forum advice for a terrible experience

[steve1980]

Good evening my fellow forum members,

I would like to begin by saying I have been a member here for over 2.5 years now. I also spent a few years on the f22 forum when I had my 2 series. I have learned a great deal of information here, from the widest range of topics regarding these amazing cars we drive. I am more of a looker/reader than a poster, however today I have no choice but to share this news with everyone here. I have been advised by my attorney not to name any names of individuals or the name of the dealer at this time, as we await BMW corporates response to this issue.

Ok, here goes. I drive a 2018 F80 M3 silverstone comp pack with black leather. I have been in love with this car since the day I took it home, and it was not long before I knew this lease was not being returned. Over a year ago, I curb rashed one of my rims and got it repaired through my dealer with the tire and wheel protection package I purchased. Recently after cleaning my car, I noticed a wheel had completely lost its shine. After showing it to friends in the wheel business as well as other enthusiasts, we came to the conclusion poor materials were used and therefore the problem has now turned into another one for this wheel. The dealer I purchased the car from is about an hour away so I opted to go local due to the current situation.

I made a phone call to a local dealer, and spoke to a very helpful young lady on the phone. She told me that as long as they had the wheel and tire in stock, I could just come in and swap it out. She had me go downstairs, and read the tire specs to her so she could check if they had it in stock. She confirmed they did, and made an 8am appointment for me the next day. Once pulling in to the service department, I was greeted by a gentleman who asked if I was here for service. The facial expression he gave me after I told him what I was there for told me something was not right. He then told me to come in, and we can get to the bottom of everything. Turns out, this service is simply not provided. I was told by a service rep that this dealer does not operate that way. They will send the wheel out, and wait for it to come back fixed. The rep apologized to me, and told me I could get a loaner on a Tuesday and they will send the wheel out then (this was on a Friday). My reply was, How about this Tuesday? He told me no, it will take 3-4 weeks for us to get you a loaner to which I replied absolutely not. I was brought here for a service you do not provide, and now I have to wait 3-4 weeks for a loaner. I then spoke to the original guy I met coming in. After he saw the disgust on my face, he asked me what he could do to make the situation better. He recommended that the dealer have my car professionally detailed and the wheel would be sent out for repair the following week with a loaner car provided the upcoming Tuesday as well. I agreed, and we went from there.

Today, I received a phone call from the service rep, to which he said the words, "I have to be honest with you". I knew then and there something had happened to my car. My car now has damage to the left side of the bumper and quarter panel. His explanation was that someone upstairs where the cars are stored hit a pillar while turning. Also, the service rep said no one told him about the damage. He says he was told the car was back from being detailed, and he went to see the job done and found the damage. So someone apparently hit a pillar on site, yet no one reported it to anyone. There is yellow paint on the car, and these pillars/beams have yellow paint on them. The odd thing is, the pictures, which I have been advised not to post as of yet, suggest something completely different. My bumper has holes in at least 2 spots as if it was punctured by something, as well as more damage on the lower bumper and also closer to the corner of the bumper. Also, why was it brought to the storage area when it was returned today and being picked up today? That makes no sense at all why the car would even be brought up there. When I arrived, it was parked right outside the garage doors. Seems everyone at the dealer knew of the incident, yet no one knows who did the damage. The car also has some extra miles on it. Not a lot, but more than anyone would anticipate for a car that is brought somewhere to be detailed. 5 or less maybe, but it's more than that. I took a picture of the odometer before I dropped it off about a mile or slightly less from the facility. My understanding is the detailing is not done on sight, but that extra mileage does not seem necessary for a car that is taken somewhere to be detailed. This story I was given does not add up with the facts at all. My bumper is punctured in several places, not scraped or with one good size dent. Towards the end of this amazing experience, I told another lady working on getting a loaner ready for me not to give me a cheap 2-3 series as a loaner. After saying no problem, I was lead to a base 330i. I turned around and walked right back and told them they need to give me something better and closer to the payment I make on my M3 now, to which they ended up doing. Please any and all advice on how I should proceed with this is greatly appreciated. My goal was to buy this car out after the lease and own it for years to come. It has low mileage, and was in pristine condition before this happened. Also anyone that has had a similar experience I would greatly appreciate your thoughts as well. Thank you in advance for any helpful responses.

[9M71]

Sorry to bear, but you have an attorney already? so not sure what additional advice you need.

Get dealer to compensate for the most value since the car will have an accident on record. that's my only addition.

[steve1980]

I have consulted, but not used any letterhead as I am waiting to hear back from Bmw themselves on how they plan to rectify this. I was hoping to learn of how others were able to get thru a bad dealer experience like this. They also claim no value will be lost because their body shop is Bmw certified.

[2011ninja]

Originally Posted by 9M71

Sorry to bear, but you have an attorney already? so not sure what additional advice you need.

Get dealer to compensate for the most value since the car will have an accident on record. that's my only addition.

Only way an accident shows up is if you have a police report taken.

No rules on loaners...

Once I had a 440i, M340, X5; personally I could care less about a loaner.

Anything not an M is crap to me...

When I had my 2015 GTI brand new at the time I had a yellow beetle as a loaner. Whatever...

[steve1980]

The loaner was far from the most important thing. Just felt it would be the right gesture since I will now not have my car for a few weeks. I mean they did damage my car afterall.

[MisterF80M3]

If they are willing to accept liability, I could care less how they damaged it.

[2011ninja]

Originally Posted by steve1980

The loaner was far from the most important thing. Just felt it would be the right gesture since I will now not have my car for a few weeks. I mean they did damage my car afterall.

Okay totally agree...

Dealers are hit or miss especially if you don't have a relationship with them.

Dealers are struggling so they try to avoid any add on costs and unpaid labor

[steve1980]

Originally Posted by 2011ninja

Okay totally agree...

Dealers are hit or miss especially if you don't have a relationship with them.

Dealers are struggling so they try to avoid any add on costs and unpaid labor

Yes you are right. Funny thing is my former service advisor from the dealer I got my 2 series from works at this dealer now. I did not deal with him in this situation as I had no idea he worked there now. A familiar face did give me hope this wouldn't be such a bad experience as he spoke the world of this place when he recognized me and we talked for a minute. He didn't have much to say to me today however.

[icegrill]

Cliffs notes: Don't go to the dealer for minor issues. Far too common to have a horrible experience.

[steve1980]

Originally Posted by icegrill

Cliffs notes: Don't go to the dealer for minor issues. Far to common to have a horrible experience.

I appreciate the reply. I ended up there because the finish on my wheel completely faded. Didn't have much of a choice. Problem is I clearly picked the wrong dealer.

[Already5am]

what a read... i gasped out loud as i continued the story lol
hope things gets better from here on out OP!

On a side note i'm trying to avoid dealerships as much as possible. Ever since i had to authorize a $9000 repair at BMW newport. They were holding my car for 3 months and not finding out the problem. Eventually i met someone on the forum with an eerily similar problem and found out it was just a loose negative ground bolt near the transmission. lol if i had known sooner i wouldnt have been stressing. Atleast i didnt get charged... lol

[HyeM3]

Originally Posted by steve1980

They also claim no value will be lost because their body shop is Bmw certified.

Lol that's the biggest bs I've ever heard. That right there tells you how sketchy that dealer is. There's plenty of "bmw certified" body shops out there that do Macco quality work so that certification means nothing. I guarantee they've never taken a car on trade in with an accident on the carfax but ended up giving them full trade in value because it was fixed at a certified body shop. A cars value is based off what people are willing to pay for it and people will never be willing to pay full value for a car that's been in an accident no matter how good the body shop is. My moms previous car had an accident reported on its carfax because a truck backed it's hitch straight through her grill. Every dealer she went to screwed her on trade in value over a merely replaced grill. I'd make that dealer pull a bumper and fender off a new F80 that's the same color as yours and put that on your car. Sorry about your troubles OP I hope you stick it to that shady dealership.

[doug_999]

What HyeM3 says. One of the worst body shops I know of is "BMW Certified". Means nothing.

And guys, it's "couldn't care less" cause if you COULD care less then you could care less, but you don't right?

[2011ninja]

Originally Posted by doug_999

What HyeM3 says. One of the worst body shops I know of is "BMW Certified". Means nothing.

And guys, it's "couldn't care less" cause if you COULD care less then you could care less, but you don't right?

😂

Can you break down

" I can't win for losing"

🧐

[Carnut12]

That totally sucks, but stuff happens, you just hope it doesn’t happen to you. Have you spoken to the GM or Owner of the dealership? A lawyer would be last resort to me, Inwould think a professional mature conversation with the GM/Owner would be able to resolve this. If you plan to keep it and they fix it to your liking maybe they give you service and/or tires to offset the depreciation or make it right. I’m not judging, but the comment about only getting a 3-Series loaner makes me think you may difficult to deal with and may be rubbing them the wrong way. Approaching it mature and professional would be my approach. I would not say “Lawyer” or ask for a 8-Series loaner based on the situation.

I agree 100% it’s total BS that they think the value will stay the same, bottom line is it won’t period, that’s not even debatable.

[RoundelM3]

OP - you've probably exhausted everything you can do with the dealership. My next step would be to file a complaint with BMW USA customer service and let them take it from there. The dealership will likely respond better to pressure from that direction.

[bimmer pleaser V2]

Originally Posted by 2011ninja

Only way an accident shows up is if you have a police report taken.

No rules on loaners...

Once I had a 440i, M340, X5; personally I could care less about a loaner.

Anything not an M is crap to me...

When I had my 2015 GTI brand new at the time I had a yellow beetle as a loaner. Whatever...

Nope. Accidents and damage reports can be initiated by the insurance company and mechanic shops as well. A BMW approved shop will definitely report this to Carfax.

[2011ninja]

Originally Posted by bimmer pleaser V2

Nope. Accidents and damage reports can be initiated by the insurance company and mechanic shops as well. A BMW approved shop will definitely report this to Carfax.

Awesome; thanks for the heads up.

I'll add an FYI... I'm sure a lot of people are aware.

A lot of cars do get damaged and repaired and they never get reported.

Also a reported accident can be a minor scratch and will still get reported on a carfax.

Op how you gonna hate on the 2 series and you had one...

I sat in the new 2 series 4 door while at the dealer it's a very nice car.

[flexspec]

Out of curiosity do you have pics?

1. Definitely deal with BMWNA
2. This will be reported to Carfax (most reputable bodyshops will report)
3. Yes value will be lost. It’s an accident. It has nothing to do with who repaired it, it’s a matter of what happened. ie: fender bender on the highway vs accident with a key in your pocket scraping your paint. One is reported, the other isn’t. Both are “accidents”.
4. This is the meat of this post. How litigious are you? I wouldn’t necessarily lead with a lawyer - but keep in the back of your mind.

Sorry that this happened to you.

[thestimp]

Dont worry about the loaner, ask for an mperformance or dinan package as compensation, ha.

Bottom line, get them to fix or repair, dont make the situation worse by adding to and nitpicking when they have already proven to be incompetent.

[steve1980]

Originally Posted by Carnut12

That totally sucks, but stuff happens, you just hope it doesn’t happen to you. Have you spoken to the GM or Owner of the dealership? A lawyer would be last resort to me, Inwould think a professional mature conversation with the GM/Owner would be able to resolve this. If you plan to keep it and they fix it to your liking maybe they give you service and/or tires to offset the depreciation or make it right. I’m not judging, but the comment about only getting a 3-Series loaner makes me think you may difficult to deal with and may be rubbing them the wrong way. Approaching it mature and professional would be my approach. I would not say “Lawyer” or ask for a 8-Series loaner based on the situation.

I agree 100% it’s total BS that they think the value will stay the same, bottom line is it won’t period, that’s not even debatable.

When you damage my car, I become very difficult to deal with. And again I only did that because I am out a car for several weeks. Had this been a regular service where it is a day or two at best I would not have said a word about the loaner. And I have not retained an attorney yet, I have just consulted with one. I had a respectable conversation with the guy who I spoke to first when I arrived, and we came to a solution we both agreed on. The bottom line is no manager wanted to even discuss what happened at the dealer with me, even my old service advisor tried to not to speak with me. The manager turned out to be the guy sitting next to the girl preparing my loaner for me, sitting silent and not saying a word about who he is. He was polite, and we also had a good conversation. But had I not sought him out, I wouldn't have even known that was him. I appreciate the input and reply.

[steve1980]

Originally Posted by 2011ninja

Awesome; thanks for the heads up.

I'll add an FYI... I'm sure a lot of people are aware.

A lot of cars do get damaged and repaired and they never get reported.

Also a reported accident can be a minor scratch and will still get reported on a carfax.

Op how you gonna hate on the 2 series and you had one...

I sat in the new 2 series 4 door while at the dealer it's a very nice car.

Just because of the situation and no car for several weeks. I absolutely loved my m235i no hate for the 2 series whatsoever.