New to BMW ownership and my first impression...

S

Surveyor28

New member
Firstly, apologies if I come across in a terse way, I need to vent my spleen over my first BMW purchase... Before I share my dilemma I want to say I think this forum and its members are superb and a credit to the BMW fraternity..

Where do I start...

I purchased a BMW Z4 2.5si Sport (E85) from my local BMW dealership in October 2017, it is an approved BMW used vehicle. Since the purchase I have travelled exactly 497 miles, car is mainly for fun and I have a company car hence the low mileage.

I needed to use the Z4 this week as my company car was in for repair and on the very first leg of my work commute, the EML came on. I carefully limped to the office and was going to telephone BMW breakdown to recover the car. My first big mistake, as I didn’t want two cars off the road and the hassle to match, I remembered my local indie.. Thankfully, I have an exceptionally good garage by my office that specialises in BMW and Porsche and I have had superb service off them in the past..

They recovered the car and the fault turns out to be faulty lambda sensor (Fault Code P0036 - HO2S Heater Control Circuit Bank 1 Sensor 2). Yes, I know I have a BMW warranty and should have called out BMW recovery but I thought small issue, let the indie fix it quickly.

Whilst waiting for the part to arrive from BMW I asked the garage to check out the car as I plan to use it for a France trip in 2 weeks, guess what they find...

Tracking out - cannot adjust as both track rod ends seized solid.
Both brake reaction bushes have excessive movement and need replacement.
Engine smoking on idle, suspect CCV at fault.
Headlights out of adjustment.
Serpentine belt excessively worn and needs replacement.
Rear shock absorbers worn.
Soft top drains blocked solid with silt.

How can a BMW purchased from a BMW dealership as an approved used car with a brand new MOT have these faults? I thought all used BMW had to have an extensive check just to warranty them?

I plan to go nuts with the dealership and raise this with BMW direct, what’s the consensus on whether I will receive an appropriate response?

And yes, I appreciate I should have just had the car recovered by BMW, big mistake and a problem made considerably worse by my myself... 😣😣😣
 
Your experience above sums up why a lot of people don't trust main dealers. You pay a huge premium and for what? Their mechanics are typically a second rate waste of oxygen, the decent ones who actually care about their work take their training then quickly move on and are found in indies and specialists. As for the sales and service staff etc. What they know about cars can be written on a postage stamp. All together they're just a bunch of incompetent mercenaries in overalls and suits!
I often see folks in the trade talking about their main dealer experience as some sort of badge of honour to be respected that makes them a cut above. 😂
Personally I don't trust anyone who is a main dealer tech unless they've gone on to earn a decent rep as a specialist or indie. All they learn a main dealer is how to be hamfisted, cut corners and rush jobs to hit targets/bonuses etc. Let's not even get on to overcharging!
 
Get a copy of the approved used conditions and what it means and then take the car back under good fit for purpose rule, you're within the 6 month period. Demand a full refund saying they've taken the piss and this is evidently not meeting the criteria and make them sort the car out. Make them squirm and kick the f**k off over it. I courted a dealer once over a car not being a certain model which the only actual difference was bolt spacing in the wheel legs (which I needed for coilovers to track it) and won £1500 on a 3k motor. Car dealers are by no means invincible.
 
Indy sounds very clued up so well worth continuing with them id say . Going forward have the must dos done by them straight away & the other work push through the warranty with Bmw .
Welcome to the forum :thumbsup:
 
Sounds like a top indie. As others have advised, take his report back to BMW, if you dont get a good response from the dealer, it will do no harm to take it up with BMW directly. I know a few people who had issues (not BMW) with their cars that the dealers refused to help with, they went direct to the manufacturer and had far better results.

One was a mate who bought a Astra VXR, had problems with the driver seat not going back, local VX dealer he bought it from didnt want to know, he went direct to Vauxhall and they had the parts sent to the same dealer and made them sort it FOC. It may have been the dealers plan all along as the price of the parts were eye watering but if he hadn't taken it further it wouldnt have been sorted.

Another bought passat from VW and got an indie to inspect it (he does with with all the cars he buys, its a damn good idea!), he then took the list (wasnt that big to be fair) back to the VW dealer, I dont remember the outcome but if I remember he got most things sorted under the warranty.

Oh and hello. :D
 
Many thanks for your comments and advice, very much appreciated..

Just spent a few hours googling the BMW 120 point check list and to be honest its practically useless.. You think buying from a dealership guaranteed a quality car but not the case..

Just in case your from my neck of the woods, the indie is Forza GB in Chepstow and Stuart the owner is a BMW master technician who has endless BMW knowledge and a thoroughly nice chap.... well recommended...
 
Surveyor28 said:
Many thanks for your comments and advice, very much appreciated..

Just spent a few hours googling the BMW 120 point check list and to be honest its practically useless.. You think buying from a dealership 'hgguaranteed a quality car but not the case..

Just in case your from my neck of the woods, the indie is Forza GB in Chepstow and Stuart the owner is a BMW master technician who has endless BMW knowledge and a thoroughly nice chap.... well recommended...
Click to expand...
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Easy for the bright lights , percolated coffee & magazines to sway the mind but reality is treat all car sellers the same . Due diligence & expect nothing to be a given :( settle down with your Z , get familiar with the indy & you should be fine , they have very few issues to be concerned about once sorted .
Fire up some pics when you get chance :thumbsup:
 
Not a great start to your Zed ownership - not much to add really, sounds like all the issues can be sorted, nothing serious. Nevertheless, I understand your frustration with the main dealer.
Looking forward to some pics once its sorted and you are enjoying it again :driving:
 
Very frustrating to pay top dollar and receive poor service. You would be well within your rights to get a full refund and hand the car back. None of the issues are going to cost them much money so I’d imagine they would sort them all out for you rather than have another car sat on the forecourt.
 
Welcome to the forum OP. I used the main dealer precisely once, after I bought my Zed. Total rip off and the car came back dirtier than it went in. Never again. Hope you get those items sorted by BMW. If you had the car picked up by them, then I doubt the other faults would have been reported and you may soon have had a bill for £500+ for a roof motor repair. So not such a bad idea calling a good indie you trust IMHO. :thumbsup:
 
Sorry to read this. Great shame and spoiles what should be a fun experience.
Clearly buying an approved used bmw from that dealer isn't worth the paper its written on.
At least the to-do list isn't disastrous, once sorted im sure the car will be good to own.
 
Sorry to hear of your experiences, like you I would expect better from a car purchased from BMW. That said I would't generalise and say all BMW dealers are bad. Some of the points you mention should definitely have been picked up by the dealer prior to sale. The problem is there are good and bad mechanics (or auto electricians) the good ones can diagnose and solve a wide range of issues and would know how to check a car over and make sound judgement on what needs addressing and what doesn't. The less capable just follow dealer diagnostic instructions and manuals and can easily miss the obvious. For that reason I am a little distrusting and I have my own comprehensive checklist when assessing a SH car. As well as hoping to spot what the dealer may have "accidentally" missed I don't see the cost of the car as being what is on the screen, I am looking at potential problems in the next 12 months and how much they are likely to cost. Having said that I royally annoy car salesman and have been asked to leave before now!
 
Welcome to the forum OP.

Sorry to hear of your problems with the car - I hope you can get a good outcome. :thumbsup:
 
Sorry to hear of your disappointing level of service.

I too have a horror story about main agent dealers to share. I drove from where I live near Bristol to Cardiff one day, and the engine started miss firing. Suspecting a failing coil pack, I left the car (a low milage Octavia VRS that I had from new and looked after like a baby) with a main agent, only to be told later that the technician couldn't run the diagnostic check because the bottom radiator hose had a hole in it and didn't have a replacement hose in stock. I was told I would need to leave the car with them over the week end until the part arrived on the Monday. I insisted that they show me the hole, as it certainly wasn't there when I left the car with them as there wasn't a trail of water left behind it. I told them that leaving the car with them wasn't going to happen, expressed my displeasure quite loudly in the show room and told them to repair the hose to get me home.

I took it to my neighbour who worked from home a as mechanic, he asked if I left it with them. I said no, to which he responded that just as well, as some dealerships have been known to sabotage low milage cars so that the owner has to leave it with them over night/week end. The mechanics then swap out the valuable low milage parts with worn parts from their own/freind's car.

I kept the old hose and investigated the hole, which faced the rear of the car and it is shielded from below by the under tray. It was a clean sharp slice and looked as though some one had pierced it with a Stanley knife. I did report them to trading standards and Skoda UK, but not sure what came of it.

Just don't ask me about my experience with Ford!

Cheers,
 
Fat Yucca said:
Just don't ask me about my experience with Ford!

Cheers,
Click to expand...


Me as well !
I bought a brand new some years ago and it was the first and last new Ford I will ever have!
 
I appreciate you're not happy with the car but it is a 2nd hand car that's probably 9 or more years old and BMW would be glad to get shot of it.

Track rod ends seize on these cars as it's pretty much the first location that gets spray and water from the roads. Getting an Alignment is a yearly thing on my car and the first time I had it done they were seized.

Brakes - BMW will say it's wear and tear. It's a 9 or more year old car. Have the brakes been replaced. Most folk on here usually replace them around 50,000 miles I would think.

Smoking on idle - Are you driving it often or very far? Might need a good run but others on here would be able to advise.

Headlights out of adjustment - What's the MOT on the car? Did BMW put a new MOT on it? If not then it is a 9+ year old 2nd hand car.

Serpentine belt excessively worn and needs replacement - What's the mileage? Any previous work carried out on the car that would need the serpentine belt taken off? Alternator perhaps?

Rear shock absorbers worn - Wear and tear. Again what's the mileage? Most of us replace the shocks at some point before 100k on the clock.

Soft top drains blocked solid with silt - standard maintenance on these cars to keep the drainage holes clear.

It's not that much to put right actually and shouldn't cost too much.

Good luck with BMW but don't be surprised if they say F***k Off as it's 9+ years old.

Mate of mine has bought a 3.0 SI Roadster and has spent about £1500 getting it back to the standard it should be. All new brakes, alloys refurbed, 4 new tyres, service, alternator, professional valet.
 
Thank you all for your responses...

Must reiterate, this is a fabulous forum..

Just picked the car up from Forza GB and what a transformation, pleasure to drive.
Now I know I’ve thrown money at the car but I do plan to keep it for a while and the peace of mind is worth it..

New bushes all round and four wheel alignment - car is straight and firm footed now..
Bilstein B8 all round - Slightly softer than the standard M sport suspension but more comfortable..
No more smoking thanks to a replacement air / oil separator..
Brembo pads and discs all round - brake pedal feel is superb..
Engine running sweet with new lambda sensor..
Air conditioning recharge..
Coolant flush and refill..
New plugs and coil packs..
Replaced diff and gearbox oils..

Bread and water for several months now but the car is transformed, cannot wait for French trip...

If only I could do something about the crap headlight... I’m going to try Phillips Extreme vision + 130 and two turns of the vertical adjuster to see if it helps..

Thank you all...
 
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