Know now why everyone leases

[TerminatorX5]

Originally Posted by Price

While technically you're right, there such thing as ethics that some people still value...

i understand the ethics, but i don't understand why i should be held hostage to uninformed retail clerk who may claim that the E53 needs a battery registered to the car based on incorrect information given to him by his computer system...

at which point, defending my knowledge of the correct procedure is unethical? naturally, in this land of choice, i can go to another retailer for the product, which i will...

this is buyer beware environment and if the seller finds it ethical to boost his profits by upselling goods and services that are not needed, i find it ethical to decline the purchase of the goods and services that i find are not needed... by the same token, if i use that particular battery on a bench, i am still entitled to warranty - the batteries are not controlled substances requiring constant monitoring


by the way, did OP just drop the keys at the dealer, told them "oil change, fellows" and got slapped with a $500 oil change bill? then he is filthy rich and this post is needless...
if he, on the hand, was told that the oil change will run him $500 and he went for it, knowing that it will cost him $500, then i still find it strange to even spend time on this post...

i own one E53 and lease the other vehicle... why? i think a maintenance headache on one car is enough for me, thus i prefer the second car to be either insurance's headache or the dealer headache... we have a MB as a second car.,wife puts good 1800-2000 miles a month on it, let the dealer worry about things... that car gets no mods, nothings - just car washes and gas...

[seattle]

Originally Posted by Price

BMWNA reaction when they get a confirmation that someone actually does pay $500 for an oil change:

LOL
I got a similar one about WinRAR

[J.Belknap]

I'm calling bs. $1,200 for oil and a battery?

[JCL]

Originally Posted by TerminatorX5

how did you demonstrate it to them? sometimes (most of the times!!) they are stubborn and like doctors, don't use their brain and rely on what computers tell them what to do...

I discussed it with them until the two customer service advisors at the counter looked at each other, and then one turned back to me, and said "you obviously know more about this than we do, so we're going with your plan".

As it turned out, their system noted that BMWs from 2007 onwards required the computer to be hooked up, but didn't qualify for what purpose. I pointed out that different BMW platforms came out with battery registration requirements on different years. They weren't trying to aggressively upsell, they were quite good actually. They were trying to make sure the new battery worked for me. I suspect that if it got to their shop the technician would have said there was nothing to do with a computer on my vehicle.

Patience is a virtue, seldom found in men.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by Davidf

Anyone can purchase a battery from your FLAPS and never tell them what vehicle it will be used in. When you bring it back to them due to failure, you get it replaced under warranty. All the while never telling them the application.

Your auto parts store is different than the one I went to for my battery. I provided my license plate number and vehicle specifics as part of the battery warranty registration process. That way they know I didn't misuse it as a deep cycle battery in an RV for example.

Sure, you can lie to them. I just hope those people get caught because they end up making my batteries more expensive with their fraudulent claims.

My attitude is probably affected by my previous work in automotive repair shops, where most customers were honest, and some were not.

[JCL]

I don't understand the issue of relating leasing to prepaid maintenance. You can lease a car or buy it, and you can buy a prepaid maintenance program or not, the two are not tied to each other.

I paid cash for each of my vehicles, but I still had prepaid maintenance for four years on the new BMWs.

[Price]

Originally Posted by JCL

Sure, you can lie to them. I just hope those people get caught because they end up making my batteries more expensive with their fraudulent claims.

[TerminatorX5]

Originally Posted by JCL

I don't understand the issue of relating leasing to prepaid maintenance. You can lease a car or buy it, and you can buy a prepaid maintenance program or not, the two are not tied to each other.

I paid cash for each of my vehicles, but I still had prepaid maintenance for four years on the new BMWs.

last few years the BMws came with maintenance included which is nice... the MB had a plan purchased which is not as nice... the MB lease is coming to an end in couple of month, so i will be looking for another bimmer... the 2012 328 are actually a 4-cylinder... so, i'll be looking for a 335 this time...

[Price]

Originally Posted by Davidf

I am in the camp that NOT registering the battery causes no harm.

Your camp allegiance is irrelevant - the manufacturer mandates registration as part of the battery replacement procedure. Knowingly skipping it and later making a warranty claim w/o disclosing the omission is unethical.

[jsoto]

OT, but how *long* does it take to program the battery. Let's say a INDY is $100-$125.
Does it really take 2 hrs to program the battery ?