BMW warranty diagnostic fee... Normal?

[Trevor555]

A friend has just called me.

His tailgate won't open on his recently purchased Bmw.

They've asked him to pay £160 diagnosis fee.

Refundable I guess, but are all BMW dealers doing this now?

Edited by Trevor555 on Tuesday 15th June 15:07

[Trevor555]

Ussrcossack said:

New to him or Brand New

If Brand New I'd be having a word with them

Sorry, I should have stated that.

A used approved 5 series, but under three years old, from the main dealer he's taken it back to.

He's owned it for 5 months.

[Trevor555]

Richard-390a0 said:

Just a normal part of their "duty of care" informing you that there maybe costs to bear if it's not a warranty matter.

Ok, thank you.

I'll tell him that.

But he's not happy.

[Trevor555]

mmm-five said:

Suggest he offers to pay at the same rate as BMW Warranty gets away with

I just think it's a bit silly making him pay anything up front for a fault that the warranty will surely cover.

I asked him if he'd spilt any fluids in the boot and he said no.

[Trevor555]

MDMA . said:

Workshop time isn't free. Costs got to come from somewhere. I presume the fee will be reimbursed if the warranty work is approved?

Yes, I told him they'd refund it once the warranty repair's done.

I recently put a bike into Motorrad, twice even, and there was no mention of diagnosis fees.

[Trevor555]

Court_S said:

Has he taken the car back to the supplying dealer? If not perhaps that is why.

I’ve never been asked to pay for a diagnostic fee for any of the warranty work on the new or a AUC’s I’ve bought from BMW / MINI.

Ah, thank you.

Yes, the dealer that supplied the car.

[Trevor555]

Mattt said:

Won’t be buying another BMW again, hate the attitude of the main dealers.

He's feeling the same now.

A bit silly as it's the third car he's bought from them, I doubt there'll be a fourth now.

[Trevor555]

imperium said:

Must be a very thorough diagnostic for £160.

I moved on from BMW after the stealership experience. Audi on the other hand spent an hour or so diagnosing a fault and didn’t charge me for it (approved used 6 months in)

Ive had quite a number of VW's and Audi's over the years.. Personal cars as well as stock.

They've had a surprising amount of faults, but like you, I've never been charged a diagnosis fee for a warranty repair.

[Trevor555]

MikeM6 said:

Surely you don't pay in advance, you are just being advised that if the warranty does not cover it (i.e. user error caused it), then there will be a cost to cover even if the work goes no further?

I have never paid upfront for any dealer work, and I now take my car to the dealer as they are far more reliable than any specialist I have used recently. Prices are expensive, but so is everyone else.

Yes, he's been asked to pay it upfront.

I wouldn't mind if it was something that could be external damage/wear and tear, ie handling, suspension, brakes etc..

I've advised him to contact Bmw customer service to ask if it's policy nowadays.

I'll report back when they've answered him.

Why upset a loyal, repeat customer, for something that's almost certainly going to be covered under warranty?

I don't get it.

[Trevor555]

Davie said:

It's not that uncommon.

Technically nothing is warranty until diagnosed and verified though a lot of dealers will let that ethos slide if it's pretty new / supplying dealer etc but it's not a given.

Say the dealer spends their standard hour or whatever investigating and it transpires the dogs chewed the loom or somebody has split washer fluid on a control module, BMW won't cover any time spent so who will?

Used to regularly advise all customers in advance that should it transpire the issue wasn't warranty related or if the diagnosis time exceeded what the manufacturer would cover or if any addition non warranty work was needed at the same time, they'd be liable. If they didn't agree in principle, the car rarely got beyond the car park. Reason being, dealer group was losing hours hand over fist and wanted to tighten.

Yes it perhaps seems a bit militant but I'm sure an amicable resolution could be found but it's worth considering the situation from the other side. Dealers are franchises, every hour is accountable and payment is usually warranty, dealer themselves, private customer it fleet etc. In short, somebody has to pay... none of us would work for free.

Yes, I get all of that, and I explained similar to my friend.

But they have asked him to pay £160 up front.

[Trevor555]

I've just spoken to him, he's going to book it in at another garage.

They'll never see him again.

The poor sales guys that have looked after him for years will lose out.

I'd be furious if I was the sales manager.

[Trevor555]

Davie said:

Trevor555 said:

Yes, I get all of that, and I explained similar to my friend.

But they have asked him to pay £160 up front.

Ahhh, missed that.

Nope, never asked nor been asked for money up front.

I'd take it elsewhere too.

No worries.

I told him to email Bmw customer services to ask about it, chances are they'd have done something, but he's got the hump with them and just moved on now.

[Trevor555]

Spleen said:

Sheepshanks said:

The really daft thing is it doesn't seem to matter have bad LR dealer customer service is, people keep buying them! So why should they worry?

Trouble is when they work, they are lovely places to sit. And when I mean sit, I don't mean sitting whilst waiting for a recovery truck before some comedian wades in.

I totally agree.

I get sent to collect them and they're just lovely inside, and drive so well. I really enjoy driving them.

Sifting through the histories on them I've seen some scary bills.

Some customers are glad to see them going. I've listened to some stories of their car being stuck in the garages for weeks on end.

I always ask people what's next, just my personal interest. And guess what? Another Rangie, "they can't all be like it" they say lol

But I've also met people who've said they'd been good cars.

Pot luck I guess, but I've met more unhappy owners than happy ones.

And many, many, dealers will only stock them if they're still under warranty with LR, that tells a story in it's self.

Edited by Trevor555 on Tuesday 15th June 20:45

[Trevor555]

DRichardson said:

Trevor555 said:

No worries.

I told him to email Bmw customer services to ask about it, chances are they'd have done something, but he's got the hump with them and just moved on now.

Probably too late now that he's going to another garage but onus is on the selling garage to prove fault if bought less than 6 months ago. I wouldn't expect to pay for the privilege of them proving this.

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/the...

Thank you.

I'll see if he feels differently when I speak to him next, but I think how he feels right now he just won't talk to them again.

Lost a repeat customer over £160 that they'd have given back to him anyway.