Hey Guys,
I'm looking for direction as I'm not sure what to do at this point. I'd like the community's help to guide me through this horrific ordeal.
After spending the past 9 months with what should have been a simple issue to resolve, it has now become a complete nightmare. I thought the problem was localized at the dealership, but I'm starting to think this is more of a systemic problem at BMW, after dealing with BMW North America (BMW NA) this week:
- Mar 2013: Request dealership to replace front brakes under extended maintenance plan (M3 bought as CPO). Dealership denied initial request, claiming custom wheels, driving habits caused premature wear (even though the service was due 2k miles, 1 month away) and wanted me to pay full price. Kindly explained: (1) this was a CPO with 45k miles on it - which was why I bought the extended maintenance plan or else would have not purchased it (peace of mind), (2) as part of extended maintenance plan, it's pre-paid for and would be ridiculous for me to pay again, (3) it's a safety issue at this point and (4) they're being unreasonable considering how close I'm due for the service. They finally agreed to replace the brakes, however it was done under goodwill. Note: car was road tested.
- Apr 2013: Shortly after I noticed steering wheel shaking issue when accelerating AND braking; Had tires inspected (figured since brakes are new), front tires showing uneven wear; unsure what was causing it.
- Jul 2013: Steering wheel shake worsened; Returned to dealership to inspect brakes again, dealership didn't diagnose problem but installed rear rotors instead, unlike the first time they didn't conduct road test (which would uncovered wheel shake). Apparent to me dealership was unwilling to diagnose or fix my issue after leaving with the same issue I came in for.
- Aug 2013: On my own at this point, tried to pinpoint root problem: is it the brakes or tires? I swapped custom wheels/tires to my stock set and tires; Found steering wheel shaking issue gone when accelerating, however brake issue persisted (during braking - duh).
- Sep 2013: After 6 months and still unable figure out problem, the car could no longer be driven safely. I took it to a 3rd party shop. By simply removing the tire, they found the problem: the dealership installed the front rotors on backwards. They were surprised how that could happen because BMW brakes are directional (very obvious when comparing the front and back brakes - direction of holes were going opposite of each other - should be the same direction), let alone stamped with an L and an R. I was extremely pissed off that the dealership who was resistant to replace the brakes under my pre-paid maintenance plan, come to find out they installed them on the wrong side. Not only did they compromise my safety (my passengers and those around me) but also unnecessary, unknown damage to my car for the past 6 months. Never mind the fact that they had a chance to diagnose it (but failed).
- Sep 2013: Advised the dealership about this situation. The dealership didn't admit anything but promptly took my car in without question and replaced the rotors correctly this time. Surprisingly, they didn't document anything about reversed rotors in the diagnosis and I was never given an apology whatsoever. I left the dealership dumbfounded and amazed that they simply didn't care about my situation, or reassure me that this wouldn't happen again. It was clear I am not a valuable customer to them and it didn't matter if I come back at all (they are a high-volume dealer anyways). Realizing there could be more damage as a result of this, I knew I had to inform corporate BMW of my situation. Without having it properly documented, I knew I had to inform BMW NA with as much accurate and detailed information as possible, to support my claim. I was certain the documentation and facts would clearly show how the dealership acted irresponsibly and inappropriately.
- Nov 2013: I submitted my claim to BMW NA. Asking for call back only - I did not ask for money or compensation, just a discussion with a BMW representative in a timely manner.
- Dec 2013: With no response after a month (not in a "timely manner" as requested), I emailed the customer service representative, only to find out a decision was made: no compensation or goodwill due to vehicle taken to 3rd Party shop. Never mind that I was never communicated about the decision, I kindly disagreed with it, and stated they were given the opportunity to fix it but failed. As a result, a 3rd party shop was able to find the cause of a problem that BMW certified technicians could not - am I supposed to rely on them when my safety is being compromised, yet nothing was done? So doing what's best for me after BMW can't find anything, is grounds for disregarding my whole claim altogether? It culminated because the dealership couldn't find the problem they created, ignored my claim and left it unfixed in an unsafe manner. UNBELIEVABLE. The whole reason I bought a CPO with maintenance plan is because I didn't want to go to a 3rd party shop, repairs are expensive for these cars. Do they really think I want to pay extra for services that should have been covered by my warranty or maintenance plan? Simply put, I couldn't trust BMW with my life anymore, so I did what was the right thing for everyone - everyone except myself in the eyes of BMW.
- Dec 2013: During the BMW NA claim, I was dealing with a customer service rep who was combative, defensive, and outright unprofessional. I could not get her to provide answers to specific questions, or direction for next steps in my situation. Betrayed to this point, I requested that my claim gets escalated. I come to find out BMW NA only makes decisions on Warranty issues, not issues like mine, and I would need to work with dealership. INCREDIBLE. So for over a month now, my issue wasn't even in-scope for their review process, yet it did. Their unwarranted decision now harms my position with the dealership, making it even less likely to get a favorable decision. Not only that, but the dealership has been alerted to the situation, making it easier for them to cover-up the issue.
All I want is the for the dealership to
do the right thing and own up to their mistake. Why is this so hard? I have all the documentation clearly supporting my claim. I can see how BMW can disclaim anything when they know a car was taken outside the BMW dealership network. However, that's a standard response that's given, and I even provided a clear, logical reasoning behind the approach: BMW could not find their own problem (that they created) and the measures I took to do their job.
This will absolutely be the first and last BMW I ever buy. I don't have a problem with my M3 at all (I love it) but to deal with these kind of people and the awful service, is downright despicable. I can't tell you how many hours I've wasted on this.... I'm simply amazed at this entire debacle, and how BMW continues to show incompetence at every stage of our engagement. I hope nobody has to go through anything like this like I have.
If anything, I'm looking for a moral victory here, to show this 'well-known' dealership and BMW NA they can't operate in this manner - and you will be held accountable for being negligent.
Thanks for taking the time to read this long thread. As you can see, I'm serious about this matter and will not stand for this. Any advice is welcome.