Nightmare dealer situation (Updated)

[George Hill]

The point is that BMW has a procedure for every repair to cover their butts... if they say you need to replace the oil pan bolts, you didn't and the oil pan gasket leaks why should they pay the bill to replace the gasket? Most people are motivated by money and hitting them in the pocket book is the best way to achieve that goal.

Back in the mid 2000s when I worked at the dealer, techs screwing warranty was rampant (and still is in another fashion), and BMW got tired of it. As a buddy said it at the time... Techs eff them and the eff back, but the eff harder. At the end of the day, if you follow the rules generally it works out ok for everyone.

To Maxima's analogy... if the procedure requires 12mL and you give them 10mL and something goes wrong should you not be responsible for that outcome?

[bigjae46]

This repair was done out of the dealerships pocket. At least that’s what they told me. It’s 4 pages of parts and knock on wood however so far it’s running super smooth. I’m talking it easy for the first 1200 miles and will also send the oil sample into BlackStone for testing. The dealership has been great and when my 2021 M340 is up I will be ordering another car from them for sure. I could have been super screwed in this situation if it went the other way.

Probably. Did you pay anything on the invoice where the repair was done? If not you get zero warranty. There has to be some out of pocket expense. If you paid zero, I would see if the dealer could charge you $50. That way you'd get the 2 year unlimited mileage warranty.

If there is ever a zero dollar goodwill or out of warranty repair...always offer to pay something so you get the 2 year warranty.

[bigjae46]

I don't know if I would blame the stealership so much. Sounds like the bigger problem is BMW itself with their nonsense policies.

Can you imagine if you applied this kind bull crap in another field? Lets say you go to the hospital and need emergent surgery but the surgeon tells you he wont operate on you because there is a chance your insurance will deny your claim because he gave you 10 mL of numbing medicine instead of the recommended 12 mL and 3 stitches less than the usual. Now you have to shop around at another hospital or pay out of pocket for your surgery.

It's the car dealership business. Lots of crooked stuff going on. To BMW's defense, they need to audit because their warranty costs would be out of control. Also to BMW's credit, they will warranty stuff that most other manufacturers won't. BMW has a higher standard of performance. If there is truly an issue then BMW does commit to fix it. And BMW does step up and extend warranties on crappy parts like water pumps. I don't have much of an issue with BMW.

Really it is all about how competent and customer oriented the particular service department is. If your service advisor and shop foreman are lazy then customers will get screwed...problems won't be fixed and they will find ways to not cover stuff under warranty.

[GreyM340i]

Probably. Did you pay anything on the invoice where the repair was done? If not you get zero warranty. There has to be some out of pocket expense. If you paid zero, I would see if the dealer could charge you $50. That way you'd get the 2 year unlimited mileage warranty.

If there is ever a zero dollar goodwill or out of warranty repair...always offer to pay something so you get the 2 year warranty.

Even if it says 2 year unlimited mileage warranty on my invoice? The service manager said they have to have everything they did on the invoice including all parts replaced for the 2 year warranty. This was a well documented situation with emails, invoices, texts and they also had my car for over 5 months. The whole dealership knows about my M3. Lol

[bigjae46]

Even if it says 2 year unlimited mileage warranty on my invoice? The service manager said they have to have everything they did on the invoice including all parts replaced for the 2 year warranty. This was a well documented situation with emails, invoices, texts and they also had my car for over 5 months. The whole dealership knows about my M3. Lol

All those communications don't matter. If the dealer charged it internally and there is no out of pocket cost to the customer or a third party warranty...2 year parts and labor through BMW is not valid. The dealership would have to pay for any warranty repair out of their own pocket which I would not trust.

[GreyM340i]

All those communications don't matter. If the dealer charged it internally and there is no out of pocket cost to the customer or a third party warranty...2 year parts and labor through BMW is not valid. The dealership would have to pay for any warranty repair out of their own pocket which I would not trust.

I’m pretty sure I trust them if it’s an engine issue that they touched and admitted to causing the issue and fixed on their own invoice.. Worst case I’m sure a lawyer would help as it’s all documented. At this point hopefully I will never need them and the car runs as it should.