my first service since buying my M - pre and post impressions

[dibxna]

to preface my post - i had a 3 series in high school that was bought CPO - it never ran well the first year i owned it and was in the shop 13 separate times getting random electrical, gas tank, and engine issues resolved. finally the area that made me a believer bmw service was never going to be sufficient was when my a/c blew up 5 days out of warranty and i offered to go in and buy a new e46 off the lot and just pay sticker price if they fixed the ac on my 3 series so I could sell it (i live in az, ac is a must). They said sorry, you're up that creek that is brown and stinky.

Now... i got sucked back in to buying BMW because the warranty options have improved greatly since my high school ownership and I wrote a couple loans for the GM at one of our dealership who let me know they would make me a believer again.

First service experience with my m:
it is a CPO m3. just hit 11,000 miles. The driver seat had very bad wear marks and discoloration from a car you would swear had 100,000 miles rather than 11,000. my push button start had begin peeling paint around it. my "matte" or "silky" plastic piece by my drivers side window up down/mirror in out button was peeling. my right passenger mirror folds in faster than my drivers side (not a big issue but figured id bring it up). my ac wouldnt blow cold if it was idling. my rear dif was leaking a couple drops on my garage floor. my tint is scratched as hell because they never removed the part cuasing this problem. my dct needed the upgraded software.

needless to say it was a long list of things i wanted to have addressed all at once.

the experience started with dissappointment. i get this email from tha SA as I am attempting to schedule a date and time to come in with a loaner car present: (this email is after a week of phone discussions about date and times that would work so im clearly trying to get my car there)

"Tim,

We do our best to ensure the best transportation for each of our clients. We currently have a policy in place that does not allow us to reserve loaner cars due to re-scheduling, no-show and cancelled appointments that occur each morning. I can tell you that the earlier the appointment the better chance we have of getting you in a BMW loaner. We promise alternate transportation but cannot promise a loaner."

i told him this was unacceptable and actually went to my sales person who has been fantastic and let him know what was said and 5 minutes later got an email response from my sales person:

"You r set up for loaner 845 am"

first hurdle overcome.

Next. I get to the lot to do the servicing of my car and the SA says "i will call you after lunch with an update" now i heard this every time i took my prior car in to the dealer (non-bmw) and they never called. i would always have to call to ask. immediately after 1230pm i had a phone call from the SA updating me and saying they would need the car over night to finish up a few things and he would email me at work the following day before lunch with an update.

He again followed through beautifully:

"Good morning Tim,

The technician finished up the repairs on the car and I have the car scheduled for the interior repairs on the seat leather and door control panel trim plate to be done early this afternoon.
The air conditioner system had leaking service valves that we replaced.
The start/stop button is replaced due to the chipping trim ring.
The idle warm up condition was noted to be normal start-up conditions.
The programming bulletin is completed.
The door window seals have all been fixed to eliminate the scratching of the window tint to continue.
The maintenance has been completed to include a brake flush, microfilter, scope inspection and oil change.
The radio issue related to aux port play was not duplicated in the shop and was functioning normally. We were unable to duplicate that concern and tried a few different audio sources with the aux port.
The addition of a 12vdc power outlet where an ash tray would normally be is not an item we can retro fit on this model.
The mirror fold speed is within spec on both mirrors despite them not folding at the same rate. There is not a setting that can be changed to make them fold without manually pressing the button each time either.
The transmission shifting concern was noted to be normal shifting power when in current shift/power mode.
The fluid leak was from rear differential drain plug. Resealed plug.
Fuel door lock found to be operating normally and noise to be common to other models.
The tire pressures are set to 32 psi and missing valve cap is replaced.
I will send you a follow up email when the final interior work is done and the car will be ready for you by the time you are done with work @ 6pm."

after a rough start my SA came through beautifully. They did recolor the seat and buffed out several scratches as well. They did a great job and that he stuck to his word and timeframes about calling me left me very impressed.

I guess the reason for my post is that theres plenty of stories on here of SA's not helping as much as youd like and i was concerned that was about to happen with my first experience.

another reason i posted - have others run into the same laundry list of repairs needed? I was happy they were fixed but surprised with low miles that some of these areas were problems already...

[xquisit]

Glad this wasn't one of those horror story threads

[blublur]

dibxna, I'm glad to here all went well. as you can see, I'm in AZ too. are we talking about the same dealership? Because if it's the same one as mine, it's the best. I haven't had the issues you have. But when I've taken mine in for regular main. they keep me informed and i usually get it back sooner than promised. I took delivery the last day (Dec. 31st 2008) and just hit 19,000 miles on my 2009 coupe this week. I ordered mine early November 2008.

[dibxna]

Originally Posted by grayM

dibxna, I'm glad to here all went well. as you can see, I'm in AZ too. are we talking about the same dealership? Because if it's the same one as mine, it's the best. I haven't had the issues you have. But when I've taken mine in for regular main. they keep me informed and i usually get it back sooner than promised. I took delivery the last day (Dec. 31st 2008) and just hit 19,000 miles on my 2009 coupe this week. I ordered mine early November 2008.

Hey Graym -

I use the one on camelback, but yes - chapman bmw is where I go. The original problem was not with the chapman service team it was with CO's bmw in fort collins/loveland CO. They were a nightmare to work with and even after ridding myself of the car and moving to a volvo s60R for a few years the volvo dealer was never much better.

Finally feel like I have a competant and willing to help team of service people at chapman!

My sales experience was beyond good. it was a little bias for the treatment being that I already knew the sales manager who was responsible for the pricing on my trade-in and sale of the car. I recommend chapman over the penske north scottsdale bmw any day of the week.

[BMW Fanatic]

Glad to see your SA treating you right

My own feedback would go like a little something like this

Pre-purchase; Amazing service, secured the perfect car for me (absolutely brand new) without the waiting time.

Post-purchase; Horrible service. Couldn't book me in for the break-in inspection until I was at 4000/45000 kms, was meant to have the 3M paint protection replaced under warranty due to stretch marks, bubbles and lifting but they just trimmed the most visible parts and gave it back, now it looks even worse after a couple weeks and they won't take responsibility ($1000 for that warranty doesn't mean shit apparently).. Also, even though there is a conversation that my original SA could recall about me getting a nail in my tire just a week after ownership they WOULD NOT replace it under the wheel/tire warranty I also purchased because by the time they got to inspect it my tread was at 3MM (this or lower and it is not covered) in turn another $1000 wasted on that. Switched dealerships to the only other one available to me and they have a much better service department is all I can say.

[blublur]

dibxna, well actually I bought mine from north scottsdale. We also serviced our mini there when mini was jointly in the dealership. They now have their own up there. Our mini was traded in some time ago. I'll say it again though they have always taken great care of me. Glad to here about chapman though.

[dibxna]

Originally Posted by grayM

dibxna, well actually I bought mine from north scottsdale. We also serviced our mini there when mini was jointly in the dealership. They now have their own up there. Our mini was traded in some time ago. I'll say it again though they have always taken great care of me. Glad to here about chapman though.

nice to hear some good from them. They have been fairly notorious for pricing being a little high (see my thread on 1m's being used and theyre trying to sell for 15k over sticker for a used car. chapman sold a white 1m for 10k over sticker brand new vs used) but my buddy who has a 135i has been having a very difficult experience with their service team and has been in and out of the shop about 3 times in the past 3 months which was because of a misdiagnosis of a problem that persisted until recently.

I'm sure its the same anywhere though... some people are just not going to have a stellar experience where others have nothing but the best to speak of a place.

If you are ever up for a cruise let me know!

[Asiarush]

Great SA you got.
get him a box of chocolate when you pick up your car, he will be happy and know you appreciate what he does for you !!!