UNBELIEVABLE... Servicing my M3 Differential

[IMG]

Originally Posted by rye m3

Got my car at Greenwich BMW in CT. The sales guy was showing me HIS totally modded 335 with exhaust, power kit, AFE intake, etc.! How cool is that?!

Thats nice,but be careful cause Pace BMW service dep is by far the worst !!!!

[Brandon26pdx]

It totally depends on the dealer and the situation. Some are reasonable and fine with mild mods and some are looking for any excuse since it puts more money in their pocket. This sounds ridiculous though.

[cloud8r]

Unfortunately this is a systematic problem with BMW as a whole. I have been fortunate enough to have owned 9 new bmws over the last 9 years and have had them services at about a half dozen different dealers. ALL of them have incompetent and or total douches. This is at very stark contrast to say Lexus' service departments where they actually treat you better than a customer should be treated -- like everyone's best friends with the owner. Maybe if more people spoke up and brought their concerns to bmwna then something might eventually be done. But this is the price we pay for wanting to drive the ultimate driving machine.

[LarThaL]

Originally Posted by cpars006

So I take my car into Irvine BMW in Orange County LAST FRIDAY because I've been hearing a high pitched noise coming from the rear of the car, and a clicking noise in lower gears sounding like it comes from my rear right wheel. I call multiple times a day trying to pick up my car and I get to speak to my SA maybe once a day (if I'm lucky). Today I reached my breaking point and I finally just went into the service office pissed off and fed up. They told me a nut from my differential broke off and thats where all of my problems have been coming from. Naturally, I tell them to order the parts and to fix it, after a week it should have been done. The mechanic then came out and said they took pictures of it and sent it to the BMWNA service rep for the west coast on what they should do. Then tell me that because I have springs, nothing is covered under warranty. He then tells me a new diff+frame would cost over $3,000 not including labor. I call EAS (the people who did the install) and they tell me there is no relation whatsoever between the differential and the springs and that its total BS. I believe them but am not too educated in manners that relate to the differential/frame/ most of the internals of my M. Is the dealership screwing with me? What are my options? Any help would be HUGELY appreciated, I'm going through depression not being able to drive my car and really want some honest answers, and to be able to hear the sound of my V8 rumble again! I feel that because I'm in the younger demographic of M3 owners the dealership feels that they can take advantage of me. I'm hoping to prove them wrong.
(The tech said it would definitely be later than Tuesday until I even see my car, and my SA has not contacted me a single time, every time I am the one who initiates the call and he's quick to hang up)
ANY SUGGESTIONS ON GOOD HONEST SA's IN THE SOCAL, ORANGE COUNTY AREA!
I'm so upset about all of this

Here is the reality you face.....

Of course your springs have nothing to do with your failure. However, for you to get an attorney to fight this will be a huge hassle, time commitment and expense. IF you win your case, which may take many months to settle (during which time you will not be driving your M3) you still may not be able to recoup legal fees which may be more than paying out of pocket for your repair.

The dealer is banking on the fact that you won't want to go through this huge hassle, and will just pay up.

I have modded cars for years. Done some work myself, and then have paid my dealer (and paid them well) to do the other work themsleves. I pay them cash, and usually throw in a little extra if they do the job well. Since they see me as a good source of constant income, I have never been denied any warranty coverage.

In the end, it's all about money. That's life. Modding is a devil disguised as a very seductive woman !!! Indulge at your own risk !!!

[AxelLopezzzz]

Originally Posted by VVG

Here is the reality you face.....

Of course your springs have nothing to do with your failure. However, for you to get an attorney to fight this will be a huge hassle, time commitment and expense. IF you win your case, which may take many months to settle (during which time you will not be driving your M3) you still may not be able to recoup legal fees which may be more than paying out of pocket for your repair.

The dealer is banking on the fact that you won't want to go through this huge hassle, and will just pay up.

I have modded cars for years. Done some work myself, and then have paid my dealer (and paid them well) to do the other work themsleves. I pay them cash, and usually throw in a little extra if they do the job well. Since they see me as a good source of constant income, I have never been denied any warranty coverage.

In the end, it's all about money. That's life. Modding is a devil disguised as a very seductive woman !!! Indulge at your own risk !!!

Here in Puerto Rico is the same thing. I took my car because of the same noise and they told me that it was NORMAL!! Can U believe that? Of course, after fighting this issue with my Service Advisor, I got it fixed.

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by GT3 Tim

DONT LET THEM SCREW YOU OVER on this....total BS to say the springs have anything to do with the diff. Ridiculous!

What all of you don't realize is the springs MIGHT have to do a lot with the differential, but not mechanically. Due to INSTALLATION . Same thing happened to somebody when an exhaust shop removed the 2 differential bolts holding the exhaust brackets and forgot to reinstall (or to tighten) them, and differential broke. And everybody was also saying it had nothing to do with the exhaust.
If installer used the differential as a lever to help remove a reluctant spring, or just needed to loosen it up to create space (and also forgot to tighten the bolts), there you have the connection . If such thing happened, it'd probably be revealed during an investigation. And warranty would be rightfully denied.

That's why you have to be careful using the 'Magnusson Moss' defense. Most juries don't modify their cars, so you're at an immediate disadvantage to begin with. And if something like this comes up, you'd be down for double attorneys' fees, cost of the repair, plus who knows what else. The good news is you could go after the shop, but then you'd have to prove they screwed up. That's why if I'm going to do any modification to my cars, I either do it myself or leave it alone. Or simply assume you'd be out of warranty if anything happens, like in case of tunes, since tampering with the ECU is irreversible (BMW would know it was tampered with). Good luck OP.

[MRSSIIM3]

id rather pay 3k for an attorney to screw them instead of paying for a new diff...garbage

i seriously hate irvine bmw

[cpars006]

Dropped my car off on May 19th have been asked for a few more days with the car multiple times and finally went into Irvine and my SA 100% promised me my car today, and I haven't even gotten a phone call! WTF do I do?!?!

[Grail05]

Originally Posted by cpars006

Dropped my car off on May 19th have been asked for a few more days with the car multiple times and finally went into Irvine and my SA 100% promised me my car today, and I haven't even gotten a phone call! WTF do I do?!?!

bug the fawk out of them.... if that was me i would have been at the dealer everyday.

[KGB7]

I worked as SA at a Mazda/VW dealer, and one of our customers had lowered springs in Mazda Speed 6. His rear diff went out as well, dealer blamed it on springs but the owner fought the dealer and told them that there is no proof that springs damaged the rear diff.

After new diff was installed the issue was still there. Dealer insisted that its because of the spring.

After a week of car being in the shop, dealer found out that the diff mounts were bad and it need a new drive shaft. In the end the dealer fixed it under warranty.

[dnvrdrvr]

Originally Posted by bubu

I gotta tell ya, I'm amazed that people are not up in arms about BMW "scheduled" maintenance being forced on the consumer. Its monopolistic & highly anti-competitive behavior by BMW. It leads to dealership service departments being unaccountable for sub standard service.

I agree re: the sub-standard service comment. I was due for brake replacement on the front at 26K miles. I fully acknowledge this was due in large part to my "enjoyment" of the car. They replaced the front rotors and slapped new pads in. Husband was pissed they didn't replace the rears at the same time. I figure, meh, it IS being used for slightly more than a DD.

A week later I went to install my PFC-01 pads for a track weekend and realized they never bothered to clean the caliper pins & put fresh grease on. And one of the seals on the passenger side caliper is cracked. They left it. Sweet, thanks guys. Not what I would call pride in the quality of their work.

[OC3]

Originally Posted by bubu

Your story about Irvine BMW service does not surprise me in the least.

...sad part is that there are NO good dealership service departments in Orange County. I've been told first hand stories of Irvine BMW techs stealing scheduled maintenance/warranty parts & selling them back to the parts dept. He told me people on his "team" did it with the lead/master tech's knowledge. Oh, I forgot to add, "Ron" @ Irvine BMW is the WORST SA I have EVER ENCOUNTERED working for any dealership/brand. The guy is incompetent, lazy, and I suspect mildly mentally handicapped. Stay away from him @ all cost. I pointed out his failures to the service GM on a couple of occasions...I'm amazed he is still employed there. Which in turn reinforces my belief that Irvine BMW does not give a cra* about their level of service. Only reason to visit Irvine BMW for me is to buy my quart of "top-off" oil every 3-6 months since they are the closest dealer to my home.

Crevier is even worse then Irvine BMW...I had them try and bill me for "rotating my tires". It was written up under the work order as performed etc...staggered tire sizes, wtf right? Another time I got the "you need to flush your tranny as part of the maintenance...your lease says you gotta do all recommended maintenance on the car"...I had to ask em to show me ANY manual from any model year of any BMW that required a transmission fluid replacement @ 12,000 miles (this is back when BMW did not force bundle maintenance into their cars). Made a scene asking very loudly why he is defrauding customers lying about required maintenance...10-15 other customers stood around looking & listening intently. GM shuffled me into his office apologizing profusely & wiping out the service bill while paying me lip-service. In the end it was probably the GM telling his SA's to "push optional services".

Sterling in Newport Beach is avg. At least in my experience the SA's pickup the phone, call you back, etc... I've had issues with them dinging my car while working on it, but they seem to be more in-tune with customer service requirements being a smaller dealer catering to snobbish clientele...and they never tried to sell me a transmission fluid flush @ 12,000 miles .

I gotta tell ya, I'm amazed that people are not up in arms about BMW "scheduled" maintenance being forced on the consumer. Its monopolistic & highly anti-competitive behavior by BMW. It leads to dealership service departments being unaccountable for sub standard service.

On a side note, I'm not sure how many of you own or used lexus dealership service departments. I took my wife's ride in a couple of times to different dealerships and my jaw was on the floor in shock of how pleasant the whole thing was. Free Krispy Kream donuts, bagels, gourmet coffee in the morning...subway catered lunch food...lexus branded loaner cars (vs enterprise rental which seems to be the norm @ BMW in OC these days). Its just amazing to me what having to compete for service business in the luxury segment does for customer service.

That's how Acura dealer is too, here in Valencia area. In contrast, BMW & MB dealers here sux donkey balls.

[tlp]

Originally Posted by bubu

Crevier is even worse then Irvine BMW.

Sterling in Newport Beach is avg.

So who do you would you take your car to today? I've used both Crevier & Sterling with avg results as well.

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by dnvrdrvr

Husband was pissed they didn't replace the rears at the same time.

A lady M3 owner who TRACKS her car? Probably the only one .

And yes, that's what I HATE about single-piston brake calipers; you have to keep those pins lubed and clean, or they can eat the inner pads in no time. With the way techs get paid (a blatant conflict of interest IMO), most say 'screw the pride; I take the money instead' . Take care.

[mexicanmike]

^^^^^^^
I too had to re-read the husband comment, props, mad props.

+1 to lexus dealerships, they are awesome. Have never had to ask for a loaner, one is always provided, SA's have always been good.

Jeez, the only service I have gotten from BMW was a oil change, and it took them all day. Dropped car off at 8am, picked it up at 6pm. Waited a hour from 5-6 with no apologies or explanation as to why.

[Tobbep]

I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience. I'm not surprised though. I have had a few issues with the local dealerships as well. It does not matter what the problem is, they will find a way to screw you. The BMW reps are just thieves with suits in my opinion. They ended up charging me $500+ to update my maps to the US version as I bought my M3 in Germany while stationed over there. You have no choice so they know they have you by the balls. I have such a bad taste when it comes to BMW as a whole that I'm fairly certain this will be my last Bimmer.

I owned a 2007 Shelby GT500 which was modified to the extreme. The Ford dealership never turned me away, nor denied me basic service. They actually like their customers.

I hope you fight this dealership with everything you got.

Good luck...

[bubu]

I'd take the car to Sterling and have a chat with one of the shop foremen/head mechanics...if you manage to get one of them to take an interest in your problem it'll e addressed for the most part.

...and to pile on to Irvine BMW, they stole a quart of oil from a co-worker of mine last oil change. Add +1 quart indicator was on within 250 miles...which makes me think the tech doing the job stole one of the bottles (if they use em, vs having a giant canister?). He got told to F-off when he asked for the extra quart/top off 6 days later with a "we only do that for cars under 15K miles"

[dnvrdrvr]

I have it on good authority I'm not the only one..!

Next year, Stoptech Trophies. Already blew this year's budget...

Originally Posted by elp_jc

A lady M3 owner who TRACKS her car? Probably the only one .

And yes, that's what I HATE about single-piston brake calipers; you have to keep those pins lubed and clean, or they can eat the inner pads in no time. With the way techs get paid (a blatant conflict of interest IMO), most say 'screw the pride; I take the money instead' . Take care.

[SlamMan]

Originally Posted by dnvrdrvr

I agree re: the sub-standard service comment. I was due for brake replacement on the front at 26K miles. I fully acknowledge this was due in large part to my "enjoyment" of the car. They replaced the front rotors and slapped new pads in. Husband was pissed they didn't replace the rears at the same time. I figure, meh, it IS being used for slightly more than a DD.

A week later I went to install my PFC-01 pads for a track weekend and realized they never bothered to clean the caliper pins & put fresh grease on. And one of the seals on the passenger side caliper is cracked. They left it. Sweet, thanks guys. Not what I would call pride in the quality of their work.

Where do you take your car for service in Denver?

[dnvrdrvr]

Originally Posted by SlamMan

Where do you take your car for service in Denver?

Schomp. I've had two (of two) bad selling experiences with Murray and refuse to step foot there again. Have heard great things about Gebhardt but the hike to Boulder seems excessive from Parker. That's not to say I'm not considering going that route...

[berrien]

I went to Crevier ONLY because I wanted to "test drive" an X5 as a loaner because my neighbor had one and Sterling makes you use enterprise. Well after waiting two weeks I gave up while I was there and took a 328 or whatever it was as a loaner. Long story short I had a high speed shimmy and left there paying full pop for new Pilot Sports and 4 trips back to have the rims "smoothed out" or something. Problem never really went away but I will never go back. Stick with Sterling it's all we have in OC worth a crap.

[bubu]

...I've personally gotten a X3 loaner from sterling a couple of times for extended periods (2 weeks in one case). It did have 35K miles on it thou, not that it drove poorly or anything. I don't think Sterling has large loaner fleet, probably 10 to 15 cars max they hold back for longer repairs & better customers. Oil changes & same/next day work probably gets enterprise.