Do any BMW service desk jockeys know anything about cars!??

[rash_decision]

Again, I've had dealings with a service advisor at my local dealership, who does not know his ar5e from his elbow!!!

I reluctantly went to one of my local dealerships to have some warranty work done on my Manual E92 M3 the other day. Nothing major, a diff seal. I also asked if they could listen to the gearbox as I thought it was slightly noisy. Anyway, to explain my reluctancy...........

Last year I went to the same dealership with my Girfriend's Mini One. The nearside wheel bearing was pretty noisy. Prior to my visit to the dealers, I had the car on my mate's ramp to check it over and noticed that the nearside bottom ball joint was excessively worn, technically, it was fecked!! Really bad actually! Anyway, off I go to the dealership as it's under warranty. I went for a test drive with a mechanic, sorry, technician! to confirm we were listening to the same noise. On the test drive, I mentioned having the car "jacked up" and felt some play in the wheel, possibly a track rod end or ball joint, and asked if they could check that out while they had the car in the air, to which he said, "yeah no bother mate, we'll check it all out". I didn't want to say too much as it isn't my place to tell this guy his job, and I don't want him to know I've had a good prod around it. So, I hop on the bus, end of day one!

So, the next afternoon they call and the conversation goes something like this:

"Mr Smith, that's your Mini ready!".

"Great, how did the guys get on with it? Did they find anything wrong with the steering or suspension components???"

"No everything was perfect! Just the wheel bearing. When can you collect it?"

"Just the wheel bearing? I'd expressed a concern about wear on a joint of some description?"

"No, nothing more than a wheel bearing".

"OK, when I come in, can you ask that the car be jacked up please as yesterday morning when I checked the car, the ball joint was hanging off it!"

"OK, I'll ask for a technician to look at it with you"

So I make my way to the dealers to sort this out! When I arrive, the Mini is back in the workshop having a balljoint changed. The idiot behind the desk starts to tell me that there was nothing wrong with the ball joint, but they are changing it out of good will, seeing as I was concerned about it!! What a dick! So I give him both barrells! He then tries to tell me that the ball joint was "within allowable wear limits"!!! What?? I was raging by this point, highlighting how integral a part the ball joint is on the suspension of a car, and told him that it worried me that some clown in the workshop cannot even diagnose a goosed ball joint! If that had collapsed whilst my Girlfriend was on the motorway, feck knows what could happen!! So he's still trying to patronise me with st at this point! I asked to speak to the technician who worked on the car, but was told he was too busy. I then asked to see the ball joint they removed, but it had been packaged up to be sent back to BMW as per warranty instructions! I could have strangled him! Are these guys just so used to the type of person coming in that needs their screen wash topped up??

So that's why I "reluctantly" took my nice, nearly new E92 M3 in! What am I doing?? I thought as I walked down the street for a coffee.

So, cue later that day.

"Mr Smith, that's your car ready"

"Great, I'll be there in an hour, how did the guy get on with the gearbox noise??"

"It's perfectly normal, it's because your car has the double clutch gearbox"

"Eh?? My car is manual!??!?"

"Yeah, but it has 2 clutches, they went to that system in late 2007"

"No no no, you only get Manual, or Double Clutch Transmission is the paddle shift job"

"No, you get manual, double clutch, which is your's, and the paddle shift is SMG"

What is going on!!! This guy is dealing with the service of BMW's!!!!
When I went to collect my car, I educated the dimwit, and when he 'eventually' accepted my word and the sales assistant that he used to try and prove me wrong, he answered with "Oh well, every day is a school day!!".

Can anyone tell me what the heck is going on with BMW in the UK!!! It's frightening!!!

[Neil.D]

Only the best...only the best.

But in answer to your rhetorical question, no, they dont...!

[Rags]

Which part of the country was this dealership?

[ettore]

Rags said:

Which part of the country was this dealership?

Yes, I'm also interested.

I recently had a very similar and equally poor experience with a main dealer!

Edited by ettore on Thursday 19th August 10:55

[Rags]

For what its worth, the dealership I use in central london is rather good.

[kentmotorcompany]

Same with Audi today.

I took a stock car of mine in for some warranty work, while I was there I asked a question about Audi CVT gearboxes. He had never heard the term CVT and only knows the Audi termed of S Tronic, or Multitronic.

Audi have used CVT gearboxes for years.

I think most people who use main dealers no nothing about cars, so 9 times out of 10 the service desk monkey's bullst works to the extent I actually think these people believe their own lies.

Most customers with a bit of knowledge go to a main dealer for warranty work, or sometimes the basic servicing only.

In most other circumstances a good indy will nearly always do better work for less money.

[5678]

From my experience the low level service desk "booker " is just another receptionist. They take notes and make appointment thats all.
Always ask to speak to one of the technicians, even if it means waiting for a call back. Unfortunately my local dealer seem to have hired Captain Camp who knows as much about cars as the one in the OP after previously having well informed and interested staff. Hopefully they are still there, just not doing the bookings anymore.

[Ti22]

Terrible story, but loving the idea of a double clutch manual transmission - that's really made me smile. However if the person who had just serviced my M3 had said that, I'd have gone mad!