F10 M5 £40K Bodyshop Repair - Many Problems.

F10 M5 £40K Bodyshop Repair - Many Problems.

Author
Discussion

Fast Bug

11,597 posts

160 months

Saturday 18th April 2015
quotequote all
Leasing companies won't chase the insurer, the responsibility for the vehicle is with the end user.

JMBMWM5

2,283 posts

197 months

Sunday 19th April 2015
quotequote all
I think the OP has had a real ste experience and should be compensated for their "inconvenience".
Hell even if it was their own fault this has been a royal balls up by the repairers.

AOK

2,297 posts

165 months

Monday 20th April 2015
quotequote all
Alphabet is a BMW Group owned company. And BMW Group have a charter with their dealers to ensure the quality of service/repairs they carry out is above a certain standard.

The main responsibility the OP has during his lease (apart from make the payments etc) is to insure the car comprehensively and if the car requires repairs for these to only be carried out by approved BMW centres.

OP- enjoy the car for the little time you have left with it and hand it back to Alphabet at the end. If they're not happy with the repair / land you with a bill, simply pass the buck onto your insurance company. Should they then want to take it up with the bodyshop is their problem not yours.

I know many people who don't even wash their car once during a 2 year lease, let alone know cars well enough to spot a failed weld mark underneath a paint repair... you did everything you had to, any failings are not yours.

All IMO of course.

Stinkfoot

2,243 posts

191 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
JMBMWM5 said:
jcosh said:
Correct, no courtesy car and yes payments being made for the lease throughout. However I was paid 50% of £15 per day compensation by the third party insurers for the time without my car.
Sorry mate you miust be mad, No way would i have had the back till fixed correctly and a "Like for like" M5 to drive.
After all you are still paying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Feck that deal not in my book.
I nearly put my tea all over the floor after reading that. I cannot believe you are paying for it with no car to show. I would spitting blood by now.
Also I would not be wanting to drive an M5 thats had 40k's worth of repairs - do you have a pic of the car after the damage ?

jcosh

Original Poster:

1,172 posts

231 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
Andy M said:
Have you sought legal advice? Even Citizens Advice?

18 months into a 2 year lease probably isn't the time to start complaining.
Not seemed legal advice as yet. I have started complaining now, it's been on going since the car was first returned to me. it's incredible how long these people take to react to this sort of situation. I guess they hope you juts shut up and go away.

For instance it took nearly three months to get the top chap from BMW bodyshop to inspect the car and had not made myself available on the only day he offered it would have been another two months.

jcosh

Original Poster:

1,172 posts

231 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
HoHoHo said:
If I were in the OP's shoes I would be discussing ending the contract with the lease company as well as discussing courtesy cars and any reasonable compensation for costs from the repairing dealer. As a matter of interest our X5 took 4 months to fix and we had a courtsey car for the entire period. The car however was in the dealership almost weekly for the next 8 months until we decided enough was enough - I pity the person who bought it that's for sure!
Truth is I like driving the car and don't really want to end the lease and b without an M5, in fact I wish I'd had it on a 3 deal rather than 2. I may consider trying to extend the lease when it nears and end and that's partly why I'm being particular about the quality of the repairs. However, if I actually owned this car I probably would have gone legal by now and been even more fussy about what's gone on.

jcosh

Original Poster:

1,172 posts

231 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
Fast Bug said:
What is Alphabets view on this? I'm assuming you've apoken to them seeing as it's thier car?

Has the car been recorded on any registers at all? A £40k repair is one hell of a shunt! I really can't see why you had no replacement car either? Not even a Corsa?
I didn't get the impression that Alphabet were much interested as it was either written off and the lease terminated with associated costs to me or the lease continued and the repaired which ended up being the way things panned out.

I have checked my insurance and now recall that because we have two other cars we didn't opt for a courtesy car on this one as we only need two cars at any one time. However on reflection I wonder why the BMW didn't offer one, I guess that knew it would be a long repair and didn't want to be with one of their cars for 4 months.

Charlie1986

2,016 posts

134 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
is this the same garage where you had it serviced and couldn't fault there customer service?

jcosh

Original Poster:

1,172 posts

231 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
jrinns said:
Burn it out
That's an option I guess.

jcosh

Original Poster:

1,172 posts

231 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
Helicopter123 said:
Fast Bug said:
What is Alphabets view on this? I'm assuming you've apoken to them seeing as it's thier car?

Has the car been recorded on any registers at all? A £40k repair is one hell of a shunt! I really can't see why you had no replacement car either? Not even a Corsa?
Responsibility for providing a courtesy car belongs with the insurance company and will depend on the policy. on a specialist car like a new M5 I can't imagine that anyone would cut corners to save a few quid on insurance so I'm at a loss to explain why no replacement car provided? Something not adding up here.
See previous comments about the M5 being a third car and not opting for a courtesy car option.

jcosh

Original Poster:

1,172 posts

231 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
If it was a non fault accident to the OP I would have been claiming a decent car from the 3rd parties insurers, OP hasn't said but I'm guessing it was his fault or at least knock for knock?

Ah I've seen that the OP was given £15 a day by the 3rd parties insurance, what a joke!


Legal fault is yet to be fully established and court case is possible. Not going to bore you with the exact details but let's just say being punted off the road at high speed is not something I wish to ever repeat. Lucky to be alive, quite possibly and that was main focus immediately after the accident and all of this is very much secondary in the overall scheme of things.

As a matter of interest the third party insurance company have already paid £50 of all repair costs and also my uninsured losses.

jcosh

Original Poster:

1,172 posts

231 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
Fast Bug said:
The worry is Alphabet hit the OP with a cocking great bill because the rear quarter panels have been stuck on with blutack, the paint has cracked and Stevie Wonder can see it's been in a massive shunt. Which means nobody will touch it when it goes through the auctions...
This really is the thrust of this I guess.

I a very meticulous owner / leaser and treat the car very much as my own. It is carefully had washed / waxed etc etc. That's just the way I like my cars and I know not all leasers would bother but I do.

So when it is collected / inspected it will look immaculate on first glance with the odd stone chip here and there being the only obvious things of note. But if somebody looks closer they will the C Pillar joints etc, assuming they fail again. So I could pass in atoll inspection when collected but if when it hits the traders a few days later they know what they're looking at and I get a bill to rectify? This is a real concern as it appears this is my responsibility despite doing everything in my power to make it right.

jcosh

Original Poster:

1,172 posts

231 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
xuy said:
Fast Bug said:
The worry is Alphabet hit the OP with a cocking great bill because the rear quarter panels have been stuck on with blutack, the paint has cracked and Stevie Wonder can see it's been in a massive shunt. Which means nobody will touch it when it goes through the auctions...
I understand that, but, there is evidence and agreement that the repair is not to standard so the bill should be passed to the insurer to deal with?
Perhaps I ought to be seeking some sort of indemnity from the insurance company to make this potential problem there's when the car is handed back rather than mine?

jcosh

Original Poster:

1,172 posts

231 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
Fast Bug said:
Leasing companies won't chase the insurer, the responsibility for the vehicle is with the end user.
That's my concern if it's deemed to be of an unacceptable standard.

jcosh

Original Poster:

1,172 posts

231 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
Charlie1986 said:
is this the same garage where you had it serviced and couldn't fault there customer service?
Nope!

jcosh

Original Poster:

1,172 posts

231 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all


A pic for the more voyeuristic readers. I've changed it to black and white to avoid any reference to the car.

AOK

2,297 posts

165 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
Frankly, I'm startled that wasn't written off...

Fast Bug

11,597 posts

160 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
jcosh said:
Fast Bug said:
The worry is Alphabet hit the OP with a cocking great bill because the rear quarter panels have been stuck on with blutack, the paint has cracked and Stevie Wonder can see it's been in a massive shunt. Which means nobody will touch it when it goes through the auctions...
This really is the thrust of this I guess.

I a very meticulous owner / leaser and treat the car very much as my own. It is carefully had washed / waxed etc etc. That's just the way I like my cars and I know not all leasers would bother but I do.

So when it is collected / inspected it will look immaculate on first glance with the odd stone chip here and there being the only obvious things of note. But if somebody looks closer they will the C Pillar joints etc, assuming they fail again. So I could pass in atoll inspection when collected but if when it hits the traders a few days later they know what they're looking at and I get a bill to rectify? This is a real concern as it appears this is my responsibility despite doing everything in my power to make it right.
I've not experienced a poorly repaired car going back, but I had to help a customer of mine with a Lex return vehicle once. They tried to bill him £500 for a new windscreen stating that it should have had a UV windscreen and the return vehicle was a standard tinted job. I proved to them that it never had a UV windscreen in the first place.

Sadly I don't know anyone at Alphabet, so I couldn't ask the question for you. I do know that they won't stomach a big hit on a return vehicle though, and that they sometimes come back with a bill if they pick up on things after the vehicle has been returned.

It's a st situation, and I really do hope you get it sorted. How long does it take before the repairs start to show?


Emeye

9,773 posts

222 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
OP, the fact that the "top guy" at the BMW repair centre could only give you 1 single date within a 5 month window suggest they are taking the piss from an almighty height.

It stinks of complete arrogance or using any excuse in the hope you will give up an go away.

Please do not take this as an insult, but you appear to be way too easy going and soft on them.

If I had such a serious complaint and they told me I had to wait 3 months I would go nuts!

RichardM5

1,733 posts

135 months

Wednesday 22nd April 2015
quotequote all
Staggered that the car was not written off from the look of that picture.