BMW dealer put 60 miles on a test drive

[manand38]

Not very happy at the mo. Picked up my M5 from the dealer, only to find that they had put 60 miles on it during a test drive. Got them to replace the fuel used.

Is there any advice on what action I can take?

[edition]

Vote with your feet if that's what you want to do.

I don't know what your going to get by doing anything else.....

[Skrambles]

I'm shocked by this, as they seemed to be above this sort of thing. What was the car in for and what did they say?

[manand38]

Been using them extensively for over 10 years. Get my 3 //Ms serviced there. Imagine how much they've made from me...

Car was in for engine warning light. Said it was an 'extensive' test drive. Good lord, they must think I'm a monkey.

I'm so angry at the mo

[jontysafe]

Personally I wouldn`t be. I had a Z4MC which went into Cooper Cobham for an engine light, replaced a sensor, 2 mile test drive by service department and the delivered it back. Great service only light came on again. Car duly went back again for more work but I asked them to do more of a test drive to make sure it didn`t come back on again, was maybe 40 odd miles over the weekend they had it.

If you feel genuinely peeved, speak to the dealer principle and voice your concerns in a calm fashion but to be honest I don`t think you`ll get far.

[manand38]

thanks for the replys, guys. Still can't see the justification of so many miles.

[Skrambles]

Not sure what more you could get from them, but possibly telling them your thoughts and saying that you're inclined to complain to BMW GB unless they can offer you some goodwill might get some discount on the next service.

Did Danny look after your car?

What was the problem with it?

[Odhran]

Has happened to me at both Bavarian Belfast and JKC here in the North of Ireland.. Not nice!

Edit: JKC did replace the fuel though to be fair to them.. Bavarian on the other hand....

Edited by Odhran on Tuesday 11th January 19:56

[manand38]

think it was Steve. Will phone BM GB tomorrow to let them know.

Steering angle sensor needed adjustment. How would that cause an engine light?

Edited by manand38 on Tuesday 11th January 20:06

[Odhran]

I know it won't replace the fuel but the next time I'm writing the mileage and 'Please replace any fuel used' on a post-it note and sticking it on the odometer

[Toilet Duck]

manand38 said:

Still can't see the justification of so many miles.

Thats because there isn't any justification. Probably the spanner monkeys taking turns just having a go in an M5 because its a fast car and they all want a go. Have you checked the mpg on the cars computer? Might give you an indication of how hard they drove it (i'm guessing like they stole it).

Why don't you put in a written complaint to the dealer principal? You can't reverse what has happened but maybe you can get the next service for free. If you can, take that and then never return again. A 60 mile test drive is inexcusable, they are scumbags for doing that.

[manand38]

thanks, Duck, that sounds good advice.

[ecain63]

I wouldnt worry too much about it for now, but i'd take it back to the dealer and get them to download the codes for the 60 miles they added. This should give you information about how the car was driven. At least you will know if the car had been abused or not. If it hsd been abused then you have leverge for compensation. If they try to tell you that the codes need to go to BMW HQ for analysis then get them to pay for the process as its normally chargable. They should buckle as they wont want the embarrasment. Over-Rev codes are a warranty killer and some dealers will check the codes before they put in a transmission claim. There is some evidence to suggest that the codes dont actually exist and are only brought up to get BMW out of paying for SMG repairs. You might be able to get a difinitive answer in writing for or against their existance should you need an SMG repair in the future.

Thats what i'd do.

[ecain63]

Oh, and i always request that the service manager phones me should they need to take the car 'off site'. I leave them with the feeling that my demands need to be met or else it might end in raised voices and paperwork. As a result i always get given the service managers massive parking space so there is no risk of parking dents or accidental damage. Sweet!

[Toilet Duck]

ecain63 said:

take it back to the dealer and get them to download the codes for the 60 miles they added. This should give you information about how the car was driven. At least you will know if the car had been abused or not.

I don't know what information is stored or not, but if it is the case that engine revs/temp/throttle openings ARE stored, my advice would be to take your car to another dealer to get this downloaded, even if you have to pay for the privelidge. Chances are, a dealer who takes customer cars for unwarranted 60 mile joy rides will also delete/loose any incriminating data whilst they download it for you. It would be like handing a blood stained knife back to an alledged murderer and asking them to drop it off at the police station. You just know it won't arrive.

This really boils my piss; its what you'd expect from a back street garage, not a "prestige" main dealer charging circa £120 + VAT per hour.

Good luck OP.

[Nedz]

Toilet Duck said:

ecain63 said:

take it back to the dealer and get them to download the codes for the 60 miles they added. This should give you information about how the car was driven. At least you will know if the car had been abused or not.

I don't know what information is stored or not, but if it is the case that engine revs/temp/throttle openings ARE stored, my advice would be to take your car to another dealer to get this downloaded, even if you have to pay for the privelidge. Chances are, a dealer who takes customer cars for unwarranted 60 mile joy rides will also delete/loose any incriminating data whilst they download it for you. It would be like handing a blood stained knife back to an alledged murderer and asking them to drop it off at the police station. You just know it won't arrive.

This really boils my piss; its what you'd expect from a back street garage, not a "prestige" main dealer charging circa £120 + VAT per hour.

Good luck OP.

£120 +VAT per hour?????? And the rest......At least at my main dealer anyway!!

[manand38]

Agreed, it gets my goat for sure. I've trusted them for so long and it's always been smiles.

[R1 Loon]

60 miles isn't exactly going to destroy the car is it? If it was in for something that needed a run then I'd rather a 60 mile test than get it back with 2 miles added and no diagnosis of the fault.

One other thing is that it should have been driven hard to check what the issue is, no point driving around like Miss Daisy is in the back.

Sorry, but I can't see the problem here

Edited by R1 Loon on Tuesday 11th January 21:22

[manand38]

probably perception of the distance? - Surely they should have called me first, to check that I was happy with an extensive run?
I'll see what BMW UK think.

[R1 Loon]

manand38 said:

probably perception of the distance? - Surely they should have called me first, to check that I was happy with an extensive run?
I'll see what BMW UK think.

You do know that BMW UK have guidelines on what mileage should be done on different types of test run. Extensive is just that and I'm at a loss why 60 miles is such a big deal; 200 miles fair enough, but 60 miles is a 45 minute run down the motorway, which is neither here nor there.

Ultimately you're driving a £70k+ car (assuming its an E60) and you're worrying about a few miles and a couple of quid in petrol, that just makes no sense to me at all.