The Man From Sytner - He Say Yes!

Stash36 said:
Does anyone know when this roof problem starts and if it will deteriorate further over time. I'm loath to take mine in if I'm honest but very short of time, 2009 car
It definitely won't get better! Why are you loathe to sort it?
 
Gwest44 said:
Pondrew said:
Gwest44 said:
I think they made some reference to it being due to the paint not bonding properly but to be honest I can't recall the detail.
What I do remember is them saying the warranty is not valid if the paintwork fails their original paint test or if the corrosion is found to be due to a stone chip or similar impact.
They also said they love this type of work and welcome any customer who brings in their car for assessment - obviously BMW pay top money to Sytner no questions asked.

It might be an idea to start a list of these on here and ask the management to pin it under E89 problems. If this is a common fault which starts occurring on many 10 year old plus E89s, I can see BMW not wanting to replace thousands of roof panels and trying to wriggle out of claims, or just doing a quick sand and respray.
If we have a list and possibly get numbers of affected vehicles to date from BMW UK under freedom of information act any claims going forward will have more weight behind them with data from the "owner's club"?
Good idea this when you listen to the story that the staff at Sytner recounted to me on collection of mine this week - it is lengthy so bare with me.

A few years ago they started getting a lot of 3 & 5 series cars coming in for a warranty repair on the headlight washer jets. The issue was down to the feeder pipe freezing and an inability to deactivate the washers. So when the windscreen was washed the headlight washer activated but due to the frozen pipe couldn't retract back in the bumper and subsequently broke. Sytner were repairing loads under warranty at a cost to BMW of £150 a corner - doesn't sound much but they were doing loads. Anyway BMW didn't like this and tasked someone with finding a solution to their problem. Enter the analysts - they found that they were selling hardly any BMW screenwash through their associated dealerships. As a result they introduced the need to evidence receipts for genuine BMW screenwash to qualify for the warranty - if this wasn't possible they claimed the after market product didn't offer the same protection to freezing and hence the warranty was invalid. Apparently almost overnight this resulted in the cessation of all the associated warranty repair work.
Can't help but think they have someone working feverishly to defend all the Z4 roof panel claims so get in quick while you still can.
Im sure someone on here a few years ago had issues with the paint on one of the roof panels, cant remember the outcome but it went along the lines of the garage knocking back the claim under the excuse that the roof didnt come under part of the bodywork.
 
SV8Predator said:
Nictrix said:
the garage knocking back the claim under the excuse that the roof didnt come under part of the bodywork.

Well that obviously not the case as evidenced by the posts above!
Like I said I cant remember the outcome but they were trying to wiggle out of the claim and this was the excuse.
Something to do with it being a moving part but I think it was pointed out that the bonnet, boot and doors also move.

Found this, it mentions it here
https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=105429&p=1539525&hilit=roof+warranty#p1539525
 
Pondrew said:
Stash36 said:
Does anyone know when this roof problem starts and if it will deteriorate further over time. I'm loath to take mine in if I'm honest but very short of time, 2009 car
It definitely won't get better! Why are you loathe to sort it?
Lots going on and dont need the hassle, plus I currently have a working roof :D .
However with JimP having only just noticed this in his car which he has had for years, mine must also have only come through recently, so yes it will deteriorate further.
I went into Williams body shop in Bolton today they have taken pics and will submit the claim. He did warn depends on partial or full service history which has been debunked here previously.
Interestingly they had put a claim through yesterday, another blue car with exact same fault, made me wonder if it is someone else on here.
Said it would be three weeks to get a response.
 
Every photo I've seen of this corrosion is the same issue; "worm"-like tracking from underneath like you get on alloy wheels when the paint is broken.
I've had a look at the underside of the panel on mine (I don't have an issue yet) and there is a visible fold line in the ali where this has got to start from. It could be happening for a number of reasons, but that isn't the point.
If this becomes a common issue and dealers/ BMW start to wriggle out of claims like the full dealer history nonsense, or they will only cover cars that were made on a Sunday this is where a list of cars with photos would be very useful, as evidence.
If every affected car has exactly the same photo evidence I can see the dealers/ BMW having a hard time dismissing it.
 
Stash36 said:
Does anyone know when this roof problem starts and if it will deteriorate further over time. I'm loath to take mine in if I'm honest but very short of time, 2009 car

Mine was there when I bought the car in Apr 2018 and has not deteriorated at all since then but I will give it a try with BMW before September.
 
Pondrew said:
If this becomes a common issue and dealers/ BMW start to wriggle out of claims

Its already started so be mindful its not a 100% guarentee they will cover it. :thumbsdown:

Mine was exactly the same as shown in the photos, worm track in the front near side corner. Took it into BMW and they wriggled out of it by saying it was probably caused by lowering springs and that probably the harder ride probabaly lead to water ingress because of the roof paint thinning on the underside . . blah . . .blah. . . .blah long story, mucho emails and conversations held with BMW all fruitless.

The old non standard parts get out of jail card. :headbang:
 
.... and my claim has been REJECTED :(

Took my Z, which is six years old, in for roof corrosion inspection two weeks ago and Ocean BMW came back today to say that my claim has been rejected. Attached three photographs below showing the usual 'worm like' corrosion and underside of the panel in this area. I haven't spoken to the dealer yet, but he left me a message saying that on the underside of the roof panel near to the largest area of corrosion the paint is worn down to the primer in a small thin 'strip' - see top photo. This has caused damp to track round underneath the laquer and caused the corrosion. The very small worn down 'strip' closes against the rubber roof seal and is apparently likely to have been caused by dirt rubbing as the car flexes. The corrosion is therefore down to me :headbang:

However it's NOT over yet. As my photo shows there is also a small area of corrosion on the other roof panel and the underside of that panel has absolutely no wear. No explanation has been given for that so far, so I'm pursuing. I will update when I know more.
 

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That's not a good response is it. Clearly a manufacturing fault, why else is it always driver side? Good luck with the next
 
Mojito said:
However it's NOT over yet. As my photo shows there is also a small area of corrosion on the other roof panel and the underside of that panel has absolutely no wear. No explanation has been given for that so far, so I'm pursuing. I will update when I know more.
The first picture does show wearing of the paint; however I would be more inclined towards rubbing from a manufacturing fault with one or other panel or a bad paint job than dirt. The second two (It's difficult to work out where they are) are clearly the "usual" corrosion from underneath tracking up onto the panel and lifting the paint. I can't understand how different dealers are coming up with different decisions for the same issue, unless some are not following it through properly with BMW UK.
 
Mojito said:
.... and my claim has been REJECTED :(

Took my Z, which is six years old, in for roof corrosion inspection two weeks ago and Ocean BMW came back today to say that my claim has been rejected. Attached three photographs below showing the usual 'worm like' corrosion and underside of the panel in this area. I haven't spoken to the dealer yet, but he left me a message saying that on the underside of the roof panel near to the largest area of corrosion the paint is worn down to the primer in a small thin 'strip' - see top photo. This has caused damp to track round underneath the laquer and caused the corrosion. The very small worn down 'strip' closes against the rubber roof seal and is apparently likely to have been caused by dirt rubbing as the car flexes. The corrosion is therefore down to me :headbang:

However it's NOT over yet. As my photo shows there is also a small area of corrosion on the other roof panel and the underside of that panel has absolutely no wear. No explanation has been given for that so far, so I'm pursuing. I will update when I know more.
Struggling to see how they can reject your claim when the issue is clearly identical to mine which Sytner aceppted without issue.
 
Thank you Stash36, Pondrew and Gwest44 for your comments and support - appreciated.
I know I'm not the only one battling this issue. Will post update when I have further response from BMW in the hope that it will help others.
 
Update:
My dealer Ocean Falmouth has advised that both their Bodyshop and Workshop Controller have said it is not a warranty issue and this has also been confirmed by their Area technical manager who makes their final decision. The only way forward if I wish to peruse this issue is to log a complaint with BMW Customer services.
I am in the process of logging a very detailed complaint and request for reappraisal of my claim. Not a happy man :headbang:
 
Mojito said:
Update:
My dealer Ocean Falmouth has advised that both their Bodyshop and Workshop Controller have said it is not a warranty issue and this has also been confirmed by their Area technical manager who makes their final decision. The only way forward if I wish to peruse this issue is to log a complaint with BMW Customer services.
I am in the process of logging a very detailed complaint and request for reappraisal of my claim. Not a happy man :headbang:
Interesting that they are saying it's up to the dealer workshop. Mine was checked with Ocean Plymouth and went straight to BMW from them for authorisation, at least that is my understanding
 
Mojito said:
Update:
My dealer Ocean Falmouth has advised that both their Bodyshop and Workshop Controller have said it is not a warranty issue and this has also been confirmed by their Area technical manager who makes their final decision. The only way forward if I wish to peruse this issue is to log a complaint with BMW Customer services.
I am in the process of logging a very detailed complaint and request for reappraisal of my claim. Not a happy man :headbang:
I'd go elsewhere to get it assessed - is there a Sytner dealership near you?
 
Hi Gwest44, I live in Cornwall and alas the nearest Sytner dealership is a very long drive. Ocean are the only BMW dealership in Cornwall, but I may well end up taking it to another dealership which is inependant of the first - nearest alternative would be Devon - a nice 1.5hr drive :)

Hi Vonlipvig. Just to clarify as I have some earlier posts on this thread, detailing the process I have gone through, which I think was the same as for your car. I live equal distance between Falmouth and Plymouth - as you know both dealers are BMW Ocean. As lockdown eased my wife and I fancied a day out in Falmouth while car was inspected. A twist of fate as had we opted for Plymouth and based on your experience we probably wouldnt be in the situation we are now with a rejected claim :( They inspected the roof corrosion ( which they advised they had never seen anythink like before) put in a request to BMW for repair authorisation under warranty and it was rejected. I went back to them and it was then they they advised they would not fight my corner and effectively washed their hands of it. They advised only way forward was to raise a complaint with customer services, which I am doing.
 
Hi, so I have also had my claim rejected by BMW today. The reason given was the roof has had paint damage, it has not rotted from within.
The paint guage was used and confirmed it has never been resprayed, so this is a completely different excuse than heard elsewhere. The car that had gone in with the exact same fault the day before had also been knocked back.

Absolute BS really given the same state of many many Z4s. Tbf to Williams, the guy seemed a little embarrassed by it, and said they could do the repair for around £900.
I won't be taking it further, I've got more important things going on. Hope others get a better response though.
 
I had a similar experience with Mercedes Benz years ago - The car had had a recent service at a MB specialist and they (MB)didn't seem to appreciate that. The claim for the defect was rejected as the car had not had the appropriate paint inspection at service. :thumbsdown:
 
Update on my Roof corrosion saga

So having had my warranty claim rejected I did as my dealer suggested and contacted BMW Customer Service with a very detailed email with photos requesting that they re consider my claim.

I received a prompt ’stock’ reply and I quote from it - “The best thing to do is to have your car looked at by your local BMW Approved Centre. I can’t guarantee we’ll help with the repair costs, but I can promise you we’ll look into this fully and fairly for you”. Sounds good doesn’t it, but they were just sending me back round the circle, because of course a dealer had already inspected my roof corrosion and suggested I contacted Customer Services! I’m absolutely convinced BMW Customer Services hadn’t even bothered to read my complaint properly.

I replied setting out my claim again ….. and they might just have detected a note of irritation in my response. Once again I received a very prompt response and I quote:

"BMW UK don’t make decisions on repairs under warranty, our Approved BMW Centres are factory trained and are given the autonomy to make decisions on behalf of BMW UK. If needed, BMW UK will review claims, but we only do so on the information provided by the BMW Centre. With that being said, from looking into the details of your case I can see a claim was sent across to BMW UK for review with BMW UK confirming the corrosion on your roof panels has not been caused by a manufacturing defect. While I can appreciate your frustration with the situation, as no warrantable defect has been confirmed BMW UK are unable to support with the repair costs.” :headbang:

So, it’s down to the individual dealership to approve a claim. My advice to anyone who is about to embark on a roof corrosion claim is to make sure the dealer who is assessing the damage is familiar with the problem - mine had never seen the problem before. Based on various threads on the forum, some dealers seem to welcome roof corrosion claims and they are approved. Having said that, with the number of claims building, I can see it's going to be much harder…..at the end of the day BMW are Judge and Jury.

As for me, alas like others, I have more pressing concerns than an ongoing argument with BMW that is going nowhere and one I won’t win. Yesterday morning I had my roof inspected by a high end bodyshop I have used previously and agreed their quote for nearly £1,000 to sort my roof corrosion.

Frustrated and very irritated…. but it was a great drive to the bodyshop.
 
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