Z4M and the dealer service

[mj2k]

Just wow.

Car booked in for a simple oil change as 12 months since I did the inbetween one, and 24 months since the dealer did it for the service book. Plus the brake fluid change.

Now their system keeps spitting out a price of £600, which I keep telling them is an inspection service, not an oil one that I’ve requested.

I’ve got 11k until an inspection is required, so rushing it in only 4K after the last pile service is madness. Probably more mad is the oil being removed only covered 562 miles judging by the MOT, so excessive to change anyway!

Dealer then asks if I want the micro filter changed (only done 4K since last oil change) and informs me I I do then it’s going to be £1200. I point out that’s an inspection 2 not the addition of a micro filter, which is a £45 part.

This service chap has already told me he’s worked for BMW for 18 years, how can he be so out of touch with the servicing requirements and costs!?

How can it not be as simple as ‘do what the customer asks, not what the computer spits out’?

 

[PerryGunn]

Just phone another dealer for a quote then, assuming you want to use your local one, go back to them and point out the difference...

An oil service can usually be done while you wait so if they won't drop the price go elsewhere - as an aside, you can usually get it even cheaper if you supply your own oil.

 

[mj2k]

Service was already booked in with them earlier in the week & the same conversation with their booking dept. “No, it’s mot an inspection, I want an oil change plus brake fluid”. But it’s not an option for you sir, you you can only have a £600 or a £1200 service because it’s an M.

It’s being done as I wait. It was more a rant about the level of incompetence trying to charge a customer £600 for a £200 oil change. If a customer wasn’t clued up they might just pay it.

Completely forgot to bring my own oil until I arrived. Although they’d have somehow screwed that up too I bet!

Think I will use another dealer next time, or decide that a specialist should be used from now on instead. You just have to hope the chap out the back knows more than the person with the computer.

 

[bmwaddict]

Exactly why I use an independent specialist, unlike BMW they are more flexible than "that's not on my screen sir".

 

[mark seeker]

Does anyone know a rough cost of an oil change at main dealer if the oil is supplied at all?

 

[mj2k]

Does anyone know a rough cost of an oil change at main dealer if the oil is supplied at all?

I was charged £69.60 for my oil from the dealer, so in theory that much less.

Just noticed the feckers have also cleaned the car, despite lying that they hadn't. Dash cams are handy things....and to see your P&J be attacked by a blade type dryer and done in 1.5mins before a chamois finished it off.

Am furious, it had a full machine polish before it went away for winter and some cnut has just dragged a blade over the poorly washed paint. I have asked the dealer if they will b paying to rectify any marks I find in my paint.... :x :x

 

[srhutch]

Does anyone know a rough cost of an oil change at main dealer if the oil is supplied at all?

I was charged £69.60 for my oil from the dealer, so in theory that much less.

Just noticed the feckers have also cleaned the car, despite lying that they hadn't. Dash cams are handy things....and to see your P&J be attacked by a blade type dryer and done in 1.5mins before a chamois finished it off.

Am furious, it had a full machine polish before it went away for winter and some cnut has just dragged a blade over the poorly washed paint. I have asked the dealer if they will b paying to rectify any marks I find in my paint.... :x :x

£70 for oil is cheap from a dealer.

Main dealer did my oil service last year under the value scheme @ £199 managed to supply my own oil so was only charged about £80. Local stealer was charging around £20 per litre for oil.

 

[mj2k]

Does anyone know a rough cost of an oil change at main dealer if the oil is supplied at all?

I was charged £69.60 for my oil from the dealer, so in theory that much less.

Just noticed the feckers have also cleaned the car, despite lying that they hadn't. Dash cams are handy things....and to see your P&J be attacked by a blade type dryer and done in 1.5mins before a chamois finished it off.

Am furious, it had a full machine polish before it went away for winter and some cnut has just dragged a blade over the poorly washed paint. I have asked the dealer if they will b paying to rectify any marks I find in my paint.... :x :x

£70 for oil is cheap from a dealer.

Main dealer did my oil service last year under the value scheme @ £199 managed to supply my own oil so was only charged about £80. Local stealer was charging around £20 per litre for oil.

Based on what their wider performance has been, they’ve prob screwed it up then & wrong oil....

Will post the invoice up, was £12 a litre, worryingly only charged me for 5....thought I needed 5.5L??

 

[mj2k]

Here you go

 

[hopz121]

Interestingly they don't say what oil was used either.

I hope they used the correct 10W60!

Things like this make me so glad i don't use main dealers now, the moment they started doubting the price is the moment i would have walked out.

 

[mj2k]

Interestingly they don't say what oil was used either.

I hope they used the correct 10W60!

Things like this make me so glad i don't use main dealers now, the moment they started doubting the price is the moment i would have walked out.

The price was their system price, had the same conversation via their telephone network booking it in. Just a lot of people who don’t know or care. If you don’t know your stuff they will take your cash - even worse, was he said it was due to it being an M Sport

If engine goes puff, they are the last people to have changed the oil....and it’s only on 24k, an interesting discussion.

Oh and here’s the muppet drying my car with the devils tool. All in all, a shite day car wise, and wife doesn’t understand my mood tonight.

 

[mr wilks]

Interestingly they don't say what oil was used either.

I hope they used the correct 10W60!

Things like this make me so glad i don't use main dealers now, the moment they started doubting the price is the moment i would have walked out.

The price was their system price, had the same conversation via their telephone network booking it in. Just a lot of people who don’t know or care. If you don’t know your stuff they will take your cash - even worse, was he said it was due to it being an M Sport

If engine goes puff, they are the last people to have changed the oil....and it’s only on 24k, an interesting discussion.

Oh and here’s the muppet drying my car with the devils tool. All in all, a shite day car wise, and wife doesn’t understand my mood tonight.

Everything you have said about the whole episode scares me i would not be able to rest until i had bought my own 10w 60 & thrust it into the hands of my indy to change while i had a coffee & watched . The dealership you have chosen are clearly inept in dealing with your model of car so why would you even trust them & actually leave the car + key

 

[BradleyB]

I got an oil service done at Barons, Farnborough on my M a couple of months ago. I got a quote online for £199, with BMW providing the oil as they said there was no option to reduce the price by providing the oil myself.

I was happy with that price anyway, so went ahead and booked. On the day, I asked if brake fluid could be changed also as it was a couple of years since the last change. They charged ~£70 for that also. £270 all in wasn’t bad I don’t think!

 

[mj2k]

Interestingly they don't say what oil was used either.

I hope they used the correct 10W60!

Things like this make me so glad i don't use main dealers now, the moment they started doubting the price is the moment i would have walked out.

The price was their system price, had the same conversation via their telephone network booking it in. Just a lot of people who don’t know or care. If you don’t know your stuff they will take your cash - even worse, was he said it was due to it being an M Sport

If engine goes puff, they are the last people to have changed the oil....and it’s only on 24k, an interesting discussion.

Oh and here’s the muppet drying my car with the devils tool. All in all, a shite day car wise, and wife doesn’t understand my mood tonight.

Everything you have said about the whole episode scares me i would not be able to rest until i had bought my own 10w 60 & thrust it into the hands of my indy to change while i had a coffee & watched . The dealership you have chosen are clearly inept in dealing with your model of car so why would you even trust them & actually leave the car + key

I will be emailing the manager once I’ve had response regarding the paintwork.

If they are happy to stand by having used the correct oil for my car based on their master tech doing the work, then I’m happy if they are. It’s more the front of house vs the actual mechanics that worries me, oh and the car cleaning gorillas :lol: Surely they can’t log a number plate and then use the wrong oil on the instructions provided to them?

Although I certainly won’t be returning to Cooper BMW Reading, or their other branches. But also despise Sytner, so am going to have to go indie now I think. Annoyingly wanted to keep a full BMW service history but thinking Munich Legends or Grovesnor might be the way forward, as BMW won’t be training people on these engines as already stated, become a plug in & fix level of mechanic.

 

[mj2k]

I got an oil service done at Barons, Farnborough on my M a couple of months ago. I got a quote online for £199, with BMW providing the oil as they said there was no option to reduce the price by providing the oil myself.

I was happy with that price anyway, so went ahead and booked. On the day, I asked if brake fluid could be changed also as it was a couple of years since the last change. They charged ~£70 for that also. £270 all in wasn’t bad I don’t think!

That’s good to know, as they gave me the brake fluid change for free based on my wasted time and frustration.

 

[Mr Tidy]

Although I certainly won’t be returning to Cooper BMW Reading, or their other branches. But also despise Sytner, so am going to have to go indie now I think. Annoyingly wanted to keep a full BMW service history but thinking Munich Legends or Grovesnor might be the way forward, as BMW won’t be training people on these engines as already stated, become a plug in & fix level of mechanic.

Sad story OP!

I bought my 123d from a Cooper showroom in 2008, and wouldn't ever go near any of their sites again!

But when I had newer BMWs with Service Pack I always used Sytner, Sunningdale (even if the workshop moved to Ascot) and never had an issue with them.

Now my BMWs are older I have been using a BMW Indy in Camberley (so not too far away from you) for both of mine for the last 4 years or so, and I know of a couple of other forum members who go there - plus there is a courtesy car for £15 a day I think should you need it.

Details here:- http://www.twgautomotive.co.uk/

 

[mj2k]

Although I certainly won’t be returning to Cooper BMW Reading, or their other branches. But also despise Sytner, so am going to have to go indie now I think. Annoyingly wanted to keep a full BMW service history but thinking Munich Legends or Grovesnor might be the way forward, as BMW won’t be training people on these engines as already stated, become a plug in & fix level of mechanic.

Sad story OP!

I bought my 123d from a Cooper showroom in 2008, and wouldn't ever go near any of their sites again!

But when I had newer BMWs with Service Pack I always used Sytner, Sunningdale (even if the workshop moved to Ascot) and never had an issue with them.

Now my BMWs are older I have been using a BMW Indy in Camberley (so not too far away from you) for both of mine for the last 4 years or so, and I know of a couple of other forum members who go there - plus there is a courtesy car for £15 a day I think should you need it.

Details here:- http://www.twgautomotive.co.uk/

Great, thanks for this, I will look them up.

 

[Adam D]

I had the same discussion when booking my M in for an oil service. Their computer doesn’t list oil, insp1 or insp2. It took a lot of explaining on the phone to make them realise that a micro filter doesn’t cost £400; eventually they complied...

 

[mj2k]

I had the same discussion when booking my M in for an oil service. Their computer doesn’t list oil, insp1 or insp2. It took a lot of explaining on the phone to make them realise that a micro filter doesn’t cost £400; eventually they complied...

Utter madness isn’t it.

Was yours part of the Coooer group, or is a BMW system issue? The chap yesterday couldn’t seem to understand the fact a micro filter was not the price he was claiming...even trying to show parts prices.

 

[mj2k]

All cleaned this morning, and I can see 1 or 2 long micro marks along the bonnet, the sort I’d expect to see dragging a dirty blade across dirty paint in an ark shape, plus a minor one. You have to move about to see them, but given it went into them like a sheet of glass I’m still angry about it all.

I’m also convinced I’ve a door ding that wasn’t present before (dealer made a song & dance of parking it across 2 bays so ‘nobody can damage it’).....seemed weird in a busy car park but now suspicious!

Door ding will be hard to prove, but do I push for a professional resolution to the bonnet, or just suck it up and put it down to experience and never cross their threshold again with any of our 3 BMW/Minis?