BMW AUC problem

[mitchk]

I bought a car 3 weeks ago and have been complaining about the fact that it pulls to the left since I had it.

On two occasions I took it to my local dealer who said it needed a KDS sorting on it. On the second occasion it was also pointed out to me that the passenger rear tyre was worn and would need changing and they provided me with a report on the tyre depths :-

N/S Front 4mm 6mm 4mm (Outer/Middle/Inner)
O/S Front 4mm 6mm 4mm
N/S Rear 2mm 5mm 1mm
O/S Rear 5mm 7mm 4mm

This was after travelling 670 miles - and they refered me back to the supplying dealer as not under warranty.

Fast forward to today when I have took my car into the supplying dealer. They have told me that the alignment was out and it has been adjusted at no cost, but will not agree to replacing the worn tyre ?

They have also told me that their tyre technitian said it does not require replacement.

Now I know absolutely FA about tyres but would very much appreciate some advice to whether I should push for this. It is noted on the report the local dealer wrote as "RED - Requires urgent attention"

sorry for the picture but it was the best I could do at the time

[darreni]

mitchk said:

I bought a car 3 weeks ago and have been complaining about the fact that it pulls to the left since I had it.

On two occasions I took it to my local dealer who said it needed a KDS sorting on it. On the second occasion it was also pointed out to me that the passenger rear tyre was worn and would need changing and they provided me with a report on the tyre depths :-

N/S Front 4mm 6mm 4mm (Outer/Middle/Inner)
O/S Front 4mm 6mm 4mm
N/S Rear 2mm 5mm 1mm
O/S Rear 5mm 7mm 4mm

This was after travelling 670 miles - and they refered me back to the supplying dealer as not under warranty.

Fast forward to today when I have took my car into the supplying dealer. They have told me that the alignment was out and it has been adjusted at no cost, but will not agree to replacing the worn tyre ?



They have also told me that their tyre technitian said it does not require replacement.

Now I know absolutely FA about tyres but would very much appreciate some advice to whether I should push for this. It is noted on the report the local dealer wrote as "RED - Requires urgent attention"

sorry for the picture but it was the best I could do at the time

Is the car a BMW AUC?

If so, there is a 30 day no quibble exchange policy. Take it back, get a refund & move on. I'm sure if you mention this they'll be only too happy to sort the tyres.

The supplying dealer will also have a pre sale AUC inspection sheet, with the tread depths listed.

Did you not notice the tyre on collection?

[mitchk]

May be a bit foolish, but I expected that the 120 rigorous checks and full road tests that the website states would have shown any issues.

I suppose I was hoping that a BMW AUC car at the very least would have a set of descent tyres and drive in a straight line.

I didn't know also that I could just reject the car ?

can I just reject it if I'm not happy ?

Edited by mitchk on Tuesday 17th November 20:55

[darreni]

Check the AUC pack that came with the car, it will hve all of the info you need.

[mitchk]

thanks darreni - I'm having a look at the pack they gave me..

I'm curious though that the salesman insisted that his tyre tech (who was standing with him) stated the tyre did not require replacement ?

The tyre looks pretty fked to me but what is the deal with the inner tread ? legal wise ?

I can only find details relating to the 3/4 of the tyre being over 1.6mm

thanks

mitch

[Richard-G]

no cost for 4 months is the spiel.my car needed its first inspection 1, 2 weeks afta purchase, it was done foc and along the way they picked up on worn tyres, so i got them to change those aswell.if what you are saying is correct, get on the phone to the used car manager 1st thing in the morning, sorted in seconds

[mitchk]

really had to push for this today with the dealer principal - to be fair they have agreed to replace the tyre

hopefully I can be picking it up tomorrow.

[DarkMatter]

mitchk said:

I suppose I was hoping that a BMW AUC car at the very least would have a set of descent tyres and drive in a straight line.

As I posted in another thread my Approved Used BMW was MOT'd when I bought it, and 12 months later when I had to get it MOT'd again it was discovered that it had an incorrectly sized tyre on one side at the back. Fortunately the supplying dealer has agreed to pay for a replacement tyre.

You may want to check your tyre sizes too. On my 120d they should be 205/50 R17 at the front and 225/45 R17 at the back because the front rims are 7J and the rears 7.5J.

[80quattro]

Its usually a good idea to ask where the AUC was done. It could be the dealer in question, another dealer or BMW Bracknell depending upon the path the car has taken to the retailing dealer.
The Bracknell cars (they're only going to be upto 12 months old) are usually better prepped as Bracknell are not operating within dealer profit margins.
AUC standards are also that checks must be carried out every 90 days. Its worth asking to see a copy of the paperwork (the dealer must have it, or another AUC has to take place) to see how many days its been since it was carried out, as an overage car could be three months closer to a service than when the AUC was actually carried out. The battery will also be shagged & the tyre pressures will be low!

[bennyboydurham]

I had a bad experience with the AUC programme when I bought my E65 from Sandal BMW in Wakefield. To cut a long story short there were lots of things not done that I'd asked for, valet that amounted to a wipe over with a damp cloth (there was fluff-coated mint rolling around in the rear door handgrip that drove me nuts all the way home and biscuit crumbs inside the extendable steering column), oil service needed soon after purchase and a general 'car supermarket' level of service once I'd signed on the dotted line.

I have to counter this by saying that the supplying dealer of the wife's Z4, Derek Woodman, couldn't have done enough and also the chaps at Castle BMW in York who showed me over an E65 recently pointed out the car was pre-prep and drew my attention to a handful of tiny blemishes that would be addressed that frankly I'd have barely noticed...

[4rephill]

mitchk said:

May be a bit foolish, but I expected that the 120 rigorous checks and full road tests that the website states would have shown any issues.

I suppose I was hoping that a BMW AUC car at the very least would have a set of descent tyres and drive in a straight line.

I didn't know also that I could just reject the car ?

can I just reject it if I'm not happy ?

Edited by mitchk on Tuesday 17th November 20:55

Be aware that some BMW's are very camber sensitive and naturally pull slightly to the left. If you drive on the opposite side of the road,(whilst abroad for example), you will find that they then pull slightly to the right. I've owned two 5 series and a 3 series that used to do this. A full KDS and suspension check showed no faults or any misalignment.

Just something to note if the car still pulls to the left.

[Sticks.]

FWIW my local dealer told me that cars they take in as p/x must have at least 5mm tread, or the value is adjusted to allow for replacements. If this applies to your dealer then, by implication, they've paid less for the car but pocketed the saving by not bringing it up to standard. I'm not sure if there's anything in the AUC pack about tyres, but I'm sure BMW UK would be able to tell you what they expect.