ENOUGH, SPECIALLY WHEN I KNOW THAT PAINTING FROM THE FACTORY IS ALWAYS BETTER