A negative experience with BMW USA

[Ron_G]

On November 29th, 2007, I bought a used 2003 BMW Z4 with a CPO. I did not buy the car from a dealership but I confirmed the vehicle’s service history and CPO status with my local dealership. The car had just been fully serviced at 33k miles, and now had 38k miles. The CPO was good until Oct. 2009.

With this info in hand I felt comfortable buying the car, which I did. On May 5, 2008, one of the coils apparently failed and I brought the car in for repair to the same dealership that confirmed the original CPO status. They said, according to their computer system, my car was not on CPO. I had the car fixed on my dime and contacted BMW Customer Service to find out what happened to my CPO. They claimed there was no record of the car on CPO.

I researched, found, and contacted the dealership where the vehicle was originally sold and they said the vehicle was originally certified CPO upon lease return but was sold to a wholesaler and ultimately to me. The CPO was removed from the vehicle because the car was wholesaled.

I re-contacted BMW Customer Service, got a sympathetic ear, and was basically told to pound salt. The time frame from when the vehicle was certified but wholesaled was in early October 2007. Through November 29th when I confirmed and bought the car, it was still in the system as having a CPO.

What else could I have done to confirm the CPO status other than going to an authorized dealership and confirming with them? BMW should have removed this vehicle from their system as CPO prior to wholeselling. The person I bought the car from had done the same thing, contacted his local BMW dealership with which he has a working service and repair relationship. He advertised and sold the vehicle in good faith as having a CPO. This is confirmed with his dealership, also.

Sorry for the rant but I need to vent. I am in communication with an attorney and the BBB in an effort to get BMW to stand up and assume responsibility for this apparent clerical error, or what ever you want to call it. Buyer Beware is all I can say.

Ron

 

[WaZZZZman]

Good luck to you, I have had a similar experience with the dealer. I was still under warranty, and they did not deny it, but tried to tell me the problem I was having was because of and accident not covered under warranty. :evil:

Because of contact where I used to work I was able to find the previous owner and upon talking to her she assured me that the car had NEVER been in any kind of accident.

When I went back to the dealer I went right to the manager and told him what I was told and that as a new BMW customer I had not expected to be film- flamed like that :thumbsdown: and that if he would not correct the situation I was going to escalate it to corporate. They fixed the problem and corporate called me to confirm that I was happy.

SO stick to your guns and talk to someone there who can act. The reps do not make policy decisions management does at least that is what they are paid to do. Make them earn their pay.