Fed up, f*cked off (and about to throw the towel in)
Discussion
Apologies in advance for what is horrifically long post 
In November of last year I drove down a road in my 2007 E90 335D Sport Auto, whilst I knew the road, I hadn't driven down it for at least ten years. Thus on a dark, wet, cold night I ended up driving over an unseen speed ramp at unabated speed.
A week later the first signs of a failed front wheel bearing made its presence felt with a rumbling noise when going around right hand bends.
Over the next week it got steadily worse, and a couple of days later I booked the car in to have the noise investigated at my local dealer (Let's call them dealer A) from hereon)
Upon my arrival at the dealership I made it very clear what had happened and the symptoms I was experiencing. I made a point of specifically telling the service advisor that the car needed to be run for several miles to get heat into the bearings, and that the bearing in question needed loading up consistently around a long constant radius right hand bend or around a large roundabout.
Cue a phonecall later in the day to say they couldn't hear any noise or indeed find any fault with the car
Accordingly I ended up heading over to the dealership to go on roadtest with a technician to pinpoint the noise. Said technician assured me he'd road tested the car thoroughly enough to get heat into the wheel bearings and that he couldn't hear any noise that indicated a bearing failure.
Asked how long he'd driven the car for, he replied it had been driven around the dealerships approved test route. Questioned how long that took, he replied about ten minutes . . . .
I explained what I'd said to the service advisor, that being the that the noise only appears when the car had been driven sufficiently long to get the bearings hot, and that the only way to get the noise then was to load the N/S of the car up consistently.
We then spent the next twenty minutes driving along various dual carriageways at speed to get some heat into the bearings. I pointed out an exit slip road that had a long constant radius bend to it, and hey presto, the noise appeared as if by magic
Having established the nature of the noise, we headed back to the dealership and the car was placed on the ramp for inspection. Ten minutes later said technician reappears and states the O/S/F wheel bearing is noisy.
I queried this diagnosis, as the noise was only apparent when the car was being driven around right hand bends and thus loading up the N/S/F wheel bearing.
The technician concurred that it should be the N/S bearing, but in this case the O/S was noisy when spun up on the ramp.
In the end, I agreed to the replacement of the O/S/F bearing. The following morning I got a phonecall from the dealer saying that there was a "problem" with the rear brakes, that being the handbrake shoes had de-laminated and would need replacing, furthermore the rear pads were low and the discs worn beyond the specified tolerance Being busy with work, I requested a discount if they were to carry out all the work listed. They agreed to this and the following day I left the dealership with my wallet lightened to the tune of £711. Not impressed, but at least all was good . . . . or so I'd hoped.
Sure enough, with the car warmed up, the bearing noise was still there.
Unwilling to undergo open-wallet surgery again, I popped to my local Euro Car Parts and purchased an OE manufacturer bearing cartridge and got a mate to fit it.
Peace and tranquility was restored when hot, irrespective of the which way the car was being steered
However, the car still didn't feel "right". formerly it had been a car that turned in crisply, had loads of grip and even at 100K + miles was an enjoyable steer.
Al that had now changed, the car felt unwilling to turn in, lacked consistent grip and more worryingly had a vibration that could be felt through the floor and the steering wheel.
A week later I swapped to my Winter tyres and it was noted that both the rear wheel were buckled, one worse than the other.
With the Winters on, the car is different animal, I drive it more gently (as it has, waaaay less grip, in addition to which I'm trying to make the Winters last as long as possible !)
I noted that whilst all the symptoms remained, they were less obvious with the Winters fitted.
Fast forward to Spring and the Winters come off. In May the car wass due its MOT.
Back at Dealer A I ask them to check the car over as it wasn't handling as sweetly as it used to and something felt amiss with it.
The service advisor asks me if I want a "safety check" carried out, and that if I do, there'll be a cost . . . . .
I'm about to reply "no, I don't want a safety check", when my business partner pipes up, "If it's having an MOT they'll be checking everything such as bushes, dampers, rack etc anyhow"
"Good point" I say, "just MOT it".
On May 3rd the car passed it's MOT with the caveat that the headlights needed aligning (this despite the car having been MOT'd by the same dealership 12 months ago, and nothing has been done to the headlamps in the interim . . . ) As a result, one assumes there was no obvious defect with the car which would cause its questionable handling.The mileage was noted at 117145.
Fortunately, no charge was made for the headlamp adjustment
Whilst pleased the car has passed it's MOT without any additional expense, I was still concerned with it's handling deficiencies.
I asked what the next step forward was to address the concerns I had with the car.
I was told that to start off with I would be charged an hour of diagnostic time.
I baulked at this, because put bluntly, I didn't think it reasonable. If I take my car into a dealership, I expect them to find the fault (they after all have the skill and knowledge) and I pay them once they've fixed it.
Not impressed with the dealers efforts to date, nor indeed their attitude, I decided to consider other options.
Before approaching another dealership, I decided the first step was to get the wheels refurbished and ensure they were all true.
Accordingly I took the car down to Pristine at Milton Keynes and left it with them to have all the wheels checked and refurbished. Initially they stated they didn't straighten buckled wheels, but a phonecall from them the following day revealed they did
Two days later I got the car back, and whilst it was better, there was still a vibration. Wary that perhaps the wheel balance hadn't been done accurately, I took the car to my usual (long standing) tyre supplier/fitter.
Sure enough, all four wheels, though freshly balanced, were out (some by as much as 40g)
With them re-balanced the car was better still, but not "right"
As my business partner had just had a highly commendable experience with his E46 M3 at Dealer B, I thought I'd ring them to see what they could do.
Dealer B is a two hour 115 mile drive away, but clearly has a good reputation and displays a very professional customer care policy.
I rang them and explained the situation, but also made it clear from the start that I wouldn't entertain a large bill for diagnosis time.
The service advisor I spoke to was polite, helpful and accommodating.
The car was booked in with Dealer B and it agreed that I would discuss the problems with the technician tasked with diagnosing the fault and go out on roadtest with him. Whilst the vibration was being fixed, a major service would be carried out too.
The car went in to Dealer B on 24th June, the mileage was logged at 120,069.
With the symptons explained to the technician, we headed out on road test. His initial diagnosis was that the torque converter could be failing. (I had similar symptoms with my old 2002 E46 330D sport Auto, so this seemed possible)
Having experienced the vibration, we headed back to the dealership and the car was put up on the ramp.
The technician appeared five minutes later stating "I think we've found the cause of your problem"
I was shown into the workshop and the "problem" was demonstrated. It turned out the the spherical joints on both rear trailing arms were worn badly and displaying large amounts of play (so much so that the N/S/R wheel was literally able to be moved about 10mm.
I mentioned that the car had only done 3000 miles since passing an MOT seven weeks previously. As an ex-truck mechanic, it was very clear to me that the degree of wear hadn't occurred in the past 3K miles and seven weeks . . . . . . the wan smile from the technician charged with diagnosing the issue only served to reinforce those thoughts. So much for the MOT finding any safety issues . . . .
With the spherical bearings replaced, the car geo'd (it had to be) and the major service done, I got a call from Dealer B stating the problem had been rectified and the car was ready to collect.
I collected the car and opened my wallet to the tune of £947.
I drove the car home and noticed firstly that the steering wheel wasn't straight, and that whilst a lot of the vibration had gone and the car handled far more crisply, there was still a vibration.
Upon my return home I rang the service advisor and informed her that whilst the car was a lot better, it still wasn't right.
Due to the distance away, I requested they deliver me a loan car and take my car away. They refused to do this, saying they couldn’t “lose” a driver for what would be five hours.
Thus the car was booked in for Monday of this week, with a request to swap the wheels and tyres from another car to see if either the wheels or tyres were the cause of the issue. In addition to trying that out, the steering wheel needed to be correctly aligned.
Another issue had also raised it’s head, that being that during the really hot weather of late, the belt driving the alternator, power steering pump and air conditioning compressor had started to squeal badly approximately a minute after initial start up. With the air con switched off (or an Italian tune up) the squealing would disappear.
I delivered the car to Dealer B on Monday (another 230 mile round trip and the thick end of five and half hours behind the wheel)
I got a phonecall on Tuesday morning to say that the bushes on the tie rods on the front suspension were worn, (apparently nothing was visible) but when checked, play was noticeable.
In addition to the wear in the bushes, the technician informed me that swapping the wheels and tyres over from another vehicle had rectified the vibration, and on that basis the front tyres must be the cause of the vibration.
Furthermore the auxiliary drive belt was U/S but needed a modified tensioner to ensure no further issues. I agreed to the replacement belt and the cost to fit it (it's awear item), but requested they make a warranty claim for the replacement of the tensioner (the car has an extended warranty)
Cost to supply and fit auxiliary belt and the control arm bushes ? £359.
I collected the car this lunchtime, running late and due back home at 4.30pm, I paid and headed off. As I pulled off the dealers forecourt, the new auxiliary belt started squealing . . . . . .
Very pushed for time, I turned around and went back to the service reception to inform them that the fault hadn’t been fixed.
I requested the service advisor who I’d been dealing with, ring me to discuss the matter further, as I didn’t have time to sort the problem out there and then.
As I drove off the forecourt, the service advisor was walking back from her lunchbreak (I presume) As I drove off, the auxiliary belt squealed again. I stopped adjacent to service advisor and enquired whether she’d heard the squealing belt (she had.
The individual apologised profusely, I told her not to worry, that she wasn’t responsible , but that the situation was now becoming untenable. I could either have the fault fixed locally by a BMW dealer and then send them the bill, or she'd have to send someone over with a loan car to collect the car.
She said she’d make enquiries and ring me back.
I set off home and found the car to be further improved with the replacement front control arm bushes, but there was still a vibration present.
Once back home and my 4.30 appointment attended to, I headed over to my tyre supplier/fitter to have a pair of new Continental Sport Contact 5’s fitted to the front of the car.
I’ve driven the car home earlier this evening,. Regrettably the vibration is still present . . . . . .
Unsurprisingly, I’ve now lost faith in both Dealer A and Dealer B.
Dealer A because they MOT’d the car and I consider the excessive wear to the trailing arm spherical joints to have been present when they did so.
Dealer B because the steering wheel wasn’t aligned correctly after the initial work was carried out, the auxiliary belt still squeals and because they didn’t check for/notice the play in the front control arm bushes five and half weeks and 2000 miles ago. But also because they’ve not fixed the fault despite having had £1300 off me to do so.
I'm utterly p*ssed off with dealers that can't fix problems. I'm very attached to the car, I don't want to sell (it it's mechanically and bodily perfect) and it now drives better than it has done for a long time with all the replacement suspension parts that have been fitted to it ! !" But I'm now zoned in on the vibration and it's ruining the ownership experience for me.
Ideas on who can sort the vibration problem (I'm in the Midlands) and ideas on how to deal with Dealer B, (I feel I should get a refund for the supply and fitment of the replacement control arm bushes, and auxiliary belt) Yes there's "betterment", but neither of the faults have been fixed.
HELP ! !
In November of last year I drove down a road in my 2007 E90 335D Sport Auto, whilst I knew the road, I hadn't driven down it for at least ten years. Thus on a dark, wet, cold night I ended up driving over an unseen speed ramp at unabated speed.
A week later the first signs of a failed front wheel bearing made its presence felt with a rumbling noise when going around right hand bends.
Over the next week it got steadily worse, and a couple of days later I booked the car in to have the noise investigated at my local dealer (Let's call them dealer A) from hereon)
Upon my arrival at the dealership I made it very clear what had happened and the symptoms I was experiencing. I made a point of specifically telling the service advisor that the car needed to be run for several miles to get heat into the bearings, and that the bearing in question needed loading up consistently around a long constant radius right hand bend or around a large roundabout.
Cue a phonecall later in the day to say they couldn't hear any noise or indeed find any fault with the car
Accordingly I ended up heading over to the dealership to go on roadtest with a technician to pinpoint the noise. Said technician assured me he'd road tested the car thoroughly enough to get heat into the wheel bearings and that he couldn't hear any noise that indicated a bearing failure.
Asked how long he'd driven the car for, he replied it had been driven around the dealerships approved test route. Questioned how long that took, he replied about ten minutes . . . .
I explained what I'd said to the service advisor, that being the that the noise only appears when the car had been driven sufficiently long to get the bearings hot, and that the only way to get the noise then was to load the N/S of the car up consistently.
We then spent the next twenty minutes driving along various dual carriageways at speed to get some heat into the bearings. I pointed out an exit slip road that had a long constant radius bend to it, and hey presto, the noise appeared as if by magic
Having established the nature of the noise, we headed back to the dealership and the car was placed on the ramp for inspection. Ten minutes later said technician reappears and states the O/S/F wheel bearing is noisy.
I queried this diagnosis, as the noise was only apparent when the car was being driven around right hand bends and thus loading up the N/S/F wheel bearing.
The technician concurred that it should be the N/S bearing, but in this case the O/S was noisy when spun up on the ramp.
In the end, I agreed to the replacement of the O/S/F bearing. The following morning I got a phonecall from the dealer saying that there was a "problem" with the rear brakes, that being the handbrake shoes had de-laminated and would need replacing, furthermore the rear pads were low and the discs worn beyond the specified tolerance
Being busy with work, I requested a discount if they were to carry out all the work listed. They agreed to this and the following day I left the dealership with my wallet lightened to the tune of £711. Not impressed, but at least all was good . . . . or so I'd hoped.Sure enough, with the car warmed up, the bearing noise was still there.
Unwilling to undergo open-wallet surgery again, I popped to my local Euro Car Parts and purchased an OE manufacturer bearing cartridge and got a mate to fit it.
Peace and tranquility was restored when hot, irrespective of the which way the car was being steered
However, the car still didn't feel "right". formerly it had been a car that turned in crisply, had loads of grip and even at 100K + miles was an enjoyable steer.
Al that had now changed, the car felt unwilling to turn in, lacked consistent grip and more worryingly had a vibration that could be felt through the floor and the steering wheel.
A week later I swapped to my Winter tyres and it was noted that both the rear wheel were buckled, one worse than the other.
With the Winters on, the car is different animal, I drive it more gently (as it has, waaaay less grip, in addition to which I'm trying to make the Winters last as long as possible !)
I noted that whilst all the symptoms remained, they were less obvious with the Winters fitted.
Fast forward to Spring and the Winters come off. In May the car wass due its MOT.
Back at Dealer A I ask them to check the car over as it wasn't handling as sweetly as it used to and something felt amiss with it.
The service advisor asks me if I want a "safety check" carried out, and that if I do, there'll be a cost . . . . .
I'm about to reply "no, I don't want a safety check", when my business partner pipes up, "If it's having an MOT they'll be checking everything such as bushes, dampers, rack etc anyhow"
"Good point" I say, "just MOT it".
On May 3rd the car passed it's MOT with the caveat that the headlights needed aligning (this despite the car having been MOT'd by the same dealership 12 months ago, and nothing has been done to the headlamps in the interim . . . ) As a result, one assumes there was no obvious defect with the car which would cause its questionable handling.The mileage was noted at 117145.
Fortunately, no charge was made for the headlamp adjustment
Whilst pleased the car has passed it's MOT without any additional expense, I was still concerned with it's handling deficiencies.
I asked what the next step forward was to address the concerns I had with the car.
I was told that to start off with I would be charged an hour of diagnostic time.
I baulked at this, because put bluntly, I didn't think it reasonable. If I take my car into a dealership, I expect them to find the fault (they after all have the skill and knowledge) and I pay them once they've fixed it.
Not impressed with the dealers efforts to date, nor indeed their attitude, I decided to consider other options.
Before approaching another dealership, I decided the first step was to get the wheels refurbished and ensure they were all true.
Accordingly I took the car down to Pristine at Milton Keynes and left it with them to have all the wheels checked and refurbished. Initially they stated they didn't straighten buckled wheels, but a phonecall from them the following day revealed they did
Two days later I got the car back, and whilst it was better, there was still a vibration. Wary that perhaps the wheel balance hadn't been done accurately, I took the car to my usual (long standing) tyre supplier/fitter.
Sure enough, all four wheels, though freshly balanced, were out (some by as much as 40g)
With them re-balanced the car was better still, but not "right"
As my business partner had just had a highly commendable experience with his E46 M3 at Dealer B, I thought I'd ring them to see what they could do.
Dealer B is a two hour 115 mile drive away, but clearly has a good reputation and displays a very professional customer care policy.
I rang them and explained the situation, but also made it clear from the start that I wouldn't entertain a large bill for diagnosis time.
The service advisor I spoke to was polite, helpful and accommodating.
The car was booked in with Dealer B and it agreed that I would discuss the problems with the technician tasked with diagnosing the fault and go out on roadtest with him. Whilst the vibration was being fixed, a major service would be carried out too.
The car went in to Dealer B on 24th June, the mileage was logged at 120,069.
With the symptons explained to the technician, we headed out on road test. His initial diagnosis was that the torque converter could be failing. (I had similar symptoms with my old 2002 E46 330D sport Auto, so this seemed possible)
Having experienced the vibration, we headed back to the dealership and the car was put up on the ramp.
The technician appeared five minutes later stating "I think we've found the cause of your problem"
I was shown into the workshop and the "problem" was demonstrated. It turned out the the spherical joints on both rear trailing arms were worn badly and displaying large amounts of play (so much so that the N/S/R wheel was literally able to be moved about 10mm.
I mentioned that the car had only done 3000 miles since passing an MOT seven weeks previously. As an ex-truck mechanic, it was very clear to me that the degree of wear hadn't occurred in the past 3K miles and seven weeks . . . . . . the wan smile from the technician charged with diagnosing the issue only served to reinforce those thoughts. So much for the MOT finding any safety issues . . . .
With the spherical bearings replaced, the car geo'd (it had to be) and the major service done, I got a call from Dealer B stating the problem had been rectified and the car was ready to collect.
I collected the car and opened my wallet to the tune of £947.
I drove the car home and noticed firstly that the steering wheel wasn't straight, and that whilst a lot of the vibration had gone and the car handled far more crisply, there was still a vibration.
Upon my return home I rang the service advisor and informed her that whilst the car was a lot better, it still wasn't right.
Due to the distance away, I requested they deliver me a loan car and take my car away. They refused to do this, saying they couldn’t “lose” a driver for what would be five hours.
Thus the car was booked in for Monday of this week, with a request to swap the wheels and tyres from another car to see if either the wheels or tyres were the cause of the issue. In addition to trying that out, the steering wheel needed to be correctly aligned.
Another issue had also raised it’s head, that being that during the really hot weather of late, the belt driving the alternator, power steering pump and air conditioning compressor had started to squeal badly approximately a minute after initial start up. With the air con switched off (or an Italian tune up) the squealing would disappear.
I delivered the car to Dealer B on Monday (another 230 mile round trip and the thick end of five and half hours behind the wheel)
I got a phonecall on Tuesday morning to say that the bushes on the tie rods on the front suspension were worn, (apparently nothing was visible) but when checked, play was noticeable.
In addition to the wear in the bushes, the technician informed me that swapping the wheels and tyres over from another vehicle had rectified the vibration, and on that basis the front tyres must be the cause of the vibration.
Furthermore the auxiliary drive belt was U/S but needed a modified tensioner to ensure no further issues. I agreed to the replacement belt and the cost to fit it (it's awear item), but requested they make a warranty claim for the replacement of the tensioner (the car has an extended warranty)
Cost to supply and fit auxiliary belt and the control arm bushes ? £359.
I collected the car this lunchtime, running late and due back home at 4.30pm, I paid and headed off. As I pulled off the dealers forecourt, the new auxiliary belt started squealing . . . . . .
Very pushed for time, I turned around and went back to the service reception to inform them that the fault hadn’t been fixed.
I requested the service advisor who I’d been dealing with, ring me to discuss the matter further, as I didn’t have time to sort the problem out there and then.
As I drove off the forecourt, the service advisor was walking back from her lunchbreak (I presume) As I drove off, the auxiliary belt squealed again. I stopped adjacent to service advisor and enquired whether she’d heard the squealing belt (she had.
The individual apologised profusely, I told her not to worry, that she wasn’t responsible , but that the situation was now becoming untenable. I could either have the fault fixed locally by a BMW dealer and then send them the bill, or she'd have to send someone over with a loan car to collect the car.
She said she’d make enquiries and ring me back.
I set off home and found the car to be further improved with the replacement front control arm bushes, but there was still a vibration present.
Once back home and my 4.30 appointment attended to, I headed over to my tyre supplier/fitter to have a pair of new Continental Sport Contact 5’s fitted to the front of the car.
I’ve driven the car home earlier this evening,. Regrettably the vibration is still present . . . . . .
Unsurprisingly, I’ve now lost faith in both Dealer A and Dealer B.
Dealer A because they MOT’d the car and I consider the excessive wear to the trailing arm spherical joints to have been present when they did so.
Dealer B because the steering wheel wasn’t aligned correctly after the initial work was carried out, the auxiliary belt still squeals and because they didn’t check for/notice the play in the front control arm bushes five and half weeks and 2000 miles ago. But also because they’ve not fixed the fault despite having had £1300 off me to do so.
I'm utterly p*ssed off with dealers that can't fix problems. I'm very attached to the car, I don't want to sell (it it's mechanically and bodily perfect) and it now drives better than it has done for a long time with all the replacement suspension parts that have been fitted to it ! !" But I'm now zoned in on the vibration and it's ruining the ownership experience for me.
Ideas on who can sort the vibration problem (I'm in the Midlands) and ideas on how to deal with Dealer B, (I feel I should get a refund for the supply and fitment of the replacement control arm bushes, and auxiliary belt) Yes there's "betterment", but neither of the faults have been fixed.
HELP ! !
I know this is not the answer your are looking for but much like you I am a total anal a/whole when it comes to vibrations, even the slightest and it puts me off and have to get to the bottom of it. I have never to this date been able to fully get rid of vibrations except by one method.
P Ex that Mother Fudger and move on - waste of your time and money trying to get it fixed.
P Ex that Mother Fudger and move on - waste of your time and money trying to get it fixed.
Speaking as someone that's had a few new chassis bits recently on my E91, along with alignment, and 4 new tyres - have you actually seen the wheels spinning since you had them straightened?
3 of mine are notiecably out of shape and despite the balancing having done a cracking job of minimising the vibration, it's still there. Given the change of wheels/tyres on yours supposedly sorted it, that's all I can think it would be
3 of mine are notiecably out of shape and despite the balancing having done a cracking job of minimising the vibration, it's still there. Given the change of wheels/tyres on yours supposedly sorted it, that's all I can think it would be
The biggest problem you had was taking it to main dealer, my experience has been they are just there to perform open wallet surgery and actually couldn't care about you as a customer
Use this board to find a BMW specialist or independent that will actually care and advise
Mine went to bmw 6 times and they kept coming up with different faults, in the end my now permanent local specialist in Dorset had the issue removed in 20 mins, labour was half
My car was on 32k 3 years a go when I moved to him, it's now sat at 173k and drives as well as the day I collected it
Use this board to find a BMW specialist or independent that will actually care and advise
Mine went to bmw 6 times and they kept coming up with different faults, in the end my now permanent local specialist in Dorset had the issue removed in 20 mins, labour was half
My car was on 32k 3 years a go when I moved to him, it's now sat at 173k and drives as well as the day I collected it
Try and find somewhere with a Hunter GSP9700 Road Force balancing machine. http://www.balancemycar.co.uk/ If you get vibrations and are reasonably sure that the suspension components are OK then a Road Force Balancing machine will not only balance the wheel very accurately, but will also show you if the wheel or tyre are out of round while under load.
My e60 had loads of vibration problems, engine rpm fluctuation, and a mile long list of other things failed/failing.
I chopped it in for a Volvo (yes that's how bad things got) and have been a happy chap ever since.
BMW quality, fault diagnosis and service are about as bad as Fiat or Lancia in the 80s and 90's.
Shame because I liked my e60 when it was fault free - pity that was about 10% of its time with me - bloody money pit.
I chopped it in for a Volvo (yes that's how bad things got) and have been a happy chap ever since.
BMW quality, fault diagnosis and service are about as bad as Fiat or Lancia in the 80s and 90's.
Shame because I liked my e60 when it was fault free - pity that was about 10% of its time with me - bloody money pit.
Propshaft out of balance?
Propshaft universal joints?
Propshaft centre bearing (if it has one).
Sorry you're having such poor service but unfortunately it is far from rare within dealer networks. Perhaps consider having somewhere outside the dealer network take a look? Good luck with whatever you decide
Propshaft universal joints?
Propshaft centre bearing (if it has one).
Sorry you're having such poor service but unfortunately it is far from rare within dealer networks. Perhaps consider having somewhere outside the dealer network take a look? Good luck with whatever you decide
jasesapphy said:
The biggest problem you had was taking it to main dealer, my experience has been they are just there to perform open wallet surgery and actually couldn't care about you as a customer
Use this board to find a BMW specialist or independent that will actually care and advise
This is exactly what I was going to sayUse this board to find a BMW specialist or independent that will actually care and advise
Thats main dealers for you.
I took my E91 for an oil leak, the next day I got a phone call, "O.K, the bad news is as follows, Swirl flaps leaking, all vacuum hoses perished, your DPF needs replacing and the technician thinks your turbos are on their way out"
Without the turbos, the quote was way over £3k. I told them to hang fire while I rang BW (a BMW specialist) to get a second opinion. They just laughed and told me to bring the car in.
They concluded, Swirl flaps fine, turbo fine, dpf fine, and one hose that needed replacing. The leak was from the oil cooler and was £350 with fitting.
So I'd have spent all that money at BMW and then needed an oil cooler on top to fix the actual problem. The problem is, they just don't really care and most people won't question what they're told.
A few years ago, I heard them quote a poor woman nearly £300 for a wheel alignment.
I took my E91 for an oil leak, the next day I got a phone call, "O.K, the bad news is as follows, Swirl flaps leaking, all vacuum hoses perished, your DPF needs replacing and the technician thinks your turbos are on their way out"
Without the turbos, the quote was way over £3k. I told them to hang fire while I rang BW (a BMW specialist) to get a second opinion. They just laughed and told me to bring the car in.
They concluded, Swirl flaps fine, turbo fine, dpf fine, and one hose that needed replacing. The leak was from the oil cooler and was £350 with fitting.
So I'd have spent all that money at BMW and then needed an oil cooler on top to fix the actual problem. The problem is, they just don't really care and most people won't question what they're told.
A few years ago, I heard them quote a poor woman nearly £300 for a wheel alignment.
My first experience of BMW was them charging me £300 to replace a tyre pressure monitoring module when the problem was actually that it didn't have the sensors in the valves (older E39 before the ABS sensors were used).
My second experience was them taking 4 weeks and over £2,000 to fix an oil leak which turned out to be a rocker cover gasket. That was charged to BMW under warranty but when I took it to my indy it took him less than 10 seconds to diagnose the issue based on the oil stain they had left on the engine.
After that I would not pay them another penny, save for MOT's and now I've abandoned BMW altogether as I'm just fed up of the faults and general poor quality.
My second experience was them taking 4 weeks and over £2,000 to fix an oil leak which turned out to be a rocker cover gasket. That was charged to BMW under warranty but when I took it to my indy it took him less than 10 seconds to diagnose the issue based on the oil stain they had left on the engine.
After that I would not pay them another penny, save for MOT's and now I've abandoned BMW altogether as I'm just fed up of the faults and general poor quality.
I had a brake wobble/vibration issue (56 reg 335d Touring) and my local Indy BM garage struggled to sort it; two sets of disks and brake reaction bushes later it seemed okay but the rumble came back. A relative suggested leaving the handbrake off and it can bind on the brakes; problem sorted!! We almost sold it due to frustration too.
They seem very sensitive to camber angles (had mine laser aligned) and the tracking seems to knock out of place easily; fully adjustable wheels aren't always great!
They seem very sensitive to camber angles (had mine laser aligned) and the tracking seems to knock out of place easily; fully adjustable wheels aren't always great!
It's a pity main dealers are so bad, because many individual dealer mechanics are very good - if only they had the time to be really thorough.
It makes me laugh and wince when I see 10+ year old cars at my local dealers, paying 80+ quid an hour when their local garage could service it for 150 quiod and do just as good a job.
It makes me laugh and wince when I see 10+ year old cars at my local dealers, paying 80+ quid an hour when their local garage could service it for 150 quiod and do just as good a job.
iSore said:
It's a pity main dealers are so bad, because many individual dealer mechanics are very good - if only they had the time to be really thorough.
It makes me laugh and wince when I see 10+ year old cars at my local dealers, paying 80+ quid an hour when their local garage could service it for 150 quiod and do just as good a job.
Agreed but a major sticking point for many is the lack of a courtesy car!It makes me laugh and wince when I see 10+ year old cars at my local dealers, paying 80+ quid an hour when their local garage could service it for 150 quiod and do just as good a job.
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