About dealerships....

[Kayven128i]

So my dealership told me to show up at 7:30 AM to drop my car off today. I'm getting the VANOS recall work done. The guy basically said it should be done by the end of the day, unless bolts are broken. Just got a call from them at 2 pm or so asking "Is it ok if we keep it here until tomorrow? We just took it into the garage and it takes a few hours to take it apart etc...".

But for me it's like, why did I take it in at 7:30 AM? I work at night so I never wake up that early, and why take it in so early if it's not going to be touched until mid afternoon? I guess I'm just anal about my car and get worried about stuff...I even take a pic of the dash before I hand it over so I have record of the mileage.

Anyone have any crazy stories? Maybe I'm just overly babying my car.

[Billup]

Unfortunately, it happens more often than you'd think. Depending on their work load, they probably thought they could take it on early in the morning, but techs may have gotten tied up on jobs from the previous day that went on longer than expected.

I used to have people get furious with me when we had to hold their car over night, but the only thing I could ever express was that if they wanted the job done right, it's better to take the time and not miss any details. Most people are usually understanding, but there are people who need their car that day, and become very irate. The world isn't perfect, and sometimes things get delayed.

Taking a picture of the dash is perfectly reasonable, and I actually advise people to do this. It will either show that your shop is reputable and honest, or it will provide proof of negligence if you notice something is off. However, that isn't always going to be your saving grace.

[whitebimmer09]

I would say if they gave you a loaner who cares? When I go in for service, they have a car waiting. I just got in and left. I don't mind driving different BMW's around.

[luv135i]

After my first maintenance visit at a bmw dealership i learned never take it in without a loaner.

[MightyMouseTech]

The time you drop the car off has no bearing on when it goes into the shop.

Here is how a shop works:

The order cars go into a shop is by Pick-Up time! The first ones in are the waiter appointments in the morning, then work on cars that are requested to be ready by noon, then we work on the cars to be ready for the end of the day. If things are busy and stuff starts backing up, the cars to be ready for the end of the day start getting pushed back.

We get 80 cars dropped off between 7:00 and 9:00. Drop off times get staggered so that there is not a line of 80 people standing there at the same time to drop off their cars. We are not going to work on all 80 cars in the first 2 hours.

[TheSt|G]

Which VANOS recall?

[Vigilante375]

The one that we've all been waiting on parts for........only VANOS recall I know of that is on going right now.

[Downeaster1]

As a technician, I highly advise people to take pictures of all angles of the car and especially the wheels. I've seen curb rash happen to vehicles on a lot, and other techs will smear brake dust on the newly acquired rash to make it look like it was old. I have a conscious and have noticed that if you tell a foreman right when it happens, they usually don't care and will have the wheel repaired properly. Accidents do happen after all. Not commonly, but they do happen.

If you have a good service advisor and you tell him you're situation, he may mark the car as a "waiter" which will more or less give you front of the line privileges in the shop. Don't expect this though. 95% of the time, its reserved for people who are actually physically waiting at the dealership for their car.

[ShocknAwe]

Happens all the time. Always take your car in when they actually have a loaner for you. Also, most dealerships actually have loaners available all the time. I've gotten one last minute twice on an urgent repair. Just ask nicely.

If you have a loaner, who cares, tell them its OK and to please take their time. No rush = great service in my book.

[zx10guy]

The dealership I take my car to makes it a practice to do a walk around of the car before taking it in.

They have a person who along with you will walk around the car to do a visual inspection just like you would do with a rental car. They have a check in sheet with them. If they see anything like scratches, dents, etc, they will note it on the check in sheet. This check in sheet is then given to you to take in to the service adviser.

I also echo the comments about a loaner. I don't understand why people get all bent out of shape when they're given a car to get around with. You're putting miles on someone else's car...ie less wear and tear on your car and if you care about resale...more value for your car. At the same dealership I take my car in to, one of my neighbors is a mechanic there. He said he's run in to owners whom care more about what loaner they get than dealing with the issue which required them to drop off the car in the first place.

The only time I had a real issue with a loaner was when I was given a 535xd. The way the seat was set up in that car really killed my lower back...no matter how much adjusting I did. I almost went back to ask for a different loaner but didn't feel like taking out time to do it.