[thrill30]

Originally Posted by charln

Guys, I would really appreciate your advice on this one...

So I received my new E90 325i about 3 weeks ago (see earlier review), and in general I'm extremely happy BUT there are still some unresolved issues (small problems). I've been trying to have these sorted, but things have reached a stage where I'm starting to get really upset with the dealer and BMW South Africa.

The dealer made me wait for 3 hours while they tried to 'fix' some of these problems during delivery. The car should have been checked before delivery!!!
They then made arrangements for the car to be repaired by a BMW dealer (SMG) in my home town. These guys had the car for 2 full days, then called to say they've fixed most of the problems. However, when I collected the car they had not fixed a single issue on my list, and managed to get greasy fingerprints all over my new beige leather!

Here's a copy of my email to the dealer (Autobahn BMW) and BMW SA:

Hi Dumisani,

To date this has been an extremely disappointing experience with my new BMW. As I mentioned to you last night, I have now reached a stage where I am unhappy to own this vehicle.

Herewith a review of the issues I’ve had to date:
1) Initial problem with order specifications – had to re-order and wait additional 5 weeks for a vehicle.
2) Vehicle malfunction during delivery: Navigation malfunction + Bluetooth malfunction.
3) Due to the malfunction, the delivery process took approx. 3 hours. As a result of this delay, I missed my next appointment.
4) Minor scratches on trunk lid.
5) I’ve had the car for almost 2 weeks, yet I still have not received a manual nor instructions for operation of Bluetooth or iDrive.
6) After attempted repair by SMG, Navigation and Bluetooth are still faulty.
7) Car key memory still not operational after attempted activation by SMG.
8) Sporadic iDrive ‘black-outs’, lengthy delays and screen ‘freezes’.
9) Grease marks on leather interior after attempted repair by SMG.

As I’ve mentioned before, it was not an easy decision to go for the 325i with many extras (including Prof. Navigation, Bluetooth, etc.). The cost of the extras pushed the price of the vehicle to R 20k above the cost of a 330i. For this price I expect the car and all the functions to operate 100%, all the time.

If BMW are not capable of building a vehicle that works as it should, they should not be selling these vehicles, and I do most certainly not want to own one. This is not what I ordered or paid for.

Apart from the obvious disappointment and inconvenience of not having the proper car that I paid for, I have also had to spend time and money on many phone calls. Although the arrangements were very well planned by Autobahn, I still had to spend more than 3 hours of my (work) time to try and get the car sorted out by SMG Durban. And after all that, they have failed to fix even a single issue on the list. And I’ve been without the brand new car for 2 days!

This is reflecting very poorly on BMW, both from the point of supplying faulty vehicles, and from the aspect that they are apparently not capable, nor very concerned, about getting the faults fixed. I have become seriously disillusioned with the BMW brand as a result of this mess.

My recommendation is that BMW SA replace this vehicle with a new one that operates as it should - if they are capable of building a vehicle without problems, and if they are serious about customer satisfaction.


After the mail I called BMW SA to follow up. The 'case manager' said he accepted my issues, and since the car was only 2 weeks old, he suggested they would make arrangements for a replacement to be ordered.

However, the next day he called back to say they (BMW SA) had changed their mind and would not replace the vehicle. He said that the final quality check is with the dealer, and since they should not have released the faulty car, it is now up to the dealer to replace the car. Of course the dealer flatly refused. All telephone calls are recorded, so the dealer requested that the tape be reviewed and it did indeed prove that BMW offered to replace the car - yet they would not budge!

I've since agreed to give them another attept to repair the vehicle again (3rd time lucky?), but I have requested a guarantee that the car would be replaced if they were not able to fix the problems completely.
Both the dealer and BMW SA have refused, stating that the vehicle is on a full maintenance contract, and since the problems are 'minor', they would continue to attempt to repair the vehicle for as long as it takes!

I'm seriously pissed with this attitude, but don't know what else to do. All I'm asking for is to have a car which works 100% as it is supposed to - this is what I paid for.
Am I being unreasonable?
Please tell me how you guys would handle this...

No, you are not being unreasonable at all. You paid for the car, and they should give you what you paid for.

- Some members in this forum might be able to assist you with your Navigation and Bluetooth problems. Please give details of the malfunctions you were referring to.

- What cellphone make and model are you using to connect through Bluetooth?

- As for the scratch, just ask the dealer to get it polished. This can be easily fixed, and it's relatively cheap.