Somewhat of a moral dilemma

[Matticus91]

As many of you know I've been in and out of the shop over the past few months. To keep it simple, I brought the car in right after Christmas for a new water pump (among a ton of other things).

One of the other things I asked them to look at was a leaking washer fluid issue, which they checked and found no flaws even after pressurizing the system. I get the car back and immediately notice a massive puddle of washer fluid under my car again, I bring it back in a week later (when I finally got the chance) and they fix some things, waiving the diag fee and using my aftermarket warranty to cover parts. Minimal cost out of pocket, and they gave me a loaner (no cost).

A week or so later, same issue is back, so into the shop it goes. They said apparently the hoses were dryrotted and needed replacement. The job was extensive and expensive because they had to take so much apart to fix it.

$100 in parts, $500+ in labor. Not covered by warranty because they do not cover hoses, so that was an out-of-pocket hit. They waived diag again and also took an hour off the labor to get that price. Because I was peeved by it I asked them to do a paint correction routine on it so I'd at least get something good out of it being in the shop again, this service cost me $390. They also repainted a messed up door handle for about $130. I was again given a loaner (no cost) for the two days.

I had a family emergency the second day it was in the shop and had to go to NJ, 400mile round trip, out of state. Their policy states that they will not let you go over 100 miles per day, and you are not allowed to leave the state. I talked to them and they let me go, which I greatly appreciated.

Now I've got my car back, all things are settled.

Here's my issue, the paint still looks bad, almost like they didn't even touch it. They fixed two spots that were deeply scratched, and the door handle looks great, but the service was supposed to at least remove the light swirls and scratches on the whole car. There are still a ton of swirls and there are places where it doesn't even look like they tried (roof, c pillar [final rear panel], side panels).

So what should I do?? They helped me out big-time on letting me take the loaner car to NJ, but I am REALLY disappointed in the paint correction for the $390 that I spent on it. If I knew it would have come out that way I would have just done it myself. Should I let it go or should I bring it up?

TL;DR: Dealer helped me out in one way, but did sucky job on pricey paint correction. Do I ask them to work on it more or leave it alone?

[Mach1er]

I would not ask them to do it again. If they didn't get it right the first time, at best they're not meticulous enough and at worst incompetent. I'd either do the paint correction yourself, or take it to a reputable body shop where they do BMW paint all the time. Dealers just aren't equipped to work on paint, IMO.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by Mach1er

I would not ask them to do it again. If they didn't get it right the first time, at best they're not meticulous enough and at worst incompetent. I'd either do the paint correction yourself, or take it to a reputable body shop where they do BMW paint all the time. Dealers just aren't equipped to work on paint, IMO.

This is a BMW dealership with a collision center and bodyshop that specializes in this kind of work, so I'm very surprised by the outcome. I am confident that if I asked them to do it again it would come out right.

[HawkeyeGeoff]

I second what Mach1er said. If they can't get it right the first time, take it somewhere else. I wouldn't pay that dealership anymore money.

[Yeineken]

For sure say something about the quality of work. Is this Passport by chance? I've never had a good experience with that dealership. I highly recommend going out to Fairfax for future services. They always had the best service for me and a large service center; I've gone to Fairfax, Alexandria, Passport, and I.G. Burton in DE for service and warranty work and Fairfax sticks out to me as the best to work with.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by Yeineken

For sure say something about the quality of work. Is this Passport by chance? I've never had a good experience with that dealership. I highly recommend going out to Fairfax for future services. They always had the best service for me and a large service center; I've gone to Fairfax, Alexandria, Passport, and I.G. Burton in DE for service and warranty work and Fairfax sticks out to me as the best to work with.

I keep forgetting you're somewhat close by haha. This is BMW of Rockville MD, I work less than a mile down the street.

Originally Posted by Mach1er

I would not ask them to do it again. If they didn't get it right the first time, at best they're not meticulous enough and at worst incompetent. I'd either do the paint correction yourself, or take it to a reputable body shop where they do BMW paint all the time. Dealers just aren't equipped to work on paint, IMO.

Originally Posted by HawkeyeGeoff

I second what Mach1er said. If they can't get it right the first time, take it somewhere else. I wouldn't pay that dealership anymore money.

Would you guys recommend at least bringing it up to my dealer? It's kind of painful to spend that much and then just let it go.

[NorthernDancer]

I would take it back. I would make sure I spoke with Service Manager, just not another Service Advisor. I would ensure SM actually sees the car. I would try to get something in writing. Finally mention you will write a letter to BMW of NA if you do not get satisfaction.

[Esteban]

I would take it back and talk to the service manager as well. Go over the car panel by panel and tell him what you expect. You already paid for this work and you shouldn't have to pay again.

I would at least give them the opportunity to rectify this, especially if you're confident that if you ask for it to be done again it would come out right, as you stated in your post above.

[Cemoto]

A typical paint correction at a respected shop is $1,500 - $2,000. if you want it done right.

This would include wash, clay bar, wet sand (tons of orange peel on BMW paint) polish (multi step multi grit compounding) seal and coat (wax or polymer).

I dealt with all the polish, machines, etc. for more years than I care to disclose. Once I had a real pro do one of my cars, I realized I would never do mine again.

Like a mirror!

Regards,

.

[Dat Aus]

I wouldn't demand they fix it but certainly express your disappointment with the service. Yes, they were good to you by giving you the loaner and letting you take it out of state. On the other hand, if they had correctly diagnosed the rotted hoses as the cause of the leak when you took it in the first time to have the leak fixed, then you most likely would have had YOUR car when you had the family emergency and you wouldn't have had to rely on the loaner.

At the end of the day, you paid almost $400 for a service and received unsatisfactory results. Take the car back to them and show them. Tell them you expected better for your money and ask if they'll be willing to rectify it.

[zx10guy]

Don't worry about it, go back and voice your concerns. FYI, that's the place I go to too. I had my rear bumper resprayed as I had a brain fart and tapped my mother in law's car backing out of my garage one day. The paint work still looks great 3+ years later. I've had other issues with things they did to my car and they were never disrepectful. They heard me out and corrected the situation. Just keep it professional and civil. I know things happen and as long as things get taken care of I'm ok with it.