BMW Service Issues

[Fox-]

Hi guys,

I have all our cars serviced at the local BMW main dealer. The pricing is very competitive, especially when you supply your own oil and ask them to omit the microfilters (Which are £60 at BMW but £15 at GSF).

I must have had, over 3 cars, about 5-6 services done this way over the last 3 years.

My 530i is booked in for an Oil Service on Wednesday. I've just received a call from them to inform me that actually, they now won't stamp my book unless I have both the cabin filters changed. They seem unwilling to relent on this.

It's really rather daft - and I'm on the verge of telling them to stick it and revert to using an Indy as a result. It DOUBLES the cost of the service I had booked for Wednesday.

Can they do this? I changed the Microfilters myself 5 days ago. They are literally brand new. The job takes 11 seconds.

[Deva Link]

This is becoming common on Mercs, where the basic service (A or B) is little more than an oil change and some checks. Everything else is extra and time/mileage based and it's become tradition for some owners to have the basic service, get the stamp and then have the additional work done at an indie.

Now the dealers are starting to tell people that if they don't have the extra work done then the service isn't complete and they won't stamp the book.

Not just these marques either - had the same on wifey's Honda Jazz and daughter's Mitsubishi Colt in the last few months. Both dealers said they could service the cars on "value" service deals for £99 but both said they wouldn't stamp the book for that price - the Honda dealer more or less admitted the work was the same as the scheduled service sheet.

Edited by Deva Link on Monday 23 March 18:54

[richyb]

I would say they can do what they want and you have to vote with your feet. Tell them you are cancelling and won't be coming back and why. They might not give a toss but I'd not go ahead with it feeling like I was getting conned.

[bmw2002]

I think most prospective buyers these days would not look down on a car having been serviced by a reputable specialist, so unless it would affect a warranty I would tell them to 'poke it' and find someone else to look after your cars.

[matt uk]

bmw2002 said:

I think most prospective buyers these days would not look down on a car having been serviced by a reputable specialist, so unless it would affect a warranty I would tell them to 'poke it' and find someone else to look after your cars.

Totally agree. I prefer to see good Inde invoices on older cars anyway. Main Dealer for me only if it's a company / lease car.

[jamoor]

Or don't let them stamp the book and attach a copy of the receipt in the book?

Are you really going to pay, quite literally £45 for a stamp?

[Vee]

Slightly off topic - do people really rely on a stamp in the book to verify the service history ?
Don't they check the invoices to see what has actually been done

[Fox-]

jamoor said:

Are you really going to pay, quite literally £45 for a stamp?

No of course I'm not. I'm going to argue with them about it this morning and if they consider it to be such an issue I'll service it elsewhere.

Their argument that its part of the requirement and the stamp says its been serviced to requirements holds no water - in the E39 service book there is a specific tickbox for Microfilter, indicating it is optional. Which they've always been happy to not tick in the past.

As an example, there is no tickbox for, say, changing the air filter on an Inspection 2. This is because its a crucial part of the service. A microfilter is not.

[paoloh]

Merc have now stopped stamping the book if you don't have the correct service done.

B instead of A for example.

[Bill Carr]

I don't think I'd even bother arguing the toss tbh. It'd be "bye-bye" from me and I'd be off down the road to an independant.

[jamoor]

Actually, try ringing BMW HQ and ask them about it.

[SJobson]

Why don't you supply the microfilter and let them fit it?

[Fox-]

Problem solved - I have just booked the car in at another BMW main dealer who are more than happy to do what I want.

How utterly ridiculous that I'll drive half a mile out of my house, past BMW in Plymouth, and then a further 150 miles to the other dealer for the sake of them being so petty.

I guess Im lucky I'm in Hampshire this weekend anyway.

I did the microfilters myself last week. It was such a difficult and arduous job it took 13 seconds in the carpark outside GSF.

[Deva Link]

Fox- said:

I did the microfilters myself last week. It was such a difficult and arduous job it took 13 seconds in the carpark outside GSF.

But you don't value your time or cost of going to GSF to get the microfilters?

[Fox-]

I'm a student, my time is valued at £0 and GSF is 3 miles down the road.

Edited by Fox- on Tuesday 24th March 11:22