Hello all,
[TL;DR] in bold
I like to use
genuine parts when replacements are needed, and I have usually gone to
Doncaster/Bundoora BMW (in VIC), as they always seem to have more competitive pricing.
However, I have
consistently been disappointed with the quality, and it has got me wondering.
Has anyone else experienced this?
All the parts I get are in BMW branded packaging.
I have spoken to some friends, and they have suggested that it's not impossible that
the dealership might be selling parts that are counterfeit. And they may be doing this
unknowingly. For example, they may have found a cheaper, parallel import for their parts, and not realised that they are counterfeit.
Is this possibly why their pricing is more competitive as well?
Here is a list of all the issues I have had:
1. Front brakes, new pads, rotors and sensor:
- about 500km after changing them, I noticed a groove being worn into the rotor. Took the brakes apart, and noticed a decent chunk of metal, similar to all the others in the pad, but much bigger, that was cutting into the rotor. I removed it with a pick, and has been good ever since.
- Brake pad wear sensor has tripped after about 5-10k km, and it is telling me that brakes require service. (this was reset with a scan tool at time of replacement).
2. Rear brakes (changed about 50k km after front), new pads, rotors and sensor.
- same issue with the sensor as the front. 5-10k km, and car is telling me brakes require a service. (was also reset with a scan tool) 
3. Rocker cover gasket:
- replaced, and about 1-2 years later, it was already leaking heavily (drips on my driveway).
- replaced again, stopped leaking, 4-8 weeks later, drops on my driveway again. 
The only other parts I recall buying from this place is oil and engine filters, which I think should be okay.
At first, I thought that the brake wear sensor might have been a one-off failure, but the fact that it has happened two for two has really got me suspicious.
All
other genuine parts, I have ordered
from Schmeidmann, and they
have generally been good. But of course, they are different parts all together, so that might be a moot comparison.
This post isn't to throw shade, and I absolutely have no evidence to back up this claim, I genuinely (pun not intended), want to hear other people's experiences, and try to figure out if I've just had some bad luck, or if I should avoid buying from them in future, of if maybe genuine parts are just really poor quality, in some cases.
Thanks all!