Computer says NO
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V8A*ndy

Original Poster:

3,701 posts

221 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
Ok guys what's your view on this...... Sorry it's a long one

Went along to my BMW dealer a couple of weeks ago (who have been very good with me may I add) and ordered a Z4 35iS.

I sat with the sales guy and we specced the car up on his computer and took advantage of the "connectivity package" offer which along with bluetooth chucks in USB and a couple of other connections for the phone and ipod.

Ok great. So as you do I hit another dealer and spec the same car and between the two I haggle for a deal.

So I order the car and pay a deposit with the same dealer who supplied my Z4 23i.

However a couple of days later he phones me in a bit of a panic to say that the ordering system won't let them put the connectivity package on and is chasing it up with BMW. Few days later he says apparently you now need to order navigation (£2100) to get the money saving package and he is at a loss as to why this is currently.

I go straight to BMW car configurator online and spec the car up no problem???? Now i've been informed you can't get bluetooth without navigation AT ALL!. (my current 2009 Z has bluetooth and no nav).

So I call BMW. Unhelpful, blamed the dealer for everthing and that the terms and conditions of the web site is that they can change spec whenever. Basically tough.

Now I specced the car in two different dealers on a BMW system, made an order and paid a desposit and now i'm told to get bluetooth on my car I now have to order Nav at £2100 because BMW have changed the production and this is a couple of weeks after I placed my order.

BMW says it's the dealers fault and to take it up with them. To be fair the dealer has told me the system has now only just changed today not when I ordered the car.

I know my contract is with the dealer but I seriously think BMW have been unfair with their response here.

Not like it's a set of mudflaps but an integral part of the car that can't be retrofitted or make use of the steering wheels controls.

Suggestions welcome.





Edited by V8A*ndy on Wednesday 21st July 22:00

vxsmithers

729 posts

230 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
Audi? wink

Papa Hotel

12,760 posts

212 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
Stuff like this always winds me up, when a man-made system gets changed but the only response you get is blaming the system.... the system that was made by people, controlled by people, but people cannot over-ride what the system doesn't want to do because some numpty somewhere told it you can't have X without Y. It's bks, I hope they get you the frigging car the way you specced it or do the decent thing and throw in the nav for free.

Tallbut Buxomly

12,254 posts

246 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
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Send an email to bmw hq customer services and Uk MD with your order details. Tell them the situation and ask them to contact your dealer and cancel your order and refund the deposit paid due to their trying to rip you off.

TonyRPH

13,539 posts

198 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
Quite clearly they don't need your money.

I would switch brands.

Vote with your feet.

Grey Ghost

4,610 posts

250 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
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vxsmithers said:
Audi? wink
Please don't encourage him in here this early in the evening yikes

Digger

16,876 posts

221 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
If I were in the market in a few years time for a well specced Z4 35i I might be proven wrong but would be quite surprised to find one without Navigation? You may find it difficult to shift without Nav? Just a thought, albeit an expensive one.

Edited by Digger on Wednesday 21st July 20:52

W00DY

16,733 posts

256 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
I disagree with those saying get the nav for resale, It's not going to be worth £2100 more with it assuming you keep it for a while and with phone navigation becoming so good it's certainly not an option I would want to have/pay anything for on a used car. Do aftermarket bluetooth kits still look awful? Could you get a company to retrofit BMW bluetooth and an older stereo unit?

vxsmithers

729 posts

230 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
Grey Ghost said:
vxsmithers said:
Audi? wink
Please don't encourage him in here this early in the evening yikes
sorry, couldn't resist...

but there are other cars similar to the z4 to spend money on, don't think bluetooth would be a deal breaker for me if I really liked the car though.

If you save 2k at purchase, you can afford to drop the price 2k when you sell on compared to nav specced ones anyway - I'm sure you'd sell it easier at a 2k drop than speccing in the first place

V8A*ndy

Original Poster:

3,701 posts

221 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
Papa Hotel said:
Stuff like this always winds me up, when a man-made system gets changed but the only response you get is blaming the system.... the system that was made by people, controlled by people, but people cannot over-ride what the system doesn't want to do because some numpty somewhere told it you can't have X without Y. It's bks, I hope they get you the frigging car the way you specced it or do the decent thing and throw in the nav for free.
Well this certainly sums up how I feel right now but they actually can't spec the car the way I ordered it because they have changed the production now altogether and it's now nav or nothing.

I now need to give BMW more money to get what I ordered albiet with a nav system that I don't want or actually need. Trust me I live in Belfast. I already know every quickest way out of the place.

Dealer really seems to be caught out by all this and BMW currently really don't want to know. I actually feel sorry for the sales guy as he seems in a real panic about this.

Must also point out that the USB connection, aux in and extra power socket are also now not available without nav and I currently use these features on my current Z4 and I ordered them for the new car.





GreigM

6,740 posts

279 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
I would walk - pull your deposit and shop around.....maybe phone a few dealers in GB and explain your problem - see if one of them can order the car as you want it.....if not there are other options - try something else...

frosted

3,549 posts

207 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
How much for the car ?

V8A*ndy

Original Poster:

3,701 posts

221 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
GreigM said:
I would walk - pull your deposit and shop around.....maybe phone a few dealers in GB and explain your problem - see if one of them can order the car as you want it.....if not there are other options - try something else...
problem is BMW now say they don't build them this way anymore. They have move the goal posts. I orderd the car two weeks ago and now being told things have changed nav (£2100) or nothing.



V8A*ndy

Original Poster:

3,701 posts

221 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
frosted said:
How much for the car ?
Car is 46k list. I have had a very very large discount on that price already.

CB154

53 posts

249 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
Few years back same happened to me. Ordered Jaguar X Type estate with leather interior then all of a sudden the options changed and I had to pay £1500 for the leather interior. Voted with my feet and cancelled the order and got the deposit back.

only way I'm afraid.

LukeBird

17,170 posts

239 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
inkiboo said:
Trying to sell a top of the range Z4 without nav will come back to bite you in the future, especially as the new nav is so good.
You are kidding, right?
How much of that £2100 are you going to see come resale time, £500 maybe?

Oh and OP, that's a right PITA.

GreigM

6,740 posts

279 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
V8A*ndy said:
GreigM said:
I would walk - pull your deposit and shop around.....maybe phone a few dealers in GB and explain your problem - see if one of them can order the car as you want it.....if not there are other options - try something else...
problem is BMW now say they don't build them this way anymore. They have move the goal posts. I orderd the car two weeks ago and now being told things have changed nav (£2100) or nothing.
Its worth phoning around - you might be surprised - bigger dealers have more influence....

LukeBird

17,170 posts

239 months

Thursday 22nd July 2010
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inkiboo said:
You may only see a £500 difference but the main difference will be the ability to shift your car quickly.

From watching the market on Z4/Z4Ms, shifting a 2007 onwards without satnav is a pain in the ass. So it may be even more than £500 because you might have reduce your price if you need to shift the car quickly.
Even if you knocked off £2100 you'd still be quids in though?
I reckon if a non-sat nav equipped car came up at £1000 below the typical price for an equipped car, most would jump at the opportunity.

But, personally, I don't "get" speccing a car for someone else; it's my car I will spec it for me! smile

Pommygranite

14,470 posts

246 months

Thursday 22nd July 2010
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Are there any un-registered/cancelled orders/nearly new ones available that would have the spec you require?


V8A*ndy

Original Poster:

3,701 posts

221 months

Thursday 22nd July 2010
quotequote all
inkiboo said:
LukeBird said:
inkiboo said:
You may only see a £500 difference but the main difference will be the ability to shift your car quickly.

From watching the market on Z4/Z4Ms, shifting a 2007 onwards without satnav is a pain in the ass. So it may be even more than £500 because you might have reduce your price if you need to shift the car quickly.
Even if you knocked off £2100 you'd still be quids in though?
I reckon if a non-sat nav equipped car came up at £1000 below the typical price for an equipped car, most would jump at the opportunity.

But, personally, I don't "get" speccing a car for someone else; it's my car I will spec it for me! smile
I can tell you right now there is a Z4M for sale without sat nav in the classfieds that has been on sale for nearly two months, at £1,500 less than those with sat nav, and it still has not shifted.

I agree that you spec a car for yourself but you should also be mindful that the choices you make will have both a positive and negative effect on resale. My friend got a Cayman S without xenons; he will have a very hard time shifting it when he comes to sell because nearly all of the S models have xenons.
I can see both your points here but the fact is I haggled a really good deal and if I hadn't I wouldn't have been able to buy the car. The car budget is well and truly blown and I don't have 2k to buy the Nav for car purposes that is pretty much useless here in Northern and Southern Ireland anyway.

I now have a car coming with no USB, Power socket, Aux in and no Bluetooth. Items I can and do use.