I write to express my disappoint in the recent service I received at my local BMW dealership, Loughton Sytner. The service was unfinished, unsatisfactory and my car is consequently now defective and unsafe to drive.
I booked my car into the garage a few weeks back. This was due to the below issues:
The interior indicator lights ceased to work.
The run flat tyre and airbag warning lights were displayed on my dashboard
The front side lights would remain switched on despite the fact that the switch and ignition had been turned off which then resulted in the car battery being drained.
Upon completion of the diagnostic I was told by one of the Team Managers that the 'Can Bus' unit was being interrupted by the 'Lamp Control Module' and that this needed replacing. I asked to speak with the technical engineer to clarify this and he assured me that once the LCM had been replaced the Can Bus would be back in working order and the issues resolved. I was further advised that the part was not in stock and would need to be ordered from Germany and made from scratch which could potentially take up to three weeks to arrive. I was not best pleased with this knowledge but decided to go ahead with the order and repairs.
The new part arrived a few days later needless to say this was a pleasant surprise. The car was then booked in and the part replaced.
On the day of repair I received a call from another Team Manager who informed me that the part had been replaced but it appeared that a 'fizzy drink' or sticky substance had been spilt into the central unit where the hand break sits and this had caused some wires to burn out resulting in the 'Safety Gateway Module' failing. My question at this stage was obviously why it had not been picked up on the original diagnostic? I did not receive a satisfactory response. I could have Potentially replaced a part that did not need to be replaced and this was also going to cost me a further considerable sum of money to rectify.
I would like to point out that I have never spilt a drink in my car and find this impossible unless it was done by the previous owner in which case the problem would have surfaced much sooner seeing as I have owned the car for just over a year.
The burnt out wires meant that the safety features on the car would no longer function, this includes the air bag and seat belt alarm system. I was quoted a further £328 to fix the issue but feeling rather let down and reluctant to let them do any further work I was advised that I could pay for the work that had already been carried out and that the Safety Control Module could be temporarily disconnected until I decided upon further action.
This was overcharged by £50 and it was only upon closer inspection of the invoice by my father that it was picked up and he then had to visit the garage again to receive a refund.
I also asked for the part that had been removed to be returned to me, this did not happen.
This was over two weeks ago now and the car still has issues, these are:
1. Side lights remaining on whilst driving when they are switched off.
2. The rear side lights do not work.
On Monday 21st March Sytner agreed to take a further look at the car to address these issues but have since refused to repair them unless I pay a further £700 (£600 as a good will gesture) to replace the burnt out wires for the Safety Control Unit.
To summarise: After the initial diagnosis my agreement to proceed with works relied on the engineers professional opinion and this was to cost a fixed sum. The money I have already paid should fix the problems initially presented.
I booked my car into the garage a few weeks back. This was due to the below issues:
The interior indicator lights ceased to work.
The run flat tyre and airbag warning lights were displayed on my dashboard
The front side lights would remain switched on despite the fact that the switch and ignition had been turned off which then resulted in the car battery being drained.
Upon completion of the diagnostic I was told by one of the Team Managers that the 'Can Bus' unit was being interrupted by the 'Lamp Control Module' and that this needed replacing. I asked to speak with the technical engineer to clarify this and he assured me that once the LCM had been replaced the Can Bus would be back in working order and the issues resolved. I was further advised that the part was not in stock and would need to be ordered from Germany and made from scratch which could potentially take up to three weeks to arrive. I was not best pleased with this knowledge but decided to go ahead with the order and repairs.
The new part arrived a few days later needless to say this was a pleasant surprise. The car was then booked in and the part replaced.
On the day of repair I received a call from another Team Manager who informed me that the part had been replaced but it appeared that a 'fizzy drink' or sticky substance had been spilt into the central unit where the hand break sits and this had caused some wires to burn out resulting in the 'Safety Gateway Module' failing. My question at this stage was obviously why it had not been picked up on the original diagnostic? I did not receive a satisfactory response. I could have Potentially replaced a part that did not need to be replaced and this was also going to cost me a further considerable sum of money to rectify.
I would like to point out that I have never spilt a drink in my car and find this impossible unless it was done by the previous owner in which case the problem would have surfaced much sooner seeing as I have owned the car for just over a year.
The burnt out wires meant that the safety features on the car would no longer function, this includes the air bag and seat belt alarm system. I was quoted a further £328 to fix the issue but feeling rather let down and reluctant to let them do any further work I was advised that I could pay for the work that had already been carried out and that the Safety Control Module could be temporarily disconnected until I decided upon further action.
This was overcharged by £50 and it was only upon closer inspection of the invoice by my father that it was picked up and he then had to visit the garage again to receive a refund.
I also asked for the part that had been removed to be returned to me, this did not happen.
This was over two weeks ago now and the car still has issues, these are:
1. Side lights remaining on whilst driving when they are switched off.
2. The rear side lights do not work.
On Monday 21st March Sytner agreed to take a further look at the car to address these issues but have since refused to repair them unless I pay a further £700 (£600 as a good will gesture) to replace the burnt out wires for the Safety Control Unit.
To summarise: After the initial diagnosis my agreement to proceed with works relied on the engineers professional opinion and this was to cost a fixed sum. The money I have already paid should fix the problems initially presented.