Advice Needed...Issue with Dealer regarding safety recall

[Lexicon740iL]

I was hoping you guys could give me some feedback on how you would handle this.

I brought my E53 into my local dealer for the safety recall and have had interesting experience to say the least.


Day 1 AM Wed. 23rd Drop off the X. Service adviser says it's only about a 3 hour job and they will call me when it's ready. I leave in a 2014 X3 28d

Day 1 PM The service adviser calls and says we have been swamped today and have not had a chance to look at you SAV would you mind waiting while we get some of these other cars done first? We will get to it as soon as we can.

I say OK cool I'm flexible and I'm driving a brand new loaner. No problem call me when it's done.

Day 2 PM We had a chance to got your car into a bay and have identified it as needing the retrofit kit for the seat mat as expected. Unfortunately we need to order that part. We have ordered it next day it will be here tomorrow.

That's weird I specifically asked when I made my appt and called the day before to verify my appt. that they had the E53 recall parts and we are good to go they told me yes were good. I didn't grill him on this and just said ok call me when it's done. He said the part would be next day air and he would call me tomorrow.

Day 3 AM He called and left a voice mail stating the next day air package didn't arrive and it's looking like Monday keep the X for the weekend and I will call you Monday.

Hmmm......Next day air didn't arrive....OK...

Day 6 PM I received a voicemail from the service adviser stating that the technicians working on my car are unable to extract my seat because I have a broken seat motor. He will have to order the part and it will be $650.00

Let me make this perfectly clear.......... My E53 had no problems with the seats whatsoever when I dropped it off at the dealership. I have moved the seat myself just a few days prior to transport some stuff to my new house. It was functioning perfectly.

I am trying to keep a level head and not jump to any conclusions here but this is not turning out to be a very pleasurable dealership service experience.

I called him back and told him that there was no problem with the seat prior to dropping it off for service and I was not interested in paying 650.00 for a free safety recall repair.

He then told me that he had already placed a call into BMWNA/USA...
asking to include a new seat motor as a part of the recall repair I was being provided. I told him I appreciate his proactive attitude trying to get it covered for me.

After thinking about it for a while I start to wonder why a service adviser would call BMW and ask for a free seat motor for me if they are more or less inferring it came in broken by stating in his VM to me it was $650 and a S/O part he had to order if I wanted it repaired.

I was very polite and told him I will hang tight and wait for BMWNA to get back to him on it.

So there is my situation what do you guys make from it?

TIA

[puddinboo]

sounds like they don`t know what there doing .

[JCL]

I don't understand what they mean by broken. If the motor worked fine, as you say, they may be referring to the mounting or housing of it being broken. I would go in to see them, with a mechanically inclined friend if I wasn't familiar with this myself, and ask them to show me what is wrong. Level head is always good. Just ask them to help you understand what is wrong. And wait to see what BMW says or the dealer proposes themselves to resolve the situation.

[Lexicon740iL]

Originally Posted by puddinboo

sounds like they don`t know what there doing .

That's what I'm afraid of

Originally Posted by JCL

I don't understand what they mean by broken. If the motor worked fine, as you say, they may be referring to the mounting or housing of it being broken. I would go in to see them, with a mechanically inclined friend if I wasn't familiar with this myself, and ask them to show me what is wrong. Level head is always good. Just ask them to help you understand what is wrong. And wait to see what BMW says or the dealer proposes themselves to resolve the situation.

Thanks for responding JCL I was hoping you would have some input.

My understanding is the motor being broken makes it impossible to remove the seat and install the safety recall part.

What I'm taking from it is they are not going to repair the safety recall parts unless I spend 650 on a seat motor that was working fine when I dropped my truck off...

Unless they call back and have a proposed resolution for me that is......

[puddinboo]

did you have anything wrong with the mat to begin with?

[JCL]

What I was saying above is that being broken may not refer to the seat moving, which you say it did. It may be broken in some other way. Since you know it worked before, just get them to clarify what they mean by broken.

[Lexicon740iL]

The Service adviser called my today and left a message. He said that he spoke with the techs and that it's the vertical adjustment component that has failed.

The seat still moves freely front and back and the backrest works fine but the seat will not raise.

Without this adjustment they are unable to get at one of the bolts to remove the seat to do the recall repair.

He stated that it has most likely been broken for some time and I have never noticed it since it's not the most common adjustment used.

He said he has yet to hear back from BMW on if they will cover it for me.


So my thoughts are

1. How is the seat removed to repair the non functioning component they are saying needs replacement?

2. The seat needs to be removed to repair the part if I said yes replace my broken motor for 650.00

3. If the seat needs to be removed to repair the seat frame motor assembly why can't they pull the seat and replace the recall part and put it back in my car?

I would hope BMW would see that helping me get this recall part in my car is the right thing to do from a safety and liability standpoint....

If they give my SAV back after having it a week with no recall repair done and something happens and I have documentation stating that the dealer refused to replace the recall part due to a defective seat motor I have a feeling that BMW will not come out looking very good.

The more I think about the ramifications of the dealer refusing to do the recall repair the more I think I should call my attorney.

[sunny5280]

Originally Posted by Lexicon740iL

The Service adviser called my today and left a message. He said that he spoke with the techs and that it's the vertical adjustment component that has failed.

The seat still moves freely front and back and the backrest works fine but the seat will not raise.

Without this adjustment they are unable to get at one of the bolts to remove the seat to do the recall repair.

He stated that it has most likely been broken for some time and I have never noticed it since it's not the most common adjustment used.

He said he has yet to hear back from BMW on if they will cover it for me.


So my thoughts are

1. How is the seat removed to repair the non functioning component they are saying needs replacement?

2. The seat needs to be removed to repair the part if I said yes replace my broken motor for 650.00

3. If the seat needs to be removed to repair the seat frame motor assembly why can't they pull the seat and replace the recall part and put it back in my car?

I would hope BMW would see that helping me get this recall part in my car is the right thing to do from a safety and liability standpoint....

If they give my SAV back after having it a week with no recall repair done and something happens and I have documentation stating that the dealer refused to replace the recall part due to a defective seat motor I have a feeling that BMW will not come out looking very good.

The more I think about the ramifications of the dealer refusing to do the recall repair the more I think I should call my attorney.

I think you're seriously overreacting.

[LVP]

?? Can you not slide the seat forward, loosen the two rear bolts. Then slide it back to access the front bolts and remove? I don't recall raising/lowering to access them. And if they say the bolt can't come high enough because the seat is too low still, raise the seat as you undo the bolt. This will keep the bolt head to the seat gap the same and shouldn't be an issue. I'm confused.

[jgold47]

I'm not sure why your freaking out so bad. It sounds like your SA is doing a great job of trying to get you squared away, not to mention the use of a very nice loaner. I'd let this play out if I were you. What benefit is it to the dealer to screw you here, it sounds like he's trying to comp you the motor. There's clearly a reason they can't get the seat out. Believe me from experience these guys want this out of there ASAP. his boss is up his ass to move that car out.

If they try to make you pay for it, different story.