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BMW Warranty Service

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Robert of Dix Hills NJ (7/12/03):
When my 2001 BMW 321CI was 3 months old, it overheated on the highway. I called roadside assistance numerous times during the 6 hours I was in the 90-degree July sun. They never sent a tow. The car was in service for two weeks. Exactly one year later the car overheated again. Since that time the vehicle has been in the shop 12 times; three of them were tow-ins.

I filed for and was scheduled for a Lemon Law arbitration, but BMW has filed for a stay on the hearing in the NY Supreme Court. They are attempting to block the lemon law proceeding because I have sued in Small Claims Court over lost wages during the 6-hour affair and an oil change. I am awaiting a decision. BMW has battled with their Park Avenue attorneys over the small claims matters and now the lemon law arbitration. They seem to have more interest in fighting after the fact than avoiding the initial mechanical problem.

In addition, the dealer who sold the car will no longer service it. When I complained to BMW of NA, they responded that the dealers are independent entrepreneurs and they can not force them to do anything. Their advertisements say they are, "Authorized BMW centers." It smacks of false and misleading advertising to me. I guess their Park Avenue attorneys told them that that wording was OK.

Jason of St. Mary's GA writes (4/10/02):
On April 24, 2000 I purchased a new BMW 323I from Tom Bush BMW in Jacksonville, FL. The day I drove the car off the lot it was hard to start. I took it to the dealer for repairs, they discovered it was a faulty fuel pressure regulator, and it was replaced.

Over the couse of two years all four window regulators have gone out, each at separate intervals, the front bumper trim came loose, the driver side door trim fell off, the passenger side headlight trim broke loose, the automatic HVAC system went haywire, the car/key memory feature failed, both front turn signal harnesses went bad, and now the transmission makes a loud "thunk" when downshifting at highway speeds, but the Mechanics cannot seem to duplicate the problem or find the cause. The dealership has fixed all but the latter.

My point is that they should not have had to. I did not buy a $36,000 car to take it into the shop countless times. I contacted BMWNA on numerous occasions but was always told, "It's under warranty, there is nothing else we can do."

Does BMW not take any pride in their product! I tried to negotiate a deal for bmw to buy back my car for what I owed, and sell me a new one for the same price, an even swap, old for new. I was told that my request was unreasonable. I live 50 miles from the nearest dealership and have put over 1200 miles on my vehicle just taking it in for service. If nothing else I would like to be reembursed for the mileage and my time. I am now selling my car to buy a more reliable one.

Aside from being angry at the problems that have occurred, I have been ridiculed by my co- workers as buying a "$36,000 Kia" Is this the image BMW wants to project?

Kimberly of Little Silver NJ (2/19/02):
My husband and I leased a 741i BMW from this dealership in May 2001. In the months of May-September our car was in the shop 5 times for problems with it. Most of the time it just wouldn't even turn on to begin with.

We had a terrible experience with the dealership and it seems as if someone there has decided to play a "practical joke" on my husband and me. For some reason or the other, they have our name registered in their system as owning about 20 BMW's. As a result, everytime there is a recall notice, we receive about 20 recall notices. Then we start to receive the phone calls. Every day we get about 5 phone calls a day from BMW concerning anything under the sun.

Basically it seems as if whomever we ticked off at BMW thought it would be funny to register all of these names under our phone number. It is very annoying and I really don't know what to do about it.

Gina of San Diego (9/19/01):
I own a 1995 325i BMW. I purchased the BMW in December of 1998. The BMW came with an extended warranty. Since the purchase, I have fixed the same problem (coolant) on numerous occasions. My extended warranty ran out on 8/25/2001. Guess what? In September 2001, same coolant problem. The BMW dealers have fixed the same problem many times. This information is all documented. On September 18, 2001, I paid $250.00 to fix the same problem because the extended warranty ran out. What can I do about this nightmare?

It's probably too late to pursue a Lemon Law complaint (and we're not sure the "problem" is all that serious; the coolant does need to be replaced every year). Gina should consult an attorney.

Bill of Fontana CA writes (3/1/01):
On Christmas I surprised my wife with a brand new BMW 525 Series. I paid cash for the car and I was on my way. She was given the car on Christmas Eve. So excited by the gift, it took her a few days to drive the car. The day she did decide to drive it, the car would not start, it was stuck in the garage. We called BMW and notified them of the problem. They had the car towed to the dealership, and provided my wife with a rent a car. Mind you, they did not put her in a $45,000.00 rental, instead they put her in a Ford Escort. I was not happy. First of all, it should have never had to go back to the dealer anyway. Putting all else aside, I figured it was a fluke thing, I just wanted the car fixed and back to us.

They replaced a bad fuel sensor and returned the car to us. On February 20th the car died out on my wife as she was driving it on a busy street where traffic averages 45-50MPH. The next morning the car would not start. Mind you, the car is only 2 months old and has only 1700 miles. We again called the dealership, and had it towed in. This is now twice with the same problem. The car was towed in on February 21, 2001. They provided my wife with a BMW 3 Series to drive-it's still not a 5 Series, but it was better than the Escort to drive clients around in. On Friday the 23rd of February the service Department called and told me to pick the car up that they could not find anything wrong. I told them that they needed to look a little harder because the car is a safety hazard to my family.

On Monday the 26th of February, the Service Manager called and said that they were glad they kept it because they discovered a problem with the car dying out, but the computer cannnot pinpoint the problem. Today is March 1st. They have had the car for over one week, and still noone can figure out what the problem is. I have contacted BMW of North America, and they said there is nothing they can do for me, I just need to wait. I feel this is not fair. Why should I have to be put out because of a poor product they have sold me? Why should I have to bear the inconvenience? They should just show good-faith and put me in another car just like mine, and let the lemon be their problem. I have concern that I have no recourse because the car is paid for. I have never sen such terrible customer service. All they can tell me as of today is "We'll try to find the problem".

Philip of Bethany CT writes (12/19/00):
I leased a 2000 BMW, 328i in April '00. At 10,000 miles (August '00) I noticed that the brake warning light began to come on intermittently. I informed the dealer and was told to wait until the 15k mile check up. The car went in for service on Sept. 18, 2000. They changed the oil, put it through the 15k mile check up and replaced the brake light bulbs in the tail lights. The car had 14,000 miles at this point. The car was returned and upon driving home, the brake warning light came on again. I contacted the dealer and was told that I needed to return the car for service. At this point now the brake warning light, the traction control warning light and the "service engine" warning lights were illuminated.

The car was returned to the dealer for service on October 24, 2000. They kept the car for over two days. The dealer returned it stating that the reservoir for the brake fluid was low. They topped it off and tested it and returned the vehicle. Approximately, two weeks past and again the same warning lights came on (Brake, Traction Control, and Service engine soon). Again the car was returned to the BMW dealership in White Plains on December 11, 2000 (mileage, 22,000). This time I was informed that the DSC module was bad and would have to be replaced. This had to be ordered from Germany and there was NO delivery date. It is now December 19, 2000 and I have not received my car back from the dealer and there is no projected date of return.

I have been without an operational vehicle for nearly 50% of the time since April 2000. I travel 110 miles each day to and from work and having this inconvenience is disturbing.

Young of Los Angeles (9/17/01):
I bought this car (BMW 325 ci) on January 2001. It's been about 9 months, now. Ever since I got this car, from the first day until now, it is very frustrating to drive the car, due to the annoying rattle sound from where the left door attaches to, when I close the door.

I've taken to the BMW service more than 4 times with this reason. They haven't fixed this problem, and told me that there was no problem with it, when I'm thinking about changing my car due to that specific reason. I understand that it is hard to catch such problem. I think they definitely should have done something. Take it for a test drive for more time if they need to, drive it to where the road isn't smooth, replace the door or something. I mean it's a new car and an expensive car.

It's just very annoying, and very frustrating. I almost got into an accident a few times, trying to put my ear to where the sound's coming from. When I'm really mad, I hit the door as hard as I can, hoping the sound will go away for a minute, which didn't.

Well, Young could try hitting the door harder, or he could consult a Lemon Law attorney, which might be a better bet.

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