BMW Paint

I purchased a 2006 BMW 750li new from Reaves Motorcars of Tampa. I noticed the paint starting falling this year. I took it to the dealer who stated he felt there was a defect in the paint/clear coat. He called BMW to come look at the problem. On the once a month visit from the regional manager, Bill **, I was called by the dealer to drop the car off for his review. When I came to pick the car up the service tech informed me that it was not warranted. I was also informed that he never even looked at the car. I then spoke to the general manager, Kelly **, who gave me the 800 number for BMW customer relations. I called them and explained the problem and they scheduled another time for the same rep, Bill **, to actually look at the problem. I went to the dealer to meet the rep to discuss the problem; he no-showed and let me sit at dealership waiting on him. I called the 800 number and I expressed my frustration about the unprofessional behavior of the rep.

When I got home I received a blocked caller ID call from the rep who asked to come look at the problem but never apologized for his no-show. He showed up at my home with an obvious attitude, looked at the car and said it was not warranted. I was very disappointed. I then took the car to a different dealer, Bert **, to get a repair done unrelated to the paint. When completed I asked for a price to have the paint repaired. I received a call from the service tech who stated they thought I should have the BMW rep look at the paint as they felt there was a defect.

I asked who the rep was and the answer was Bill **, the same rep from the other dealer. I explained his past evaluation and asked for a price anyway. I called the 800 number again and shared my concern and they said there would be no further action in spite of my request for a different set of eyes. I feel BMW has poor representation and does not want to fix their defect. I would not recommend a BMW. I will get the car repainted and submit a claim in court.

I purchased a brand new 2006 525i. It has been my dream car, and I was excited to make this new purchase. I have kept regular service and maintenance on this vehicle, and keep it in the garage at all times when I am at home. I have another car that I drive to work during the week, so the BMW is mainly used as my weekend vehicle. About four years later, I noticed the paint starting to wear on the hood. Then about three or four months after that, the paint on the roof of the car started to fade, and lastly the paint on the trunk of the car, noticed fading. I took it to Tom Williams and spoke with the service manager and the regional manager, who was scheduled to be in town that day. They took my vehicle to one of the service men, and he stated that it looked like soap may have been left on the car and that it could be buffed out. From there, they informed me to take it to their Collision Center to have it buffed out. The servicemen at the Collision Center told me that they could not buff it out and that it was a defect in the clear coat that was originally put on the car.

I was given an 800 number from the servicemen at BMW, and from there, they told me that my vehicle was out of warranty. I took it to a few other local body shops, and they informed me of the same thing; that it was the clear coat that was poorly applied. The local serviceman asked me if I had the car shipped, and I answered yes. I special ordered this vehicle and had it shipped here to the U.S. He informed me that he had other customers who had the same complaint and that it may have been the salt water that caused the paint fade. He informed me that it was a water-borne clear coat that was initially put on the car, and that it was a poor type of paint that is not designed to last for the amount of money that consumers pay for this type of vehicle. This is my dream car, and it is very disappointing to know that I invested this much money in a vehicle to have to drive around with fading paint. I have a Toyota that I have had and driven for 15 years now, and the paint is still intact, and it puzzles me that and after five years the paint on my BMW is worn.

I purchased a new, red BMW 328I in 1996 from the Walnut Creek, CA BMW dealership. Over the last 5 years, the car has been driven 75,000 miles (15,000 miles per year - hardly excessive). I have taken excellent care of the car, and almost everyone who has ever worked on it has said the same thing. The car is garaged when I'm not driving it, the maintenance is up to date, and I get it washed and waxed regularly.

However, over the past six months, I have noticed that the paint has begun to fade and peel in certain spots. I've consulted two auto detailing experts about this problem, and both of them have said that this is an unusual problem with a BMW and indicates a flaw in the original paint job. They suggested that I take the car back to BMW and request that BMW repair the damage.

I took my car to the Stevens Creek BMW dealership in Santa Clara, CA, because that is where I have my car serviced. The customer service manager recognized that there was a problem with the paint, and asked the detail manager to try to buff out the blemished paint. That technique proved ineffective, so they said that they would have to have a BMW Corporate manager look at the car to get special permission to repair the paint damage. The BMW Corporate manager denied the request, saying that the car was out-of-warranty and over mileage and that the problem was mine to deal with. To add insult to injury, they scratched my existing paint finish as they were trying to buff out the damaged paint. They have so far been unresponsive to my requests for remediation.

I am furious! The reason I bought a BMW was to get a car that would hold up well over time. I wanted a car that I could keep for 10+ years and that would hold its value. Instead, I ended up with a car that's no better than a Chevrolet. Had I known that, I would have saved myself the money and just bought the Chevy. For a company that claims to be so customer service oriented, I am very disappointed by BMW's unwillingness to correct a flaw in the original paint job. Now, I am stuck with an expensive car that isn't worth a dime unless I spring for an expensive new paint job. I am so angry! They have lost a customer. Not only will I never purchase a BMW again, I will also never recommend BMW again to my family or friends.