Dealer experience started out well but quickly getting worse...

[reyxlp]

Bought a X5 from JMK in Springfield, NJ. Saw it online, dealt with the Internet Sales Manager who appears to be 100%. Gave me a decent price on my trade-in. I didn't haggle back and forth over price, just asked what the best they could do was and he came back with a number I was happy with, etc.

I'm about to drive away with the car and when I go to put in my CDs, there is no CD changer. He apologizes and admits it must have been stolen from within the dealership, immediately orders me a replacement changer but I have to come back because they don't have one in stock.

I live an hour and a half away, plus tolls/gas, etc. but I was going to come back anyway to have LoJack installed, so that's fine.

Come back later for LoJack. Had an appointment and they said it would take 45-60 mins so I could wait and not have to make two trips. When I show up, on time, they say the LoJack guy doesn't actually work at the dealership and they don't know when he's coming in. Could be 15 mins, could be three hours. I have to get back to work, so I have no choice but to leave the car.

I make the extra trip to pickup the car then go straight to my local wheel & tire specialist where I had all-season tires drop-shipped from TireRack waiting to go on. I had tried to buy them from the dealership but they were so much more expensive, I passed. Plus my installer is 100%, Hunter Roadforce, touchless mounting, etc.

Installer calls and says he can't properly balance the front wheels because both the rims are bent in several places. The exact phrase he used was, "like pretzels." Said he'd never seen wheels like this on a newly purchased CPO car.

I contact my sales guy at the dealership. He agrees to help get it taken care of, reluctantly. When I ask him to confirm with parts that they have the replacement wheels in stock (they boast the largest parts department in the northeast) so I don't have to make yet another trip (each trip I lose half day of work's pay, plus gas, tolls, miles, etc.) he says they can't order the wheels without confirming the damage first so I have to drop the car off and come back another time. Plus, they won't replace the wheels, they will only repair them.

I don't need new wheels, it wasn't a new car -- that's fine if they can be repaired, so long as it's OEM spec, more or less, blablabla.

The nerve of this dealership seems unreal to me. They steal my changer, screw up an "waiter" appointment for someone driving in 90 minutes each way to force an extra trip -- now service thinks I bent the wheels, though clearly they didn't do the CPO inspection since they missed the stolen changer and bent rims.

They don't want to trust my wheel/tire guy, fine. The least they could do is arrange to let me have the damage verified and repaired at my local dealer so I don't have to take two more trips, lose two more half days of pay at work, time, gas, tolls, etc. because THEY screwed up, no?

Am I being unreasonable here?

Ugh...

Thanks.

[motordavid]

Originally Posted by reyxlp

...Said he'd never seen wheels like this on a newly purchased CPO car.

...
The nerve of this dealership seems unreal to me. They steal my changer, screw up an "waiter" appointment for someone driving in 90 minutes each way to force an extra trip -- now service thinks I bent the wheels, though clearly they didn't do the CPO inspection since they missed the stolen changer and bent rims.

They don't want to trust my wheel/tire guy, fine. The least they could do is arrange to let me have the damage verified and repaired at my local dealer so I don't have to take two more trips, lose two more half days of pay at work, time, gas, tolls, etc. because THEY screwed up, no?

Am I being unreasonable here?
...

One cannot make that up...remarkable sequence of events and, of less than quality effort by that dlr.
Though that "CPO" car with wheels that bad, may be another indicator of "CPO" is simply a wash job, and/or the
dlr is less than above board, even though you first deal went smoothly.

No, you aren't being unreasonable...I would be pizzed, too.
I hope they come through for you, and expeditiously. Some dlrs act
like they are doing the customer, buying a car that costs that much,
a freakin favor.
GL,mD

[Meiac09]

Why do you need lojack, BMW assist does the same thing without screwing with the electronics...

I agree, you should be pissed. From experience, calling BMW NA won't get you anywhere. You need to either know someone (especially in New England) or be really good at scaring the crap out of the as to what you're gonna do next.

[DunKeL GraU]

Although I have no ill will to the dealership I purchased my CPO X5, I am beginning to think these CPO inspections are a sham. My car had several issues as well.

First upon initial inspection of my X, I noticed a headlight washer cap was missing. No big deal, they will order me one and paint it and ship it to me. A few days, I thought. It took them a month to get it to me after I had to harass my sales person. He put the blame on the service department. If I didnt have a bad case of OCD, I wouldnt have minded driving w/o the cap for so long, but it drove me nuts till I got it. IfI noticed this during the intial inspection, I think the dealership should have also, and had the cap way before someone comes to look at the car.

A few days after I bring the car home, I am installing the Dice ipod adapter and have to disconnect the battery. After noticing that half of the hardware is missing that hold the spare tire in securely, I lift the spare tire out and it is flat as a board. Flat as a board. Thank god my wife didnt get a flat while out somewhere with my 2 and 4 year old. Some CPO vehicle inspection.

BMW NA should be informed of what seems to be epidemic in CPO inspections. I worked for BMW 11 years ago and remember none of these things happening. I worked in the parts department and this dealership had one mechanic dedicated to CPO's and he was always ordering things that the cars to be CPO were missing. I think its a shame that BMW dealers are becoming no better than the local Kia dealerships. Shame on BMW for letting this happen.

[ard]

People who rely on the CPO inspection to ensure the car is in good shape are fools. Sorry. CPO inspections are shams.

Over on other forums dealers bray about "CPO cost includes all the refurbishment we must do to meet those super high BMW standards"... right.

You're lucky they didn't blame you for the rim damage.

Did you get the actual CPO checklist? They are supposed to give it to you.

I just don't understand why people think a BMW CPO dealer is anything more than a used car salesman... just a nicer building and better gift shop.

DO NOT RELY ON THE DEALER TO INSPECT. Period.

A

[mywidebody02]

Originally Posted by ard

People who rely on the CPO inspection to ensure the car is in good shape are fools. Sorry. CPO inspections are shams.

Over on other forums dealers bray about "CPO cost includes all the refurbishment we must do to meet those super high BMW standards"... right.

You're lucky they didn't blame you for the rim damage.

Did you get the actual CPO checklist? They are supposed to give it to you.

I just don't understand why people think a BMW CPO dealer is anything more than a used car salesman... just a nicer building and better gift shop.

DO NOT RELY ON THE DEALER TO INSPECT. Period.

A

I disagree. BMW boasts about there CPO program and there vigorous inspection. I know I am not getting a new car but should be getting a BMW that is up to par and has been serviced by the Dealer. Those problems that the dealer missed in the op's post are items that should not have been looked over. I'm not buying a Yugo its a BMW. I personally think that the dealers around here like most corporate businesses are just greedy and cut corners hoping it goes unnoticed.

[ard]

Originally Posted by mywidebody02

I disagree. BMW boasts about there CPO program and there vigorous inspection. I know I am not getting a new car but should be getting a BMW that is up to par and has been serviced by the Dealer. Those problems that the dealer missed in the op's post are items that should not have been looked over. I'm not buying a Yugo its a BMW. I personally think that the dealers around here like most corporate businesses are just greedy and cut corners hoping it goes unnoticed.

You begin with "I disagree" then end by agreeing with me.... are you confused or am I?

[mywidebody02]

Originally Posted by ard

You begin with "I disagree" then end by agreeing with me.... are you confused or am I?

I'd say you are. saying that some dealers are greedy doesn't seem like agreement.

[ard]

Originally Posted by mywidebody02

I'd say you are. saying that some dealers are greedy doesn't seem like agreement.

Yeah, you cannot even clarify your statements.


I made an assertion that CPO inspections are shams, but you apparently disagree...then say but some of the dealer are greedy and cut corners- thereby making the CPO inspection a sham.

Oh, wait a minute... isn't that the same thing?

Perhaps you fail to realize that BMW as a car company actually doesn't DO the cpo inspection, and that they are ALWAYS done by a dealer... while the actual checklist may be an OK set of criteria, the process as executed by the network of dealers tends to be so variable that a buyer cannot rely on the label of "CPO" as a mark of quality.

[THK]

With any used car, CPO or not, take the vehicle to you independant mechanic, AAA, who ever and have the car inspected. Also it sounds like you did not test drive the vehicle prior to delivery.

Always test drive and get the vehicle to a disintrested third party for inspection. Never, never trust a dealer.