A year in the life of an E90 335i owner
Discussion
FTBBCVoodoo said:
Well my High Pressure Fuel Pump was fixed today..... For £707.
Not covered under my warranty due to a spurious entry on an invoice received during my ownership in my service history which said "cat delete" when the car was having an oil and spark plug change a month ago.
The line of the invoice read "cat delete" @ a cost of £0.
BMW argued that I may have had the cat's "deleted for free". Yep.... as if any garages do work for no cost. The cats have never been deleted and I confirmed with them that the cats were physically on the car and showed no evidence of ever being removed.
I called the specialist who I have used for a while and who I have a good relationship with them. They have no idea why that line is on there and think it's a mistake on the invoice. They was confirmed this with BMW but not good enough.
So.... now they have invalidated my warranty (which was due to run out on 02/03 so not long to run).
Needless to say, will be complaining to BMW customer services and not returning to that particular main dealer again.
Will keep you posted on the fun and games that BMW customer services provide.
On a brighter note.... the i3 courtesy car was a blast.
Wow, BMWs of this era know how to raise a big bill!
My Z4 Coupe (N52 engine) just had an electric water pump which cost £500 for the OE part plus fitting.
Good luck with the warranty issue.
Not covered under my warranty due to a spurious entry on an invoice received during my ownership in my service history which said "cat delete" when the car was having an oil and spark plug change a month ago.
The line of the invoice read "cat delete" @ a cost of £0.
BMW argued that I may have had the cat's "deleted for free". Yep.... as if any garages do work for no cost. The cats have never been deleted and I confirmed with them that the cats were physically on the car and showed no evidence of ever being removed.
I called the specialist who I have used for a while and who I have a good relationship with them. They have no idea why that line is on there and think it's a mistake on the invoice. They was confirmed this with BMW but not good enough.
So.... now they have invalidated my warranty (which was due to run out on 02/03 so not long to run).
Needless to say, will be complaining to BMW customer services and not returning to that particular main dealer again.
Will keep you posted on the fun and games that BMW customer services provide.
On a brighter note.... the i3 courtesy car was a blast.
Wow, BMWs of this era know how to raise a big bill!
My Z4 Coupe (N52 engine) just had an electric water pump which cost £500 for the OE part plus fitting.
Good luck with the warranty issue.
Edited by FTBBCVoodoo on Monday 15th February 20:06
The letter....
"I wish to make a complaint regarding a fault I had with my 335i (******).
I took my car into Ridgeway BMW Bournemouth today (15/02/2016) for a High Pressure Fuel Pump failure which I still believe is covered under my BMW insured warranty (policy – **********). However, I received a phone call from Ridgeway BMW confirming that the HPFP had indeed failed but this wasn’t covered under my warranty as there was a line on an invoice in my Service History from a BMW specialist which read “remap and cat delete”. I called the specialist who informed me that this line on the invoice was a mistake.
I informed the dealer that the car was not remapped and the cats had not been deleted. The dealer confirmed that the cats were physically on the car. The cost of the supposed “remap and cat delete” was £0 on the invoice. I am not aware of any garages which do this kind of work for free, clearly this was a mistake. However, Ridgeway BMW have informed me that this has invalidated my BMW insured warranty (which ironically I had just paid to be renewed due to expiry next month) and I then had to pay £707 in order to have the fault fixed!
The car has not been mechanically modified. I wouldn’t have a) attempted to have the car fixed by a BMW dealer under warranty or b) renewed my warranty if I believed I had the car modified in such a way that my warranty would be invalidated.
I hope you can understand my frustration at this obvious error and the poor customer service I have experienced. I wish this case to be investigated urgently and also to be refunded the full £707 at the very least.
Unfortunately I would also like to point out that this isn’t the 1st time I have had a negative experience with Ridgeway Bournemouth BMW. On 24/03/2015 my 335i went into Ridgeway with a turbo charger issue. It took Ridgeway 3 days to even look at the turbo chargers during which they informed me it would cost me £1,200 for them to investigate whether the issue was covered by warranty, and that if it was not they would keep my 1,200. Following multiple phone calls to them and much upset, this was eventually resolved as they admitted they had made a ‘mistake’ and this would be the cost of the work, not the investigation. Once fixed my car was finally ‘ready’ to collect on 02/04, at which point I discovered the check engine light still illuminated and the car now had an oxygen sensor failure so I was forced to leave my car with them again for further investigation. I finally got my car on 04/04 almost 2 weeks later. This was a shocking example of customer service.
On 17/04/2015 my 335i threw up another error message. This time the “turbo pressure converters” failed and it was back in again with a turbo charger issue which hadn’t been picked up by BMW previously.
Then this year on 13/01 my 335i was back into Ridgeway with another turbo charger issue. Common theme here. This time the waste gates were rattling badly. A BMW technician confirmed that this was indeed the fault after listening to the car while it was in the car park and confirmed that the waste gates needed adjusting. I later received a phone call stating that the waste gates were not covered by the warranty so I instructed Ridgeway BMW to do nothing and return my car.
Needless to say, I have received repeatedly terrible and frankly embarrassing customer service from Ridgeway BMW Bournemouth. My entire experience of my BMW ownership (the car, the warranty and the dealer) has been nothing short of shocking. At this point I would like the warranty cover which I have paid for in good faith to be honoured, and my £707 refunded to me as soon as possible.
I look forward to hearing from you."
Watch this space.... I should add that wastegate rattle has been fixed by specialist.... maybe that was the remap and delete cat line ;-)
"I wish to make a complaint regarding a fault I had with my 335i (******).
I took my car into Ridgeway BMW Bournemouth today (15/02/2016) for a High Pressure Fuel Pump failure which I still believe is covered under my BMW insured warranty (policy – **********). However, I received a phone call from Ridgeway BMW confirming that the HPFP had indeed failed but this wasn’t covered under my warranty as there was a line on an invoice in my Service History from a BMW specialist which read “remap and cat delete”. I called the specialist who informed me that this line on the invoice was a mistake.
I informed the dealer that the car was not remapped and the cats had not been deleted. The dealer confirmed that the cats were physically on the car. The cost of the supposed “remap and cat delete” was £0 on the invoice. I am not aware of any garages which do this kind of work for free, clearly this was a mistake. However, Ridgeway BMW have informed me that this has invalidated my BMW insured warranty (which ironically I had just paid to be renewed due to expiry next month) and I then had to pay £707 in order to have the fault fixed!
The car has not been mechanically modified. I wouldn’t have a) attempted to have the car fixed by a BMW dealer under warranty or b) renewed my warranty if I believed I had the car modified in such a way that my warranty would be invalidated.
I hope you can understand my frustration at this obvious error and the poor customer service I have experienced. I wish this case to be investigated urgently and also to be refunded the full £707 at the very least.
Unfortunately I would also like to point out that this isn’t the 1st time I have had a negative experience with Ridgeway Bournemouth BMW. On 24/03/2015 my 335i went into Ridgeway with a turbo charger issue. It took Ridgeway 3 days to even look at the turbo chargers during which they informed me it would cost me £1,200 for them to investigate whether the issue was covered by warranty, and that if it was not they would keep my 1,200. Following multiple phone calls to them and much upset, this was eventually resolved as they admitted they had made a ‘mistake’ and this would be the cost of the work, not the investigation. Once fixed my car was finally ‘ready’ to collect on 02/04, at which point I discovered the check engine light still illuminated and the car now had an oxygen sensor failure so I was forced to leave my car with them again for further investigation. I finally got my car on 04/04 almost 2 weeks later. This was a shocking example of customer service.
On 17/04/2015 my 335i threw up another error message. This time the “turbo pressure converters” failed and it was back in again with a turbo charger issue which hadn’t been picked up by BMW previously.
Then this year on 13/01 my 335i was back into Ridgeway with another turbo charger issue. Common theme here. This time the waste gates were rattling badly. A BMW technician confirmed that this was indeed the fault after listening to the car while it was in the car park and confirmed that the waste gates needed adjusting. I later received a phone call stating that the waste gates were not covered by the warranty so I instructed Ridgeway BMW to do nothing and return my car.
Needless to say, I have received repeatedly terrible and frankly embarrassing customer service from Ridgeway BMW Bournemouth. My entire experience of my BMW ownership (the car, the warranty and the dealer) has been nothing short of shocking. At this point I would like the warranty cover which I have paid for in good faith to be honoured, and my £707 refunded to me as soon as possible.
I look forward to hearing from you."
Watch this space.... I should add that wastegate rattle has been fixed by specialist.... maybe that was the remap and delete cat line ;-)
Slippydiff said:
Fellow BMW E90 owner here, why the h*ll did you keep returning the car to that dealership when their customer service was so utterly atrocious ?
Yep... I know. Closest dealership from me apart from Ridgeway is 30 miles away. Each failure I had I couldn't really risk taking the car too far and I only live about 4 miles from Ridgeway. I suppose I hoped that they would remember the 1st time of shocking service and make amends. Hindsight and all that... :-(In terms of warranty.... Today's escapade is the only time I have had to spent out on said car at a BMW dealer for an actual fault (warranty cost excluded).
Either way.... the car won't see another BMW main dealership under my ownership while my warranty has been invalidated. Specialist all the way unless BMW can revalidate my warranty. In which case it will probably go to Dorchester (heard good things. Or if the issue isn't too serious - Croydon (bit of a trek but we have an office in Croydon so could make a visit up there on the way and again have heard good things about them).
Sort of considered an E9* coupe - well for a few minutes!
335i seems pointless with £500 RFL - may as well look for an M3!
330i is either an N52 with water pump issues or an N53 with HPFP and injector issues...
So my E46 with M54 engine is looking more than ever like a keeper!
Progress - well in terms of bigger bills for the manufacturer perhaps it is!
Just glad I bailed out of my N47 diseasel at 81K miles, given that this was before the "Quality Enhancement" or is that just another term for cr*p design and implementation until eventually the manufacturer finally picks up the tab for a sub-standard product?
Whatever, new BMWs do nothing for me - they all seem to be built down to a price as in MB in the late 90s/early 2000s (which did them no favours)! My W202 C280 "Sport" was the most disappointing car I have ever owned!
Maybe I need something Japanese!?
335i seems pointless with £500 RFL - may as well look for an M3!
330i is either an N52 with water pump issues or an N53 with HPFP and injector issues...
So my E46 with M54 engine is looking more than ever like a keeper!
Progress - well in terms of bigger bills for the manufacturer perhaps it is!
Just glad I bailed out of my N47 diseasel at 81K miles, given that this was before the "Quality Enhancement" or is that just another term for cr*p design and implementation until eventually the manufacturer finally picks up the tab for a sub-standard product?
Whatever, new BMWs do nothing for me - they all seem to be built down to a price as in MB in the late 90s/early 2000s (which did them no favours)! My W202 C280 "Sport" was the most disappointing car I have ever owned!
Maybe I need something Japanese!?
FTBBCVoodoo said:
Well my High Pressure Fuel Pump was fixed today..... For £707.
.....,
On a brighter note.... the i3 courtesy car was a blast.
It's coming up to a year since I sold my 335i and replaced it with a Nissan Leaf. Cannot believe how unreliable the 335i was, and how much easier life is without having to worry about leaks, turbos, pumps, seals etc......,
On a brighter note.... the i3 courtesy car was a blast.
The i3 is a great little car, and BMW are finally offering it on good finance deals. When you eventually get bored of the 335i breaking down, take a look at EVs as an alternative. I'm firmly now in the EV camp, don't want to touch/own another combustion car ever again. Certainly not another 335i.
gangzoom said:
It's coming up to a year since I sold my 335i and replaced it with a Nissan Leaf. Cannot believe how unreliable the 335i was, and how much easier life is without having to worry about leaks, turbos, pumps, seals etc.
The i3 is a great little car, and BMW are finally offering it on good finance deals. When you eventually get bored of the 335i breaking down, take a look at EVs as an alternative. I'm firmly now in the EV camp, don't want to touch/own another combustion car ever again. Certainly not another 335i.
The i3 is a great little car, and BMW are finally offering it on good finance deals. When you eventually get bored of the 335i breaking down, take a look at EVs as an alternative. I'm firmly now in the EV camp, don't want to touch/own another combustion car ever again. Certainly not another 335i.
Yes Gang, we know. But unless you don't really need a car or can manage without any long trips the EV's not there yet. Hopefully it won't be too long before it is but till then most of us will make do with a 'combustion' car.
As far as reliability is concerned I doubt there are many old or high mileage EVs about to give a true picture. I have found the cars I have had over the years quite reliable.
gangzoom said:
FTBBCVoodoo said:
Well my High Pressure Fuel Pump was fixed today..... For £707.
.....,
On a brighter note.... the i3 courtesy car was a blast.
It's coming up to a year since I sold my 335i and replaced it with a Nissan Leaf........,
On a brighter note.... the i3 courtesy car was a blast.
...take a look at EVs as an alternative. I'm firmly now in the EV camp, don't want to touch/own another combustion car ever again. Certainly not another 335i.
Did the Nissan dealer also perform a complimentary Lobotomy?
REALIST123 said:
Yes Gang, we know. But unless you don't really need a car or can manage without any long trips the EV's not there yet. Hopefully it won't be too long before it is but till then most of us will make do with a 'combustion' car.
As far as reliability is concerned I doubt there are many old or high mileage EVs about to give a true picture. I have found the cars I have had over the years quite reliable.
- New inverters x 2
- New high level brake light unit
- New rear screen (broken whilst replacing above light unit)
- New Pano roof assembly
- New drive unit assembly
- New charge connector socket and cables
- New Rear light units
- New interior mat set
Whether the car really needed all that doing is another point, but I'd not want to be out of warranty
Just my few pence worth
09 335i saloon had it a year and a have done 15,000 miles and it been great. Water pump went bang on 50,000 miles but apart from that completely trouble free. ( touches wood ) I think this car gets far too much bad press and with any car, if you look hard enough on the internet, will find loads of stories of woe. In reality what is the percentage of cars that have the problems ? Too hard to quantify I would imagine as most owners who have no problems keep quiet.
I really enjoy the car for what it is. If you worried about running costs why even buy this type of car. Save up buy brand new and have full warranty. To me, for the price of these cars second hand, nothing come close to having the performance or grin factor.
09 335i saloon had it a year and a have done 15,000 miles and it been great. Water pump went bang on 50,000 miles but apart from that completely trouble free. ( touches wood ) I think this car gets far too much bad press and with any car, if you look hard enough on the internet, will find loads of stories of woe. In reality what is the percentage of cars that have the problems ? Too hard to quantify I would imagine as most owners who have no problems keep quiet.
I really enjoy the car for what it is. If you worried about running costs why even buy this type of car. Save up buy brand new and have full warranty. To me, for the price of these cars second hand, nothing come close to having the performance or grin factor.
Edited by Lochaber on Wednesday 17th February 15:27
Pennyroyal Tea said:
I'm intrigued. How does one undertake a trans-European road-trip (like say, a skiing trip to the Alps or a jaunt down to Le Mans with some mates) in a Leaf?
Did the Nissan dealer also perform a complimentary Lobotomy?
With a new born baby coming in a few weeks I think my days of trans-European road trips is over for the next 18 years Did the Nissan dealer also perform a complimentary Lobotomy?
As for a lobotomy, no idea, but it's due for it's first service next month so I'll enquire than.
JonV8V said:
A tesla owner has just had this little lot done thankfully under warranty and its not that uncommon. Car was I think under two years old...
- New inverters x 2
- New high level brake light unit
- New rear screen (broken whilst replacing above light unit)
- New Pano roof assembly
- New drive unit assembly
- New charge connector socket and cables
- New Rear light units
- New interior mat set
Whether the car really needed all that doing is another point, but I'd not want to be out of warranty
It's good to know they did all that under warranty presumably without been asked too by the owner??- New inverters x 2
- New high level brake light unit
- New rear screen (broken whilst replacing above light unit)
- New Pano roof assembly
- New drive unit assembly
- New charge connector socket and cables
- New Rear light units
- New interior mat set
Whether the car really needed all that doing is another point, but I'd not want to be out of warranty
Makes me less concerned about buying an approved used one later this year.
gangzoom said:
JonV8V said:
A tesla owner has just had this little lot done thankfully under warranty and its not that uncommon. Car was I think under two years old...
- New inverters x 2
- New high level brake light unit
- New rear screen (broken whilst replacing above light unit)
- New Pano roof assembly
- New drive unit assembly
- New charge connector socket and cables
- New Rear light units
- New interior mat set
Whether the car really needed all that doing is another point, but I'd not want to be out of warranty
It's good to know they did all that under warranty presumably without been asked too by the owner??- New inverters x 2
- New high level brake light unit
- New rear screen (broken whilst replacing above light unit)
- New Pano roof assembly
- New drive unit assembly
- New charge connector socket and cables
- New Rear light units
- New interior mat set
Whether the car really needed all that doing is another point, but I'd not want to be out of warranty
Makes me less concerned about buying an approved used one later this year.
Pennyroyal Tea said:
I'm intrigued. How does one undertake a trans-European road-trip (like say, a skiing trip to the Alps or a jaunt down to Le Mans with some mates) in a Leaf?
Did the Nissan dealer also perform a complimentary Lobotomy?
Well I would have hoped so, given that it was Nissan.....:laughDid the Nissan dealer also perform a complimentary Lobotomy?
gangzoom said:
It's good to know they did all that under warranty presumably without been asked too by the owner??
Makes me less concerned about buying an approved used one later this year.
So pretty much as hopeless/unreliable as the 335i then ? But with better customer service. Reminds me of a mate who said Apple phones are brilliant "Mines failed 3 times and they've replaced every one without a question" ..... I pointed out to him that that's not a good phone/product in any way shape or form, merely good customer service.Makes me less concerned about buying an approved used one later this year.
gangzoom said:
It's coming up to a year since I sold my 335i and replaced it with a Nissan Leaf. Cannot believe how unreliable the 335i was, and how much easier life is without having to worry about leaks, turbos, pumps, seals etc.
The i3 is a great little car, and BMW are finally offering it on good finance deals. When you eventually get bored of the 335i breaking down, take a look at EVs as an alternative. I'm firmly now in the EV camp, don't want to touch/own another combustion car ever again. Certainly not another 335i.
Each to their own and all that jazz but I'm genuinely amazed at someone on here saying that.The i3 is a great little car, and BMW are finally offering it on good finance deals. When you eventually get bored of the 335i breaking down, take a look at EVs as an alternative. I'm firmly now in the EV camp, don't want to touch/own another combustion car ever again. Certainly not another 335i.
Just sold my E93 335i after two years of ownership. Did 20k miles all of which were covered under the BMW Mondial warranty which cost me 70 quid a month. It was just shy of 80k miles and a 2007 so a bit leggy and getting on.
The car was an absolute blast and I had to do nothing to it other than service it and stick on new tyres. Fortunately (unfortunately?) I didn't have to get anything seen to under warranty.
It was seriously tempting to get a remap which takes bhp from 306 to 380 but I lost my bottle due to the discussed issues with the N54 and a potentially invalidated warranty.
Given other reports It sounds like I was lucky, but just wanted to chip in as my experiences of the 355i was resoundingly positive! 👍
The car was an absolute blast and I had to do nothing to it other than service it and stick on new tyres. Fortunately (unfortunately?) I didn't have to get anything seen to under warranty.
It was seriously tempting to get a remap which takes bhp from 306 to 380 but I lost my bottle due to the discussed issues with the N54 and a potentially invalidated warranty.
Given other reports It sounds like I was lucky, but just wanted to chip in as my experiences of the 355i was resoundingly positive! 👍
Patrick Bateman said:
Each to their own and all that jazz but I'm genuinely amazed at someone on here saying that.
My old 335i was the best combustion car I've ever owned, despite all it's reliability issues, and the £5K+ I spent on various mods. 18 months ago ask me what I thought about EVs and I would have been as much of as a critic as anyone else here. But now having owned an EV for 12 months, going back to a combustion car would like asking me to swap my smart phone for a 1990's Nokia.Just remember the current EVs are only really first generation products, remember how good (or bad) the original iPhone was...No 3G, awful battery life, no App store, stupidly expensive. Now look at where we are. Progress/change is coming, I for one welcome it. My old 335i still bring me found memories, I'm glad I owned for 4 years, but combustion engine cars simply no longer interest me.
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