08-04-2012, 09:00 PM | #1 |
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Dealer damaged my car
I have to start by saying that I love my 1M, it is a fantastic car! What I can't wrap my head around is how a company that has the ability to make such a fantastic car does such a poor job once the car has been manufactured.
I opted for European delivery, which if you have not done that, I highly recommend. As a bonus Porsche has revamped their program to be closer in cost to BMWs offering. 270 on the Autobahn and laps on the Nürburgring were an experience of a lifetime. Problem is, when BMW shipped my car back, the transportation company they used dripped some kind of corrosive fluid on the hood, there were 3 splotches from three quarters to an inch and a half across. I wanted to take the car to a shop that I found with the help of members here, but this was discouraged by the dealer. Even though there was no pro active efforts made by the dealer to address the issue, I dropped off the car for them to deal with, they gave me a loaner (323 stripper that they are charging me a $100 for.. whatever) and I figured I would just hope for the best. Got a call 3 days later, seems that during transport something happened and they have damaged the front bumper cover, so now the entire front of the car will need to be repainted. I am a reasonable person, all I wanted was my hood repainted and I was willing to understand that poo happens and move on. This second incident has made me less understanding and have little faith in the dealer or BMW and am reluctant to let them take the repair further. I have contacted my lawyer and instructed the dealer to stop all work. I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar issue / experience? What was the outcome. I appreciate any input. B |
08-04-2012, 09:21 PM | #2 |
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08-04-2012, 09:43 PM | #3 |
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I don't understand charging you for a loaner. The only time I asked for one it was free.
The only one you can reasonably expect to do a warranty repair is a BMW dealer. If you have a different dealer you can deal with you could try that but anybody else who fixes your car will expecxt to be paid. I don't see much choice but to let the dealer do it. If they don't do it right, then they get to do it again. Jim
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08-04-2012, 09:44 PM | #4 |
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I am in Canada between Toronto & Montreal, I used to live in San Diego and used to use Bettencourt back in the day. They were great! I miss San Diego.
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08-04-2012, 09:53 PM | #5 | |
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I agree with you on both counts. Problem is my expectations and the reality of dealing with a car dealer are pretty far apart. If this were a leased Camry that I used as a commuter car, I would just leave it up to the dealer and return it at the end of the lease. I own this car, and was hoping to hang on to it as i really like it! My time being valuable (to me at least) I think I will save a lot of time just taking care of the issues myself, then passing it off to my attorney. Most of my family are lawyers (3), as well as my GF so, I am covered in the legal department. I was hoping not to go down the legal route, but I feel that the dealerships lack of proactivity on the initial issue, and the subsequent F up leaves me little choice. I don't want to have my car repainted multiple times. |
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08-04-2012, 10:18 PM | #6 |
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For some light reading on this topic, see BMW v Gore at
http://scholar.google.com/scholar_ca...en&as_sdt=2,15 |
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08-04-2012, 11:07 PM | #7 | |
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08-05-2012, 01:09 AM | #8 | |
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Sorry to hear of the damages that have occurred and hope that a resolution is found, however the actions of the shippers are certainly separate from BMW, so I don't understand why the fact that a shipper damaged your car has anything to do with BMW or your faith in the marque. Last I checked, BMW makes automobiles, and to date there has been nothing mentioned that is wrong with the vehicle itself. as far as the choice on the repairer, If BMW is going to warranty the vehicle and the paintwork done to repair the shipping damage, I'd let them use the company of their choice as well, and I can certainly understand why they made the choice on who did the corrective repairs, because they are providing the warranty. I can't imagine them providing you a warranty on work that was done by a shop that you selected, nope, that's not gonna happen. Go buy a hamburger at McDonald's and then try and return it to Burger King. Would you do that? What's the purpose of stopping the work? Seems to me that you are just delaying your own repairs..... I'm not clear about the order of the second damages on the bumper. Was this after the hood repair? If the bumper alone needs to be repainted the bumper will be removed and repaired and repainted and the hood would not be painted again. I doubt that the bumper was repainted with the hood, the hood was likely repainted by blending within the panel unless the damage was at an edge near the fender. If the issue with the bumper happened on the way to get the hood work done then both will be repaired at the same time. The two parts, the hood and bumper are a far cry from the " entire front end" in my opinion. Let the dealer fix it and move on and enjoy your car again when it comes back. |
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08-05-2012, 03:26 AM | #9 | |
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In the past I have owned Porches and Audis, this is my second BMW. I have owned 24 cars in my life and I have not had issues with a dealer where a visit to the body shop was required due to their negligence or their bad luck. In my BMW ownership experience, not including the initial delivery of the car, I have had 5 visits to dealers, 3 of those visits have resulted in damage to my car. My faith in the BMW marquee is effected by the experiences I have had with other dealers, which I have found to be better organized and offer me better service. I know this is a 1 series, maybe my experience would be different if I had purchased an M3 or 7 series. The second shipping damage was a direct cause of the dealer, as they were using their own truck driven by an employee of the dealership to ship the car, not a contractor. The bumper needs to be replaced, not repainted as the damage is too extensive to be fixed. The purpose of stopping work is on the advice of my lawyer. I am also pretty sure the repair facility is owned by the operator of the dealership, If I were a betting person, my money would not be on them getting it right. The service guy from the dealership said that they will have to repaint the fenders, he was not clear if they were damaged too, I will see Tuesday. While there are passionate enthusiasts in Canada, it is no California when it comes to cars. I have seen some pretty sub par body work here. I am not taking this personally, the people at the dealership seem like nice people, and I am sure they are trying to do their best, and as you pointed out damage every time they have shipped the car is more than likely rare. I would rather take responsibility for the repair of my car myself and get it right. Thanks for your time to reply. B |
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08-05-2012, 07:42 AM | #10 |
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Had a similar issue of damage to my car during dealer storage and then subsequent damage to the car during repair process.
I've posted details elsewhere, if you are using BMW dealers/network/contractors then surely its better to get the damage repaired by them and then ask for reasonable compensation from the dealership. I.e cost of loan vehicle reimbursed and not "distress" etc. We all know accidents happen and looks like two incidents though unfortunate are not linked. At least the first was bad luck. Second not great. I had my roof dented by body shop whilst removing bird poo etching. Had new BMW loan car arranged for free as many days as I needed despite short notice foe initial work. Further remedial work carried out at my home. And I returned their loaner with an empty tank and claimed back £300 for detailing work that needed to be repeated. No further hassle from dealer. I too thought they'd keep cocking up. But they did achieve a good result in the end. No piss was taken, no lawyers involved. Car only took two days to fix. BMW CS UK are pretty good at making dealers pull their fingers out their backsides and they were involved in my case. Surely it's easier than costly lawsuits! But your are across the pond... |
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08-05-2012, 07:44 AM | #11 |
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They broke my windshield, bent a wheel and broke the front bumper in shipping from europe. Bmw replaced or fixed all of it. Took a month to get the car after it got to the US. The bumper has a run on it from them painting it that i have not even told them about. This reminds me i need to do that....
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08-05-2012, 08:34 AM | #12 |
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I agree with bueller that it's really difficult to find a dealer who puts as much love and affection into your car as you do. I also agree with M3 Adjuster that it's unfair to blame the brand for the behaviour of an individual dealer.
Without knowing who you take your car to, here's what I would do based on past experience... - first and foremost, take the car as it is now and give the dealer the opportunity to make everything right. Explain that you're extremely disappointed in what's happened with the car, and that any other errors will result in a follow-up with BMW Canada. If the dealer happens to be a corp. store, they'll take the advisement pretty seriously. - most dealers use a "partner" body shop, often one owned my whatever parent company happens to own the dealer. If you REALLY have no faith in the dealer to resolve your issues properly, contact BMW Canada and ask to have the repairs expedited via another dealership (I've had success with this before). Then take your car to a dealer who has a good rep for body repairs (I love Maranello BMW who also owns European Autobody) - at the end of the day, BMW Canada pays the tab regardless of who does the work. I used to get all heated about things like this and yell at service managers myself, but the fact is that people (often) make mistakes and I've learned to go in with a fair and diplomatic offer and keep the emotions out of it. I'd DEFINITELY demand a free loaner, and tell your dealer that you want the car back as good as new (or better) and that they have one last chance to make things right with you. Being in Belleville, there probably aren't many options for dealers nearby, so burning a bridge could cost you more time and money in the end. Regardless of the path you take, I hope it all goes well. |
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08-05-2012, 08:49 AM | #13 | |
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Thanks for your advice, I think I have started that process, I had not thought that BMW Canada would actually get involved. I copied them on the letter I sent to the GM at the dealer, so I will follow up with them after I get the car back. I am not a big yeller, and I realize people sometimes make mistakes, it is just difficult when the mistakes are so egregious. I feel like the dealership is walking on me. Thanks for your constructive input it has given me a new direction to take. B |
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08-05-2012, 08:52 AM | #14 | |
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08-07-2012, 03:06 PM | #15 | |
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I understand how you were attributing things and my point is that is unfair. Perhaps you will reach blottos level someday. The second incident.. sure.. Attribute it to the DEALER or that employee but again not the marque (note spelling). In my opinion that's just lame. If you are that upset then use another dealer.. but don't blame BMW NA or AG for something that an INDEPENDENT FRANCHISE does. Of course you have already shown by your negative opinions that you expect to find further issues..... PS.. as far as thinking that you would get better or worse service based on the model you own.. really? That's some pretty shallow thinking. While the vehicles sold at a dealer may have different purchase amounts, that shouldn't change the level of service you get at the counter. As a matter of fact.. I'd be very upset if someone told me a 7 series owner would deserve or receive better customer service because their car is 20K more expensive or because it's more prestigious than my 1. Nuff Said. Best of luck With your situation. I anticipate a self fulfilling prophecy. Go ahead and sell the car now while you can! Last edited by M3 Adjuster; 08-07-2012 at 03:20 PM.. |
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08-07-2012, 09:10 PM | #16 | |
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08-07-2012, 09:31 PM | #17 |
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I sympathize with OP. I also live in an area where the next closest dealer is 2 hours away. Needless to say, the dealer in my city gives poor service IMO.
I am not sure if driving a 1 commands less respect at a dealership. I sometimes have that feeling also. Some people do judge a book by it's cover. The dealership people have no idea what I can buy and does not know what other vehicles I have. But I do get the sense that just because I drive a one, they seemed to be less eager to please. Trust me, there is definitely no reason for me to have an inferiority complex. The other thing that my dealer does is to treat vehicles not bought from them differently. Eg no loaner. And the reason I did not buy it from them? Poor service. It started from me looking into buying the car. I walked into the dealership with 3 kids in tow, let's say dressed unlike your stereotypical BMW owner. Nobody even acknowledged me for 20 minutes and they are not even busy. They probably thought i will never buy a one. On top of that, they try to rip you off with charges for things such as window tint and nitrogen in tires. Needless to say, I walked and bought the car somewhere else. Overall, poor dealership experience does affect the brand for me in a negative way. Just my rant and 0.02 |
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08-08-2012, 04:24 PM | #18 |
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The Dealer has contacted me and told me that they will fix my car at their body shop and that is it, take it or leave it basically. I visited their body shop yesterday. They had just painted the rear door and rear fender on a brand new Alpine White 5 series. Granted, the car had not been detailed, there were fisheyes and dust marks in the paint, did not give me that lovin' feeling.
I drove by the Honda dealership yesterday and Honda seems to have the sense to apply a protective film to their 15K cars for shipping. As far as not blaming the brand, if that works for you great! Thing is, I bought a new car and it was damaged during shipping. Then subsequently damaged further during repair. Looking at things from a strictly monetary point of view, the car is no longer worth what it was. I am not a bankster, the 4 - 6K hit I am taking is what I think is unfair. I don't think I am being unreasonable when I say that BMW any way you slice it is culpable for not taking the same precautions that every other car maker seems to see as a good idea when shipping cars. Then the dealer is being a bit of a douche to say, that is too bad for you, we'll fix it to our standards (which are average at best). I have been in contact with BMW Canada, they are saying that they will take 5 days to investigate, then let me know what they want to do. Hopefully they have some good ideas. Thanks for your suggestion Blotto649, I think your suggestion sounds like the best idea. I just want to have my car fixed. |
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08-10-2012, 06:21 AM | #19 | |
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I feel your pain. All some (not all, ok, but some if not most) dealers care about getting the car out the door and do sub par work to get things done quickly. How hard is it to just do the right thing in the right way and take care of someone? Smh... Bringing back memories I have tried to erase from the back of my head sinceast October when I licked out and stumbled across a VO someone backed out of |
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08-27-2012, 07:38 PM | #20 |
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Too bad for me
So...
BMW Canada called me to tell me that basically all they will do is fix my car at their authorized repair facility. They have had my car for a month, I still do not have it back, so who knows what it will look like? My attorney has suggested gathering evidence suggesting lack of due care, and / or negligence and file in small claims court, as it will give the dealer and BMW less opportunity to bury me in fillings. I have always bought used cars, taking my time to pick one that someone has taken excellent care of and as a result have saved a lot from buying new. I have owned 27 cars in my life, and only 6 of them have been new. I have also gravitated to independent service. This is my 2nd BMW, I have owned Porsches in the past and have had good luck buying used and taking care of service myself, or at an independent mechanic. My garage actually has a pit! I am going to see a 2010 GT3 next week. I think the key to having a successful automotive experience is to avoid dealers at all cost. B |
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