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      02-29-2012, 09:14 PM   #8
W Cole
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Drives: 2009 M3
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Newport Coast, CA

iTrader: (5)

Okay the dealer changed their tune today. Now they are telling me coverage is denied because when the battery warning light came on this past weekend the vehicle did not have its engine running.

The battery warning light came on about 10 seconds after I got into the car. I was plugging in my thumb drive and checking that it was working propertly while in accessory mode (hit start button once). I literally hadn't had enough time to turn on the car. Conveniently, the dealer says they do not have the capability to see how long the car was on before the warning light was triggered - does anyone know if this is true?

They are calling this, "user error." I'm fairly certain that sitting in the car for 10 seconds without the engine running is not an error.

The battery has been failing for months and I have been to this particular dealer twice with complaints of the clock losing time. A month ago when I brought it in I explained my clock was losing time to the secretary who took my appointment and even she was able to diagnose over the phone that it was a failing battery. However, when I took the car in they said the battery was in perfect condition even though the clock was losing several minutes per day. Now, a month later, they say the battery is so damaged its not safe to drive with but this is somehow my fault because I ran the stereo this past weekend for 10 seconds without the engine running.

I called BMWUSA but they are no help. The representative I have been dealing with says she has absolutely no technical expertise with which to make an informed decision and she is relying solely on the service managers opinion at the dealer that this failure is due to "user error." She also said that they can't cover the battery because I could have left the lights on the day after I purchased the car thereby killing the battery. Which leads me to question why BMW says they warranty batteries at all?

Last edited by W Cole; 02-29-2012 at 09:21 PM..
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