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      12-01-2018, 11:16 AM   #1
dkat
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BMW Dealers - rant

I have recently had 2 horrible dealer experiences that I would like to share with the forum. (different dealers for each service)

1st dealer experience - I needed the airbag recall performed. I decided it was a good time to change the fluids coolant, brake, power steering, rear diff.
When I picked up the car the oil warning lamp came on. I had changed to oil less than 500 miles before! & checked the level before I brought it in and was almost at the full line I had reset the trip odometer to see how many miles would be put on the car after I picked it up. Whoever thrashed my car reset it to 0 once again. From now on, I will always take a picture of the odometer reading if I ever dare to go back to a dealer. Service adviser seemed mortified and went to the parts dept. & handed me 2 quarts of oil gratis. I vowed, never again to this dealer.

2nd dealer experience - Received 20% off service coupon via email. Since I had an ABS failure, It was a good opportunity to have it done on black Friday since I was off from work. Also decided it was a good time to change the battery.
Called on Monday for Friday appointment. Told them I wanted an AGM battery since original was lead acid. Friday afternoon adviser calls and says the battery is not stock and needs to be ordered. I said, I told you Monday I needed the battery, I would have paid for it in advance if that was needed to order it. Is part #61-21-2-353-811 AGM? I don't trust these guys at all. He told me not to worry, as all M cars are stored indoors until picked up by owner. Today, 8 DAYS LATER I picked up my car. Completely filthy & bird droppings. When I saw the bill I flipped out. They charged me $185.00 (less 20%) for a diagnostic 2 TIMES! one for each error code! Also charged me $216.00 for pulse sensor 34-52-6-870-077 When onlinebmw shop.com says LIST price is $150.47. So, even after the discount, paid more than list for a part?? Advisor knocked some more $$ off invoice. I still feel that is was screwed. So discouraged/disappointed in dealer experience. I think it is time to find a reputable independent shop.
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      12-01-2018, 12:20 PM   #2
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That's horrible

Where are you located and what dealerships are you referring too?

Maybe someone here on the forum can suggest a better dealership or private shop.

Not all Bmw dealerships are good unfortunately.
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      12-01-2018, 02:16 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkat View Post
I have recently had 2 horrible dealer experiences that I would like to share with the forum. (different dealers for each service)

1st dealer experience - I needed the airbag recall performed. I decided it was a good time to change the fluids coolant, brake, power steering, rear diff.
When I picked up the car the oil warning lamp came on. I had changed to oil less than 500 miles before! & checked the level before I brought it in and was almost at the full line I had reset the trip odometer to see how many miles would be put on the car after I picked it up. Whoever thrashed my car reset it to 0 once again. From now on, I will always take a picture of the odometer reading if I ever dare to go back to a dealer. Service adviser seemed mortified and went to the parts dept. & handed me 2 quarts of oil gratis. I vowed, never again to this dealer.

2nd dealer experience - Received 20% off service coupon via email. Since I had an ABS failure, It was a good opportunity to have it done on black Friday since I was off from work. Also decided it was a good time to change the battery.
Called on Monday for Friday appointment. Told them I wanted an AGM battery since original was lead acid. Friday afternoon adviser calls and says the battery is not stock and needs to be ordered. I said, I told you Monday I needed the battery, I would have paid for it in advance if that was needed to order it. Is part #61-21-2-353-811 AGM? I don't trust these guys at all. He told me not to worry, as all M cars are stored indoors until picked up by owner. Today, 8 DAYS LATER I picked up my car. Completely filthy & bird droppings. When I saw the bill I flipped out. They charged me $185.00 (less 20%) for a diagnostic 2 TIMES! one for each error code! Also charged me $216.00 for pulse sensor 34-52-6-870-077 When onlinebmw shop.com says LIST price is $150.47. So, even after the discount, paid more than list for a part?? Advisor knocked some more $$ off invoice. I still feel that is was screwed. So discouraged/disappointed in dealer experience. I think it is time to find a reputable independent shop.
please tell me you didn't go to a dealership in brooklyn or manhattan.

it's a total NO NO.

message me with where you live....
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      12-01-2018, 03:30 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by 10" View Post
please tell me you didn't go to a dealership in brooklyn or manhattan.

it's a total NO NO.

message me with where you live....
PM Sent
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      12-01-2018, 03:38 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Tornado1M View Post
That's horrible

Where are you located and what dealerships are you referring too?

Maybe someone here on the forum can suggest a better dealership or private shop.

Not all Bmw dealerships are good unfortunately.
Both dealers are on Long Island. Decided I am done with dealer service for any of my BMW's. Also, I could have had the car washed by the dealer, I only hand wash the car, so I passed. They must have test drove 20 miles in the rain yesterday.
Spent the entire afternoon washing/detailing.
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      12-01-2018, 07:04 PM   #6
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Sorry to hear that. I just had my power steering pump replaced under extended warranty through my local dealership in Seattle. They did a great job.
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      12-01-2018, 07:14 PM   #7
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never deal with bmw unless its for warranty stuff. always better off with an outsider bmw shop. always.
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      12-01-2018, 10:27 PM   #8
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be caution when taking your vehicle in for any work after warranty expired, this is how dealer makes most of their money, especially for specialty car like 1M, there I said it...its not just owner thinking how special their cars are, the guys at the dealer thinks so to and would take it out for a quick ride if you leave it behind.
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      12-06-2018, 01:51 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by FIRSTM View Post
be caution when taking your vehicle in for any work after warranty expired, this is how dealer makes most of their money, especially for specialty car like 1M, there I said it...its not just owner thinking how special their cars are, the guys at the dealer thinks so to and would take it out for a quick ride if you leave it behind.
There are crooks everywhere, in every line of business.

My BMW dealer, who services my 4 BMWs, has always treated me fairly and with respect. If anything, they have undercharged me on a number of occasions.

It's easy to take a broad brush and trash an entire class of businesses with generalizations that are not true. My experiences with my own dealer, in Boise Idaho, could not be further from what you have posted.
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      12-06-2018, 07:30 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by champignon View Post
There are crooks everywhere, in every line of business.

My BMW dealer, who services my 4 BMWs, has always treated me fairly and with respect. If anything, they have undercharged me on a number of occasions.

It's easy to take a broad brush and trash an entire class of businesses with generalizations that are not true. My experiences with my own dealer, in Boise Idaho, could not be further from what you have posted.
I don't believe all is bad, there are those that are, from my exp, more bad than good. That's just from me and people that are close to me that experience bad service. Not sure if you were here in the beginning when the 1M first came out, but there's drama there also.

I am happy for you to have a good dealer in Boise, Idaho, by the way, that's where I live when I first came to the US, my brother still lives there. He loves hunting there, we usually go fishing in Snake river for big catfish.
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      12-07-2018, 12:44 PM   #11
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They are certainly not all bad....however, there are some that are very questionable. I've had very average dealings with some to the point where it's not always the best place to go for the $$$......certainly, if you are out of warranty!

Now, in my area we have a couple good ones and a couple questionable ones....end of the day, go where your comfortable and ask around and talk with people for recommendations!
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      12-07-2018, 02:10 PM   #12
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Small measure of revenge. 0 rating on dealer satisfaction survey emailed today.
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      12-10-2018, 10:24 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkat View Post
Small measure of revenge. 0 rating on dealer satisfaction survey emailed today.
that's something I never do, unless something really bad happens. If I don't like the service, I go somewhere else, and my families and friends also, and people I know.
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      12-11-2018, 07:29 AM   #14
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that's something I never do, unless something really bad happens. If I don't like the service, I go somewhere else, and my families and friends also, and people I know.
I don't agree. it is a management tool used to determine if whomever is doing a good job and meets the standards of the customer. If no one ever responded, poor service self-perpetuates and adjustments that should be made are not done. Customer satisfaction in this day in age is critical. There are a multitude on apps such as Yelp and others that are a portal to both satisfied and dissatisfied customers. I always fill out customer satisfaction surveys whether it is good or bad. Management needs to know how their performance, quality, should improve if needed.
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      12-24-2018, 08:15 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkat View Post
I have recently had 2 horrible dealer experiences that I would like to share with the forum. (different dealers for each service)

1st dealer experience - I needed the airbag recall performed. I decided it was a good time to change the fluids coolant, brake, power steering, rear diff.
When I picked up the car the oil warning lamp came on. I had changed to oil less than 500 miles before! & checked the level before I brought it in and was almost at the full line I had reset the trip odometer to see how many miles would be put on the car after I picked it up. Whoever thrashed my car reset it to 0 once again. From now on, I will always take a picture of the odometer reading if I ever dare to go back to a dealer. Service adviser seemed mortified and went to the parts dept. & handed me 2 quarts of oil gratis. I vowed, never again to this dealer.

2nd dealer experience - Received 20% off service coupon via email. Since I had an ABS failure, It was a good opportunity to have it done on black Friday since I was off from work. Also decided it was a good time to change the battery.
Called on Monday for Friday appointment. Told them I wanted an AGM battery since original was lead acid. Friday afternoon adviser calls and says the battery is not stock and needs to be ordered. I said, I told you Monday I needed the battery, I would have paid for it in advance if that was needed to order it. Is part #61-21-2-353-811 AGM? I don't trust these guys at all. He told me not to worry, as all M cars are stored indoors until picked up by owner. Today, 8 DAYS LATER I picked up my car. Completely filthy & bird droppings. When I saw the bill I flipped out. They charged me $185.00 (less 20%) for a diagnostic 2 TIMES! one for each error code! Also charged me $216.00 for pulse sensor 34-52-6-870-077 When onlinebmw shop.com says LIST price is $150.47. So, even after the discount, paid more than list for a part?? Advisor knocked some more $$ off invoice. I still feel that is was screwed. So discouraged/disappointed in dealer experience. I think it is time to find a reputable independent shop.
Switch to an independent. https://www.bimrs.org/

As far as BMW pricing on parts... this has been this way a LOONG time.


BMW does not set the MSRP for parts.
BMW sets a RECOMMENDED price.

Each and every BMW dealer is free to set their own " list price" and then discount to a selling price from there.

I heard about this and called to local dealers in DFW looking for a part over a decade ago... perhaps about 15 years now.

I called the FOUR local dealers on a Fuel pump- BMW E30 M3

Dealer 1- $119.95
Dealer 2- $139.95
Dealer 3- $149.95
Dealer 4 -$119.95

Online price - $99.95 at Turner Motorsport ; Bimmerworld, online BMW dealer places etc..

ALL of the local dealers didn't keep it in stock and required 3 days for the part to come in.

WHY WOULD I PAY A LOCAL DEALER MORE TO SHIP THE SAME PART IN?

In that case.. I ordered the part online and installed it myself. Afterwards I decided to frequent shops that allowed me to bring in parts or at least match the online parts places.

So.. see if your local independent will match online parts prices as they will be making additional money on the labor.
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      12-24-2018, 08:21 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkat View Post
Small measure of revenge. 0 rating on dealer satisfaction survey emailed today.


OUCH. NICELY done. those ratings (please rate us a 10 as anything less than a 10 is just good" ) actually mean a lot to dealers it seems.

I bet you will probably get a follow up call now from them trying to get you to come back.. just say no!

Quote:
Originally Posted by FIRSTM View Post
that's something I never do, unless something really bad happens. If I don't like the service, I go somewhere else, and my families and friends also, and people I know.
Something bad DID happen. he didn't like their idea of service. While letting everyone and your brother know to go elsewhere may make you feel better, and may also be impactful, your silence towards the dealer itself doesn't help the dealership learn anything now does it?

that's why the rating system from the dealership is scaled and isn't binary.

if something minor disappoints you... you could give them a "7"
if something more major.. you could give them a "5"
and if you straight up want to see them go under tomorrow... then you drop a " 0" on them....

Regardless of rating.. sharing the experience with others always is available as well.

Last edited by M3 Adjuster; 12-24-2018 at 08:27 PM..
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      12-26-2018, 08:52 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster View Post
OUCH. NICELY done. those ratings (please rate us a 10 as anything less than a 10 is just good" ) actually mean a lot to dealers it seems.

I bet you will probably get a follow up call now from them trying to get you to come back.. just say no!



Something bad DID happen. he didn't like their idea of service. While letting everyone and your brother know to go elsewhere may make you feel better, and may also be impactful, your silence towards the dealer itself doesn't help the dealership learn anything now does it?

that's why the rating system from the dealership is scaled and isn't binary.

if something minor disappoints you... you could give them a "7"
if something more major.. you could give them a "5"
and if you straight up want to see them go under tomorrow... then you drop a " 0" on them....

Regardless of rating.. sharing the experience with others always is available as well.
The rating system is binary. Even though there is a scale from 0 to 10, anything under 10 is considered a failure. Ask anyone being measured by this at the dealership. I even noticed on one visit when my SA pulled up my records in the system, that my satisfaction ratings have been kept with my file. I feel the way the system is rigged it doesn't reflect the true experience as it's just pass/fail pressuring people into giving perfect scores. While workers strive for perfection, to expect perfection every time is just total folly.
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      12-26-2018, 09:34 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster View Post
OUCH. NICELY done. those ratings (please rate us a 10 as anything less than a 10 is just good" ) actually mean a lot to dealers it seems.

I bet you will probably get a follow up call now from them trying to get you to come back.. just say no!



Something bad DID happen. he didn't like their idea of service. While letting everyone and your brother know to go elsewhere may make you feel better, and may also be impactful, your silence towards the dealer itself doesn't help the dealership learn anything now does it?

that's why the rating system from the dealership is scaled and isn't binary.

if something minor disappoints you... you could give them a "7"
if something more major.. you could give them a "5"
and if you straight up want to see them go under tomorrow... then you drop a " 0" on them....

Regardless of rating.. sharing the experience with others always is available as well.
The rating system is binary. Even though there is a scale from 0 to 10, anything under 10 is considered a failure. Ask anyone being measured by this at the dealership. I even noticed on one visit when my SA pulled up my records in the system, that my satisfaction ratings have been kept with my file. I feel the way the system is rigged it doesn't reflect the true experience as it's just pass/fail pressuring people into giving perfect scores. While workers strive for perfection, to expect perfection every time is just total folly.

YES,

I am aware that the dealer sends out requests for ratings on a 10 point system that actually is binary. This leads to dealerships begging for a particular rating (10) in an attempt to shift the rating to be positive instead of negative (9 or below is a failure. )

I generally REFUSE to play this ratings game and don't rate dealers AT ALL. However , if the dealer makes ANY error , then , by the dealerships own system, (which appears to be non binary but actually is ) providing me with anything other than excellent service , then I'm sure as hell gonna mark then down.

What I can tell you for sure .. is that even though the dealer considers 9 or below to be a failure .. is that they still have a rating that in their system still shows as 1-10, and i will still use that. Any error gets a 9. More errors get a 5. Piss me the hell off and you get a ZERO and I never darken your door again.
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      12-26-2018, 03:10 PM   #19
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YES,

I am aware that the dealer sends out requests for ratings on a 10 point system that actually is binary. This leads to dealerships begging for a particular rating (10) in an attempt to shift the rating to be positive instead of negative (9 or below is a failure. )

I generally REFUSE to play this ratings game and don't rate dealers AT ALL. However , if the dealer makes ANY error , then , by the dealerships own system, (which appears to be non binary but actually is ) providing me with anything other than excellent service , then I'm sure as hell gonna mark then down.

What I can tell you for sure .. is that even though the dealer considers 9 or below to be a failure .. is that they still have a rating that in their system still shows as 1-10, and i will still use that. Any error gets a 9. More errors get a 5. Piss me the hell off and you get a ZERO and I never darken your door again.
I do agree to some point, I don't play that rating system, I DO believe they benefit from a good ratings, and I don't give any unless they do a great job, then I rate all 10 or excel or whatever.
I like to interact with my service manager/ person, because they are the ones that know me most, they know I don't like my car wash after service, they will hear it from me if it did, if caught taking the car out on a stroll, then the management will also hear it from me. I give dealers time to correct their mistakes, they might have a bad person in the service bay, or just one or two, I won't blame a whole dealer for it, give them time to correct their mistakes by interact with them and work with them. Now if that doesn't work, then you go whatever route you want to screw them.

My dealer have over 50% personnel revamp/replace few years ago, they kept the good ones which was a relief.

Last edited by FIRSTM; 12-26-2018 at 03:15 PM..
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