Leaking shock absorbers BMW warranty
Discussion
I was wondering if I could get some opinions on this.
My MOT before last failed due to a leaking front shock absorber. The other front shock had a slight leak/weep. The dealer wanted to replace both shocks. I said fine, it's under warranty. They then said only one was covered under warranty. I said I thought the procedure was to replace both but they were firm only one would be covered so I left it. I've read a few people post on here have had both shocks replaced due to one failing in accordance to BMW TIS.
I found what I believe to be the BMW workshop manual for my car and it says the following.
Replacing shock absorber
All series
Situation:
If a shock absorber is defective on one side of the vehicle (leaking, noises, limit violation
during shock test), both shock absorbers on the axle concerned are frequently replaced.
Effect:
There is no technical necessity for this, meaning the manufacturer will refuse to recognise
as a damaged part the shock absorber that did not need replacing. For the customer,
unnecessarily high costs can be avoided by replacing only the shock absorber on the one
side.
Affected
vehicles:
All series
Procedure:
On the above model series, the following points should be noted when replacing a shock
absorber:
1.
Up to a mileage of 50,000 km, shock absorbers should be replace on one side only.
2.
On vehicles with level control, a slight oil seepage is usually present on the piston rod
of the rear shock absorbers. These spring struts may have an oil coating at most over
half the length of the outer tube of the shock absorber, i.e. they may "sweat".
Now I don't know if this is a dodgy translation as it says there is no technical reason, or if this document is not official, but as my car is over 50K km, it appears both should have been done.
Now the other shock has gone so obviously that will be replaced under warranty but I'm not sure I should be paying the excess on that if it should have been replaced along with the other one.
If not, then fair enough, I'll just pay up. There just seems to be mixed outcomes from BMW when it comes to others with the same issue.
Anyone a bit more knowledgeable advise?
My MOT before last failed due to a leaking front shock absorber. The other front shock had a slight leak/weep. The dealer wanted to replace both shocks. I said fine, it's under warranty. They then said only one was covered under warranty. I said I thought the procedure was to replace both but they were firm only one would be covered so I left it. I've read a few people post on here have had both shocks replaced due to one failing in accordance to BMW TIS.
I found what I believe to be the BMW workshop manual for my car and it says the following.
Replacing shock absorber
All series
Situation:
If a shock absorber is defective on one side of the vehicle (leaking, noises, limit violation
during shock test), both shock absorbers on the axle concerned are frequently replaced.
Effect:
There is no technical necessity for this, meaning the manufacturer will refuse to recognise
as a damaged part the shock absorber that did not need replacing. For the customer,
unnecessarily high costs can be avoided by replacing only the shock absorber on the one
side.
Affected
vehicles:
All series
Procedure:
On the above model series, the following points should be noted when replacing a shock
absorber:
1.
Up to a mileage of 50,000 km, shock absorbers should be replace on one side only.
2.
On vehicles with level control, a slight oil seepage is usually present on the piston rod
of the rear shock absorbers. These spring struts may have an oil coating at most over
half the length of the outer tube of the shock absorber, i.e. they may "sweat".
Now I don't know if this is a dodgy translation as it says there is no technical reason, or if this document is not official, but as my car is over 50K km, it appears both should have been done.
Now the other shock has gone so obviously that will be replaced under warranty but I'm not sure I should be paying the excess on that if it should have been replaced along with the other one.
If not, then fair enough, I'll just pay up. There just seems to be mixed outcomes from BMW when it comes to others with the same issue.
Anyone a bit more knowledgeable advise?
I was in the exact same boat a month or so ago. Dealer wanted to do only one shock but TIS says both if over 50000km. I phoned warranty company (assume you're with Allianz/Mondial) and asked them if they expect work to be done to BMW standards. Answer was yes, of course. They phoned dealer who then "agreed" to replace both.
Funny thing is when i got there they said they were "willing to honour it this time". What BS - it took the warranty company to kick you up the Harris.
Funny thing is when i got there they said they were "willing to honour it this time". What BS - it took the warranty company to kick you up the Harris.
Yeah, I'm with Allianz/Mondial. I remember posting in a thread where you mentioned you had them both done and I went and found the thread. Sadly stating 'bmwmike on pistonheads had them done fine' carries no weight heh.
I have spoken to the department who's number is noted in the warranty booklet and they spoke to the dealer who just repeated their stance the same as on the day it was denied. I quoted the workshop manual recommendation and still nothing other than speak to customer support which I have done and they are investigating.
I really don't like to jump through hoops and feel like I'm being cheeky asking for something like this when it's their own standards.
I have spoken to the department who's number is noted in the warranty booklet and they spoke to the dealer who just repeated their stance the same as on the day it was denied. I quoted the workshop manual recommendation and still nothing other than speak to customer support which I have done and they are investigating.
I really don't like to jump through hoops and feel like I'm being cheeky asking for something like this when it's their own standards.
I felt the same way. I was starting to feel like a charity case at one point. Really annoying as you pay for the insured warranty and they said they'd pay out for whatever the BMW requirement was. They even cover wear and tear.
If I was doing shocks myself I'd never fit one side only. It's a bodge.
Another way to look at this is to ask them who is on the hook if the car is not repaired to BMW repair instructions and there is subsequently an accident - the dealer or the warranty company?
Incidentally I am not completely done with my car. The two new rear shocks have shown up how bouncy the front is. Annoyingly it was the front I'd asked the dealer to look at, but they found a rear shock was "weak".
Totally lost all faith in BMW dealers. Shytner anyway.
Trying cotswold next for my upcoming service even if it is over an hour away.
Good luck. Keep pushing.
If I was doing shocks myself I'd never fit one side only. It's a bodge.
Another way to look at this is to ask them who is on the hook if the car is not repaired to BMW repair instructions and there is subsequently an accident - the dealer or the warranty company?
Incidentally I am not completely done with my car. The two new rear shocks have shown up how bouncy the front is. Annoyingly it was the front I'd asked the dealer to look at, but they found a rear shock was "weak".
Totally lost all faith in BMW dealers. Shytner anyway.
Trying cotswold next for my upcoming service even if it is over an hour away.
Good luck. Keep pushing.
Sorry, I forgot to update.
Bit of a strange one. Customer support came back to me and said they would waive the excess to replace the second failed shock but they would only be replacing that one on it's own as the other one was replaced a while back. I couldn't really be bothered to spend anymore time discussing so agreed.
Dropped it off to Sytner and next I hear, BMW are replacing both...
I questioned the CSA when I dropped it off why they weren't both replaced last time and brought up the mileage mentioned on the TIS and got a kind of answer about not meeting the mileage requirement. I was under the impression this was 50K Km which I was over. This time I was past 80K Miles which seemed to be the magic number for replacing both.
So, in summary, BMW warranty people, no idea. Only want to do one, not a pair if one failed.
BMW warranty customer support, no idea, only want to do one, not a pair initially but authorized both in the end. The person who I spoke to wasn't aware of the BMW workshop manual stating mileage requirements for replacing both. They mentioned some other department would have access to this.
So yeah, YMMV. 80K miles + and you should be OK from this experience. It's just the unknown that bothers me. If first time round I was told, sorry, needs to be x mileage to have both replaced, then fair enough. I just feel like this kind of thing should be clearly laid out somewhere and the warranty people should be aware of it. They know about fair wear and tear and can instantly tell you if X is not covered. They should know about this kind of thing too.
Bit of a strange one. Customer support came back to me and said they would waive the excess to replace the second failed shock but they would only be replacing that one on it's own as the other one was replaced a while back. I couldn't really be bothered to spend anymore time discussing so agreed.
Dropped it off to Sytner and next I hear, BMW are replacing both...
I questioned the CSA when I dropped it off why they weren't both replaced last time and brought up the mileage mentioned on the TIS and got a kind of answer about not meeting the mileage requirement. I was under the impression this was 50K Km which I was over. This time I was past 80K Miles which seemed to be the magic number for replacing both.
So, in summary, BMW warranty people, no idea. Only want to do one, not a pair if one failed.
BMW warranty customer support, no idea, only want to do one, not a pair initially but authorized both in the end. The person who I spoke to wasn't aware of the BMW workshop manual stating mileage requirements for replacing both. They mentioned some other department would have access to this.
So yeah, YMMV. 80K miles + and you should be OK from this experience. It's just the unknown that bothers me. If first time round I was told, sorry, needs to be x mileage to have both replaced, then fair enough. I just feel like this kind of thing should be clearly laid out somewhere and the warranty people should be aware of it. They know about fair wear and tear and can instantly tell you if X is not covered. They should know about this kind of thing too.
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