so i took my car to the stealer

[Vitriol]

so i had a weird experience at the dealer today. first off, here is what i took it in for:

side mirror was acting weird; when reversing, it would tilt down and sometimes jump up and down before doing so. then when i put it in drive, it would not go back to the original

panoramic sunroof was squeaking and the glass seemed to be grinding when opening and closing.

so i took it in this morning and got a x3 as a loaner. i thought this would be a simple process as it is with the lexus dealer, give them your id and your insurance and out the door you go. boy was i wrong, they made me sign so much paper work that it took me a half hour to get through it all. limitations on how far i could drive, who i could let drive the car, the fact that there was no ipass. then after all that, i had to go around and inspect the car to make sure there were no dings on it. i thought this was pretty ridiculous, i spend a good deal of money on a car and they acted like i was going to abuse the system. mind you this was the first and only time i have requested a vehicle from them.

on top of that the service rep was really rude, acting as though i was bringing in my car for things i could fix myself. she actually asked me if i was sure that the roof was making the noise and if it wasnt just my jacket rubbing against the seat!

have you guys had the same experiences??

btw, this was Elmhurst BMW in IL, dont buy your car there or get it serviced! Laurel might take longer to get an apt but its worth the wait for the type of service you get.

just my .02

[ncx]

Wow sorry to hear that. I let them copy my insurance card and license and they hand me a key. I am out the door in 2 minutes. Also have never had the SA question why I was bringing it in (Hendrick BMW in Charlotte). Is there another dealer near you that you can try next time?

Hope your repairs go smoothly.

[Vitriol]

yea, there is another dealer, i just bought my car from this dealer, so i figured that there woudl be some sort of loyalty factor. in addition to that, elmhurst gave me an appointment this week, while the other dealership (Laurel) gave me an apt 3 weeks from now.

i was trying to develop a relationship with the service rep, but she seemed to hate her job anyways. so i doubt ill ever go back there. i just needed to know that this was the exception and not the standard for bmw customer care. like i said, my experiences with lexus have been nothing but smooth

[ekaz]

Didn't even know Elmhurst BMW existed. Thanks for the heads-up. I've spent plenty of money in recent years as well and they go through everything as well. Usually only with rentals though. Loaners I just get the keys and I'm off. I do get the I-Pass deal though, but just to write a check if I was it. All the loaners have I-Pass installed. I think it's more from other people abusing the system that we have to go through all that.

[BMERGRL]

Wow! that's too bad. I was at Barron BMW in Kansas City MO last week for repairs and I needed a loaner. Not only do they ask if you need something to eat/drink when you arrive (they have a soda/coffee/tea station and danish bar in the mornings) when I went to hand Matt, my service advisor my DL an Insurance Card he said, "No, I already have it on file". He then walked me out to my loaner and away I went. No questions asked. I was in and out in 5-10 mins.

They are the only BMW dealer in Kansas City....but they've always been very,very Good on Service points. ie:....the car is always vacumed out when it's returned to me from service. And during Christmas time they give you a lil' box of chocolates from a local company. It's those little touches that makes you feel better about the inconveniences.

[Vitriol]

Originally Posted by ekaz

Didn't even know Elmhurst BMW existed. Thanks for the heads-up. I've spent plenty of money in recent years as well and they go through everything as well. Usually only with rentals though. Loaners I just get the keys and I'm off. I do get the I-Pass deal though, but just to write a check if I was it. All the loaners have I-Pass installed. I think it's more from other people abusing the system that we have to go through all that.

yea, i would love to go to motor werks for service, but i dont think that chris would go 30 miles to pick me up and drop me off

[Jeremy]

Hmm... my dealer doesn't collect any info from me to take the loaner. Of course, most times the BMW loaners are out and the dealer rents you a car from the rental place next door. That is a 20 minute process and they copy drivers lic and fill out forms. Nothing like turning in your BMW and driving out in a Camry!

[ekaz]

Originally Posted by Vitriol

yea, i would love to go to motor werks for service, but i dont think that chris would go 30 miles to pick me up and drop me off

You should give him a call and find out. I know he was going to drop a client's car off at the train station for him last night. I should've followed him cause I heard where he was going to leave the key....
It was a 750 too.

[jwalsh22]

Yeah, that's not cool. When I take mine in, they have the car sitting in the service lane, I go in, sign one sheet of paper that they already have prepared for me, and they take a peak at my license, and hand me the key. And I'm only 19! Everywhere else won't give me anything, and I didn't even buy my car there! Nothing is better than a good dealership that does good work and takes care of its customers.

[vinuneuro]

I've had good success with Patrick and Bill Jacobs if you want to check those out. Bill Jacobs shouldn't be too far away from you.