BMW Quality Going Down the Drain

[chefwong]

Somewhat OT but I was chatting it up and this brought to light a couple of questions I have been wondering about....anyhow, a extremely SUCCESSFUL private bodyshop I know closed it's doors. They catered about 95% +++ of the business was BMW's. There was the rare Benz in the shop etc. Knowing the *anal-acity* of the owner, a HUGE part of the reasoning why the shop closed doors was the displeasure of the overall quality of current BMW quality - doors on new 7 series slightly misaligned cause the guy at the factory used a different piece of hardware on the left vs. right door, etc. A 6 series developing rust, etc ! While I can't delve too much into details, like I said above - 95% of the business was BMW's and this was a private body shop !

This hit home for me personally as I thought the paint quality of my 2003 wasn't up to snuff.....but then again, I'm a detailing nut. I'd be curious to hear what fellow BMW enthusisest feel on this matter. They have the marketshare now but will the brand decline like chrysler/benz.........

[YankeeBimmer]

I am extremenly satisfied with the quality of my Bimmer! I just have issues with the dealer.

[x5turtle]

o yea~ the stealer~ not responsible at all~ they lost my oil pan cover when they remove it to drain my oil~ and when I call back~ they don't give it s**t about it~
in addition~ I don't find much prob with my x5~ a few issues that I am concern is the noise come out of A/C during startup~ not really noisy~ but with music off~ u can hear it~ and I always use the steering wheel as a support to leave my car~ and the steering wheel auto go up and down feature not failed a bit~ so when it turn worst, I will send it back to the dealer~

[motordavid]

Well, no body panel Xpert here, but paint-wise, I think my '01 X is pretty damn good. But, I think paint has come a long way from the '60s-'80s on any car. I do find the doors a lil' "clunky" but most body panels fit pretty well, imo. The '01 is my first BeamER so I don't have memory to compare to anything else.



As for the usual glitches, it simply a case of too many gizmos and electronics.
But, it is what it is.
BR,md

[SANguru]

BMW paint quality is pretty good by today's standards. If you get a chance, look at the crapwork that Bentley and Ferrari do you would be surprised. Ferrari paint quality is known to be horrific. 2 of my neighbors have continental GTs and the there are so many imperfections from the factory..

Originally Posted by chefwong

Somewhat OT but I was chatting it up and this brought to light a couple of questions I have been wondering about....anyhow, a extremely SUCCESSFUL private bodyshop I know closed it's doors. They catered about 95% +++ of the business was BMW's. There was the rare Benz in the shop etc. Knowing the *anal-acity* of the owner, a HUGE part of the reasoning why the shop closed doors was the displeasure of the overall quality of current BMW quality - doors on new 7 series slightly misaligned cause the guy at the factory used a different piece of hardware on the left vs. right door, etc. A 6 series developing rust, etc ! While I can't delve too much into details, like I said above - 95% of the business was BMW's and this was a private body shop !

This hit home for me personally as I thought the paint quality of my 2003 wasn't up to snuff.....but then again, I'm a detailing nut. I'd be curious to hear what fellow BMW enthusisest feel on this matter. They have the marketshare now but will the brand decline like chrysler/benz.........

[AutoXer]

Haven't noticed too much quality falloff in the BMW line. Owned '86 325i, '95 740i, '99 740il, '05 X5. Same issues in all the cars, but I think the quality on the newer models has actually improved.

[pepatrick]

Let me get this straight. His body shop closed down because the quality of BMWs (which was 95% of his business) are not good. If BMWs are rusting and the door panels are hung incorrectly...wouldnt his business do better because it has to repair such problems. Maybe Im just missing something somewhere.

[chefwong]

There was alot more than that on why he closed shop but part of this was what I stated to my understanding and then some............. As I reflect back on it, had I known more of the details during that time, I would have possibly franchised it myself !

This shop was immaculate. U could eat off the floors ! I've seen BMW *branded bodyshops* with M3's, etc literally covered in Bondo dust.

I can't attest for the QC myself, but knowing the VOLUME of BMW's that went in day in and day out, I would trust that the QA statements would be true.....

[statdoc]

I agree with pepatrick...it seems poor factory quality would be a boon for a repair shop who knew how to do excellent work. One wonders if this is an excuse, not a reason.

[chefwong]

Just thinking outloud.