Am I being Mugged Off ??....

[Yanto_csl]

Guys - need your advice....

Following the "limp home" issue, car has been up to Sytner Loughton today to be looked at. Had a call this afternoon (was in transit on train at the time so call was breaking up a little), but they are saying they had it up on the ramps and claim the issue may be due to "trapped debris" and misfunctional potentiometer (spelling?). Suprise, suprise, they also found a couple of other problems:

1. Bushes shot
2. Seized brake caliper (made a point of saying how dangerous it is...we took it out for a test drive and it was smoking......never witnessed it myself.....) and as a result I need new disc (s) / caliper....

Car is currently reading ~53.5K miles.


Back in Feb 2010 - mileage 51250, I had work done at Bexley Motor Works - Invoice reads:

1x MOT
1x Powerflex RTAB
1x Powerflec TCA bush
2x Replace Rear trialing arm bushes
2x Replace track control arm bushes
1x carry out 4 wheel alignement

Total (inc VAT)= £579.40

A couple of weeks later (similar mileage), again at Bexley, I had all four disks replaced, Pagid R29's fitted, braided hoses and 5.1 fluids.

Cant find invoice right now but I provided disks / pads myself and they provided hoses / fluids. They fitted them so I paid labour and minimal parts. From memory ~£300

On the test drive Bexley did after the above, the Alternator light came on, which they alerted me to. I got the car home, afterwhich called BMW breakdown (per warranty). Car into Loughton BMW, Alternator replaced (under warranty), Battery (not warrantied) but again they found problems with the brake lines under the car (again, this is very dangerous Sir) total charge on this visit at (51708 miles) - £845 inc VAT. This was straight after the Bexley visit. I called up the guys at Bexley and asked if they see anything under the car which looked concerning....they said no, otherwise they would've flagged it...

So now, within 2K miles of them being fitted, Sytner Loughton are claiming shot bushes, shot disks.....

Getting VERY fookin pissed off with this - blood has been boiling all day.....

Intention tomorrow is to tell Loughton to stick it, pick the car up and go straight to Murketts, another hour up the road...

Rapidly going off the brand due to the customer service / feeling of being anally raped....the CS when I went in left a lot to be desired...

This is complete bollox right ??

[alexk]

Yes I can confirm it's bollocks.

Take the car to a better service mate.

[s.mac]

They take the piss mate, I had the same when mine went in for the MOT less than a couple of hundred miles from being in at Murketts, my local dealer gave me their list of faults. I was half expecting it. I stated it had just been to another main dealers and questioned them, I asked a lot of questions but the work was done, covered on the warranty. I think they were taking the ...., they didnt think I was covered and were expecting to get some ££ out of me :banghead: I dont believe Murketts missed anything as they had checked everything and did what ever was needed to be done under the warranty.
I wont be going back to my local dealer

[Bounce]

Give Andy Pressland a ring Ian and go up to Murketts,sounds a bit dodgy to me.Explain to Andy what has happend,if your brakes and bushes are ok,i would compain to BMW GB,I bet Murketts get your limp home mode sorted under warranty.Keep us posted on the outcome.:banghead:

[Yanto_csl]

Thx Guys - I have no objection to paying for what genuine work that needs doing, but looking at the mileage covered (and I dont drive in anger all the time !) this just does not add up to me.

This is the second time the "actually, it is quite dangerous" line has been used in two visits to the same dealer.....and I just dont buy looking at the evidence..

Post the limp home mode coming on, I drove Shropshire to London and have now driven London to Loughton......no lights, no limp home, no smoke from the brakes etc etc....it's beginning to boil my feckin piss....

<note to self: must learn more about cars>

[Yanto_csl]

BTW - Brett, does Andy have a DD ? or is it a case of going through the main switch to servicing ?? (if he does, can you PM me pls)

Ta

:thumbs:

[Yanto_csl]

One other thing....it was suggested that I thought about Inspection 1.....c. 4K miles away but admittedly its not been serviced for c. 14 months. When I discussed the mileage, they said not to worry for now..

I did suggest, if we did it, I could provide my own oil (have 2L recently purchased from Opie Oils....Castrol Edge 10W-60 for BMW M-Series engines).

Service guy suggested that I would have to sign a disclaimer confirming I had provided own oil and inferred that there may be an issue if there was ever a Warranty claim down the line and it wasnt worth the risk !!........WTF ! This is what BMW dealers use right ??

[Bounce]

One other thing....it was suggested that I thought about Inspection 1.....c. 4K miles away but admittedly its not been serviced for c. 14 months. When I discussed the mileage, they said not to worry for now..

I did suggest, if we did it, I could provide my own oil (have 2L recently purchased from Opie Oils....Castrol Edge 10W-60 for BMW M-Series engines).

Service guy suggested that I would have to sign a disclaimer confirming I had provided own oil and inferred that there may be an issue if there was ever a Warranty claim down the line and it wasnt worth the risk !!........WTF ! This is what BMW dealers use right ??

Ive always taken my own Castrol 10w/60 to the dealers.There talking a load of bollox Ian,:smt013

[Bounce]

BTW - Brett, does Andy have a DD ? or is it a case of going through the main switch to servicing ?? (if he does, can you PM me pls)

Ta

:thumbs:

Just go through the main switch mate and ask for BMW service as Murketts are Vauxhall dealers also.Andy or his side kick will answer,but Andy deals with M-power and the other guy every thing else.

[shane@mbtech]

Just sounds typical dealer tbh.

Having worked @ dealers straight from school, you guys would be shocked at some of the things I have seen.

Find a good place stick with it.

Murketts for me.

We see it all the time, customer has been in for service or free inspection at main dealer. Dealer then provides a huge list of required work, most of which told as dangerous. Customer faints with shock at price, customer wakes up, customer looks on net or a friend recommends us, we look at car, surprise surprise nearly 80% of works required are in fact bullshit. We are happy to show them underneath the car, and show them their not so dangerous car. Its shocking that it still goes on, but it does. Most main dealers are a little quiet at present. They see a CSL and presume you a) have money and b) are naive enough to believe them and c) a bit of both a & b.

Get it checked over by a good respected, recommended garage.

[glendog74]

I must say you're boiling a lot of things today Ian; first blood, then piss! What next? :whistle:

On a serious note, the 'limp home' potentiometer problem sounds about right - i had this happen at the Ring last year and had to drive all the way home to Somerset with it! They replaced both throttle potentiometers under warranty - around £250 iirc.

WRT the other stuff, seems rather suspect to me - ask them to actually show you why the bushes are fooked and to demonstrate on a test drive how the brakes are apparently smoking (maybe the tester ragged your car to make them smoke!). :banghead:

Ultimately, take it elsewhere - Murketts. I will be taking mine there for it's next Inspection - and i will have to drive +7 hours to get there!

I have my CSL booked into my local dealer this coming Thursday for its MOT - i don't anticipate any snags but we shall see...! :bigcry:

[Yanto_csl]

Thx folks....good advice there...

Rob, at this rate, I may just go and boil my own head..

:hahaha:

[Bounce]

Thx folks....good advice there...

Rob, at this rate, I may just go and boil my own head..

:hahaha:

:hahaha::hahaha:

[Yanto_csl]

Final word on this - and I sh1t you not. When I initially went to the service desk and said I was here to drop off a csl, girl behind desk said "we're not a Mercedes dealership"....(CLS).....s'pose the clues were there :banghead:

[cslgirl]

Final word on this - and I sh1t you not. When I initially went to the service desk and said I was here to drop off a csl, girl behind desk said "we're not a Mercedes dealership"....(CLS).....s'pose the clues were there :banghead:

:hahaha::hahaha: