My Awful Experience with Beverly Hills BMW

[eyanez1230]

I bought a Certified-Pre Owned 2013 BMW M3 Alpine White/Fox Red combo from them a couple of years back. Yeah it's been a while since I got it but I just found out today what scam they pulled out of this car.

I originally got this car delivered and everything seemed fine, until the first wash when I noticed some of the paint texture did not match the rest of the car. I figured it was just something I could get past and some paint correction work would take care of it.

The wheels had been re-sprayed with cheap paint that wouldn't even allow me to clean the wheels. I contact them to re-spray them along with the bad paint on the car and they agreed to only do the wheels, so unfortunately I had no other choice. They re-sprayed them with even worst paint to the point where the paint is literally just falling off the wheel, bit by bit.

Fast forward to now, when I no longer have warranty and I needed to get some work done on the car, my mechanic does a full inspection on the car to make sure everything was in order. He tells me that the car looks like it had been hit and the front-end had been re-sprayed by someone outside of BMW and not reported on the Carfax. He finds tiny misalignments on the panels and compares it to another M3 he has in the shop and indeed his point was true.

To top it all off, I learned that during certification is that they need to change the tires when certifying a car. My car did not even have new tires.

I know I cannot do anything about it now, but I share this story so that it can hopefully prevent anyone else from falling into this scam that Beverly Hills BMW is running.

This car should not have passed certification for the reasons mentioned above. I hope that if anyone else was planning on buying from this dealer, they can at least double check everything before buying a crashed car that supposedly has never been harmed.

[Helmsman]

Cheater guys, sorry to hear OP. Stunned you didn't notice nor take action for several years! Not that the delay make them one bit better but would have been easier to address earlier.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by eyanez1230

I bought a Certified-Pre Owned 2013 BMW M3 Alpine White/Fox Red combo from them a couple of years back. Yeah it's been a while since I got it but I just found out today what scam they pulled out of this car.

I originally got this car delivered and everything seemed fine, until the first wash when I noticed some of the paint texture did not match the rest of the car. I figured it was just something I could get past and some paint correction work would take care of it.

The wheels had been re-sprayed with cheap paint that wouldn't even allow me to clean the wheels. I contact them to re-spray them along with the bad paint on the car and they agreed to only do the wheels, so unfortunately I had no other choice. They re-sprayed them with even worst paint to the point where the paint is literally just falling off the wheel, bit by bit.

Fast forward to now, when I no longer have warranty and I needed to get some work done on the car, my mechanic does a full inspection on the car to make sure everything was in order. He tells me that the car looks like it had been hit and the front-end had been re-sprayed by someone outside of BMW and not reported on the Carfax. He finds tiny misalignments on the panels and compares it to another M3 he has in the shop and indeed his point was true.

To top it all off, I learned that during certification is that they need to change the tires when certifying a car. My car did not even have new tires.

I know I cannot do anything about it now, but I share this story so that it can hopefully prevent anyone else from falling into this scam that Beverly Hills BMW is running.

This car should not have passed certification for the reasons mentioned above. I hope that if anyone else was planning on buying from this dealer, they can at least double check everything before buying a crashed car that supposedly has never been harmed.

Are you certain that you don't have legal recourse?

[SAMM3Y]

There's date codes on most every component throughout the car. Compare them for consistency. Pull the front bumper and have a look.

[smyles]

Just FYI, CPO allows bodywork and re-paint (up to 3 elements, IIRC). And M3 front isn't famous for perfect consistent gaps even brand new.

[timothy2001]

I bet California has some consumer protection laws if they sold a car that had been wrecked, damaged or in an accident with no disclosure. Double check and make sure you have no recourse.

[Ab28]

I think it'll be a hard squeeze to have any recourse years later.

Who is to say the issues weren't caused by you over ownership duration. Playing devils advocate here.

You should have had a PPI regardless of the car being CPO. Those cars aren't always cream puffs and the standards are looser than you'd think.

Probably would've been best to have it all looked at after that first wash when you noticed the wheel finish coming off.

Hopefully everything else is fine and you can still enjoy the car.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by SAMM3Y

There's date codes on most every component throughout the car. Compare them for consistency. Pull the front bumper and have a look.

Yeah? Had no idea, will start rip mine apart and make sure she's whole...

[SAMM3Y]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Yeah? Had no idea, will start rip mine apart and make sure she's whole...

Ze germans are thorough... if it doesn't have a barcode sticker with a date. Look for a couple circles stamped into the plastic with numbers and arrows. One will be pointing to month 1-12 and the other will be year.

[Grip Addict]

Beyond the fact you may have no recourse due to the time, depending on how many years "a couple years back" actually is, whoever may have screwed you over probably doesn't work there anymore even management for that matter.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by SAMM3Y

Ze germans are thorough... if it doesn't have a barcode sticker with a date. Look for a couple circles stamped into the plastic with numbers and arrows. One will be pointing to month 1-12 and the other will be year.

Hahaha, so they are. Now when you mention it I certainly seen the arrows here and there without thinking much about it - German präzision, ja.

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by eyanez1230

To top it all off, I learned that during certification is that they need to change the tires when certifying a car. My car did not even have new tires.

This is mostly definitely not true. I've bought a few CPO'd BMWs and they don't automatically come with new tires. I just bought a CPO'd 2017 X5 with 7K miles, there'd be no reason to replace all the tires.

I do imagine CPO requires a certain tread depth, probably on the higher end, otherwise yes they'd replace.

[Bimmer Barney]

I had a nearly identical situation when I bought my CPO 335i from them. Totally dishonest. Would never ever deal with them again.

[eyanez1230]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Cheater guys, sorry to hear OP. Stunned you didn't notice nor take action for several years! Not that the delay make them one bit better but would have been easier to address earlier.

Totally agree. Wish I would have known all this sooner but I figured I'd at least share my story in the hopes that anyone else doesn't go through the same experience with me

[eyanez1230]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

Are you certain that you don't have legal recourse?

Not sure. I bought the car back in early 2016 so I figured that if I perused legal action, they would just blame me for this rather than taking responsibility. I figured with the money and time I'd save from a lawyer, I can just take it to a shop and address everything myself. At the very least all of this is only noticeable if you really look at it up close except for 1 quarter panel, which probably explains why I missed it to begin with.

[eyanez1230]

Originally Posted by smyles

Just FYI, CPO allows bodywork and re-paint (up to 3 elements, IIRC). And M3 front isn't famous for perfect consistent gaps even brand new.

Probably, however the 150 point inspection and carfax report didn't say anything about this. If BMW did this, legally they cannot hide these details in the state of California. Whoever did it, it would have been nice if they at least did it right.

[eyanez1230]

Originally Posted by Ab28

I think it'll be a hard squeeze to have any recourse years later.

Who is to say the issues weren't caused by you over ownership duration. Playing devils advocate here.

You should have had a PPI regardless of the car being CPO. Those cars aren't always cream puffs and the standards are looser than you'd think.

Probably would've been best to have it all looked at after that first wash when you noticed the wheel finish coming off.

Hopefully everything else is fine and you can still enjoy the car.

Car's been a dream, just bothers me that they were dishonest with me. Lesson learned and at the very least, it's not something that can't be fixed with the right people at the right price.

[eyanez1230]

Originally Posted by Grip Addict

Beyond the fact you may have no recourse due to the time, depending on how many years "a couple years back" actually is, whoever may have screwed you over probably doesn't work there anymore even management for that matter.

Bought the car back in January 2016, so it's almost going to be 4 years. I figured it's way too late for anything to happen and at least the car wasn't totaled so mechanically it's fine so far thankfully.

[eyanez1230]

Originally Posted by Bimmer Barney

I had a nearly identical situation when I bought my CPO 335i from them. Totally dishonest. Would never ever deal with them again.

Wish I could say I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone, but I wish that didn't happen to you. Hopefully you are/were able to enjoy that 335i of yours.

[rks68rt]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with these guys but it just so happens my 2013 jet black e92 was purchased new and serviced through warranty at Beverly Hills BMW.
I bought it a couple of days out of warranty from Freeman Motors here in Portland in Sept 2016 with 21k miles.

I've had pretty good luck with the car mechanically and did not notice any issues with the body or paint, especially hard to hide on black.
I had the car paint corrected last year and my detailer said all paint looked original and factory with no color mismatches. I also have the dealer-installed body panel security tags but that's not saying much.

I do agree with you that the dealer is not one of the best to deal with.
I called them a couple of times for the service records and after many promises, they never delivered.
Apparently, they don't post their service records to Carfax so I had to get the missing warranty service records from my local dealer.

[LakeSurfer]

I love cars and always wanted to work sales in the auto industry but I know i couldn't make it because i'm to honest and i value full disclosure. Its despicable to think that a dealer would intentionally screw over a customer and I certainly despise any dealer who does, however, it does happen and happen often, hence the nickname "stealership".

To play devils advocate here. My intentions are to not add salt on the wound but maybe my old-timey lessons will help someone in the future? I grew up with the belief to never loan money that i couldn't afford to lose. This has saved many friendships in the past. Anytime i help someone I always help them with the mind frame that my assistance will not be rewarded or payed back. I think this situation sort of fits here. As soon as that money leaves your hands you have to assume all risk and penalties if you wanna sleep well at night. As much as it sucks to hear and do, it is quite liberating. I actually use this when I buy used cars. If i'm buying a car i convince them that i am the one that they need to sell to because when we're done with the transaction you will never hear from me again. i'm not gonna call you in a month and complain that a wheel bearing seized of a tire blew. I assume the risk and I assume all responsibility with the car. when I was looking for my M3 I spent thousands to look at cars all over the country to personally inspect them as well as have them independently inspected. it was exhausting and expensive and i spent a lot of vacation time away from my family. I would've purchased a few of them had i not done independent inspections that reveled things i couldn't see, i'm certainly not a professional.

I bought a certified used Camry for my wife a while ago. I didn't do my homework because I thought its a CPO, it should be fine. A couple years later I decided to do paint correction on my own. I got to the rear quarter panel and noticed a large halo in the clear coat that I couldn't buff out. As I looked further into it I ended up ripping the trunk apart and found tolling makes where they used something to push out a large dent. at first I was pissed but later I realized that had I looked closer I would've found the damage. They didn't tell me about it because they didn't have to (as it was allowed per the CPO) and I didn't ask. They were right not to tell me, they didn't have to. maybe it wasn't right to not tell me but they didn't have to legally voluntarily disclose it

I know what you're going through and you probably feel worse then i did because its an M3 and not a Camry but at some point you may have to ask yourself if you are the one who got screwed over or if you are the one who didn't do your due diligence?

either way it sucks to hear this.

-Mark

[bkfastwagon]

Was the car originally purchased at that dealership and serviced there its whole life prior to you purchase? Or did the dealer got it at some auction?