Trip Interruption Insurance + untruthful vendor

[GPSnV1]

Originally Posted by vinuneuro

What damage..fuel pump?

The potential damage - not yet verified but an alert sounded by 2nd wrecker plus Tulsa BMW tech and service rep - was caused by the 1st wrecker who hooked up cables to the front part of the suspension. He pulled the cables tight at least twice but did not force the vehicle since it was not in neutral.

[vinuneuro]

I wouldn't worry about it. Your suspension sees extremely high longitudinal loads when you hit large bumps..higher than what the tow guy would've put on it. Put the vehicle on an alignment rack and you'll know for sure whether anything is bent or not.

Make sure you get everything in writing from Tulsa BMW and tow guy #2 in case you need to go after BMW Assist and/or BMW NA.

[GPSnV1]

I don't want to just report the negative because when we reached Tulsa BMW around 9:30 pm, a tech was there working on his personal vehicle. He showed us how to put the E70 in neutral then drove us to our hotel for the evening.

The next day when our X was not ready to go and no local car rentals had any available vehicle, Tulsa BMW did not have an X5 so that we could transfer everything and go home but did give us a 528i sedan that meant we could take possession of the most critical part of the load.

I also think BMW Assist agents tried to be helpful with the resources available to them although I don't know what kind of latitude they have in such cases.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by GPSnV1

About towing distance, I noticed last night that the manual says not to tow at speeds in excess of 45 mph or a distance greater than 90 miles. My X was towed close to 90 miles and I believe we drove faster than 45 mph.

A few comments:

As I understand it, you were towed on a flat deck truck (with all the X5 wheels not turning on your vehicle) when they finally got it right. If so, you don't need to worry about the towing speed and distance limits. Those limits apply if the vehicle is being flat towed on the ground, with all the wheels turning, by either a rope or towbar. They don't apply to being towed on a flatdeck. The limits are there because of reduced lubrication in the transmission when the vehicle engine is stopped but the output shaft is spinning.


The damage to the suspension can be checked fairly easily. There are three things to look for (speaking as an ex-tow truck driver and mechanic).

1. The first is body damage from cables or chains that were connected under the vehicle. That would usually be the air dam or front apron, for example.
2. The second is if the cables or chains were connected to components that can't take the pull, such as anti-roll bars or brake lines (two famous examples). If the cables or chains were connected to solid suspension components, it is less likely that there is damage (but check point 1).
3. The third is damage to items like suspension boots (which are rubber) due to the use of J hooks, which are the easiest thing for the tow truck driver to use. Imagine a very large (ie 12") fish hook, and that the hook pulls fine in the valley of the J, but that the point spears something else (like a rubber suspension boot). Hope that explanation makes sense.

What you need from the BMW dealer are pictures taken of any apparent damage, with the date on the photo. Always handy for discussions later.

The transmission is not likely to be damaged by winching the vehicle on to the flat deck. The oily surface solution sounds very messy. The correct approach, if the transmission can not be shifted into neutral, is to use 'skates' which are attached to the rear wheels and are essentially dollies that hold the truck up a few inches.

Sorry for all your trouble. Ask away if you have any further specific questions.

Jeff

[GPSnV1]

Thanks for this excellent post that corrects some of my misdirection.

How long do you think I have before having the dealer check this? Since they will not give me a loaner for this, the coming week is a challenge because I find out on Monday if the newly elected bishop is going to rehire me and thus need to be available all week.

Or do I have time to first sort out the complaint with BMWNA and/or BMW Assist? The 1st operator pulled the cables then stopped when he was convinced the SAV was still in park.

BTW, I lived in Vancouver Canada for three years and enjoyed a return visit there last year. Wish they would have sent someone to me from Tulsa as it could have saved time and would have been safer for all concerned. We lost over an hour learning with the first tow company.

[FunfDreisig]

Originally Posted by GPSnV1

I don't want to just report the negative because when we reached Tulsa BMW around 9:30 pm, a tech was there working on his personal vehicle. He showed us how to put the E70 in neutral then drove us to our hotel for the evening.....

Sorry to hear about your experiences with tow truck drivers and BMW Assist.

Stories like yours reinforce my belief the BMW Assist is great if you have an accident anywhere. But when it comes to road side breakdowns its value diminishes exponentially with distance from a BMW dealer. If you have a problem, any significant distance for a dealer, the tow truck BMW Assist gets you is probably the closest tow truck available at that time. And the driver may, or may not, have ever seen a BMW up close and personal.

Two things that worry me about our new E70 X5 35d is the electronic shifter and parking brake. I'd really like to know EXACTLY how to get an E70 out of park and release the parking brake without the engine running. Or even better with a dead battery.

Edit: Never mind. Both are covered in the X5 manual (pgs 69 & 72). And now I know what that big red special tool is for

Funf Dreisig

[JCL]

Originally Posted by GPSnV1

Thanks for this excellent post that corrects some of my misdirection.

How long do you think I have before having the dealer check this? Since they will not give me a loaner for this, the coming week is a challenge because I find out on Monday if the newly elected bishop is going to rehire me and thus need to be available all week.

Or do I have time to first sort out the complaint with BMWNA and/or BMW Assist? The 1st operator pulled the cables then stopped when he was convinced the SAV was still in park.

BTW, I lived in Vancouver Canada for three years and enjoyed a return visit there last year. Wish they would have sent someone to me from Tulsa as it could have saved time and would have been safer for all concerned. We lost over an hour learning with the first tow company.

I infer from your post that you are back at home, have your X5 in your driveway, and have both a nagging concern about whether there was any damage, as well as a claim against BMW Assist for your trip interuption costs.

I was thinking that Tulsa BMW had your vehicle and could take photos while it was on the hoist. If it is driving fine, I wouldn't panic about doing it right now, but for peace of mind it would be worth scheduling a visit to your dealer when convenient, for you to wait while they hoist it up and look for any apparent damage. It would be 30 minutes or less if you arranged a time that was convenient to both of you. If they find something from a visual inspection, then the repair could be scheduled depending on their evaluation of the risk to keep driving it. If they do find damage, then you want photos of the damage (the date on the photos isn't as important now, that was to tie the photos to the state of the vehicle immediately following the failed tow attempt).

As an aside, you and all other E70 owners should be aware of the procedure for putting the vehicle in neutral, and releasing the emergency brake, in the event of breakdown. It doesn't need to be memorized, just be aware that there is an instruction in the owner's manual. Essentially, there are two special tools (release levers) stored under the rear floor in the tool kit. The parking brake release is in the left rear compartment in the luggage area, and the transmission release is under the rubber mat in the front seat cupholders. The instructions are on pages 66-72 of the 2009 owner's manual. You may never need to use them, but be aware of them at least, due to the nature of the electonic application/release controls, and the potential of a flat battery and no way to move the vehicle.

Final comment is that there are several parties involved in any service call. Your dealer, and the dealer where you broke down, are each independent businesses. They know about BMWs, in general. BMW Assist is a call centre, and may or may not know about a specific problem with your vehicle. What they really know is how to determine your location, and dispatch a contract service company. In a major centre, it is likely that that company will get all the BMW calls and will thus have a level of familiarity with the brand. The one they called first in your case is likely an independent tow company with a driver that may have never seen a BMW before. Yes, I would hope that wouldn't happen, but tow truck drivers (especially the ones working late shifts in rural areas) are not trained on all vehicles. They have a wide range of aptitudes and skill levels, just like the rest of society. The tow company is not likely associated with the BMW dealer. I worked in a family automotive repair business, and drove the tow truck summers going through university. If I didn't know how to get into a locked car, or how to tow it safely, using my CAA/AAA resources, I went slowly and carefully. I hardly ever damaged a vehicle that I can recall, but I am sure it did happen occasionally, and the owner was generally reimbursed for that damage. I do know that I have met many tow truck drivers, who applied a level of care that exceeded mine, to none at all. They can give all the rest a very bad reputation.

Hope it all works out.

[FunfDreisig]

For the idly curious....

The tool that manually releases the parking brake and unlocks the transmission is the same tool -- it is the big red T handle tool under the cargo bay floorboard.

The drawing in the manual is somewhat misleading. To release the parking brake you use the T shaped cut out in one end of the handle to pull up on the chrome end of a cable. It is pretty small and very close to the outside fender. There is however and small white sticker just behind it.

To unlock the tranny you use the same tool but the long end. You pull up JUST the rubber mat in the cup holder area. Pinch the center and pull up. The drivers cup holder area has a round cover that can be unscrewed with the square end of the red tool. Once open, you will see a fitting on the tranny that fits the round section of the red tool a little further up the shaft.

Funf Dreisig

[JCL]

And for the very idle and still curious....

Did you get the long Z handle to manually wind the sunroof closed if/when the battery is flat and it starts to rain? Similar process to the other two releases, but this one is more of a winder and the tool is like a speed wrench for lug nuts (but much smaller scale)

[rh71]

In my opinion, the client advisor should go over those 2 breakdown procedures with us at delivery. They were pretty thorough with the basics otherwise, what's a couple more items that would take 2 minutes?