Interesting call from BMWNA.....

So, my phone rings the other day (out of the blue) and I find myself talking to a manager at the BMW corp. HQ concerning the issues that I had a few weeks ago.
Quick Summary: Burnt out clutch at delivery (7 miles), lots of nasty rattles, body damage, etc. Intake tube falls off and I drive for 100 miles sucking road debris into engine. Dealer gets car and finds that half of the drivetrain is loose and nearly falling off, Etc.... Called BMW CSR and they couldn't care less...So I called for legal counsel and waited.

So, here is what's funny:

He says he read about all of this on this forum!
Well, shiver me timbers!
I was shocked and pleasantly surprised that BMWNA knows how important forums are for the relay of information. (Also, I imagine feeling a bit uneasy since they are watching:bulge:)
What was even funnier is that we arrange a call on wednesday morning and my car breaks down and I miss the call because of that! LMAO!
Talk about irony....

I also wondered if anyone had any ideas as to what BMW should do about my vehicle? So far it has been out of commission for only 7 or 8 days, so no lemon law at this time.

My counsel thinks it would be good to get the printout of the invoice for all of the work done at port, as well as getting a print-out of the CPU on the car. (to see if the car was red-lined at 7 miles)

Any other ideas to make sure that my car is not badly eff'ed up???

The rep was rather nice, but his position is that, "well, the car runs good now". My reply: "most cars run great before they break down"

I dont know about any other ideas. As long as your car is good now and they didnt void your warranty or anything then you should be good.

I am not surprised that reps from BMW are reading post on this site. I actually had my local dealer question me about post they read on here regarding a JB4 that they accused me of having on my 335. They tried to claim that the JB3 was causing the HPFP failures. Yeah right! I pled the 5th and they ended up buying back my 335. So just be careful not to post anything too incriminating because you never know who is watching.

E92_SID wrote

I dont know about any other ideas. As long as your car is good now and they didnt void your warranty or anything then you should be good.

I am not surprised that reps from BMW are reading post on this site. I actually had my local dealer question me about post they read on here regarding a JB4 that they accused me of having on my 335. They tried to claim that the JB3 was causing the HPFP failures. Yeah right! I pled the 5th and they ended up buying back my 335. So just be careful not to post anything too incriminating because you never know who is watching.

Definitely good advice!! Thanks!

You are showing an unbelievable amount of patience. The car was clearly abused, then not repaired properly, probably leading to even more damage. I would demand a new car.

At least now there is confirmation that BMW reads the forums..we always suspected and now we know..so for those looking to get over on warranty work..it would be best to

i'm glad they pay attention to these forums. At least someone is paying attention. No whether or not they take action, or the right action is another matter.

If i were in your shoes, i'd want them to buyback the car and give you a new one, even if that means waiting another few months.

Too many headaches already.

But lets give them the benefit of the doubt for now that they'll fix your car 100% to your satisfaction.

paradocs98 wrote

You are showing an unbelievable amount of patience. The car was clearly abused, then not repaired properly, probably leading to even more damage. I would demand a new car.

yeah, I see your point. I am just trying to be fair, so long as they are fair to me. If I cannot get the records that i am asking for, things will go up a notch or two! It just seems like there is something every time I get into the car!

I love the car though.

Another funny thing struck me:
BMW will do anything to void a warranty on a modded car...chip, intake, etc. Well, I drove around with no filter at all, and they say it is no big deal!!

DocJohn wrote

yeah, I see your point. I am just trying to be fair, so long as they are fair to me. If I cannot get the records that i am asking for, things will go up a notch or two! It just seems like there is something every time I get into the car!

I love the car though.

Another funny thing struck me:
BMW will do anything to void a warranty on a modded car...chip, intake, etc. Well, I drove around with no filter at all, and they say it is no big deal!!

zing!!!

i'd document that!

You have been very patient. I think most of us would be very frustrated at this point in a saga such as yours. How long was your car at the Vehicle preparation center ? Have you been able to find out what was done to your car at the VPC ?

After reading this thread I'm glad I've flaunted the pristine condition and treatment of my BMW's.
...and yes, I'm a kiss@ss.

Oops!

They read this?

My rant against BMWNA and their DCT position

Radiation Joe wrote

Oops!

They read this?

My rant against BMWNA and their DCT position

I'd hope they would've. I know it's off topic and I can find the thread, but satisfy my curiosity? What was the end game in that situation?

tibra1 wrote

At least now there is confirmation that BMW reads the forums..we always suspected and now we know..so for those looking to get over on warranty work..it would be best to

Back in the first year of the E60 my wife had her car break down on the way home from the dealer after delivery. It was a very early car and its a long story but ended up posting online looking for advice and the post was responded to by a BMW rep. His reply went something along the lines of "Sorry to hear about the problem with your new BMW, please call me at X phone number so we can work towards resolving your problem." Thats as best as I can remember but guys who have been with BMWs for a while might remember him because he responded to a few others similarly over the time she had that car and was still online when we sold the car back in 07 or thereabouts. Somewhere between then and now they decided to stop doing that because I have seen no sign of any official BMW representation on the larger forums.

My wifes car was replaced btw and they gave us a loaner till another showed up which was a couple weeks so don't give up.

Not at all surprised, and glad, that they read this forum. It's the best source of BMW information period.

crabman wrote

Back in the first year of the E60 my wife had her car break down on the way home from the dealer after delivery. It was a very early car and its a long story but ended up posting online looking for advice and the post was responded to by a BMW rep. His reply went something along the lines of "Sorry to hear about the problem with your new BMW, please call me at X phone number so we can work towards resolving your problem." Thats as best as I can remember but guys who have been with BMWs for a while might remember him because he responded to a few others similarly over the time she had that car and was still online when we sold the car back in 07 or thereabouts. Somewhere between then and now they decided to stop doing that because I have seen no sign of any official BMW representation on the larger forums.

My wifes car was replaced btw and they gave us a loaner till another showed up which was a couple weeks so don't give up.

yeah that would be great if they still do that.

However, BMW NA does have a membership here and do at times respond.

See post #33 here: THE MOST RECKLESS BMW DEALERSHIP IN THE USA... and their lawyers..

their screen name is BMWNA, and they posted on 13 Dec 2011

I'd demand an extended warranty or a new car. Extended warranty being preferred since its unlikely you'll have any problems.

robb7979 wrote

I'd hope they would've. I know it's off topic and I can find the thread, but satisfy my curiosity? What was the end game in that situation?

After almost two years fighting BMW over a seriously flawed DCT I got out of my lease three months early. There is a lot of speculation on the subject, but I believe the transmission software was unable to cope with some outlier transmission hardware issues. BMW never admitted the issue, ever. It was an unsafe condition afflicting a small but not insignificant percentage of DCT equipped cars. BMW's behavior on the issue was inexcusable, and to this day I will still say that anyone associated with that debacle at BMWNA is a piece of shit.

^^^ Dude, that's really awful. I hope I never have that kind of issue.

why haven't you lemoned your car yet?

mdyaman wrote

yeah that would be great if they still do that.

However, BMW NA does have a membership here and do at times respond.

See post #33 here: THE MOST RECKLESS BMW DEALERSHIP IN THE USA... and their lawyers..

their screen name is BMWNA, and they posted on 13 Dec 2011

Ah, ok. I have been scouring the forums fair regular since I ordered my car and hadn't seen anything so I had assumed they no longer maintained a presence on forums. Thanks for the heads up.

DocJohn-
I read your other thread, and now this one. I can't believe you're considering keeping this car. Are you kidding me? Cut your losses. You are never going to get the straight story, the truth would be too embarrassing. It was obviously abused at the port, let BMW and whoever the carrier is eat it, and you should be furnished with a brand new car for your money. Perhaps even at a discount after this headache.

I would NEVER have accepted delivery of this car. BMW USA needs to take that car back and make it right.