Bad Dealer Work - Hidden Until Now (long)
 

Had my last in warranty dealer visit today. One of the items on the list was a recent water leak in the front passenger area. Dealer called and asked me to come in to look at what he found. Under the pollen filter assembly the entire rear section connecting to the interior ventilation hoses was broken and repaired with screws. The gaskets were torn and the bolts were missing. The screws finally gave out, hence the leak. When I first bought the X5 in 07 I had a problem with the windshield tank leaking. After 4 visits (to the now defunct Tate BMW in Annapolis MD) the problem was fixed, but not until several visits for misaligned fender, missing engine compartment gaskets, the washer pump installed incorrectly and a few other problems with the repair. It now seems that the hidden problems occurred when the pump was replaced and the fender removed. The damage artfully hidden by the mechanic. I've never had the need to remove the entire "tank" the pollen filters sit in so never saw any damage. The X is now at a competent dealer in Baltimore, damage is roughly $500 for parts, some of which will take 7-10 days to come from Germany. I spoke to BMWNA, they have a record of my complaints when the issue originally occurred. They said it's a dealer quality issue, nothing they can do. I spoke to the dealer that took over Tate and they are looking into the issue. I don't expect a favorable outcome, but had to try. I have the receipt for the original repair, documentation with BMWNA, and even posted the original problem here on Xoutpost. What are the odds BMW or the dealer will make good?

I would be surprised if BMWna doesn't cover this. The work was done by a dealer they had certified as an authorized factory BMW shop at the time ~ how can they was their hands of it?

BMWNA doesn't hold themselves responsible for the work quality level of every tech at every dealer... they physically can't. The dealership itself is responsible for it's own employees and their actions. Since that dealer is no longer intact the dealer that took over has a decision to make. They don't really have to take up the responsibility as it wasn't them or their techs, but they can choose to eat it for the sake of customer relations.

I agree that the dealer has primary responsibility; however, since the warranty is from BMW NA, a dealer doing warranty repairs is acting as an agent of BMW NA for the repair. If the dealer no longer exists to take responsibility, it would seem to me that it legally falls back to BMW NA.

Now, I am not a lawyer, so take the above with a grain of salt, but I do not see how BMW NA cannot take secondary/fall back responsibility for the actions a franchised dealer does acting in their name.

If the damage was done by Tires Plus or something, I could see it being the owner's responsibility, but since the owner followed the warranty guidelines and the car was taken to the BMW dealer for BMW warranty work, it should still be covered under the warranty.

Another way to take it, is that a BMW mechanic performed a repair under warranty. That temporary fix didn't work so now it has to be done right, and the car is still under the same warranty, and should be covered.

A happy ending! The service manager from the dealer that took over Tate BMW called. He said the right thing to do is to extend a $500 credit towards my next service. I'm honestly surprised. This small, but noteworthy gesture has earned BMW of Annapolis a customer for life! I hope BMWNA reads these remarks and takes note of a reputable service manager. :thumbup:

Took in 2006 BMW M5 with no Warranty to Dealer and SMG Pump was out. Was replaced at no Cost under GoodWill. That's a 5K job. Had clutch, other things installed without warranty again under GoodWill and well above 8K on the car, again no cost.

$500 Credit, on a car with Active Warranty is getting ripped. I'd called BMW NA, and request the work done under GoodWill and get a free Dinan Exhaust thrown in. You can't be sugary with these guys, put your foot down and get what's promised with the price tags on these cars.

I've gotten well above $15K in repairs on a 2006 BMW M5 with 30K miles and No warranty all for free. Now granted, I would say these things requires timeless hours on phone with BMW NA, Customer Relationships, Dealers, and lots of visits, but worth it.

I've had great luck with BWM of Annapolis also. They don't have all the fancy digs that some of the others do, but the service has been perfect.

It is usually the privately owned dealerships of smaller size that have better quality minded service. Unlike the massive corporately owned shops with 60+ techs, you simply can't have as personal a level of service or consistent level of quality with that volume a shop and that number of techs...

I thought any repair at a BMW dealership was back by BMWNA. The terms of the warranty should be available.

The issue may be the time- it is over 2 years, correct?

Still I would press BMWNA and say "it was a BMW deal, it is a BMW warranty".

To say "BMW physically can't" is a cop out- they charge top dollar, they are supposed to implement a "system wide Quality Assurance programme" to ensure that every dealer provides quality- and they should step in when they dont.

Keep after BMWNA and don't let them duck it.