Regretting my decision to buy BMW

I guess like all things, we go on experience. Maybe I just got unlucky this time around but I took my S2000 to a Honda main dealer for 7 years - no problems. The missus has taken her Honda to the same dealer for 5 years - no problems. The cars themselves? Never missed a beat. I take my new, immaculate BMW to a dealer and they comprehensively screw it up. The law of averages comes into play...

As mentioned earlier in the thread, I will put pen to paper but I have no concrete proof that the bodywork damage was done by the dealer (even though I know with cast-iron certainty that it was). I think the lesson I've learned is to follow the example of the wise - and perhaps obsessive - owners who get the service manager to check every panel before they hand over the keys.

I feel like a bloke who has dumped his beautiful and trustworthy girlfriend (Honda S2000), to go out with a flighty but temperamental new girl (Z4) with a nutjob family (BMW dealers), and is now staring into his beer glass thinking of all the fun he had with his original girl...

Sigh.... :(
 
strugglinauthor said:
I feel like a bloke who has dumped his beautiful and trustworthy girlfriend (Honda S2000), to go out with a flighty but temperamental new girl (Z4) with a nutjob family (BMW dealers), and is now staring into his beer glass thinking of all the fun he had with his original girl...

Sigh.... :(
Click to expand...

Bad luck but if it's any consolation your new girl with the nutjob family has got a dam nicer pair of tits on her than the trustworthy one!!!! :wink:
 
strugglinauthor said:
I guess like all things, we go on experience. Maybe I just got unlucky this time around but I took my S2000 to a Honda main dealer for 7 years - no problems. The missus has taken her Honda to the same dealer for 5 years - no problems. The cars themselves? Never missed a beat. I take my new, immaculate BMW to a dealer and they comprehensively screw it up. The law of averages comes into play...

As mentioned earlier in the thread, I will put pen to paper but I have no concrete proof that the bodywork damage was done by the dealer (even though I know with cast-iron certainty that it was). I think the lesson I've learned is to follow the example of the wise - and perhaps obsessive - owners who get the service manager to check every panel before they hand over the keys.

I feel like a bloke who has dumped his beautiful and trustworthy girlfriend (Honda S2000), to go out with a flighty but temperamental new girl (Z4) with a nutjob family (BMW dealers), and is now staring into his beer glass thinking of all the fun he had with his original girl...

Sigh.... :(
Click to expand...

Don't worry I feel like that selling Elise sometimes. But without trying something new you never know! Sure your get it sorted and have some awesome times in the E89!

All part of life's little test's.
 
ColinP said:
strugglinauthor said:
I feel like a bloke who has dumped his beautiful and trustworthy girlfriend (Honda S2000), to go out with a flighty but temperamental new girl (Z4) with a nutjob family (BMW dealers), and is now staring into his beer glass thinking of all the fun he had with his original girl...

Sigh.... :(
Click to expand...

Bad luck but if it's any consolation your new girl with the nutjob family has got a dam nicer pair of tits on her than the trustworthy one!!!! :wink:
Click to expand...


good one :D
 
Are you not in a position to reject the car? You've got an engineers report that states the condition before and after and if they're telling you the engine is suffering major problems already you must be able to say "not fit for purpose" and hand it back
 
Good suggestion :thumbsup: but although my knowledge of consumer law is limited, I suspect that any rights I have to reject a car relate to a new one. This one is 18 months old and was purchased privately.

Also, they're now telling me (although they've got to do yet more coding work on the engine today :o ) that it's all fixed - or will be. That includes what I am sure will be a ham-fisted attempt to touch in the chips that weren't there when I left the car with them. Muppets.

Bottom line is I have no faith in the brand or the network. Had all this happened after 5 years faithful service then I'd have been far more sanguine and relaxed. But after 3 weeks? On a car barely 18 months old? Naaah, I think I'll move on even if I take a small financial hit.

Anyone want to buy a 3.0i?
 
Always tough when a new car to you attracts some early problems- but stick with it - the scratches are not an inherent BMW problem. Hope it gets sorted to your satisfaction - it will be a great car.
 
I think the brand is a good one. Yes of course, if it were me, I would think the same. But I went thru a crappy time with my car in the summer and was without it for 4 weeks. But it's the way that a dealer sorts the problem, so if this one is crap, I'm hoping there is another one you will use in the future.

Remember they have sold 1000's of these cars, and the issues you hear on this forum are more likely o reflect problems, not good ownership.

And even though I have had cracked alloys and a turbo valve fail when in Germany....I love my car, and if I didn't have confidence in it, I would never have taken it on a 2000 mile round trip to Denmark a month ago....

Get it back, make sure it's sorted, and concentrate in the enjoyment of it, and you won't look back. It's 50 times better than anything this side of a GTR on the jap stakes, and the SLK, TT's of this world don't even run it close.
 
strugglinauthor said:
Good suggestion :thumbsup: but although my knowledge of consumer law is limited, I suspect that any rights I have to reject a car relate to a new one. This one is 18 months old and was purchased privately.
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Ah, I thought you'd bought it trade
 
Thanks again for the positive comments - and in many ways you're all correct.

I've just picked it up and got it home. It certainly 'feels' different but after a new diff and the engine management effectively re-programmed I guess that's not such a surprise. I think I preferred it as it was though. I insisted an engineer talk me through the oil change vs hydraulic lifter rattle scenario. He told me it's very common on Z4s after an oil change and went on to explain how the oil draining out alters the pressure and this can upset the engine mgmt. :? Really? Anyone else on here heard that? I did say to him that I'd not seen any evidence of it on here, from other Z4 owners. But - he insisted it happens all the time. Funny then that his colleague talked about opening the engine up and fitting new hydraulic lifters...

I popped into the BMW indie the way home and told him the story. He'd never heard of it and used to work as a technician at a main dealer. Anyway, he's kindly offered to do a road test next week to make sure everything is as it should be.

The funny thing is all the way home my roof was creaking and it hadn't had a single creak before. Even the wife kept prodding the roof to see where it was coming from. I know it could just be the humidity, air pressure or whatever, but I actually had a laugh to myself as it was the icing on the cake!

I have a confession to make. I've just been looking on Autotrader at MX5s and wondering how hard I'd get hit to 'trade down'. OK, OK, I know. It's underpowered and a bit girly but something in me hankers after its innate Japanese reliability...
 
strugglinauthor said:
Thanks again for the positive comments - and in many ways you're all correct.

I've just picked it up and got it home. It certainly 'feels' different but after a new diff and the engine management effectively re-programmed I guess that's not such a surprise. I think I preferred it as it was though. I insisted an engineer talk me through the oil change vs hydraulic lifter rattle scenario. He told me it's very common on Z4s after an oil change and went on to explain how the oil draining out alters the pressure and this can upset the engine mgmt. :? Really? Anyone else on here heard that? I did say to him that I'd not seen any evidence of it on here, from other Z4 owners. But - he insisted it happens all the time. Funny then that his colleague talked about opening the engine up and fitting new hydraulic lifters...

I popped into the BMW indie the way home and told him the story. He'd never heard of it and used to work as a technician at a main dealer. Anyway, he's kindly offered to do a road test next week to make sure everything is as it should be.

The funny thing is all the way home my roof was creaking and it hadn't had a single creak before. Even the wife kept prodding the roof to see where it was coming from. I know it could just be the humidity, air pressure or whatever, but I actually had a laugh to myself as it was the icing on the cake!

I have a confession to make. I've just been looking on Autotrader at MX5s and wondering how hard I'd get hit to 'trade down'. OK, OK, I know. It's underpowered and a bit girly but something in me hankers after its innate Japanese reliability...
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I have had a look at MX5s aswell :oops:
 
Well done Andy. That gives me a feeling of solidarity. I owned an MX5 before I bought the S2000 and the only reason I sold it was because it was a little underpowered. In every other way it was a fantastic car. I think there's a new one due out in 2013/14. Who knows, maybe they'll put a slightly more peppy and slightly more economical engine into it. If they do, they'll certainly be getting my custom. :D
 
shawna said:
Your evaluation seems to be of a worrying nature.

Before you slander BMW though i suggest you read the issues and how it was dealt with by Honda UK of the problems with the F20C engine (honda S2000 built between 08 to 09), shameful and worrying as there were major F...Ups with the engine but Honda never shouldered responsibility.

When buying a BMW you can rest assured of great technology and over engineering, what happens at the dealers is down to the quality of service they provide and your expecatations.

It seems de rigour to employ muppets and monkeys lately so I fully sympathize with you.

p.s. apart from the S2000 honda never had a proper car (FWD and mundane).
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hi. what was wrong with the f20c engine.
 
The MX5 Coupe was on my shopping list prior to looking at the Z4. Had the test drive and the conclusion was, low rent cheap feeling interior, buzzy noisy engine, way too small for me anyways, boot space around 150 litres about the same as a MINIS so would have become a pain. Plusses it steered well and boot space not compromised with roof down. Came away quite dissapointed and looking at 1 to 2 year examples residuals don't seem great. Did a little internet research and yes the roofs can leak and creak and came across problems with whining gearboxes. I do think theyre a little too effinate and not aggresive looking enough. Looking at the planned replacement they seem to have grafted on the current 4x4s front end :?

Tim.
 
We looked at an MX5 several years ago for wifey. Took a new one out and it was nice, but the manual roof would be a pain as she has to be careful with her left arm/shoulder due to cancer/lymph node issues, and turning round and just pulling the roof up etc would be a problem. We decided against it.

Then this year got the Z4...but to be honest, the two were completely unrelated. We liked the MX5...but then put me in any new car and I like it!

Your experience with your car shouldn't put you off BMW. YES - it should put you off that dealer! I've had loads of BMW's and always had minor niggles with them on collection, but they've been rectified in one or two visits. My last car however (first Z4) they couldn't fix, so they replaced (after a fight) and the replacement seems fine.

I would say though that the build quality is falling short on what you would expect from the brand reputation, so something needs to improve or they will be in trouble.

Hopefully your indy can rectify your confidence in your car (although I know that may not be possible) and then just avoid that dealer!
 
You are right of course.

I think my poisoning against BMW is 90% because of the dealer - although the car was in for warranty work for things that really shouldn't be failing on something with such low mileage and 18 months old. The problem is, it's so hard to divorce the two. I've owned Mazdas and Hondas before and, apart from tiny things, the whole experience was great - all 20 years of it. This is why I end up on places like this saying how wonderful Mazdas and Hondas are. My first ever BMW experience has been crap from start to finish and I'm left just wishing to God I hadn't bought it, however dynamically impressive it might be. But, as you say, perhaps I'll find an independent who will change my view. I used one called Munich Legends to inspect the car and they were top draw. Gave me a warm feeling that they cared about cars rather than just seeing them as things to go through the corporate sausage machine. Unfortunately they are about 200 miles from where I live :o .

I think I will put up a post asking for indie recommendations in my area. I've had a look through the dealer forum but the few I've found for myself on the net don't appear to be mentioned on there.
 
You see - and for the praise you make for Munich Legends (which is about 10 miles from me), I have heard many stories exactly the opposite as well (they have been taken over as well a few times over the last 10 years).

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10372&p=153515&hilit=munich+legends#p153515
 
So what we're really saying here is, whoever you go to, it's the luck of the draw. :? Because for every good review, there will be a tale of woe. I'm quite sure there will be people out there who think Cotswold Hereford BMW are the bees knees, which will basically translate as: "they didn't trash my car and changed the oil and filters as per schedule".

All I can say about ML is what they did for me, in 2012, was thorough and I was very pleased with the engineer's knowledge of the car. Other people may have had disasters.

So where the hell can I go where I will not get yet another set of muppets tinkering with my car? If I could get the data, I could use my 'Tripadvisor strategy'. E.g. if ten people say it's fantastic and one says it's crap, then on the balance of probability it will be excellent.

The truth is that people who have bad experiences shout loud and long. People who are neutral or happy tend to say nothing. It's a lesson a lot of companies think they understand but do very little about. Time to put my posting up asking for recommendations...
 
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