Xoutpost.com - Newb here with my first post and some?'s / Need advice

Xoutpost.com (https://xoutpost.com/forums.php)

- X5 (E70) Forum (https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/x5-e70-forum/)

- - Newb here with my first post and some?'s / Need advice (https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/x5-e70-forum/102976-newb-here-my-first-post-some-s-need-advice.html)

Could you

PLEASE

learn how to hit

the

ENTER

key?

I know it seems quaint, but it is a tremendous help in creating a readable post that people can understand, engage, disgest and respond to.

Just FYI. Dont mean to be a post nazi, but meet everyone half way and make it easy to read!

Now I'll read it. ;)

NOPE! Won't do it! Lol. Sorry my man! It was a copy and paste from word, so I didn't know it was going to come out like that in the forum all squeezed together. My bad! But any positive feedback is greatly appreciated!! Thanks for your time!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ard (Post 1068025)

Quote:

Well... Everyone, I went over the general managers head of the GMC dealership today and personally called and had a nice lengthy conversation with the Service Manager of the BMW dealership that the X5 is being held hostage at. Along with speaking with him, I also was able to chat with the actual service writer that is dealing one on one with my particular E70. I was finally able to get some questions answered and even received a bit of good news with it as well.

With that being said, I was informed of other things that hadn't been brought to my attention by the GMC.

While the BMW dealership was able to correct and clear the passenger restraint codes as well as go through the vehicle and track down where the oil leak was coming from. Surprise! Surprise! The local GMC dealership that had originally told me the oil leak was due to an oil cap not being screwed on tightly after a service that they had completed, which was one of many red flags that initially went up for me upon inspecting the SUV.

I was then informed by the service writer at BMW that the oil leak was coming from what I understand to be an alternator gasket, if I'm correct? He claimed it was a fairly common but yet very minor issue to be fixed/corrected. Has anyone experienced these problems with that particular issue before?

The good news is that the trunk liftgate is finally finished because the part came in, however the gasket leak should be completed tomorrow (Thursday).

With this new information at my side, I decided to go ahead and contact the general manager at GMC and play dumb looking to see what lies he had in store for me next. He claimed that he had already attempted to call BMW at least twice today with zero call response, which I found to be a bit strange for some reason. It was then that I informed him of the conversations I had JUST had with both, BMWs service manager and the service writer in charge of my personal X5.

He responded by saying that he was planning on fixing the oil leak upon its return to his dealership, & not having it fixed at the BMW dealership. Which my wife and I were both under the impression that BMW is where every thing was going to be repaired properly by certified BMW technician. He then went on to say hmmmm... So, what did they tell you? I wasn't going to spill the beans just yet to him in regards to what they had relayed to me because if he had in fact been in contact with the BMW dealership over the past nine days like he said he had been, he would've known about this issue already.

I was already incredibly frustrated/furious to say the least! So as I tried to maintain my composure with him & I reminded him that upon my request while going over the numbers of the vehicle and the repairs that I had requested to have fixed all by a certified BMW technician (going on nine days now), it was then that he admitted to the fact that he told BMW that his top technician at GMC would take care of that particular oil issue.

Due to the fact of how I originally got him so far below his asking price and by the time you add in all of my request for repairs etc. I now know for sure that this particular GMC dealership was trying to hustle some poor soul and I happened to be the wrong one to walk in that day, coming from a sales background as well as being very involved with business activities and my day job as an accountant. Luckily for me, I have family connections who were able to get me the original price that GMC had originally purchased the X5 for at auction, so I'm now fully aware that just with the repairs done so far, the warranty, along with the tax/title/license that the dealership is now losing between $6,000 and $7000 on me due to trying to pull one over on me lol. That's unfortunately what they get and deserve for trying to do bad business like they are.

Due to the incredible price that I've gotten them down to, it's very hard for me to turn my back on this particular ride (because my wife loves it), but do any of you enthusiasts that have experience dealing with these issues have any advice for me moving forward from here?

I told the general manager of the GMC dealership that upon the arrival of the completed/repaired X5 (if up to my standards/expectations) and pending the condition of it after my wife and I take it for a couple of days to further inspect it and to once again have it taken to a different BMW dealership to have them do another pre purchase inspection on it that I am more willing to pay out of my own pocket to help save me money in the long run and to give me a better peace of mind.

So I'm begging for any of you E70 lovers / pros experienced with the E70, if you have any ideas as to what my next move should be in this chess match between myself and the GMC gm?

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO HELP ME OUT!! I'm all ears at this point before I get taken for my money!

Thank you all for your time!

Just a suggestion.

Im still trying to figure out what the issues are, at this point.

Oil leak? Fixed by BMW tech
Tailgate - Fixed at BMW?
TPMS? fixed? Does the GMC dealer know how to reset it, how it works? or are they just making up stuff?

I would be careful- who is paying for the BMW work? Who dropped the car off, who signed the BMW work order?

You dont have a blank check- GMC could say "heres yoru money' and take the car. Then they crow about how much they put into it, CAR IS PERFECT!!!, and they get 5k more than your deal. At some point GM may say 'this is too much of a beating'. Be careful

I would NOT do a second inspection- the BMW dealer knows he is bending the GMC dealer over on this, and they have every incentive to tell you. I would not waste the time. Also "my wife gets to drive it for a few days' also seems excessive. Just my 2 cents

That alt bracket isnt cheap- as I recall it is an alt R&R so 4-5 hrs book time? (hint, for the cost of a new belt, the dealer should replace that for no added labor.)

From what I've read so far my advice would be to walk away. Not because of what may or may not be wrong with the vehicle (by all accounts it would seem the appropriate repairs are being carried out), but because there already seems to be an element of doubt here before even having lived with the vehicle...and it'll probably haunt you/your wife from day one of the ownership experience.

Don't get me wrong, I love my X5. I've had to spend a few pennies to keep it in tip top shape but most of the work I've done myself and it has saved me thousands. In fact I would go do far as to say that a fair percentage of the members on this forum carry out their own repairs (and I'm not talking about the basics).
Many of these vehicles never give a moment's trouble thoughout their lives... But some do. If you happen to be purchasing one of the latter then you need to ask yourself if you are willing/able to spend the money to have it seen too? Willing/able to carry out repairs yourself?
I sound like a dick I'm sure, but before you spend YOUR money be certain it's the right decision for YOU.
Finally, is there anyone waiting in the wings to say "I told you so"? I only ask because most of us have that one other person who's judgment we trust, and if they are able to offer an informed decision and it goes against yours, then personally, I would defer to their better judgment.

I wish you the best of luck and many happy motoring miles whatever you decide.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk

ard... Thank you for helping me through this process! At his point in time (Thursday morning) the the latest news I've received as of late last night is:

The error codes for everything were inspected and cleared by a BMW Tech.

The lift gate was fixed by a BMW Tech.

TPMS sensor was replaced and fixed at GMC before they handed it over to BMW so when I inquired with BMW about it they said that checked out fine.

Now for the oil leak - When GMC was informed of what exactly was causing the oil leak they told BMW "NOT TO FIX IT" because they had an "experience" tech at their shop that could take care of that this morning.

As far as who is paying for everything, that is ALL on the GMC dealerships dime. From my understanding someone from GMC dropped off the car @ BMW for the repairs/service so I would assume that a GMC rep is signing off on the work order from BMW this morning to get started on the oil leak.

I appreciate your advice on not taking it to a second BMW dealer to get a second opinion. You made a valid point, however the reason I wanted to do this was because for all I know, they could know someone at that particular BMW dealership they took it to knowing that the guy there would/could side with them and still attempt to hose me. (I'm just not the most trusting person of people in sales since I've been in that business before) I need to get better about that, I guess.

At this point I KNOW FOR A FACT that they have lost a good amount of money on this particular vehicle/customer (me) so the GM was very quick to jump the gun and ask my wife behind my back, while I was at work and say "we can just reverse the process and take the car back". Finally yesterday after I spoke with BMW and contacted the GM of GMC he tried the same thing on me. It was then that I reminded him of all the documentation that I had them sign off during the negotiation process and told him "NO! I want the the X5 back in the "PERFECT running condition that I was promised". So legally they can't say no at this point unless I agree to it. It's kind of my way of playing hard ball with him and letting him know that he can't just pull this sh*t on innocent customers. Luckily I'm a huge car fanatic and that was why I initially had them agree and sign off on all of the issues.

Once again, I can't say how much I appreciate all the great insight and will trust in your knowledge and see how this goes throughout the day and will keep you all updated. Thanks again!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ard (Post 1068029)

Well... the X5 is done at the BMW service center

So as I type this, the X5 is heading back to the GMC dealership to have their "best" technician fix the alternator bracket/oil leak problem. If I can figure out how to post pics of the invoice from the BMW dealership, I'll put them up for your viewing pleasure. I spoke to the BMW service writer (this morning) that sent me the invoice and he told me the car was being picked up/paid for while we were in correspondence with each other via email. When I asked him if they had also purchased the correct parts needed for the repair so that I wouldn't have to hear any more stories regarding that the parts needed are on back-order or will have some sort of wait time for them. He said that he saw the guys also walk over to the parts desk and pick up some items, but he wasn't aware of what all they got. What do you guys think? I told the GMC personnel that I need it back for the weekend because they've had it for 2 weeks now... So I should be hearing back from them sometime today. Only time will tell at this point.

The X5 FINALLY made it back to the GMC dealership today (so that's good, I guess...). However, I later found out that the guys that picked up some parts at the parts dept located in the BMW dealership that did the repairs (excluding the oil leak), that they didn't grab the alternator bracket that I was told was one of the problems associated with the oil leak.

Who knows, maybe while they were waiting for BMW to finish it up, they may have gone ahead and ordered that part on their own so that it would be at their shop waiting for the X5 to be returned to them. So here we are again, another nigh without the vehicle that I negotiated for because it didn't get finished up today and they didn't keep anyone late to finish it up. After speaking with the general manager @ GMC on my way home from work, I was informed by him that he is having technitions come in tomorrow to attempt to finish it up, even though their service dept is closed on the weekends. So after reviewing the BMW invoices that I previously posted and hearing the rest of the story. Do any of you experienced E70 owners have any guidance or ideas on where I should go from here?

4.8 X5 will very likely have an oil cooler so the alternator bracket in this case is the oil cooler to block seal.

I am actually going to fix mine tomorrow. it is a 4 hour job.

on 7 series car it is called the alternator bracket plus engine mount is unbolted and engine raised to replace this seal.

I think you need to relax! You're buying a used car from a dealership who doesn't repair used cars to like new condition, much less a BMW from a GMC dealership. I'm surprised they negotiated with you as much as they have but I sense with all of the calls you say you've made between the two places, they don't have any other motivation to get the car to you other than to get rid of you. I don't know what else you need help with. Sounds like they're working out all the known issues. If you realize that you're buying a $60-70k car with 97k miles and you're willing to deal with future potential issues, go for it and enjoy it.

Beamin09X, unfortunately it's been slightly difficult throughout this process to just relax because I was purchasing this vehicle for my wife which is due to have our first child any day now. So we have all been on pins and needles to say the least for a multitude of reasons.

Believe it or not, I too have actually been surprised with how much the dealership has negotiated with me, but then again they didn't have much of a choice because they knew they were in the wrong by placing this car up for sale before it was truly ready to be purchased in the advertised condition in which they swore by. If I wouldn't have done my due diligence by researching (to the extent that I did via all the great people that take part in this message board) and been such a car fanatic myself, the other person that would've eventually ended up purchasing this X5 would have been in for a few (expensive) surprises. I knew going into the deal that with this old of a vehicle and with as many miles that are on the odometer, that of course it wouldn't be in perfect condition. I'm just having them stick to their words in regards to what they claimed that they would be able to produce for my wife and I. And yes you are correct, I have stayed on their a$$es in order to instill the motivation needed for them to expedite this process "just to get rid of me" as you said. lol. I'm just excited to get it back and have my wife and child in a safe car. Thanks to all of you that have contributed to my posts and I look forward to joining the BMW community. I hope you are all having a great day/start to your week!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beamin09X (Post 1068304)