[natahoa]

So, I backed into a pole. Damn damn and double damn.

So I sent the car to the dealers’s collision center last week. Now they tell me they can’t get the parts for an indeterminate amount of time. Probably weeks.

I said, okay give me back my car until you get the parts. It was driveable. Now they say it has been disassembled and can’t be driven.

My bad for hitting the post, but it isn’t my fault BMW can’t repair these cars more than a year after they began rolling off the assembly line. Has anyone had any luck getting BMW to give a loaner or make the monthly car payment for such a ridiculous amount of time?

I’m annoyed to say the least.

[Tenac]

Does your insurance cover loaner while the car is in the shop? If not I'd give them a call and get it added.

I'd be curious when they give you the actual time line so keep us posted. Any pictures of the damage? Only time I had body work done on a car was the wife's old KIA and that took 6 weeks due to rear bumper and fender wall, tail light, trunk lid... The longest wait we had was paint Kia sent them all unpainted to the dealer.... Be interested in your story as it goes on if you can keep it updated for us all.

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by natahoa

So, I backed into a pole. Damn damn and double damn.
I’m annoyed to say the least.

Dang Nancy, bet you were quite upset that pole jumped out at you in the X5 instead of your other car, eh? Well, it happens. As much as you may be disappointed with your dealers handling of it, its not a BMW or dealer or warranty type issue and they have to disassemble in order to understand the extent of the damage. I would not expect them to offer you a loaner under these circumstances and/or make any payments.

Tenac is right, your insurance company is the place to go for a loaner, most normal policies include X number of days for a loaner/rental car. With all the chatter about how long some X5 owners have to wait for what seems to be simple replacement parts, you may be in for a long wait..just saying. Not knowing how much they had to remove from the car, is there no way they will put it back together so you can take it while waiting for parts?

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by Marty in Bgm

Dang Nancy, bet you were quite upset that pole jumped out at you in the X5 instead of your other car, eh? Well, it happens. As much as you may be disappointed with your dealers handling of it, its not a BMW or dealer or warranty type issue and they have to disassemble in order to understand the extent of the damage. I would not expect them to offer you a loaner under these circumstances and/or make any payments.

Tenac is right, your insurance company is the place to go for a loaner, most normal policies include X number of days for a loaner/rental car. With all the chatter about how long some X5 owners have to wait for what seems to be simple replacement parts, you may be in for a long wait..just saying. Not knowing how much they had to remove from the car, is there no way they will put it back together so you can take it while waiting for parts?

It is the back panel and bumper. They say they can’t reassemble ergo I can’t drive it. Supposedly the regional rep has escalated this to BMW NA but my guess is that they always say that.

I’ve got plenty of cars. I just want the one I’m paying for.

I also just today got the repair estimate. $8k+. No more BMWs for me. I’m so disgusted I may just visit the Lincoln dealer when the car is back in one piece. The honeymoon is definitely over.

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by Tenac

Does your insurance cover loaner while the car is in the shop? If not I'd give them a call and get it added.

I'd be curious when they give you the actual time line so keep us posted. Any pictures of the damage? Only time I had body work done on a car was the wife's old KIA and that took 6 weeks due to rear bumper and fender wall, tail light, trunk lid... The longest wait we had was paint Kia sent them all unpainted to the dealer.... Be interested in your story as it goes on if you can keep it updated for us all.

Yes but I have plenty of cars. And yes, they have to paint all the pieces. Six weeks waiting for a Kia repair, well that makes me feel a little more centered, but not really any better.

I’ve never needed a collision repair in my life. Years ago an accident totaled my older car, and in subsequent cars we just lived with the dings. But this had to be fixed because the light was shattered in addition to the plastic bumper destroyed, along with the camera that was in it, and because the bumper didn’t help at all the rear panel is dented also (but functional).

Argh. Six weeks eh? But those parts probably came from Korea. They really hate to pay for air transport over there in Asia.

[natahoa]

Pics.

I was using backup assistant and it failed. Collision avoidance didn’t trigger either. Hit a pole, no other cars or people involved. Going no more than 3 mph. Might as well not HAVE a bumper.

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by Tenac

Does your insurance cover loaner while the car is in the shop? If not I'd give them a call and get it added.

I'd be curious when they give you the actual time line so keep us posted. Any pictures of the damage? Only time I had body work done on a car was the wife's old KIA and that took 6 weeks due to rear bumper and fender wall, tail light, trunk lid... The longest wait we had was paint Kia sent them all unpainted to the dealer.... Be interested in your story as it goes on if you can keep it updated for us all.

I noticed in your post that they gave you a loaner for your software update and oil change. I’m having that done also - someday. I might press the issue.

I was hoping they could do that while waiting for the parts but if they can’t drive it I’m not sure. Can’t get a straight answer.

And yes, I posted pics.

[MystroX5]

Originally Posted by natahoa

Pics.

I was using backup assistant and it failed. Collision avoidance didn’t trigger either. Hit a pole, no other cars or people involved. Going no more than 3 mph. Might as well not HAVE a bumper.

There is no collision avoidance at parking speeds. Unbelievable, I know. I discovered this back in January with a long, long thread of outrage a vehicle this expensive doesn’t apply brakes to ovoid slow speed collisions. No one could believe it at the time and I demonstrated this with couch cushions in my drive way. You will hit them every time.

[robby818]

Part costs are so high. That little silver lower bumper cover piece costs $400. I considered getting one to repaint it body color and that was the estimate for the new part. Bummer that the damage went to the door and light assembly, I am sure that added a lot to the final bill. BMW parts prices also do not make a lot of sense. I bought the upper grill actuator assembly for just $250 but that little silver piece of plastic costs ~$400.

I used backup assistance once and it failed for me too. I was in a tight space in my parking garage and clipped the concrete pillar which took out the drivers mirror camera. $800.

[Tenac]

Thanks for posting the PIC's!! That is some damage for a slow speed bump... I would of assumed that just the bumper would have taken the impact but WOW!!! This helps us all know to be very careful for sure.

Good luck attempting to get you a loaner while your car is in the shop for the collision work. But like you said at least you have more vehicles so it might not be a necessity for you.

Don't hold your breath but my KIA story on a 18k car was 7200 to fix. If it wasn't pretty new the insurance adjuster told me they probably would have totaled it. Honestly I don't think ANY new car would be considered cheaply fixed for similar damage to your X5, honestly I think that is probably about right on the money in today's costs. 8-10k is what it looks like to me and I'm no expert.

[rmorin1249]

I feel your pain. I was backing very, very slowly trying to parallel park in a tight space and was relying on the car to warm me before I contacted the vehicle behind me. No warning at all. Luckily there was almost no damage to either vehicle but very disappointed.

[Paladin1]

Originally Posted by Tenac

Thanks for posting the PIC's!! That is some damage for a slow speed bump... I would of assumed that just the bumper would have taken the impact but WOW!!! This helps us all know to be very careful for sure.

Good luck attempting to get you a loaner while your car is in the shop for the collision work. But like you said at least you have more vehicles so it might not be a necessity for you.

Don't hold your breath but my KIA story on a 18k car was 7200 to fix. If it wasn't pretty new the insurance adjuster told me they probably would have totaled it. Honestly I don't think ANY new car would be considered cheaply fixed for similar damage to your X5, honestly I think that is probably about right on the money in today's costs. 8-10k is what it looks like to me and I'm no expert.

Yup. Taillight, both rear hatches, maybe window replacement, bumper, lots of sensors. Just that we can see. Easily $8k or better, in any modern car.

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by natahoa

Pics.

I was using backup assistant and it failed. Collision avoidance didn’t trigger either. Hit a pole, no other cars or people involved. Going no more than 3 mph. Might as well not HAVE a bumper.

Were your Park Distance Control beepers going off and your rear view cam showing you were closing in on the pole?
.

[kthankzbye]

Sorry it happened. For such an expensive car. It should have brake in that situation. My Lexus NX300 brakes while reversing in low speed if it senses an object in the way. Ridiculous this doesn't.

[aspiring335]

Originally Posted by natahoa

So, I backed into a pole. Damn damn and double damn.

So I sent the car to the dealers’s collision center last week. Now they tell me they can’t get the parts for an indeterminate amount of time. Probably weeks.

I said, okay give me back my car until you get the parts. It was driveable. Now they say it has been disassembled and can’t be driven.

My bad for hitting the post, but it isn’t my fault BMW can’t repair these cars more than a year after they began rolling off the assembly line. Has anyone had any luck getting BMW to give a loaner or make the monthly car payment for such a ridiculous amount of time?

I’m annoyed to say the least.

I had a drive belt fail on my 2019 40i, and the car was out of service for two months while they waited first for parts and then for the tool to install the parts. This seems to be a chronic issue for new BMWs, since the dealer told me there were several other vehicles with similar delays on parts. After lots of back and forth, I got them to credit me three months' lease payments, but the extent to which BMW just didn't seem to care at all left a very bad taste in my mouth.

[JayInVa]

The stunning thing in all of this is the parts delay. You'd think by now, being in the 2020 model year, BMW would have enough parts in stock (not just the major components) to handle just about any service for many of the 2019s on the road right now. This does not instill confidence whatsoever in expedited repairs down the road for any reason. Ugh.

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by kthankzbye

Sorry it happened. For such an expensive car. It should have brake in that situation. My Lexus NX300 brakes while reversing in low speed if it senses an object in the way. Ridiculous this doesn't.

Yup. This experience really has solidified my decision not to get another BMW. Next car will be a Lexus or Lincoln, since both of those can be serviced near where I live.

I know I’d take a terrible Financial hit, but I’m seriously considering trading in this car for one of those in the coming months. This is so so so unacceptable.

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by JayInVa

The stunning thing in all of this is the parts delay. You'd think by now, being in the 2020 model year, BMW would have enough parts in stock (not just the major components) to handle just about any service for many of the 2019s on the road right now. This does not instill confidence whatsoever in expedited repairs down the road for any reason. Ugh.

Yes. This will be my last BMW for sure. And if the iDrive update creates problems when I finally get my car back, I will probably trade it in on a MB, Lexus or Lincoln sooner rather than later. Love the car, but not loving BMW so much.

It’s such a shame because this is such a great car. *sigh*

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by aspiring335

I had a drive belt fail on my 2019 40i, and the car was out of service for two months while they waited first for parts and then for the tool to install the parts. This seems to be a chronic issue for new BMWs, since the dealer told me there were several other vehicles with similar delays on parts. After lots of back and forth, I got them to credit me three months' lease payments, but the extent to which BMW just didn't seem to care at all left a very bad taste in my mouth.

I own the car, not a lease. I’m waiting to hear what the “regional rep” will offer. Seems to me they should either make my payment for a month, or give me a loaner to use. I realize either is highly unlikely but since this is a chronic problem, you would think they would have some sort of policy about it by now.

I’m in the US, and it sounds as if being in Canada makes these situations even worse. I wonder how long it takes to get repairs done in Germany? “Sorry, we have to wait for our next cargo container from Spartanburg”.

This makes me feel really sorry for the dealers - they are the ones that bear the brunt of this.

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by Marty in Bgm

Were your Park Distance Control beepers going off and your rear view cam showing you were closing in on the pole?
.

Possibly but it happened so fast I can’t recall. I was using the backup assistant, and like a fool, I expected it to work.

[Tim2189]

Thats weird, my car slams on the brakes for me if I get to close on the sides or rear when parking. Im assuming thats the parking assistance package then?

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by Tim2189

Thats weird, my car slams on the brakes for me if I get to close on the sides or rear when parking. Im assuming thats the parking assistance package then?

Yes. With the backup assistant the car accelerates rather quickly so I keep my foot on the brakes but this happened within about 10 feet of starting the backup.

With all the tech in this car it just shouldn’t have happened. And when it did, the bumper should have provided some level of protection. That is what bumpers are for. Damn plastic thing just crumpled, and the metal back panel is what stopped the car.

I Hit a vertical pole. The bumper should have made first contact and saved the car from further damage.

It is so frustrating. I know the car will protect its passengers relatively well, but it should also be designed to protect from such extensive damage at such a low speed. Had to have been less than 5mph, but I don’t know for sure.