To say I'm annoyed is an understatement
- Thread starter sk93
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Enquire on that one mate.
The front lower arms have two ball joints, both are part of the arm. Some arms have have them pressed out and replaced:
I assume that's what they had to replace.
They can be pressed in and out, are shown loose here:
Worst case, I'd ask them to replace the opposite one too, even if you have to pay the £10 for the part.
The front lower arms have two ball joints, both are part of the arm. Some arms have have them pressed out and replaced:
I assume that's what they had to replace.
They can be pressed in and out, are shown loose here:
Worst case, I'd ask them to replace the opposite one too, even if you have to pay the £10 for the part.
I'm really sorry to hear of this! There's no way that a 4 post lift could descend so rapidly to cause the damage that your car has suffered and remain level during the descent. If you can contain your anger, you should not only examine your car but also take lots of photos of both your car, and the offending lift. Take a particularly good look at the floor around the offending lift to see if there's any new scrapes in the concrete cause by the car falling off the lift.
Make sure that you ask to be given all parts removed from your car so that you can have them examined and use them as evidence. Both you and the garage are presently operating in crisis/panic mode, but you've got to consider your position now, with regards to how you will be feeling in a week or months time. If I were in your shoes, as much as I like my own cars I'd be considering rejecting the car and making the garage absolutely responsible and insisting that they give me sufficient in compensation to go and buy a like-for-like replacement, including all out-of-pocket expenses in finding such a car. If the damage is so great as to need the work you've described, and they're sufficiently worried as to want a BMW techy to examine, I can't believe that the damage will be limited to just what can be seen on visual inspection. The garage has been negligent in one way or another.
Make sure that you ask to be given all parts removed from your car so that you can have them examined and use them as evidence. Both you and the garage are presently operating in crisis/panic mode, but you've got to consider your position now, with regards to how you will be feeling in a week or months time. If I were in your shoes, as much as I like my own cars I'd be considering rejecting the car and making the garage absolutely responsible and insisting that they give me sufficient in compensation to go and buy a like-for-like replacement, including all out-of-pocket expenses in finding such a car. If the damage is so great as to need the work you've described, and they're sufficiently worried as to want a BMW techy to examine, I can't believe that the damage will be limited to just what can be seen on visual inspection. The garage has been negligent in one way or another.
A 4 ft drop on a lift prob could cause that damage if it was descending fast enough, to cause a recoil and make it bounce off the ramp.
I'd imagine if it fell off the ramp at such a height the bumper would be trashed, along with the surrounding metal panels.
Hopefully the bmw technician gives it the all clear, but i would ask them for a full written report to see what they checked.
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I'd imagine if it fell off the ramp at such a height the bumper would be trashed, along with the surrounding metal panels.
Hopefully the bmw technician gives it the all clear, but i would ask them for a full written report to see what they checked.
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Im sorry but it wouldnt......
If the car was still on the ramp but it descended as fast as possible,the suspension will probably have bottomed out,and if anything pushed up the turret tops..
But for the exhaust and bumper to be damaged i believe that this car has rolled off the end of the ramp from a substantial height..
Either way.....I have been around car ramps for 30 years and only ever seen one car come off a 2 poster due to crazy weight transfer and bad mounting of the ramp arms...That was at a main dealer that i worked for at the time,and the apprentice had got the car on the ramp for the tech. The car was a 200SX Nissan and it fell off backwards.....It trashed the rear bumper but aprt from that was undamaged..
But for a car to knacker 4 shocks,2 bumper,tear out a balljoint and need an exhaust is an incredible amount of damage..
Im with John......I would seriously consider rejecting it..
Im sorry but it wouldnt......
If the car was still on the ramp but it descended as fast as possible,the suspension will probably have bottomed out,and if anything pushed up the turret tops..
But for the exhaust and bumper to be damaged i believe that this car has rolled off the end of the ramp from a substantial height..
Either way.....I have been around car ramps for 30 years and only ever seen one car come off a 2 poster due to crazy weight transfer and bad mounting of the ramp arms...That was at a main dealer that i worked for at the time,and the apprentice had got the car on the ramp for the tech. The car was a 200SX Nissan and it fell off backwards.....It trashed the rear bumper but aprt from that was undamaged..
But for a car to knacker 4 shocks,2 bumper,tear out a balljoint and need an exhaust is an incredible amount of damage..
Im with John......I would seriously consider rejecting it..
^^^^^
I do agree about the suspension being so badly damaged with the lift mearly failing.... I cant see how rolling off a ramp would cause that (little) bodywork damage.
Unless the lift itself failed and cause the car to drop vertically
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I do agree about the suspension being so badly damaged with the lift mearly failing.... I cant see how rolling off a ramp would cause that (little) bodywork damage.
Unless the lift itself failed and cause the car to drop vertically
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exdos said:
Not sure I would agree with that. Surely you've got to give the garage a chance to rectify its wrong which it sounds like it is doing. If it turns out there is more major chassis damage on a jig then maybe the insurance company (if their involved) may pay out for a new motor but then I would imagine that would work out the same as if you'd had a car crash into you and written it off, you always come off slightly worse with book price money etc.
Maybe I'm wrong on the above, but even so, I would still say give the garage a shot at putting it right first.
shortfuse 2
Senior member
to be honest with you the garage sounds as if they are doing everything they can .having a bm tech come round is not going to prove much .have it in writing off them what happened .in writing also that they will honour anything that bmw finds out when it goes on a jig.that way you will be covered I wouldn't want to drive it to bmw just in case I would demand it transported because you just don't no. BE CARE FULL GET IT IN WRITNG AND SIGNED BY THE MANAGER 
Pure guesswork here, so forgive the speculation/assumptions
The ramps are hydraulic right? If the ramp descended uncontrolled and at speed then something failed catastrophically and you'd expect to see evidence as such. Hydraulic fluid everywhere, maybe a broken ram, marks on the floor etc etc. To drop at such a speed as to compress the cars suspension enough to do the damage it has it can't have been a minor failure in the ramp as if a pipe failed with a crack you'd get a jet of fluid but it would descend in a controlled manner. This must have come down at a hell of a speed.
So my guess is either the ramp failed catastrophically or the car fell off. Is the BMW bod a technician from the local dealer or a proper engineer from BMW? If I were in your position I'd want a proper engineers report and then the same engineer to sign off it's been fixed properly and is safe.
The garage is at least doing the decent thing by you. Their insurance will cover it.
Either way, I hope it works out OK.
The ramps are hydraulic right? If the ramp descended uncontrolled and at speed then something failed catastrophically and you'd expect to see evidence as such. Hydraulic fluid everywhere, maybe a broken ram, marks on the floor etc etc. To drop at such a speed as to compress the cars suspension enough to do the damage it has it can't have been a minor failure in the ramp as if a pipe failed with a crack you'd get a jet of fluid but it would descend in a controlled manner. This must have come down at a hell of a speed.
So my guess is either the ramp failed catastrophically or the car fell off. Is the BMW bod a technician from the local dealer or a proper engineer from BMW? If I were in your position I'd want a proper engineers report and then the same engineer to sign off it's been fixed properly and is safe.
The garage is at least doing the decent thing by you. Their insurance will cover it.
Either way, I hope it works out OK.
ok.. bit of an update.
the car is now at the BMW dealers to go on a jig to check alls ok.
the car has been reassembled and the BMW technician (from a official dealership) has gone over the car as best as he can in their garage and has spotted a couple of "minor" things they'd missed (xenon levelling thing etc), which they are going to get rectified by BMW themselves.
The accident is being reported as suspected to have been an uncontrolled descent of the four point lift. there is evidence of hydrolic (or something similar) fluid all around the lift pillar (its been cleaned up, but that chicken scratch stuff is still down in places). If I had to say, it also looks like one of the pillars is slightly twisted - but that's just me looking, so who knows.
The car itself, like i say, is now at the dealership for them to give it a proper, full, inspection and report.
The technician said that the damage is actually remarkably light considering the fall - he too expected to see shocks embedded in the bonnet.
He thinks that the lift probably jerked on the way down, momentarily locking at different heights, before dropping the final distance.
The garage have provided a full and frank report of events. they have listed everything they have changed and have stressed that they will pay for anything BMW believes to be fixed, or a full like-for-like replacement of vehicle if it is determined unfixable.
they also agreed to provide a courtesy car from tomorrow morning until whenever I get the car back, or if needs be, a replacement vehicle is provided.
tbh, I am quite impressed with the garage. I don't believe it was caused by neglegence of one of the workers there (I mean yes, the ramp failed, but it doesn't sound like their mechanic did something stupid to cause this). They also have been so organised in getting this put right as quickly as they possibly could. I know it's their responsibility, but they could have quite easily dragged this out a bit.
But getting the car back together in under a day is quite impressive tbh.. and they are bringing in other staff to get the work they should have got done for other people today, done this evening and early tomorrow morning.
I'm less annoyed and worried now.. but I'm not going to say I'm satisfied yet - not until BMW have had it in their repairshop and given it the green light.
man, I wish I knew more about garages / workshops to actually truely know what could have happened.
the car is now at the BMW dealers to go on a jig to check alls ok.
the car has been reassembled and the BMW technician (from a official dealership) has gone over the car as best as he can in their garage and has spotted a couple of "minor" things they'd missed (xenon levelling thing etc), which they are going to get rectified by BMW themselves.
The accident is being reported as suspected to have been an uncontrolled descent of the four point lift. there is evidence of hydrolic (or something similar) fluid all around the lift pillar (its been cleaned up, but that chicken scratch stuff is still down in places). If I had to say, it also looks like one of the pillars is slightly twisted - but that's just me looking, so who knows.
The car itself, like i say, is now at the dealership for them to give it a proper, full, inspection and report.
The technician said that the damage is actually remarkably light considering the fall - he too expected to see shocks embedded in the bonnet.
He thinks that the lift probably jerked on the way down, momentarily locking at different heights, before dropping the final distance.
The garage have provided a full and frank report of events. they have listed everything they have changed and have stressed that they will pay for anything BMW believes to be fixed, or a full like-for-like replacement of vehicle if it is determined unfixable.
they also agreed to provide a courtesy car from tomorrow morning until whenever I get the car back, or if needs be, a replacement vehicle is provided.
tbh, I am quite impressed with the garage. I don't believe it was caused by neglegence of one of the workers there (I mean yes, the ramp failed, but it doesn't sound like their mechanic did something stupid to cause this). They also have been so organised in getting this put right as quickly as they possibly could. I know it's their responsibility, but they could have quite easily dragged this out a bit.
But getting the car back together in under a day is quite impressive tbh.. and they are bringing in other staff to get the work they should have got done for other people today, done this evening and early tomorrow morning.
I'm less annoyed and worried now.. but I'm not going to say I'm satisfied yet - not until BMW have had it in their repairshop and given it the green light.
man, I wish I knew more about garages / workshops to actually truely know what could have happened.
It sounds as though they are a top garage. Accidents happen I know I have just had one! But it seems to me they are pulling out the stops. Firstly o try and rectify the problem. And secondly there offer if its not repairable.
I do hope this bad incident works out for you Sk
I do hope this bad incident works out for you Sk
Z4M-2006 said:
the screws seem to have been pulled through the plastic. it doesn't look bad, but I suspect they've been stressed.
tbh, I dont know.. all I know is they're replacing them.
what I am suprised about is that the airbags didn't go off... I'd have expected that.
Z4M-2006 said:
mate, I haven't got a clue, and whilst I'm happy to think they're not telling me porkies - I'm definitely up for any suggestions people in the know can provide.
Once the car is back in my hands all safe and sound, I'm definitely going to investigate this more and certainly having some knowledgable questions to ask or points to query would be wonderful.
however, until it's "resolved", I don't want to rock any boats and start making accusations or questioning honesty. you know what I mean?
Happened to a 535 that i used to have, it had bodykit fitted (bmw) and they had chocked it with wooden chocks it then fell off the ramps... they repaired every thing including a respray but never felt the same just didnt steer and was replaced after a few weeks... so i feel your pain.... x2 group hug