Main dealer sending car to third party for repair?

[RichRichBaboon]

So a few weeks back, I had a gentle coming together with another car, and my lovely M5 was left with a dent in the rear passenger door and a scrape on the rear wheel arch.

Anyway, BMW main dealer gave me a quote, and I went with it. Paid a deposit for 'parts' and yesterday the car went in. Now because I have a CAT5 tracker, I also gave them the key fob for this... and this is where it gets interesting.

This morning, I get a call from the tracking company. The car is moving without the fob, and without the ignition on, I.e. it's on a low loader being transported somewhere. I immediately call the garage, and the receptionist tells me that they "have my fob and wouldn't drive the car without it" which was her line until I told her the car tracking company had rang me, and I was currently sat watching my car travel across London by it's own accord, at which point, she told me that it was going "Into storage".

Not being funny, it doesn't need to go into storage, if it's fixed already, I'll have it back, if its not fixed pending parts, I'll have it back until it is fixed.

Anyway, the journey ends with my car dropped off in West Drayton, where a look on google maps tells me at a third party body shop.

Now, am I right to think that having paid the BMW main dealer a substantial sum of money to repair my car, they should be doing it themselves. Certainly their customer commitment tells me all about their approved standards, trained employees etc.

Thoughts?

[bitchstewie]

I assumed any dealer doing an "approved" bodywork repair was simply farming it out to a bodyshop that the marque deemed acceptable by to their standards.

[snake_oil]

bhstewie said:

I assumed any dealer doing an "approved" bodywork repair was simply farming it out to a bodyshop that the marque deemed acceptable by to their standards.

This. They don't have bodyshops onsite at dealer.

[MDifficult]

snake_oil said:

bhstewie said:

I assumed any dealer doing an "approved" bodywork repair was simply farming it out to a bodyshop that the marque deemed acceptable by to their standards.

This. They don't have bodyshops onsite at dealer.

Yup. This.

An approved body shop + a bunch of expensive bill padding = Bmw approved bodywork repair.

[chriscoates81]

Silver lining is at least now you know where there's a BMW approved bodyshop.

[mmm-five]

snake_oil said:

This. They don't have bodyshops onsite at dealer.

My two closest dealers do - literally less than 50 yards from the parts department, across the car park!

Although I'm not sure I'd trust their work any more than an offsite 3rd party one.

But if it's going to a 3rd party, then I'd prefer to deal with them directly, so there's no passing of the buck when you need something rectified.

[XMT]

chriscoates81 said:

Silver lining is at least now you know where there's a BMW approved bodyshop.

lol this

[Ukraine Troll Bot]

I personally know that a certain Wiltshire based dealer group have their own masters of spray for doing bodywork but for anything more specialist they farm out. The guy that owns the family name of said dealer ship always took his cars to the chap that is currently restoring my M5.

The main benefit of going through your dealership will be that they have to guarantee the work so if there are any faults they will be your port of call and should result in easier redress.

[Newscuttlepanel]

Don't sweat it mate, would have been good of them to make the process clearer, but to an extent paint's paint and painters are painters, you'll get it back with the anti-corrosion warranty intact and hopefully be happy with the repair.