How To Approach BMW - Very Annoyed

That's why mine only goes to BMW for warranty & services required to maintain the extended warranty.

I even walked out of one dealership after I'd booked it in for an inspection, as I'd spent a week phoning around for prices, and the best value was from one 60 miles away. They provided a courtesy car (yes, a free one) so the distance it wasn't an issue, and most of the others required a £20/day 'contribution' for the same car.

Arrived at the dealership and was taken through what they were going to do, and was asked to sign the quote showing the work required and the price. However the price on the sheet was £100 more than what I'd agreed on the phone and assumed they'd forgotten the discounts on parts & labour (FourPlus & BMW Car Club discounts).

They were adamant that they hadn't, but would sort it out when I came to pay the bill and collect the car. I asked them to sort it out there and then or I was leaving. They didn't/couldn't, so I left and took it to another.

The strange thing was that of the 10 or so I contacted, 4 of them were from the same group which were supposed to have identical pricing for parts & labour, yet the price between the 4 varied by £200.
 
It's crazy... i am going to voice my opinion and experience with BMW Ireland... not my cup of tea but it really has p*ssed me off...
 
I am not sure to be honest, i am not up on this kind of thing but i think it is a respray...as the the surface is 100% completely smooth... as i was thinking a re-buff might take the blemish out but it is already smooth... can i ask why you ask this...
 
oo7ml said:
I am not sure to be honest, i am not up on this kind of thing but i think it is a respray...as the the surface is 100% completely smooth... as i was thinking a re-buff might take the blemish out but it is already smooth... can i ask why you ask this...
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Just wondered. I'm really anal about bodywork and want as much of the paint as possible to be original. Having said that, local 'touch ups' are often still pretty visible and a respray is the only alternative. To be honest, I'd be pretty fuming if a dealer damaged my car so badly on a service they had to respray a whole panel because it'll put some people off buying it off me if they notice any colour/orange peel mismatches etc. Sorry mate, just random thoughts!
 
Thanks, i appreciate your comments, i take exceptionally good care of my car and for BMW (dealership) of all people to mess your car about is completely unacceptable... not sure where to go next with this but i really do not want to leave it at this...
 
No worries mate. Not all dealers are equal (as AlanJ often reminds us!) but you seem to have found one of the poorer ones. It shouldn't be unreasonable to expect a car to leave a dealership in the same condition it entered. If the car is still blemished, I'd push back at them until it's as perfect as possible. Depends on if you trust them not to mess anything else up...:(
 
That's exactly my point... i would be very nervous giving my the car back to them... as i am sure the service team are aware of all of this also...

I do not blame BMW... i blame the dealership and i plan on escalating this further to BMW Ireland in an effort to highlight the service that one of their dealerships are providing...
 
:D A leading or as I was recommended as "The Leading" BMW dealership in Dublin...

There is a BMW dealership in my loacal area but I specifically drove 90 miles to the capital to obtain "the best service"

I won't name and shame the dealership for obvious reasons but mainly because I understand that mistakes do happen but when they all accumulate to this level it is difficult to just sit back and ignore that quality of service...
 
srhutch said:
As Alan says always get the dealer to check over the car when you drop it off. I also include a "Please do not wash sign" to prevent damage from washing.
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I agree & surprised dealers dont enforce this themselves?

Both with Saab & BMW I've had cars damaged - BMW were apologetic after scratching during washing (despute being asked not to). Saab Shrewsbury accused me of lieing - over a £50 scratch repair when I'd just spent £35k on the car!
 
This sounds like the service you get at Bowkers in Preston.

I just hate leaving my car with dealers though as they are just another piece of metal to them
 
Z4coupebeaver said:
This sounds like the service you get at Bowkers in Preston.

I just hate leaving my car with dealers though as they are just another piece of metal to them
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Thats what they are to most people though, dealers arent really set up to cater for people who actually care about their cars, which is funny as people who dont care about their cars would probably be more inclined to use an indy
 
richtea78 said:
Z4coupebeaver said:
I just hate leaving my car with dealers though as they are just another piece of metal to them
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Thats what they are to most people though, dealers arent really set up to cater for people who actually care about their cars, which is funny as people who dont care about their cars would probably be more inclined to use an indy
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So here we go again a condemnation of every dealership just because someone has a bad experience - for the life of me I cannot understand why some of you bother to buy a BMW if you can't trust any dealer....... . Establish a relationship with your dealer - tell them what you want etc. and in general they will do you a good job - have a look at my link below - apply some of this a like me you will get a good service. These guys want your cash so are hardly likely to deliberately abuse your car to loose a customer! And then when it's purchased there seems to be a constant stream of , 'How much... for a service , parts etc.' There are plenty of cheap and nazsty options out there. If customer service and parts prices are so bad then probably best to ditch the Zed and get a Focus, Clio or something more 'practical and fun....' :P :poke:
 
Wow, are you working for a dealer or something?

I brought a BMW because I liked the car, nothing at all to do with the brand and certainly nothing at all to do with the dealers. I assume that all dealers, what ever the brand are s**t because I have found very little to prove me otherwise. Soon as the car is out of warranty it will be going to the same garage I have used for all my cars for the last 15 years because I trust them and they do a good job.
 
Alan J you do adopt an extremely pious approach to anyone who criticises dealers and despite all the guidance you give on dealing with them, the fact remains that many of the BMW Dealers are appallingly bad and profit driven to a ridiculous extent. Locally to me I have the choice of 2 separate dealerships who have taken it in turn to give consistently bad service and to botch simple repairs in a manner which is beyond my belief. Now trust me when I say that I know how to interact with people and build relationships with dealers, however, the bad service just keeps continuing. I've said this before to you over your defence of KwikFit branches despite all the long standing evidence to the contrary, it's good that you've found dealerships that have provided you with consistently good service but you are somewhat blinded to the numerous and often ridiculous problems that many of us encounter when dealing with some of these franchises. The reason these problems recurr is a lot to do with British people being too quick to accept bad service and, in my opinion, you take their side far too often when these issues are aired.

No offence meant to you Alan but I think you should back off a bit on your criticism of posters who aren't happy with the service they've been given.
 
dgm said:
Alan J you do adopt an extremely pious approach to anyone who criticises dealers and despite all the guidance you give on dealing with them, the fact remains that many of the BMW Dealers are appallingly bad and profit driven to a ridiculous extent. Locally to me I have the choice of 2 separate dealerships who have taken it in turn to give consistently bad service and to botch simple repairs in a manner which is beyond my belief. Now trust me when I say that I know how to interact with people and build relationships with dealers, however, the bad service just keeps continuing. I've said this before to you over your defence of KwikFit branches despite all the long standing evidence to the contrary, it's good that you've found dealerships that have provided you with consistently good service but you are somewhat blinded to the numerous and often ridiculous problems that many of us encounter when dealing with some of these franchises. The reason these problems recurr is a lot to do with British people being too quick to accept bad service and, in my opinion, you take their side far too often when these issues are aired.

No offence meant to you Alan but I think you should back off a bit on your criticism of posters who aren't happy with the service they've been given.
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No offence taken and good to enter into the debate, but I think you have missed my point - I do not defend the whole Quick Fit network only the ones that have offered me good service unlike others who have had one bad experience decry the whole franchise.

I dont decry the whole dealership network but support those that give me good service. Unlike others who having received bad service from one dealer and then blast the whole dealership network with bland statements like, 'Bad service from BMW.' :!:

You fall into the same trap when you say, 'The reason these problems recurr is a lot to do with British people being too quick to accept bad service........' Not sure on what you base you statement that British people are too quick to accept bad service - certainly not me. National Opinion Poll Survey....? But when I do complain I can justify it by ensuring when I take my vehicle to a dealers I get them to check it with me before and after etc etc. Not not get home a find a sratch 2 days later and then blame the dealer.....and theb blast the whole BMW network because I think they have damaged my car:poke:

Complain properly, justify the complaint, name the dealer on here (would love to know who yours are to avoid), BUT don't tar everywhere tom dick and harry dealership, tyre fitters etc with the same brush. :violent1: RANT OVER :P
 
richtea78 said:
Wow, are you working for a dealer or something?

I brought a BMW because I liked the car, nothing at all to do with the brand and certainly nothing at all to do with the dealers. I assume that all dealers, what ever the brand are s**t because I have found very little to prove me otherwise. Soon as the car is out of warranty it will be going to the same garage I have used for all my cars for the last 15 years because I trust them and they do a good job.
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Mmmm not sure there are any BMW dealers in Southern Sudan! :poke:

All dealers s**t........... . You make my point for me very well :thumbsup:

No need to take your car to a dealer during the warranty period - it can go to any VAT registered motor dealer who services to the same standard and uses equivalent OEM parts - one of the few decent EU rulings! :D (new cars but aftermarket warranty may be different and stipulate a franchised dealer.

Please name your trusted garage so others can take advantage of the good service you have had :thumbsup:

HURRAH for Malton North Yorkshire who must be the only decent BMW garage in the UK :P
HUZZAH for Quick Fit Scarborough who have real human beings working there (not Quick Fit monkeys) and give good service :thumbsup:

:fuelfire: :fuelfire: :fuelfire: :fuelfire:
 
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