BMW / Bayerische Motoren Werke
Reviews and Complaints

I am the original owner of 2004 530i bmw and haved followed all maintenence requirements. On 7/7/10, took my car in for routine oil service (54, 777 miles) at encinitas bmw. Within 2 weeks post service, the engine overheated and check engine light came on. Took it to an independent bmw specialist and they said the radiator was empty. After extensive evaluation, the radiator was fine, it was holding pressure and there was no leakage. So I went back to encinitas bmw dealership to have the check engine light evaluated and after the diagnostic check, they said I needed a new engine ($13, 500) because they think the engine got too hot. The initial oil service included radiator check and I believe they never filled the radiator fluid which caused the engine to overheat. Therefore I had to buy a new engine for $13, 500 even though my original engine only had 55k miles due to their error.

My x5 was blowing intermitent smoke. independentent garage quotes $2500 vent valve and oil pump. went to bmw dealer to see if factory issue. week later dealer said I need a new engine $25, 000. $15, 000 for used engine! warranty expired bmw canada said I had no claim.

Up until I towed the car to a qualified honest independent repair shop, sales team at dealer were still suggesting new engine.

The engine is fine, strong compression problems.

Always ask for a written quote and your parts from dealer service. this is your only evidence of a crime that probably occurs daily.

Our X5 has been in for Suspension, Transmission and DSC Failure Warnings numerous times to Club Motors Randburg. The car was slanted to the left. A wire & a few fuses was repaired. The same errors and slanting persisted. The vehicle became undrivable and was towed by BMW-on-Call back to the dealership. Sent away again with a clean bill of health. BOC was called to the rescue again. Same errors, this time 'the battery' was causing the errors, battery replaced. A week later all errors again, this time the vehicle was uncontrollable and the suspension was rocking the car from left to right. My husband who was driving the vehicle to Polokwane on business was able to move the vehicle to the emergency lane of the N1 highway. Black Smoke was speewing from the back left of the car. Once stopped the run flat tyre warning came on. The car was towed back to CMR. It has been 9 days since and I had to call them to find out what the status is. They are awaitng a deposit for a cracked rim and new tyre. Goerge confirmed that the have not even checked the suspension. It is our opinion that the damage was caused by the original error. Why must we pay for negligence? I was advised to talk to BMW SA.

I have been working out a deal with them since mid of July 2010. I am interested in getting a new 2011 BMW X5. Unfortunately, the car is a hot commodity reason why they don't have in stock but they can get one for me from another dealer. We started the negotiation. They want $885/month my counter offer that I can afford is $850/month. They said it is not possible. We hang on for a few weeks the sales person calls me from time to time to check on us & gave us some other options. We finally made a decision & came back to them on 7/5/10. I asked the same guy if the car is still available. He said yes it's still there. So we said that we are taking their offer which is $885/month. They made some phone calls & said they are having a hard time getting the car for some reason. But before we leave, the sales person said they will try their best to get the car. He asked if we can committ on what we agreed on if in case they get the car. We said yes, definitely we will get it please call me asap once you have it. The following day he called & said they got the car & they are ready to process the paperworks BUT the price changed to $895/month. I said wait, that's not what we agreed on. He said that's what my manager wants. Well $10/month @ 60 months is $600 more on what we agreed on. The guy said he's sorry. My point is we came back & gave our word to them but they did not comply. We have been played period. By the way the name of the sales person is David Boen [protected]

I have a black 2007 530i bmw and it had 17000 miles on it when I bought it in april 2010 from a local independent dealer in chattanooga.

Because maintenance is still covered on the vehicle, I took it to the bmw dealer (1st time i’ve had it serviced since I bought it). I was getting the oil changed and whatever routine maintenance comes along with that.

After being told it would be a couple hours, I got two phone calls from them asking if I needed to pick up the car today (Which was a friday, and yes I wanted my car for the weekend). So, I go out there at 6 right at closing time as instructed, and they were washing my car. So, I wait a little bit, and get in the car and drive to my sister’s house, about 10 minutes away.

Once I opened the door, I started looking to see if they did a good job washing my car and I noticed that the paint looked different on the bottom part of my door and the trim piece below it.In the sun, the difference in paint is really obvious. Once you rub the painted area, gray powder was coming off on my hand and the paint was a different texture that the rest of the door.

It basically looks like someone scratched my car and tried to half ### fix it and hoped I would not notice! I called the bmw dealer and left a message but they were closed all weekend.

I took it back to who I bought it from today and they confirmed what I thought & ndash; that someone had gotten overspray on the car and tried to hide it. He also confirmed that the car was certainly not like that when he sold it to me. I haven’t had it serviced at all except for the one time on friday.

So, then I took it back out to the bmw dealer this morning, and the manager said that they couldn’t possibly have done it because they don’t have a body shop. I explained to him that I wash the car all the time myself and I know for a fact it wasn’t like this prior to me dropping it off. Although he completely denied that it could have possibly been done there, he agreed to get the overspray off my car.

While I was waiting, I walked outside and wandered around the back of the building and came right upon a can of matte black spray paint that was sitting on a cardboard box outside near the rear garage doors.

The service manager said that they were done, but that they couldn’t get it all off. I showed him what we had found outside and although he looked shocked he still denied that it had been done there and got pretty hostile. I told him I believed that he didn’t know about it but that they guys in the back did know about it. It didn’t end well.

It’s just disappointing that the bmw dealer would take advantage of me, hoping that I would not notice so half ### repair on my car! Obviously the mechanic scratch the hell out of my car and then literally took a can of black spray paint, half ### taped it up, and then sprayed it, hoping I wouldn't notice.

Bien me queja es referente a un (Bmw 320d 177cv coupe e92) comprado nuevo en (Motor cadi—vic) el caso es que el coche siempre me ha funcionado con problemas.. A los 20000 kilometros el turbo fallaba una cosa malaa.. Perdida de potencia.. Y mucho humo por el tubo de escapee... Lo llebe al concesionario. Y me dijeron que ya estaba reparado.. Pues bien al dia siguiente.. Lo volvi a llebar porque estaba igual que cuando lo llebe.. Me lo volvieron ha dar y me dijeron quee me avian reparado la barilla del turbo... El coche no iva bien.. Pero humo no salia.. Pues al cavo de 3 dias. Volvio ah fallar... Lo volvi ha llebar.. Asta que decidieron poner un turbo nuevo (Biennnnnn bravoooo por fin an pensado) ) el coche fue genial... Pero ha los 30000 mil kilometros. Se rompio la caña de direccion... Porque en la pantalla salia errorr... Lo llebe lo cambiaron.. Y bien... El cinturon me fallaba... Me lo arreglaron y al cavo de 1 semana se volvio ha romper... El coche ya tenia mas de 2 años osea que no tenia garantia.. Pues me aguante... Y lo deje asi... Pero a los 3 años... Con 78000 kilometros.. Se me rompe la cadena de distribucion... Yo no daba credito a lo que veiaaaa.. Pues bien. Llame a iberica madrid. Para pedir una reclamacion.. Dado que era evidente que eso era fallo de fabricacion.. Incluso el mecanico de bmw (Vic) me lo garantizoo.. Porque la cadena no tiene mantenimiento y mucho menos con tan pocos kilometros.. Pues pedi la reclamacion.. Y mellamaron al cavo de 7 dias. Diciendome que no se hacian cargoo... Yo alucinee, , , , tan prestigiosa marcaa. Y segun ellosss cuidan a los clientesss.. Por diosssss.. Un coche pagado al pum pum 50.000 euros. Que no te den ningun tipo de solucionn.. Esto es increibleeeeeee... Verguenza me dannnnnn... Ahora solo me toka denunciarlosss... No me ire sin hacer un poco de ruidoo... Es penosoooooo.. Donde vamos ha llegar.. Te compras un buen (Coche) para que te dure 3 añoss... Muy fuerteeeeeeeee... Bmw bmw... Iria mas seguro con un kia que te dan 5 años de garantiaa... En fin.. Esta es mi quejaa... Creo que esta vastante claroo... No me deja poner fotos si alguno le interesa ver la cadena rota paso fotos... Un saludoo... [protected]@hotmail.com

Recently I took my vehicle to get it checked based on a recall to my local BMW dealer. Since the beginning everything seemed out of place, the wait was long, not a single rep asked me if I was being assisted already. The inspection took more than expected so I had to take their shutte to my school. All this to come back and find that MY iPOD WAS MISSING. Yes, immediately I went to my advisor, she stated that I had signed a waiver saying that all my items were removed out the car. The fact that my iPod was attached to the device that connects to the radio mean its part of the car not lose items laying around. In addition, by no means does that waiver give reason for workers to steal customer's items. To this point they have not returned any phone call. I plan on filing a police report, it's considered a felony burglary knowing the retail of the item which is $4oo+ with itunes songs added.

I got this e-mail and I printed out a copy.
Then I deleted and then wiped my ###
With the copy. that's all these tickets
Are good for. thank you

The bmw automobile company.
22 garden close, stamford,
Lincs, pe9 2yp, london
United kingdom.
 
Attn: winner

The board of directors, staff and the bmw automobile company online sweepstakes programme, wishes to congratulate you as one of our star prize winner in this months online sweepstakes promotion held in england. the selection process was carried out through a random selection in our computerized email selection system (c. e. s. s. ) from a database of over three million email addresses from the world wide web drawn from different continents of the world.in your continent, your email address was luckily selected. this makes you a proud winner of the sum of 750, 000.00 gbp (seven hundred and fifty thousand great british pounds). the cheque comes with other consolation prize such as  a brand new bmw x6 35im, m sport saloon car, t-shirt, face cap and a sony viao laptop {courtesy sony}.
 
In reference to the above, we would recommend our affiliate courier (air freight courier and diplomatic company) which is the only trusted courier presently capable of handling such a vital package as yours, as they have been under a contract with us for quite a long time now to deliver cheques of huge sums from our sponsors to us and our winners. on that note we would require you to contact the courier and arrange them to pick up your winning items (i. e.  cheque, a brand new bmw x6 35im, m sport saloon car, t-shirt, face cap, winning certificate and a sony viao laptop courtesy 'sony') from our office to be delivered to you, be aware that bmw lottery national office will only dispatch your cheque and other items to them and won't be responsible for any delivery charges incurred. after pick up, they would send you the delivery arrangement of your winning package which you will use to know when your items would be arriving your location. you can reach the courier through their details below:
 
Please contact mr. brain morris of the air freight courier and diplomatic company with this email address

Air freight courier and diplomatic company
Delivery officer: mr. brian morris.
Email: [protected]@airfcdcuk.com
Telephone: +[protected]
 
You are advised to keep your winning informations confidential until your claim is processed and your winnings safely delivered to you, this is part of our security measures to avoid double claiming on your winning and unwarranted abuse on our program.
 
We advice that you give the courier company your full name, address, phone number and also your serial number: bmwp/[protected] to present to us before we can release your package to them.
 
Do not hesitate to contact us for more information, kindly contact us the moment you receive your cheque.
 
Thanks for being part of our lottery.
 
Have a wonderful day.
 
Warm regards,
Bmw group

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This is the lottery that I won. I printed
It out and wiped my ### with it. that's
All this ticket is good for. thank you

The bmw automobile company.
22 garden close, stamford,
Lincs, pe9 2yp, london
United kingdom.
 
Attn: winner

The board of directors, staff and the bmw automobile company online sweepstakes programme, wishes to congratulate you as one of our star prize winner in this months online sweepstakes promotion held in england. the selection process was carried out through a random selection in our computerized email selection system (c. e. s. s. ) from a database of over three million email addresses from the world wide web drawn from different continents of the world.in your continent, your email address was luckily selected. this makes you a proud winner of the sum of 750, 000.00 gbp (seven hundred and fifty thousand great british pounds). the cheque comes with other consolation prize such as  a brand new bmw x6 35im, m sport saloon car, t-shirt, face cap and a sony viao laptop {courtesy sony}.
 
In reference to the above, we would recommend our affiliate courier (air freight courier and diplomatic company) which is the only trusted courier presently capable of handling such a vital package as yours, as they have been under a contract with us for quite a long time now to deliver cheques of huge sums from our sponsors to us and our winners. on that note we would require you to contact the courier and arrange them to pick up your winning items (i. e.  cheque, a brand new bmw x6 35im, m sport saloon car, t-shirt, face cap, winning certificate and a sony viao laptop courtesy 'sony') from our office to be delivered to you, be aware that bmw lottery national office will only dispatch your cheque and other items to them and won't be responsible for any delivery charges incurred. after pick up, they would send you the delivery arrangement of your winning package which you will use to know when your items would be arriving your location. you can reach the courier through their details below:
 
Please contact mr. brain morris of the air freight courier and diplomatic company with this email address

Air freight courier and diplomatic company
Delivery officer: mr. brian morris.
Email: [protected]@airfcdcuk.com
Telephone: +[protected]
 
You are advised to keep your winning informations confidential until your claim is processed and your winnings safely delivered to you, this is part of our security measures to avoid double claiming on your winning and unwarranted abuse on our program.
 
We advice that you give the courier company your full name, address, phone number and also your serial number: bmwp/[protected] to present to us before we can release your package to them.
 
Do not hesitate to contact us for more information, kindly contact us the moment you receive your cheque.
 
Thanks for being part of our lottery.
 
Have a wonderful day.
 
Warm regards,
Bmw group

Get a new e-mail account with hotmail – free. sign-up now.

Dear Sir:
I have a 320i car (VC 81754) and I have experienced a situation which I would like to share it with your company.
Let me start by asking Is it normal that the steering wheel lock is defected after 35, 000 km? I experienced this defect after exceeding the 2 year guarantee period with 2 months and I was asked to pay for replacing the entire steering Colum, which costs approximately EGP 5, 000, which took place at the Bavarian company lactation in Alexandria.
Considering that this defect was not caused but customer misuse and is rather the responsibility of the manufacturer, I asked BMW Egypt to cover the cost and considered as client good will, which they rejected. It is not really the matter of money to get back rather than the principal and the trust of the system.
I hereby ask you for your feedback regarding this incident, considering the expected worldwide “good will” of the client in such unexpected defects and situations; especially that my usage did not exceed 35, 000 km. Attached is a copy of the form I got for repairing and changing the part.
Dr. Amr el halafawy
Cairo - Egypt
[protected]
Email: [protected]@gmail.com

I received this email:

Dear winner,
Your reference number bmw: [protected]/25. and drew to the lucky number: 29
Congratulations, you have just won a brand new bmw 5 series, m sport
Saloon car and cash prize of gb 500, 000. great british pounds (gbp)
Contact our claims agent: barrister, mike
Tel: +[protected]
Email: [protected]@live.com
Forward the following details to enable us clear your file for
Immediate payment and delivery of your winnings:
1. full names:
2. address:
3. age:
4. sex:
5. occupation:
6. phone numbers:
7. fax number:
8. country:
9. state:
10. won before:
11. annual income

I did not respond. if you have more info please forward to [protected]@yahoo.com

I bought my current 08, 335i Coupe back in November of '08, 3 months before the end of my lease on my '05 330 Cabriolet.

I had the 330 in the dealership for a repair assessment for a leaky roof (multiple times in) and blistering paint on the front bumper when I talked to a salesman who convinced me that I could be in a new car for similar payments and without penalty. When a stone chip in the glass was noted, I was told I would be given the opportunity to have it fixed on my own. Of course, that never happened. Instead a month or so after I began driving the new care I got a bill for $600+ for the windshield, the damage to the bumper which was blistered paint, NOT an impact and a mark on the leather which, when I was sold the car was explained to me as "natural variation in the leather" and not a defect. After 16 months of ignored emails to the salesman and BMW financial I am being forced to pay or go to court. What a crock.

Guess I won't be buying BWM number 4 after all.

I thought this is going to be a live changing chance for me. I even called up the person and talked to him for quite some time. I had some enquiries. then he referred me to the delivery company "world courier delivery". I called the delivery company too for the procedures. after some time, I found that it's ridiculous for a bmw company to just give away great prizes. I decided to check on "google earth" the location that is stated in the mail. that's where I found out it's a fraud because it's a residential. it's not even bmw company. to reconfirm, I checked the webs regarding frauds and I found lots of sources. that is where I decided to play-out the fraud.

Bmw group bmw logo
22 garden close, stamford,
Lincs, pe9 2yp, london
United kingdom

Dear muhammad hafizi bin manan,

We the officials of the international awareness promotion department of the bmw company united kingdom, congratulate you on your winnings. you can now begin the final step of the claims process, which is the delivery of your winnings prize to your destination. your winning prize has been verified and approved for payment by this department. your profile (form) has also been received and filed along with other winning documents for record purpose.

Therefore, you have been approved for the cheque of & pound;750, 000.00 gbp (seven hundered and fifty thousand great british pounds) and a brand new bmw x6 35im, m sport saloon car. due to your location from the bmw promotion board claims office, your winning package has been sent to the world courier company which is a logistic courier company.

Note: you must add the following below to the mail you are sending to the world courier company to speed up and authenticate the delivery of your winning prize to your destination:

Ticket number: [protected]
Serial number: bmwp/s-a-m-[protected]
Winners secret code: ogg-506-zmq/40

You are requested to contact registered afilliate world courier company with the contact information below for further instructions on how to delivered your winnings prize to your destination.

World courier delivery service:
World courier delivery international service
General dispatch officer: mr. ken williams
=======================
Email: [protected]@worldcourierdcuk.com
Telephone: +44 [protected]

I will require a regular update on your proceedings with the world courier company as soon as your package are completely delivered to your destination. finally, you are advise to keep your winnings details confidential so as to avoid double claims. have a nice day.

Once again congratulations.

Regards.

Mr. david brown,
Tell: +[protected]
Bmw claims agent.
The bmw automobile company, uk.

The bmw international awareness promotion
Copyright & copy;2010. all rights reserved

Bought my bmw from this dealer in aug 2009... Eight mths ago... We had tire issues since we bought the car... Including the warning light that keeps going on and off.

Well, the tire finally blew today... The roadside assistant guy said the has never seen a tire so dry rotted and the tire was plugged... He went on to say that... "he doesn't usually comment about things like this, but this tire is a mess".

The sales manager... Tommy... Was a jerk... Was rude... Said he was the boss and the only one above him was the board of directors... Didn't care what I said... Never buy a care from these guys.

Dear sir
I have been tempted & cheated by a company of few
Individuals (the bmw automobile company.
22 garden close, stamford, lincs, pe9 2yp, london, united kingdom) , who first attracted me by
Announcing a prize of 750, 000british pounds & thereafter a person by name martins bushroom, contacted me through his mobile no.
+[protected]. and continuously kept on assuring me of prize money & then asked me to make payment towards customs clearance charges, non scan charges then asked me to pay further to united nations fund against terrorism, etc. he has made me pay on 3 occasions
In to two accounts @ icici bank upto rs.1.5 lacs so far & is still demanding more & more money, assuring me of a prize money of750, 000 uk pounds delivered @my home in bangalore.
I attach below the details of payments made on 3 occasions & receipts received there upon whose genuineness has to be verified.
I humbly request you sir to, please investigate the company bmw automobile company 's role & this person mr. martins bushroom's bonafides, whose e-mail id [protected]@yahoo.co. uk. & mobile no. is [protected] & get me the justice.
Thanking you,
R. n. ravishankar
—

Good Day.

I have taken my BMW car for Hand breake issue, date 11/03/2010.
The repair work take far longer than expected but i had no option other than waiting untill they finish the car.
I have received my car on 25/03/2010 after long procedure of follow up by phones, and regardless the endless number of unkept promisses to get the job done by... and so on.
Upon receival of the car I have found the passenger door has suffered a damage while the car was in the work shop, I went back and highlighted the problem to the service advisor, He agreed that the damage was done during the stay of the car in the show room, but He could no identified, how or by whom the car was damaged.
I went to the work shop service manager, who suggested to give me an X3 lonar car while my car will be repaired, I have refused the offer because the car they are offering dose not match my car value. and the reason i have bought BMWX5 is to drive BMW x5 not X3.
Then the service manager mentioned that they have an x5 lonar car, but at that time it was out with a customer, and once the car will be back that the car shall be given to me.
That was on 13 march and today is 13 april, and I still have got nothing back from their side, and everytime I am calling them, they are telling me that the lonar car shall be back within one or two days,
I have tried my level best to reach the managemnt in order to bring their attention to the customer service we are getting from such a big name dealer same as BMW, but i have been stopped by the working staff and all my attempts has failed.

Now in this Email i request the reader to advise me what to do in my case.
am only one customer and am driving one of their best cars, then what is happening with the others.
please advise because am really out of ideas and i have nothing in mind in what to do next.
what is my rights, and is their obligations, even I have no one from bmw management to complain to because they unreachable simply.
am greatly disappointed by the poor way of treating customers.
It was my last time with AGMC.
my email is : [protected]@hotmail.com

The window trim of my BMW 335ci fell out. The trim was not glued properly at the factory. BMW has refused to repair it. I requested that BMW pay for the trim and I would pay for the proper installation. BMW refused.
This shows that the quality of BMW construction has declined. Worse, contrary to its advertising, BWM America refuses to take responsibility for its cars.

Here is a letter sent to BMW about my complaint that no-one seems to take seriously and for which I have still not had a reply.

My BMW 3i SE Convertible was bought on 21 September 2007 at Broad Oak Canterbury. At the time of purchase I was asked what colour the car was to be finished with at an extra cost of approximately £500.
In September 2009, I noted some paint had come off the bonnet of my car and assumed a stone or some other small object had caused the damage. However, in November after washing the car, I started to notice other areas on the bonnet also had small areas of paint loss. On careful further examination of the cars’ paintwork there were also losses of paint on the wings and more disturbingly on the rear of the car. In total there are at least 31 areas of loss of paint on the car ranging from 2- 15 mm in diameter or length. Despite having a BMW before this one and a further 10 cars in my lifetime I have never witnessed this amount of paint loss in multiple areas of a car like this including cars like Mazda, Nissan and Honda even when they have been up to 9 years old.
The tyres required being replaced in January 2010 and whilst in the BMW Center at Broad Oak Canterbury I asked the technicians to look at the paintwork. I was told that all the areas of paint loss were caused by chips from stones even the ones at the back where being hit by a stone is unlikely. I then requested a further inspection and I was told to make an appointment at Barretts Repair Centre in Canterbury. Darren inspected the car stated it did not come under the corrosive warranty and said that they were all due to stone chips and with the one at the back something had to have hit it somehow . I told him I was not happy with this explanation as this sort of paintwork damage had never occurred on any of my previous cars that I had possessed. He suggested then that an Inspector from BMW could look at this at some time. A further appointment was made to get this seen by the BMW Inspector in Ashford and the car was left at Barretts Canterbury. The car was picked up the following day but no explanation was given to me of the findings at the time of pick-up. The lady behind the desk just stated that I had no cause for complaint. I asked for a more detailed explanation and was told to ring back later that day. On returning the call I was told they were all chip marks and that was that. I requested then a written report from the BMW Inspector and was told I would receive this shortly. Two weeks later I still have not seen this report and still have the ever increasing number of defects on the paintwork of the car.

My complaints are as follows:
This car is the most expensive car I have ever bought and yet the paintwork is obviously defective or not in keeping with the cost of purchase of the car. What is even more disturbing is the fact I had to pay an extra amount of money for the metallic finish. I can understand stones causing marks of maybe 1mm but when areas surrounding the chip flake off in larger areas it makes me wonder whether the paint used or its application was defective in some way. This point has some truth in it as I have never witnessed this type of defective paintwork on any other car I have owned including the BMW Estate which I gave to my son and is currently 6 years old.
Although I have requested it to date I have not received a technical report explaining why the paintwork is defective despite the car being examined on 3 separate occasions. To be told they are just chip marks is not from my point of view an adequate explanation.
Looking on the internet it would appear other BMW car owners are experiencing a similar problem and are being fobbed off with the same explanation.
Unless a satisfactory explanation is forthcoming it would seem that my only course for redress would appear to report my experiences to someone like BBC Watchdog or highlight the problem in the local press so that other potential purchasers of these cars are made aware of this problem. The watchdog programme are also likely to undertake a more extensive investigation of the problem.
I chose to buy my car from BMW as you advertise the fact that you make a point of having a reputation for looking after your customers and sorting out their complaints but at the present time this does not seem to be my experience. In the future it certainly will make me look at other cars when I exchange this car in the next 2 years unless I get some recompense for this problem.
I look forward to your response before I consider taking further action on this matter.

A Stellon

The following is a copy of an email I sent to the gm of ft myers bmw. I copied bmw of north america.
To date the dealership acknowledged that they had over charged $120.00 for the 60000 mile service but have not acknowledged any wrong doing regarding the water pump problem.
Bmw of na called and bascially said there is nothing they can or want to do regarding the situation.
Has anyone else had similar problems?
The ultimate driving machine or the ultimate rip off machine?

Good morning mr. Shepherd,

I recently had some service work performed at your dealership. On thursday, february 25th I dropped off my 2000 z3 for a 60, 000 mile service which had been quoted to me by cindy, your service advisor, to cost $499.00. Thursday afternoon cindy called me to inform that I needed a new alternator and that is would cost $959.00. My initial reaction was shock as I never heard of an alternator costing so much money; cindy said she would ask the service manager for a reduction. I authorized the work to be done. Cindy then told me that the alternator had to overnighted from bmw/na’s warehouse in jacksonville, fl and would probably arrive monday or maybe tuesday.

Cindy then asked me is she could close out the 60, 000 mile service order and I agreed thinking that my credit card on file would be charged something in the low $500.00 range for the work performed.

I did not hear from cindy again until late wednesday afternoon, march 3rd she called to tell me that my car was ready. I told her I would pick it up thursday the 4th.

I arrived at your dealership on the 4th at about 1:30 in the afternoon and was told that cindy was not available but that all I had to do was pay the cashier and be on my way. When the cashier presented me with an invoice of some $1100.00 I asked why it was so much more than the estimate and asked to see the service manager. I was told that the service manager was not available either. I reluctantly paid the bill. I now realize I should have asked if you were on site.

I then asked for a copy of the original invoice for the 60, 000 service work that had been performed the previous week as cindy never bothered to send me a copy. After some trouble finding in your computer system the cashier finally produced an invoice for over $600.00. To say I was shocked cannot really describe my reaction.

Why does your dealership promote false estimating and then present the client with an invoice that far exceeds the quoted amount? Not once but twice.

I had received an email asking for my feedback on the quality of my experience with the original service work preformed and filled it out and sent my remarks back requesting to hear from a representative from both the dealership as well as from bmw of na. To date I have nothing from your organization but I did receive an email from bmw of na requesting additional information.

While waiting to hear from someone I decided to drive my z3, a car which had never caused me any concern, from cape coral, fl back to my home in ma, a trip of some 1500 miles. I had perhaps put 15 or 20 miles on the car since I had picked it from your dealership.

Well, I made it as far as 20 miles from lakeland, fl when I noticed my battery light appeared indicating that my alternator was no longer working and I was draining the battery life. I then noticed the temperature gauge and was shocked to see it in the red zone. I pulled off interstate 4 and called bmw roadside assistance. I was informed that for $120.00 my car could be flat bedded to field’s bmw in lakeland, fl which is where I ended sometime late monday afternoon. I was informed that the water pump froze and broke some belts which caused damage to the radiator housing and possibly the fan as well. Estimated cost was going to be some $1900.00 and probably more when everything was known. I received a loner rental car ad drove to a nearby motel to stay the night. On tuesday morning I realized I no longer had any faith in the performance of my z3 for any long trips so I made arrangements to fly back to ma and have the z3, when it was finished, transported back to ma at a cost of some $700.00. My plane ticket cost $165.00.

I am at present seeking a fl attorney to represent me as I plan to take action against your dealership for poorly preformed service work. I am of the belief that the alternator and new belts were improperly installed and adjusted which caused the damage. It seems there is some agreement to my theory from the service folks at field’s bmw. I will have the parts inspected by an expert to assist my case.

Mr. Shepherd, I am a retired employee of bmw of na and must tell you that I am ashamed of the work performed and the disparity of the rates quoted and charged on the part of your dealership.