
BMW Reviews
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- Excellent performance and handling
- High-quality interior materials
- Good resale value over time
- High maintenance and repair costs
- Frequent electrical issues reported
- Limited rear seat space
BMW Reviews
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Reviewed May 12, 2015
If you are one of the people out there looking to buy a BMW, perhaps you should consider a more reliable and well built car like a Lexus - do your due diligence and research online to read about all the other user complaints. A colleague of mine leased a 325i 4 years ago, and I would often ride to lunch with him. The car feels great even as a passenger. While my colleague would share that he had taken the car to the dealership multiple times for service related to problems - engine stalling, breaks - his was still under warranty. I decided to purchase what is referred to as a certified pre-owned BMW.
While the car is under warranty you should be fine as everything is covered - breaks, battery, service. Mine had to be checked at least 4 times. Once because it shut off and left us broken down as it was overheating - radiator issue. Car got fixed. Several months later the engine started stalling - vibrating like it was an old Volkswagen. We took it to dealer for service, they fixed the problem only for it to come back again. Dealer fixed it again - still under warranty so no problems. Then the warranty expired and I found out what BMW ownership is all about. Rear passenger-side seat belt broke, had to replace it at an ~cost of $350; window actuator and/or motors on three windows broke and had to be replaced, about $210 each with parts and labor. The inside trim of the side doors is terrible, arm rest on door started falling apart looking like it was melting.
Stereo lights do not work so I cannot tell what station I'm on. The mini-plug in the car's interior came off - how and why would this happen? We must have purchased the entry-entry model 325i as I really can't imagine how a company like BMW that advertises German Engineering as a badge of honor would allow a car like this off their manufacturing lot. Extremely disappointed, more like fed up, that I've had to make all of these payments on issues that should have never been a problem.
Reviewed May 12, 2015
I placed a new vehicle order for a BMW X5 in September 2014, at BMW Monrovia, CA. BMW North America (NA) changed the delivery date several times. I had no confidence in them but my sales guy kept telling me different stories why they had to put off the delivery. I finally got my vehicle in November 2014. BMW NA then said they would give me a goodwill check ($1,028) for late delivery.
I started to have a nightmare for this check. After two months I did not see the check, I went to ask my sale guy at the dealership. He later told me BMW NA sent a $500 check to my previous address. (My sales guy made a mistake by giving BMW NA that address as I had not lived there for two years). He said he had contacted BMW NA several times to ask for the check. It appears no one there was taking care of this matter.
After hard pursuit, I finally had my check delivered to me in May 2015. That is six months later after they made their promise. I had to chase after my sales guy who was lazy by not advising me timely what was going on with this matter. The experience was horrible. There was no such thing called customer service with BMW NA. It is shame you have to keep chasing after them closely for more than six months to do their work. It is a shame with BMW NA.
Reviewed May 11, 2015
Bought this 2010 BMW X5 35d brand new from a dealership in Colorado. It's spent more time in dealership shops than in the garage. Check engine lights, battery drain problems, electrical problems... on and on and on. The worst car I've ever owned and at a most ridiculous price. Many times the check engine light or battery drain light (or whatever) comes back on or recurs within a day or within a week. Back to the shop we go... only to be told they can't find it or replicate it. Great. I go home, it starts again. It's beyond ridiculous. As soon as I pick it up from the shop this time (it's getting the THIRD battery now), I'm selling it. I'll never own another one again. EVER. Don't waste your money. I've owned two Hondas -- they were great, comfortable, reliable cars. I'm not sure what I'll buy next, but it won't be a BMW.
Reviewed April 27, 2015
Driving along and all of the sudden a fan came on with a loud blowing sound. I parked my car and planned to take it to the shop the next day. I checked the coolant, it was a little low so I added. The next while on the way to the shop, still loud blowing, the engine overheat warning came on. I pulled over and towed to the shop. As soon as they hear the fan come on, they said immediately, the water pump failed - "We get about 4 or 5 a week on this car." As a result, I have to replace a water pump, and cracked radiator, $2,000. I check the internet and found many, many of the same complaints. I read that there was a recall for the X5's with the V8 engine. I imagine the design is the same and therefore the recall should include the V6 engine as well.
Reviewed April 23, 2015
My son and I each purchased a BMW new at the dealer in Jan. 2011. His was a 3 series, mine was a 5. Today he was told he needs a new transmission for $4,800 and he is just at 40,000 miles and three months out of warranty. The dealer said they could not help since it was out of time not miles on the warranty. He never drove it hard, just drove to work and around town, still has same tires. Is there anything he can do? I have purchased five BMW's from this dealer and will not go back if they will not help.
Reviewed April 22, 2015
I leased a 2014 BMW X5 at the end of December 2013. On this vehicle I have had the oil indicator light come on 5 times. Every time the light came on I brought it to the dealership. A service tech would come out, look at the light, open the hood, add oil and then reset the computer in the car and tell me that I am all set to go. The car now has 20,000 miles and on April 19th the oil indicator light came on and an error message displayed on the screen that read "drivetrain malfunction". I immediately contacted my dealership as the car had a horrible shake to it and the message indicated to drive the vehicle at low speeds.
I brought it in for service on April 21st which was Monday. The dealership contacted me Tuesday telling me that my engine was damaged beyond repair and it was my fault because I had not taken the car in at 10,000 miles. He then told me that the car's computer would have pinged the dealership and then I would have received a phone call to schedule a service. I told him that a call never happened and he searched on his computer and to his surprise the car indeed never pinged them and he agreed I never received the call yet I was setup for that service.
He then said the car however pinged them on April 19th for a service but never prior to that validating what I had been telling him the entire time. He said I should have had an indicator light come on and the car should have pinged but he could not find a record of it. I told him that every time the indicator light came on, I brought it in and his service techs came out and took care of it and sent me on my way. I then asked him when I brought it in when the lights came on why did his service techs not know that car needed to stay for service and he replied to me that they were not trained for that, that they were only trained for "top offs".
I have done everything that I was supposed to do. I always brought the car in when the lights came on yet apparently the dealership doesn't train their service techs to fully understand what the vehicle needs. Now I am left with almost a $1300 monthly payment on a vehicle that has no motor and a dealership that doesn't want to take responsibility.
Reviewed April 21, 2015
I own a BMW 545i for years. I want to tell the world what a piece of crap this 65,000 $$$ car is. I mean really BMW sure did a number on everybody with this v8 engines. I want to share all my problems with this car with you guys. DME or ECU replacement and programming $ 3300.00. Alternator bracket leak $800.00. Timing cover and valve cover oil leaks $ 1800.00. Water pump replacement $600.00. Check this one out, engine transfer coolant pipe $2000.00 and that's using the bimmer pipe. Thanks to the guys. They invented this wonderful pipe that save me $5000.00. Yeah. BMW want it 7k for this job. AC heater valves $200.00, AC compressor $1050.
I'm the second owner of this car. I bought it with 40,000 miles. Now the car has 74,000 miles and more problems. Now the car doesn't want to start. It can't keep idle. I think it's the throttle body or it could be the DME again-- look guys, I'm sharing all of this with you guys cause I see all of this. People that want to buy a use BMW pls don't. It's cheaper to buy a glass of lemonade if you know what I mean. For me I rather died than buy a BMW new or used. Again that's all I have to said about that. BMW should really pay for these lemons that have sold over the years to people. Thanks for reading my frustrations.
Reviewed April 10, 2015
Bmwx3 2007 lost power. Engine light went on in traffic. Took to repair shop. The all 12 latch adjusters were shot, needed to be replace at 1000. Needed special tool. Once they came off, whole cam shaft was scarred and front end was falling out. Car had 75 thousand miles on it then the starter went 5000. Worth of damage not covered.
Reviewed March 30, 2015
My car was delivered with the "engine" light on. I subsequently had it taken back to BMW in Monsey, NY using my miles (over 100 there and back) only to have the light go back on, over the course of the lease. The tires, it appears aren't strong enough for the weight of the car. I would get a flat often or bubbles on the tire, not to mention I felt everything on the road. My issue is mostly with roadside assistance. It would have been better not to have it as an option. I would never have gone with a BMW to start with, but more importantly I would not have been stuck for hours waiting for a promised tow truck -- that never showed up. On 3 occasions during my lease term of 39 months I needed roadside service. The first 2 times, they didn't have anyone and the third time, after waiting 90 minutes I was told the TOW TRUCK broke down. It's a joke!!!
Reviewed March 26, 2015
Purchased a 2015 BMW X5. Three weeks later it stalled on the highway. Dealership said it was a fuel pump issue would be two weeks. Vehicle has less than 600 miles on it. Problem must be across the fleet because there is zero balance in the US. This is unacceptable.
Reviewed March 25, 2015
2010 BMW 528i...Ever since I have this car start giving me problems. Only 13000 miles. It needs tire replacement. Whenever need oil change...no warning light. Just pass 50000 mile...no longer in warranty. At 51000 oil licks on engine. BMW charge me almost $1800. I call BMW. Didn't get proper response or help.
Reviewed March 24, 2015
We called BMW for 2011 X5 about problems almost every month with engine sign and more. BMW's answer was "You didn't buy new BMW and you have 40k miles already so we cannot do anything, sorry". I asked Mr. ** for supervisor, he said, "My supervisor (**) will tell you same thing" & refused to transfer or provide her contact info. Anyway, we have numerous repairs done under warranty in last 2 years and ongoing... We have driven BMWs for over 20 years & now I can say very clearly "Don't get heavy scrap with overloaded, computerized, constantly failing components with BMW's policy to keep making service money without caring for customers at all. In 2014 we owned BMW 2011 X5, 2001 740iL, 2008 335i, 2005 325xi, 2003 X5 & 2003 M3.
Reviewed March 23, 2015
I've 3 BMW in the past 5 years. 2010 BMW 335, 2010 X5, 2012 X3. Never will I purchase another one again. My 335 went out at 3000 miles. My x5 went out at 20000 miles. Never even drove that car, but had it beyond my warranty, so I had to spend $2500 replacing spark plugs and some engine coils. My x3 have constant tire pressure errors! Bought the tire and wheel warranty straight from the dealership. The sales guy told me that if anything goes wrong with my wheel or if there's a scratch on the wheel they will replace it free of charge. Man was I told a lie. BMW refuses to replace my wheel. WOW these cars are POS. Thought I could switch from Mercedes and Lexus. I think I'm going back with them.
Reviewed March 20, 2015
This is the worst car I have ever owned. Bought in 2001 for a hefty sum, and every year, some minor stuff had to be fixed (heater fan stopped working, windows would not roll up, door handles peeled off, roof dashboard lining all bubbled up...irritating small things that added up to quite a lot). The "service engine soon" indicator kept going on and off, and the dealer said there were faulty sensors that needed replacing for only 800 USD. This is about 6 months after I just paid close to 4K for 100K maintenance.
Then yesterday, the transmission warning came on, and the car started driving like pedaling a bicycle uphill. The motor had such a hard time I took it straight to the dealer. I was told the gears on the transmission wore out! The car had one driver, who took it to all the required maintenance, and always drove it in auto mode. For the transmission to give up after 110,000 miles is expected of a BMW. I had a Camry that lasted me 15 years without a problem!!! I am really disappointed with this car. My advice -- Do not , NOT, NOT, buy this junkie car. I do not know what happened. I will never buy a BMW, will not take one even if it was offered to me!!! Done with this car, done with the dealer, done and totally pissed off with this company. Euro junk, german funk.
Reviewed March 13, 2015
I have a 2004 BWM X5 4.4, sticker price of just under $66K in 2004 dollars. In August 2014 I installed a BMW trailer hitch so I could tow my travel trailer. I ordered the wiring harness for the lights at that time. They had been on BO nationally and in Germany for months at that point. Today I'm told by BMWNA customer relations that BMW will no longer be providing that part for the older X5's. I'm SOL.
It's past their mandatory 10 federal regulation, so if you don't like it buy a new model to tow anything with. I currently own: 1999 BMW M Coupe, 2004 BMW X5, 2005 BMW K 1200LT. Previous: 2007 BMW K1200GT, 2002 BMW K1200RS, 2009 BMW R1200GS, 1995 BMW 318, 2004 BMW 750. Do you think I will buy another one? Is this any way to treat customers? Is a 10 Year old $66K vehicle really disposable? Shame on BMW for their practices and policies. Anyone else interested in filing a class action lawsuit?
Reviewed March 10, 2015
BMW is not fixing my vehicle under full manufacturer warranty. I was told by a customer service representatives that there will be no fix to the issue below and mainly the safety seat belt issue. The management at the BMW of North America is ignoring my request to speak with them about any resolution. They are holding my vehicle until the warranty expires in 40 days so they can kick my vehicle out of their shop. I have a loaner vehicle with an expired tag from weeks and I have received 5 tickets for it so far. Critz BMW dealership finally give me a sticker after many complaints.
Fuel injectors failed first after a month of purchasing this vehicle and failed again after six months both times my vehicle was the dealership from 4 days to 6 days. Appointment is made for the third time and BMW is holding my vehicle from almost 28 days now at the Critz BMW dealership in Savannah, GA and they will be still holding it until two more weeks since they can’t fix the issue.
Seat belt Malfunction for Passenger side not fixed after many complaints from six months and BMW is holding my vehicle from almost 28 days now and they will be holding it until two more weeks since they can’t fix the issue. The dealership is telling me that they are trying to find a way to replace the sensor under the passenger seat but BMW of North America is telling me that they can’t duplicate they issue. I can’t have a passenger or my wife in my car due to the seat belt safety issue. I told BMW USA that I will be holding them responsible for any safety issue to someone’s life due to the seat belt issue that BMW USA is not fixing and their reply was “We can’t do anything about it.”
The Car is vibrating at 40MPH. BMW found Irregular tire wear on the front tires.. But I have a full warranty on all tires with BMW that I have purchased since I bought this vehicle from BMW, the warranty is based on all the road hazards and the cause of the vibration is road hazards and BMW is not replacing the tires. I have found someone else is insurance and registration in my car, someone from the Critz BMW dealership was driving my vehicle for private use since I saw the change in mileage and evidence of someone’s insurance and registration information.
Engine makes big noise at the start after parked for 8 hrs or more. The backup camera is stop working sometimes and the navigation is loading slowly. It’s been six months or more that I am in contact with BMW of North America and the customer service department at BMW of North America along with their managements are ignoring the whole situation and are holding my vehicle hostage at the Critz BMW in Savannah, GA 31401 since FEB 12/2015 until the Manufacturer warranty expires in some 40 days.
BMW of North America is telling me that they can’t duplicate the issue and they can’t fix it but not sure why they are holding my vehicle with them. They give me a longer vehicle with an expired Tag which I received 5 tickets so far but Critz BMW told me that they will be paying for it but I have to deal with all the frustrations. I reached out to BBB and at first they accept my case but later denied it after they contacted BMW of North America.
The representative from BMW of North America told me over the phone in a sarcastic way that “Your case is denied from BBB and you have no case against us.” I contacted State of Georgia Governor’s office but no reply from them and I have also reached out to the Department of Highway safety for the seatbelt safety issue and no reply from them as will. I searched for an attorney to file a Georgia Lemon law case for me but attorneys told me that I have no case since my vehicle have 36500 Miles on it even though it’s still under full manufacturer warranty.
Reviewed March 9, 2015
2012 X6. Has used oil since approximately 6 months after purchase. Smokes. Smells. Oil stains all around tail pipes on paint. Has used 6 quarts of oil in less than 5000 miles. Engine overheats. Engine shuts down to reduced power mode with no warning. Has been at Moses BMW essentially since Nov 2014. Replaced fuel pump, water pump, hoses, sensors, lines, injectors, battery, vacuum system, engine cover, engine partitions, you name it and still limping and smoking. RPMs even go down when I give it gas. This X6 as well as my previous one have given me nightmares since 2009. BMW and its "authorized service" are horrible. They are not reliable! They are dangerous! They are selling defective products that are dangerous and refuse to even talk to the people who they are obligated to under their warranties.
Reviewed March 9, 2015
My BMW told me to check my coolant level and I decided to put in more coolant. To my greatest surprise, all the coolant I put in came running down from underneath the car. I'm confuse and don't know what is the problem or my cost would be.
Reviewed March 1, 2015
Please Recall all BMW X5 XDrive35i 2011. They have a Recall but BMW of America is not making it known to all BMW X5 XDrive35i 2011 about this safety issue with this BMW X5 XDrive35i 2011. They need to send notices out before someone gets killed in the USA of America. "Engine Malfunction" the BMW X5 XDrive35i 2011 will stop without warning and jam the brakes and come to a full stop no matter where on the highway. Warning!!! Recall BMW X5 XDrive35i 2011!!!
Reviewed Feb. 25, 2015
I bought a new 2013 BMW 328xi and at 17,000 kilometers I experienced shuddering when braking. Upon further inspection I was told my brake rotors were rusted grooved badly. Contacted my BMW dealer, and he promptly told me that brakes are not warranted, and it would cost $900 to replace them. There was very little wear on the pads or rotors - I questioned why I would replace them with BMW brakes, as the first set rusted out in only 17,000 kms???? And the new ones were NOT warrantied also!!!!!
BMW head office in Germany emailed me that "you must dry off your rotors after they're wet!!!!!!" My local service place laughed and said that that was almost impossible short of taking all the wheels off!!!!!! Normally car companies do not warrant brakes because they are considered a "wear item," which makes sense, but mine were NOT worn! I replaced the rotors and pads with aftermarket ones that WERE warranted and would not rust! I am now taking BMW to court to get my $900 back. BMW were not even interested in finding out what conditions would cause the brakes on a $60,000 car would rust out before the FIRST oil change was even due. Please let me know if anyone else has had this problem.
Reviewed Feb. 23, 2015
I purchased an '08 M6 from the dealer in May of '13. It had 63,000 mi. In the fall 0f '14, I had the clutch, flywheel and slave cylinder replaced for a few thousand. In Dec. of '14, the check engine light came on. I parked it and had it towed to the dealer in Jan. They said it didn't have the correct battery so they replaced it, synced it to the computer for several hundred. Then they said it needed a new vanos pump as the chain was broken and metal shards were found in the bottom of the oil pan. Solenoids in the VANOS system had broken, causing the chain to break. The vanos pump was replaced and now I'm told they couldn't get all the metal shards out and I need a new engine for $25,000.00. This is the top-of-the-line flagship vehicle for BMW. It has 72,000 mi. on the engine and has experienced catastrophic failure. I owe several thousand for the work that's been done and it still needs a new engine. I'd appreciate suggestions, advice.
Reviewed Feb. 8, 2015
I just bought a 2000 328I very beautiful car and the first day I drive the car the clutch pedal went to the floor. I checked the fluid and it was fine so I changed the clutch master cylinder and bled the system and it went back to a solid pedal. I can't select no gears when the car is running but when the car ain't running I can put it in all the gears. If you know what's wrong with it please let me know what to do.
Reviewed Feb. 6, 2015
2003 BMW 745LI - Went to open the trunk as usual, heard the click but the trunk didn't open. I noticed that there was some give and take, however the latch would not disengage and lift open. The instrument panel says trunk open. That's because technically the trunk is unlocked but the latch will not disengage. Took car to BMW Santa Monica. They kept my car overnight and charged me $175 to tell me to go to a body shop because they were unable to open the trunk. BMW Santa Monica made the issue worse by pushing down on the trunk and totally locked the latch. Now it is solidly closed. I called the body shop BMW Santa Monica recommended and was told that it's a very long process to open a BMW trunk. I contacted another body shop and was told that they have to remove the back seats to get to the trunk. I don't know where to go. I have 2 work computers, groceries (all gone bad), clothes and medicine in trunk.
Reviewed Feb. 4, 2015
I recently purchased a 2008 530I with light front damage. Luckily I had taken electronics in high school and 300ZX's had first EFI Computers, Digital, dashes, vibrating seats, Turbochargers, alarms, 145MPH shut offs. I bought like new wrecked cars, stripping the electronics out immediately, keeping them from the weather, giving me testing equipment and quickly made me famous around Kentucky and Indiana. When I saw the dealer bills, (Thousands) I raised my prices up a little and bought more nice wrecked cars.
My 2008 BMW calls for a $950.00 positive battery terminal, in order to start from the ignition. It took me two weeks to read online about how BMW had gone crazy on parts prices and dealer ripoffs. They are crazy on parts prices now. I fixed it for 200, the dealer wants 1,500 including reprogramming the car. You must have a special tool to install into the plug for the troubleshooting device to save the programs $100.
Reviewed Feb. 2, 2015
I own a 2012 528i I purchased on January 2012 from Lauderdale BMW of Pembroke Pines. A salesman (Lazaro **) told me that since I had excellent credit I qualified to purchase the car and that was a better deal, by the way I went to lease a car not to purchase, but he came up with some numbers much higher to lease it....!! So I was misled by the BMW salesman. The car has been in for repairs in several occasions, even towed in breaches the oil leaked out and into the cooling system.... I contacted BMW headquarters. I was hoping that they would admit that the car came out of the factory with several defects, however they declined. I will make it public seeking for all customers that have been mistreated with faulty cars and destroy this car to make the public aware of the BMW's poor quality of product and lack of customer service.
Reviewed Jan. 24, 2015
I have a 2011 BMW 328XI that I have had a couple of problems with. All but one was covered under warranty. The last service I had, they noticed my valve cover leaking oil. My car has 56k miles on it, this should not be happening. I called BMW customer service, and was told it was "normal maintenance". I was quoted $705 to fix this problem. NOT HAPPY!!!! This is my first and last BMW!!! Also, at 51k miles (1k out of warranty), my rear brake rotors needed replacement. I was told, "sorry, it's out of warranty." Thanks for NOTHING BMW!!!!
Reviewed Jan. 17, 2015
3001 bmw 740il - Bought this auto from private party for 4000 dollars as a favor for them. What a piece of junk to try and revive. BMW hides from USA rules in their failures. Beware of the newness and glamor of their models. The truth is we the consumers have to fix and try to accomplish a better product all on our own. This might seem as a bit of **. But buy American built products and German engineering might seem glamorous but GOD loves AMERICA for a reason.
Reviewed Jan. 17, 2015
I bought a x5 2009 with 36.000 miles. Because I never had good reviews about BMW cars and my wife want this car so much, I bought a extended warranty for $5000. Now the car is 51000 miles and it is leaking oil from the valve cover and is leaking oil from the main seal and needs motor mount. The car is service at BMW. The technician said he was going to have to lower the engine and transmission in order to change the main seal. Also, he said BMW that doesn't leak oil is not a BMW (sarcastic).
$2000 job, thanks God I bought the extended warranty. My last car was a 2002 Acura mdx, drove 9 years, put 187,000 miles, never leak any oil and the only money I spent in that car was a tune up I did when the car was around 120.000 miles. My next car will be a Lexus gx460, the real ultimate drive machine!! Bmw is good for the rich people, they lease for 2 years then return and get another one. Bmw cars after 2 years of use, it start to fall apart.
Reviewed Jan. 17, 2015
I purchased 2 BMW in the last 10 years - 745Li and X5. Showing a late payment on my credit report more than 7 years. Called the BMW credit department and was treated like a thief. Need to get this late payment removed. I am aware that it is not the CEO decision to hold me wrong after 5 years - just a clerk who has no feelings.
Reviewed Jan. 14, 2015
I am a Canadian citizen owner of a Quebec registered (licensed) American Z4 staying in Florida for three months until early April. Last week I misplaced one of my car keys set, so I went to the Ferman BMW in Palm Harbor FL for a replacement key. I was told and given by a representative of the parts department a document that said that it was against BMW policy to provide a replacement key for vehicles with foreign titles/registration, and suggested that I contact BMW care, which I did the following day.
On Friday morning January 9th I contacted BMW customer care and explained my situation to two specialists (Ross and Kristina) and since they could not help me that someone at a higher level would contact me later in the day! NO ONE DID!! I find it disturbing that a BMW owner with proper documentations would be left stranded for days because of a policy that leaves no room to judgment and that no one at BMW Customer care, care enough to take action and use his or her judgment to resolve the situation.
Updated on 01/19/2015
Last week I wrote a complaint that I was trying to have a replacement key made for my Z4. That same day Kristina from BMW customer care contacted me to say that she needed more time to reach someone to resolve my problem - that since my vehicle was registered in Canada that it was against BMW's policy. I have been waiting since January 9th to have this problem resolved! I don't quite know what my next step should be! Write a letter to the head office in Germany? Thank you.
Reviewed Jan. 6, 2015
Bought new 2008 full service record drive, went out 31000 miles. BMW took bike hostage for 2 half weeks prime riding season to figure out if they would stand behind it. Dealer said, “Don't worry you had all service required done, should be no problem.” After holding bike 2 and a half weeks, “Oh sorry too far out of warranty.” Dealer gives used drive 1600 dollars, no warranty. This is a normal BMW consumer experience. Dealer said all the drives they rebuilt none have ever came back but up here you don't get that many miles per year, all confident in their rebuild but no warranty. Total terrible experience, looking at different kind of bike next time. No more high quality BMW experiences for me.
Reviewed Jan. 6, 2015
535xi 2008 problems even though it has been service by BMW - Had full tune up and within months, oil leak problems - 4500 to fix them. 8 months later turbos go out. Another 8 months trans not working. All this happened right after warranty. How can turbo and trans go out with less than 115,000 and I do not drive my car hard and have maintain all service. Very disappointed.
Reviewed Dec. 31, 2014
Do not purchase a BMW X5. In 5 years, it has required 20 major repairs, that's 20 ...do the math. We are running out of parts to replace. I was recently told by BMW service that I should expect $3K to $4K a year in service cost...interesting business model...manufacture a piece of (blank), but make it look really cool and then charge customers an exorbitant amount to repair it. To be fair, I owned a 528i for 8 years before the X5 and never had a problem. Only put oil in it for 8 years - great car.
X5...run away...fast.
Reviewed Dec. 21, 2014
Hi my name is Kizy **. I am a newlywed and also have a baby on the way. My problem is I bought a BMW 2011 X6 that was under warranty when I purchased it for my wife in 2013. it had a 3 year warranty or 50,000 miles on the car. My problem started on August 18 2014 when the car overheated. I took it to the BMW store in Rochester, Michigan. I was told that the coolant to the turbo needed to be replaced which was fine and I picked up my car two weeks later. On September 2, 2014, I picked up my vehicle and drove it to Costco but as I was leaving Costco, I noticed that my car left a puddle of antifreeze underneath my car, so I ended up having my car towed to the dealer again. They then said they found two leaks in the car and the tank was leaking. They said they repaired the cap. My car was in the shop for over two weeks then I had to have it towed again and it stayed there for another five days!
A couple days later, my low coolant light came on so I called the dealer and spoke with the service rep, **. He told me it could be a bubble in the system from when they flushed it out. They handed me a quart of coolant and told me to put it in my car and if the light goes back on, to give them a call because they were busy. So I added a quart of coolant and then a couple days later, my light went back on and because it was a Friday they could not get me in that day so they gave me two more quarts to add to my car. I did not think anything of it so I did as he instructed and added 1 quart more so light would turn off.
I went to the movies with my wife and her eyes started itching and we both started to feel sick and nauseous. I was getting upset that my pregnant wife and my future baby were in danger for inhaling coolant! The next day, I called BMW North America and spoke to a lady named Betsy. She advised me to take my car back to the dealer that day and I did. I explained to BMW North America my concerns and how important it is for me to make sure my pregnant wife is safe and healthy!! I explained to everyone at the dealership all my concerns regarding my car and my family's health.
On October 24, 2014, I brought my vehicle in for service because of the coolant scent in my vehicle and my car had been burning a quart of oil almost every week. BMW Rochester found that the coolant/antifreeze return lines to the turbo were leaking into the engine and the car was returned to me on November 03, 2014. On November 05, 2014, my wife and I were out and she noticed the scent and told me they did not fix my vehicle because she could still smell it and her eyes were burning again. Her senses and her smell were stronger than mine because she was pregnant.
So I called BMW North America and the dealership to explain to them what's going on. I brought my car back into the dealership for this same issue now being the fifth time and I had service reps **, and the head mechanical get into my car so they could smell the coolant I have been trying to get them to fix and also told them how my car had been losing its oil. On November 06, 2014, I brought my car back into the dealership and the head service rep, **, told me coolant was coming in because the bottom pan wasn't treated properly and he was going to make sure that his top serviceman was going to treat it this time. At this time, I was angry and I felt that BMW wasn't taking my case seriously and using my pregnant wife and I as test dummies. They would fix the one problem but not all of them and if it didn't work, they would keep telling me to come back in. I just don't feel like the dealership or BMW cared about our health or safety and they used us as test dummies.
On December 12, my reduced power came on and my low coolant came on. I called BMW of Rochester. They told me not to bring my vehicle back into the dealership and refused services and told me to go to Erhard of BMW at 4065 Maple Road Bloomfield Hills to fix my problem. I was really upset that I had to drive an hour and some time to go to the dealer to have my problem fixed! The service guy ** at Erhard told me on December 19, 2014, that there was a coolant leak again coming in my Vehicle from the bottom of my turbo line and the computer needed to be reprogrammed. He also said I needed the spark plugs and intake replaced. I still haven't gotten my car back. My biggest concerns are my family's health and safety. I'm also concerned of the internal damage and the value of my vehicle depreciating. I'm at a loss for words with BMW and the dealership and don't understand why I kept getting the runaround and still do not have my vehicle correctly repaired! The distress this has caused my wife and I has been unnecessary!
Reviewed Dec. 18, 2014
I purchased a brand new special order 2011 BMW 128i. I love the car and treat it like a baby. It has only 13,000 mile but required new rear tires. Very expensive items and with traction control and safe driving why did it need new tires. I hate the run-flat tires. They are hard as rocks and negatively affect the driving dynamics of the vehicle. The vehicle has no spare or temporary spare. To balance the vehicle, the battery has been placed in the trunk. It would have been wiser to utilize regular tires and provide a temporary spare in the trunk. My battery is now starting to fail. Of course that happened two months after the 4 yr maintenance expired. I just discovered that a new battery costs over $600 because the vehicle's computer has to be "reprogrammed" for the specific battery. Only BMW and a few authorized service centers can perform a battery replacement. So, a $200 battery costs an extra $400 for installation. That is just plain crazy. Hate the tires now, hate the cost of normal maintenance.
Reviewed Dec. 16, 2014
My wife and I were driving when our car just died on the highway which is a 2011 bmw 335i coupe with 94.*** miles that she recently bought used. I called the Bmw of Portland. They said to come over and bring the car because I have warranty, they said which expires on the 30th of this Month, I was surprised but at the same time happy. We got the car in the shop, they gave us a rental. After a few days we received a phone call saying they cannot detect the issue because the battery is dead and it's not original equipment.
Two months prior, we replaced the battery at specialized Bmw shop, the battery was programmed and registered like it supposed to. So now bmw wants $500 for a new battery so they can test drive the car and duplicate the problem, but the funny thing is they said they charged it overnight and it fired up but died after an hour. So I told him obviously there is something draining the battery and he said nope it's just the battery isn't original equipment. So I called a different bmw dealership because they refused to change the air filter and oil change while you can see that the air filter is super dirty. The main technician guy is scandalous and lazy. Spark notes car lost complete power and when I mean complete it's out like nothing works at all. Prior a week before a car started to have longer cranks but it would always start. There is a recall for the positive battery cable but when I type my vin in it says I don't have a recall. I don't know what to do.
Reviewed Dec. 16, 2014
In a period of last 12 months, my 2010 BMW X5 has had the following failures, which leads me to believe either that BMW has no quality in their products or this SUV is just a lemon.
2. Car slows down in the middle of the road and stops - Fuel pump bushings replaced in Aug 2014.
3. AC stops working - AC leak Schraeder valve- Aug 14
4. Thrust rod replaced - Aug 14
5. Check engine light on - Oil leak from Oil Filter Housing - Nov 14
6. High pitched noise from the hood - Crank Case Vent system - Dec 14
Called BMW for the last problem today and they just washed their hands off. Leads me to believe that they don't stand behind their product. Buyers beware. Do your research before you buy. There is certainly no driving experience here. It is the fear of your car stalling at any time.
Reviewed Dec. 6, 2014
I own a 2007 BMW (American spec) 328 XI with only 67,719 miles on it. On November 10, 2014 while in Ramstein I discovered that the reverse gear wasn't working. I went to the BMW dealership in K-Town to have it looked at before I traveled back home, three hours away, since I didn't have an appointment they had me wait 3 hours to be seen. The gentleman who I finally spoke to, he actually walk me out to my car and check it out for himself, told me that I was good to drive home and that there was nothing that they could do for me. I would have to make an appointment.
On November 11, 2014 while driving home with my three children on the Autobahn coming from Ramstien my car lost speed and I was not able to accelerate. I was able to pull over to the side of the road without causing an accident. When I put the car into drive it just stood idle as if it was in neutral. None of the gears worked. I had the car towed and the tow company who took it to their mechanic who they told me that it was probably the transmission. On November 12, 2014 I called BMW of North America and was told that they couldn't help me since I was in Europe.
I search and searched for the BMW Europe number, finally found it, called on November 13, 2014 and got the run around. I call BMW Europe again on November 14, 2014 and got the run around again. I called BMW of North America back on November 17 asking for assistance, a middle man to assist me since there was a language barrier and I wasn't getting any help from the BMW Europe customer service number. I was told that no one could assist me since I wasn't in America. They were unable to call Europe on my behalf.
Since I live in Velburg (3 hours away from Ramstien) I called ADAC and had the car towed to Hormanns (09492906321) in Parsburg (15 mins away from my house). It took ADAC a week to deliver my car to Hormanns. Once they received the car Marcus took a look at car and called the BMW dealer in Neumartk for advice. They told him that the rings in the transmission had broke and I would need to buy a new transmission. They also told him that there was recall a few years ago for the transmission rings to be replace. I have only own the car since July 2014. I do have all the service records from the previous owner and all the work and service is up to date and all had been done by a certified BMW dealership. My question to BMW is if there was recall why wasn't the rings changed out when the previous owners took the car in for service?
On November 21, 2014 I called the BMW Europe number (089125016000) again and I asked for a good will to assist with getting my transmission replaced. I spoke to Christina ** who assured me that someone from the good will dept would call me back within a few days. On November 26, 2014 I called the BMW Europe number again since no one had called me. I spoke to Jasmine ** and she assured me that someone would call me back within two days. She also gave me a different number to the good will dept to call back just in case. On November 28, 2014 I called BMW Europe good will (089125016030) back and spoke to Mandy ** and she told me that it was still in review and someone would call me back by Wednesday, 3 December. On December 1, 2014 I called and no review had been done and I was told that I should wait until Wednesday for a call back. I called on December 2, 2014 and was told again that the review wasn't done and someone will get back with me. After I hung up with BMW Europe I called BMW North America and explained to the customer service rep what was going on and she transferred me to the BMW military sales dept.
I have explained to everyone that I have spoken to that I am currently using a rental car, to take my children to school and go to work. The rental car is costing me more than my car note. I am in desperate need of getting my car repaired.
I bought the car because of BMWs high quality standards. I was even going to trade it in before we PCSd for a X5, however, this whole situation has been nothing but a nightmare.
On the afternoon of Friday 5 November 2014, three weeks of trying to contact BMW, Mr. ** from customer service finally returned my phone call. He informed me that in October of 2013 the drive box next to the transmission had been replace by BMW and that, that might be what is causing the problem and I should try to get the car towed to Praller BMW in Regensburg (about 45-60 mins away from where the car is currently at). I was so relieved to hear that. He said that they need to check the car out. I asked him was BMW going to have it towed? I had paid for towing already and I am currently paying for. Rental car, which I can not afford. I expressed to him the mechanic at Hormanns told me, that it was the transmission and that the rings in the transmission had broke and to my understanding that there was a recall on it a few years ago. He asked me for the mechanics number and that he would call me back. After about 30 minutes of waiting on a call back I called the mechanic and the receptionist told me that the BMW rep called and they they was going to have the car picked up.
I called BMW back from the number of caller ID and Mr ** whole tone of voice had changed. He informed me that BMW would not pay for the towing and that it would cost me 250 euro and the new transmission would cost me 5000 euro. My heart dropped. I asked him "Will BMW give me a good will to help with the cost" and he told me "No"! The mileage is low, very low. However, the car is 7 years old and BMW only gives good will to cars up to 5 years old. I ask him to please ask his supervisor to reconsider and he told me that he has already discussed this with him and there's nothing that can be done.
I asked him if I could speak to the supervisor and he told me "no". I asked if I could speak to the supervisor's supervisor and he told me "no". I told him that I didn't understand why I was being told no considering all the services had been done on the car had been done At BMW and there is record of it. I understand the car is seven years old, however, I bought it because of the low mileage and BMWs rep for quality cars. I bought it for the "driving experience". However, I am experiencing the "sitting experience ". I told him that if I was in the states that I'm sure BMW of North America would assist me and he told me "You're in Europe, not America. You can go back to America". I told him that "I was offended and I have never been treated with such disrespect." I am going to let all the soldiers and families know how I was treated". He said "ok" and hung up.
I immediately email BMW of North America for assistance and they told me there was nothing that they can do since BMW of Europe was assisting me. I emailed them back and told them that they was not going to help me. I also informed them that I was going to seek legal advise and write a few articles in military paper to make the military community aware of what I went through. They emailed me back and told me thank for informing them of what I was going to do and do not contact them or BMW of Europe again. I am so heart broken. There are so many complaints online about people who have the same complaints about the transmission. A few of them was offered a good will through BMW of North America. I even expressed trading the car in for an X5. However, I never want to deal BMW again. It's obvious they don't care about their customers let alone US Army Soldiers!!!
Reviewed Dec. 4, 2014
My 2011 BMW 335d has had the "Service Engine Light" on for most of its life now. Every single time I took it in while it was under warranty they could never find anything wrong. I even had to bring it back to Kuni BMW four times because the "DEF" warning like kept coming on. They would say, “Oh, we just filled the DEF, it is fine.” Lo and behold, once my warranty had expired, they found the problem. Now, the latest issue, I have brought it in regularly for its oil changes, etc. The service engine light keeps coming on. Then the engine malfunction light. Took this beauty in today and guess what?
Now it has a Carbon Build Up problem. After doing some research online today, it seems many 335d are having terrible carbon build up problems. Well guess what, no warranty and now an additional $2,800 to repair and 10 days in the shop. Seriously??? It seems to me, for the amount of money spent on BMW their cars would be more maintenance free, however, I feel this is the game of BMW. They know these engines have widespread problems and yet they do not protect the consumer.
I am so sorry I bought this beautiful car now!!! Poor decision not to believe the terrible reviews. My car is just slightly out of warranty. You think they would extend my warranty in a good faith effort to keep a valued client, however, they could care less. Very disappointed!!! Do your due diligence before investing in a BMW. As my friend put it to me, he has diesel vehicles with over 100,000 miles on it without a carbon build up issue. I feel like I am going to file a lawsuit against BMW at this point. There must be a Lemon Law.
Reviewed Dec. 3, 2014
On 08th of September I collected brand new BMW X1 (my dream car), sDrive16d SE N47 2.0, GU64EVC from your dealership. The car is defective and the faults are:
2. The In car sat nav system which cost me 890.00 (low volume mainly when driving in motorways & giving wrong directions). My TomTom sat nav, which I bought for 200.00 is about 5 years old and have much more features and options than the pricy in car sat nav (if I have known this I would not buy it).
3. The driver seat is too low & most uncomfortable car I have ever driven in my whole life. Every time I take a long drive I end up having severe back pains. (I am at a point that I can’t risk my health).
I have to say, I am very disappointed & have lost my trust in BMW due to the entire experience. I have been told by service department that they can't find any fault with the car and they are not going to help me. Few more issues I would like to make you aware of the car, these glitches don’t occur continuously however do happen and truly frustrating: The radio/music stop functioning unexpectedly, Unable to use the Bluetooth, Sat nav disappear from the screen, Tire pressure warning light keep on appearing. It seem as I have to check the tire pressure every two weeks. How inconvenient is this.
Reviewed Nov. 30, 2014
My 2012 BMW Motorrad f650gs motorcycle has had quality issues! I purchased my motorcycle new at a BMW dealer. From the moment I got it home it had issues - tires would lose air over a week, ABS didn't work, TPMS 5 PSI low, loose components. Since I am a mechanic, I fixed everything myself. That is, until this past month. The fuel tank outer shell (plastic with an inner liner) has started cracking from the front to the rear of the tank. BMW will not send me a replacement part. I have even gotten an attorney involved, because the retail price of a new tank is just under $1,000.00 US. I have found BMW customer service to be impossible to deal with.
Reviewed Nov. 26, 2014
First, I'd like to say that this Driving Experience has been the worst experience on my end. This letter is to notify you BMWNA as the manufacturer that my vehicle is once again at Fort Lauderdale BMW for the fourth time, and I will allow one more repair before my attorneys proceed with the Lemon Law of Florida State. I will also like to ask if anyone at BMWNA has any kind of consideration to at least prorate my monthly charge because of my reoccurring issues with my car. I believe that's just right being that I have to waste money, time and mostly time in traffic and off work because of this issue. I'm a very unhappy customer and I will say this now and forever, I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER BMW! And everyone that I get a chance or would like to get to hear my horrible experience with BMW I will be glad to tell them of my long stressful/humiliated days. My time with BMW has been enjoying all the loaners that I have acquired since my time with BMW. I really don't know, but BMWNA keeps telling me that they have traded me out of the car twice already so they can't help me in anyway but I don't think it's right for me to pay close to $1700 monthly for my car to be in the repair shop constantly.
The information in red is of the lady that communicated with me that BMW OF NA cannot help me anymore, when I was having my issues with 2013 328i that the alignment was bad and BMW of Coconut Creek could not fix it. I ask for BMWNA to allow me to trade out of it because of on going issues and Margaret ** I guess said OK but its not like they give me money the first and I still carry the negative equity. Then I got into a Certified New 2011 M3 which had issues from the start. You check all service records on that 2011 M3. They changed parts and I would say out of the 9 months I was on the contract, it was in the shop 4 months. The vehicle had a stalling issue that could not be duplicated but yet parts were changed within the 3 service centers I visited. Coconut Creek BMW, Pompano Beach BMW, and Braman Bmw of Palm Beach. I got loaners so frequently that my phone would automatically sync to the Bluetooth system.
Because of my numerous times at service and Margaret ** Certifying that the car would work as intended, it happened again. She first gave $1500 and the trade of my car for a certified used or new car. I said that wasn't enough because at the dealerships I went to they said the bank couldn't allow me to get in to a less expensive car so they then gave me $3500 which I thought was still a low amount being that the BMW stores could not help much so now I have a HIGHER PAYMENT WITH A CAR NOT OF MY CHOICE BUT AN EXECUTIVE DEMO, that the BMW Bank allowed me to get into because of my negative equity on the M3. But I never wanted to get rid of M3, the car was in the shop month after month and I just would've thought that since I was going through this issues they would have some sort of consideration and put me into the same car for the same price and not a $100,000 car not of my choice. I just want to say that when I do get the chance to leave BMW of North America I will leave running and never look back!!!
BMW of North America has no consideration for your customers. I mean I'm not lying of the repairs because they have my service records. I have my service records on this new 650 xDrive. This has been the worst experience and can guarantee you that I will never encourage anyone to buy a BMW and will never get myself into this mess again. Thanks but no thanks.
Reviewed Nov. 11, 2014
I bought a BMW 5 series. I Started having problems with a Misfire and shakes in the wheel and wiper issues along with navigation and AC issues. I reported all these issues before the end of the Manufacturer's warranty which would have covered all these repairs. During that time I was told nothing wrong. Brought it back again and they said nothing wrong. Of course after the warranty expires, the first time I brought it back they found "the issue". They had me to pay for all these experiments to solve the problems and now in my pocket about $3000. In all this time I stressed that I shouldn't have to pay because it's ongoing repairs that should have been fix but never was. They still insisted on my paying for all repairs. That have not stand up to the warranty and did not do anything to my satisfaction. At the moment I am risking my life every moment I am on the highway because when I'm switching lanes, I get stuck in slow motion most times and this can cause the car approaching from behind to collide and cause very serious damages or DEATH. BMW does not care even though I stressed these concerns every time. STAY AWAY FROM ALL BMWs!!!
Reviewed Nov. 10, 2014
I was driving my 2013 BMW 328xi with family in Toronto in busy traffic on Nov 1, 2014 & suddenly the car's engine stops and all power features stop working. I managed to glide the car to the curve amidst busy traffic switching lanes with my hazard on and barely averting a collision. The dashboard monitor stated something about the start/stop ignition. I attempted to start the car and it would turn briefly but would not start. After several attempts I called BMW roadside assistance. After being left on hold sometime, I was advised a tow truck would arrive at 5:50 pm, it was 4:30 pm. I advised them the car was not safe as the busy road was full of fast moving traffic on Mount Pleasant North of Moore. The individual at the call center claimed he could not do anything. I called my older son to pick up my wife & son with hockey gear and shopping.
Exactly at around 5:50 pm a flat bed tow truck arrived with "we buy scrap cars" inscribed on the truck (not kidding). The tow truck driver attempted to start the car and mentioned he was unable to put the car in neutral. He asked it could damage the car if he pulled it onto the truck. I again called BMW roadside assistance and the individual (now supervisor) asked I sign a waiver to take responsibility for any damage caused by "their towing." I refused and the man was argumentative. The Tow truck driver suggested another tow truck with rollers and stated he would not take responsibility without a waiver. Another hour passed before the next tow truck arrived. It was a cold evening in Toronto and I asked BMW roadside assistance if they could shuttle me home after the car was towed. I was told I need to go with the tow truck. Upon arriving at the dealership it was closed and the security mentioned there was nowhere for me to wait. (No news yet from roadside assistance.) By this time I had chatted prior with BMW roadside assistance individuals in Chicago, Toronto, Florida and Winnipeg (they kept transferring me).
The Winnipeg girl finally called a taxi while I waited for another hour in the cold (I could have called a taxi or got a ride myself if they had not insisted I stay with the car earlier). I had to pay for the taxi anyhow and was provided a budget of $100 after I asked. The Winnipeg girl stated they may reimburse me and she would email info. (The email arrived two days later with completely different information.) No courtesy car. I must say the roadside assistance (call center) experience was poor. I had to call several times and often they would place me on hold or they just hung up after 20-30 min on hold. They kept sending electronic voice messages asking if things had been taken care, while I was telling them they had not. A couple of women were good but did not have answers and they even gave the wrong information about rental car's claiming none were available in the entire City of Toronto.
To end my evening, the taxi driver turned out to be a racist maniac from Beck Taxi. I told him to stop at Yonge and Lawrence, I paid him (he insisted on cash as his machine was in the trunk). I ran over to Starbucks and waited for a ride home back to Bathurst and Eglinton. What a nightmare! The dealer was excellent and they fixed the problem in two business days.
However the same new car also had a brake problem a couple of months prior and cost $1,200 for new brakes (the downtown Toronto dealer claimed it was not covered under warranty at 30,000 km). The car had speedometer problem and showed service was overdue (at minus -7000 km), the car had been serviced a couple of months prior. Luckily this one is a leased car, however after driving BMW's for the past 10-12 years I am concerned the new 3 Series appear to have problems. I hope they take note and sort out the problems.

Reviewed Nov. 7, 2014
BMW M6 - Seems the SMG trans. has had many problems from 2006 onward. But BMW not fixing the problems and it's $5000 for pump and labor. It's crazy. No after-market warranty will cover it. Or BMW fix it. Very sad. :(
Reviewed Oct. 29, 2014
It's not my car, I drive a 1998 Honda prelude ** 250,000 miles, still runs like a champ. I brought the car in because it was running rough. It's a 2008 328i certified. Worst mistake EVER. This car has 72000 miles on it and the car basically imploded on us. I read some place that ever since a "certain group of people" started buying into the brand, it has been watered down. That could be true. So I leave it with ** (service Advisor) Vista Motor Company 4401 West Sample Road Coconut Creek, FL 33073. I get a call from ** later on that day "It's the solenoids & the oil Gasket." Two days later I get another call "Your car's fixed. 1207 dollars please."
My wife takes the car the following morning to Miami to see Oprah. I get a call from her "The cars doing that dance again." "It's twerking Linda?" "Yes baby." So I take it Back to BMW 48 hours later. "Hey **, the car it's not only twerking but it now whistles while it twerks." I get a call from ** later on that day, "It's the valve cover, it needs to be replaced." "How much, **?" "A 1000 $ more." My reaction, "WOW." "But we will credit the account 500$ because, we were at that area of the engine, so we should have caught it." Thanks BMW, I gave you my car, you fixed what you wanted, not the problem it was in for. Then you hit me over the head & steal my 1205 dollars. You're the best bandits I ever came across. Again thank you B.roken M.ay W.ork OF COCONUT CREEK. :^(...
Reviewed Oct. 29, 2014
Purchased this SAV 8 days ago with 8k from a local BMW dealer. Failed MASS emissions test. Service department said that I did not drive it long enough. Owned Lexus, Toyota and they passed test the next day.
Reviewed Oct. 23, 2014
2014 BMW M5 - I asked to have my brakes reviewed during routine service and the tech recorded the sounds and discovered the noise and completed some work to solve. Solve is the new account process. It changes during the feedback from our customers. I need to have a different tech research the issue and call me to discuss why I am hearing my brakes at almost every stop. For the price paid in April 2014, I should not hear the brakes squealing at all...
Reviewed Oct. 17, 2014
E46 BMW M3 - I am having nightmares with my M3, SMG gear box. The fault icon came on. I took the car to a BMW dealership. They kept it for 2 weeks, said the clutch was contaminated and that air was in the hydraulic system. It was fixed at a cost of 3800+. I collected the car, and it broke down the same evening, with the same complaint after driving about 20 miles. A call was placed to the dealership, who informed me that I would have to get it back to their garage on my own, as they do not do recovery. I had just spent 3800+ with this dealership. I got the car there and they said that they found air in the hydraulic system. It was bled, road tested and returned after 3 days. The M3 broke down again (and is presently at the dealership), after driving 3000 miles, with the same problem with the SMG box. The dealership is saying that it's the same symptom, but different problem. They are now saying that it's the hydraulic pump. I am now facing an additional bill of 2800. My questions are:
2. Is there an inherent fault with the BMW M3 SMG gear box?
3. Have others experience the same problems with BMW SMG boxes?
4. Is it true, that BMW only guarantee a life span of 12 yrs for the M3?
5. How can I make a claim against BMW for selling a defect ultimate machine?
Reviewed Oct. 16, 2014
I'm owner of BMW X6 5,0 Xdrive (2009). I bought this car like a new one. This is my third BMW. After 63 000km BMW service-car repair-a new engine. Because the car big, oil losses. After this repair many times Engine Fault on my board computer BMW X6. After Engine Fault a complete loss of power. Very danger! Every time in BMW service they told me... "Don't worry.. we will repair it." After BMW service -car repair - a new both turbo there - but next ENGINE FAULT, BMW service-car repair- a new injections there - but next ENGINE FAULT, BMW service-car repair- a new cylinders, but next ENGINE FAULT, BMW service-car repair-a new injections again, but next ENGINE FAULT.
BMW service-car repair-fuel pump, but next ENGINE FAULT... BMW service-car repair both catalysts and more other parts... but ENGINE FAULT.. is still again and again there! The inappropriate condition of the car (BMW X6 5,0 xi) has several times put not only the lives of my family and me at risk but threatened also the lives of other drivers on the road. All these extremely risky situations were caused by repeated errors in the engine when in use followed by a complete loss of power. Don't buy BMW, if you love your life and your family!
Reviewed Oct. 10, 2014
I own a BMW X3 in the Philippines that is 5 years old, has been owned by me from new, always serviced by BMW and has 30k km on the clock. Recently the warning lights went on and it made a loud engine noise. BMW checked it over and told me that the transfer case needed replacement and that it would cost 200,000 pesos (USD 4,500). I checked on the internet about the transfer case and discovered that this was a common fault, that actually related to a plastic gear in the actuator. It seemed that the plastic gear problem was so common that a replacement was made and sold on Amazon.com. I bought the plastic gear for USD 50 and replaced the obviously worn gear in the actuator, perfect solution, no further problem. I tried to contact BMW in Munich because it seemed that BMW Philippines were being less than customer oriented. I assumed that BMW would be upset at such a bizarre situation.
I was continuously referred back to Singapore, the regional headquarters, who constantly referred me back to Autozentrum, the Philippine agent. I finally got a letter from BMW in Singapore who told me it was their policy to only replace units, not parts in units. I tried to explain that this seemed to be disingenuous as the actuator gear was clearly a poor design and that charging USD 4,500 when a USD 50 part was obviously the solution, was penalizing a good customer and seemed to be short sighted. They sent me a curt note saying their policy was clear. My only advice is to buy a Hyundai, Honda, Subaru, Jeep, anything, but never a BMW.
Reviewed Oct. 8, 2014
My car broke down 4 days back and I have had 6+ calls until today to schedule a towing service. Even after multiple attempts, the towing guys have still not come. The BMW roadside assistance is not doing their job.
Reviewed Oct. 7, 2014
I have owned BMW's since 1994...a total of six. The last...and I mean last one is a 2008 BMW X5 4.8. I have spent thousands of dollars on repairs and the vehicle has only 80K miles. This is one shoddy vehicle. Never again.
Reviewed Oct. 2, 2014
Cut and dry I had nothing but nightmares with my Bmw truck 2006 x5. It was my 3rd BMW and my last brought to Hassel Bmw to service every 3-5 months with higher price tags fuel pumps, tires, halo lights had shorts all the times, coolant light, check engine light. I needed a cyclone separator which cost out of pocket 1800 for just that issue. One time hassel gave me a bill total was 6k. I laughed like who y'all think paying for that then I got smart. Thank God it was paid for so I traded my bmw and that was 40k when I first brought it only got 7k blue book trade in. I was hurt but got rid of it for a 2012 Toyota Camry. Best move I ever made. Word to the wise never buy pre owned bmw from anywhere. I would tell y'all about the nightmares with my 330i and x3 but I have a life and will be typing till next year. Moral of story buy bmw brand new, never pre-owned.
Reviewed Sept. 25, 2014
I leased 2014 328i since Feb. 2014 and has 4600 miles on it and just went to BMW service for the fourth time with same issues. First they can't duplicate the issue then second time foreman got into my car and verified the noise. Third time, they could not verify again when the noise still continues and fourth time, I decide to take it to different BMW service center and the mechanic sat with me and verified the noise is there and wrote on service report. But, as I picking it up the noise were still there and I notified BMW north America but no response. What should I do? Should I hire a lawyer? Or is it something I can deal with BMW North America?
Reviewed Sept. 24, 2014
BMW keyless engine continues to run when car is locked. BMW have not responded to emails, the local garage booked the car in to see if they could accommodate the mirror folding but said the engine issue was a known issue that BMW have decided not to do anything about. They were also unable to sort the mirror issue out telling me l should have brought another extra which would have made that possible?
Reviewed Sept. 23, 2014
Fuel pump replaced after warranty due to it spraying fuel all over me and the motorcycle. Flange area of pump cracked. This year BMW recalls pump for cracking, says it will reimburse if you replaced with BMW part and have receipt supplied. I had both and then they say no. Asked for written reason why refusal and they say they didn't have to. Customer service is the worst. This is the second time this motorcycle has tried to kill me. The rear disc brake rotor carrier broke letting the rear disc rotor lock up my rear wheel causing the motorcycle to skid out of control. Filed this complaint with traffic administration. Replaced part. New part is now made out of steel. Old one was aluminum.
Reviewed Sept. 17, 2014
I leased BMW 750i for 3 years and can tell you that I will never lease it again. I had the worst customer service experience and was overcharged by $650 at the end of the lease...
Reviewed Sept. 17, 2014
BMW 750i xdrive run flat tires and wheels - I have lost 5 new front pirelli run flat tires within the 6 month. In addition one of my wheel cracked and I had to replace it as well. Evidently BMW command center that pushing these run flat tires don't care about their customers. These run flat tires might be good for European autobahns but not for road conditions in East Coast. I have changed the plans of purchasing BMW for my son. No anymore BMW. I have replaced the tires to non run flat. In addition to it BMW claims that run flat can run another 50 miles after damaged is not simply true - it barely runs 10 miles max before start damaging the rim. In addition BMW emergency service does not deliver anything emergency except being polite on the phone. I will be selling out my BMW as soon as I can get rid of it. If you don't want to waste your money stay away from BMW. It is not the luxury car anymore as it use to be back to history.
Reviewed Sept. 15, 2014
Bought used BMW 545i with Extended Warranty. Oil leak fix was contingent of sale. Told it was fixed then kept seeing leak. Then two weeks after having car back the transmission would not go into reverse also asked that the oil leak be addressed AGAIN. Was told by first dealer that the transmission had low volt error cause by bad battery and needed to be replaced ($300 not covered by warranty). Kept calling to get car back and was told they did not know when they would get to it.
After 1 week of them having car and only the battery being replaced, had transferred to another dealership to actually have someone work on it. After the new dealership got the engine apart to find leak they kept finding things wrong which had to be ordered and in the end they had the car an additional two weeks. Was in for service 3 of 5 weeks I owned the car.
When I got car back the Idrive (radio) did not function. Was told that it was not functioning when it arrived, later found out that the first dealer corrupted the program (killed the radio) when they reprogrammed for the new battery. First dealer would not pay to replace the battery. After getting car back without radio discovered a coolant leak. OF COURSE not covered by warranty, $1500.
Wife got a flat and took to replace at Dealership. When we got the car back, the Tire Pressure warning was on still. Dealer said tire pressure is reset through IDRIVE (radio) so they could not reset it because the IDRIVE was broken. Later the transmission AGAIN stopped going into reverse, this time BMW did cover it. Started seeing fluid leaking from transmission. Later found out from Independent repair shop the battery was not the cause of transmission fault, nor the fix that BMW did. The Hard Plastic transmission pan had a micro crack which would leak slowly and then cause the transmission, after about 2 weeks, to be too low to operate. AGAIN fix and not covered by warranty.
Reviewed Sept. 15, 2014
As an adult, I bought my first Honda in 2005. It was a brand new top of the line Honda Accord. Since I purchased it I had many issues but Honda fixed it once I was put in contact with the regional manger by giving me a brand new 2008 Honda Accord that matched the one I had purchased in 2005. I only mention that before I begin my story regarding the purchase of the two BMWs that have been a NIGHTMARE.
My history with BMW is very lengthy but I am going to try and condense the issues to keep it simple. As a child always dreamt of owning a BMW, and once I was financially able to do so I went ahead and invested in what I thought was the Ultimate Driving Machine. So my childhood dream is and has been nothing less than a Horror Story.
In 2010 I purchased a Brand New 2010 X5 with 10 miles on the odometer. I was thrilled to say the least. I didn't have the car 3 weeks before there was a Jack Hammer sound coming from the vehicle, took it to the nearest BMW dealer and was told that a screw came out the bottom and the pan was loose underneath. Soon after that, I kept taking it in because of a pungent Sulfur Smell, unlike a Rotten Egg smell, that is usually due to the catalytic converter, which was of the issues I had with my Honda. The dealer then proceeds to take out the mats in the front and back and actually cut out part of the floor mats and replaced it with some other material and told me that was the reason for the smell. Well that was not the reason because the smell never went away.
Keep in mind that this smell was emitting since I initially bought the car. Moving forward, I made enough complaints to BMW NA and finally got them to send an Engineer to take the car apart and see what the problem could possibly be. After being given the runaround by the first so called Specialist, I received a call from her Supervisor, after making numerous complaints, and he was rude and very disrespectful. He told me that the reason why the smell was emitting from my car was because I kept laundry detergents in the trunk and there were traces of tobacco in the car. Now first of all that's a bunch of BS and secondly the smell was strong when the car was new, so how do you explain that. He was so rude and disrespectful in the way he spoke to me, he even hung up the phone on me. It was not a disconnection, it was a direct hang up.
I have been hospitalized 3 times for 5 days or more for internal pain in my stomach and the Drs. could not find any reason why I was in such pain and constantly throwing up. I kept telling them that I was constantly ingesting a pungent sulfur smell from the car. My hematologist finally said that I may have been getting ill because of the smell.
The car has been in and out the shop for so many things, burnt out internal light from rear passenger mirror, water in the panel where the back light, check engine light, car not accelerating, and then taking off like a jet, almost causing several accidents. The list goes on and on. In December of 2013 in the height of Christmas shopping season when the traffic is heavy and thick, I finally had enough of the BS when the car totally just stopped in the middle of the highway, while cars and tractor trailers almost slammed into me about 5 times, because the car would not drive more than 20 miles an hour.
The story goes further than that. But now I was sort of in duress and since they weren't trying to acknowledge that they sold me a lemon that has jeopardized me and my family since I bought it, I figured I would get rid of that and buy a CPO just in order to not fight any longer or lose any equity that I had already invested. WHAT A MISTAKE. Vehicle #2 is a 2012 CPO X5 that I got in December of 2013 that has been in the shop more than 10 times and has been there for over a week now as I write this letter.
I wrote everyone in BMW, even the owner, his secretary, his Press Secretary and his Assistant. Till this very day, I have not even received an Acknowledgement that they even received my letter. But I know they did because I got a confirmation that it was received. So, although their information is hard to get over the internet, I did my research and got it. So if anyone needs the Email to the President of BMW and his team, you can email me and I will gladly provide it to you.
Bottom Line, like many people have stated here, BMW is not living up to their Brand and they need to acknowledge everyone's investment into their Brand, not just the elite or a chosen few. As the saying goes: Hey You Never Know and I say this to any BMW executive that you never ever know who you are dealing with no matter how big or small. It's the little people that make the big people. Remember that.
Reviewed Sept. 13, 2014
Smashed into a dead car without flashers. BMW Assist didn't work properly. The call center wasted about 20 minutes before telling Chicago Fire Dept where I was wailing in pain. BMW didn't care and it's not BMW per se but an outside vendor in Texas. However I got the tape and it's disturbing.
Reviewed Sept. 9, 2014
Started with bald tires (VERY BALD, bands showing) at 7K miles. Going through tires every 7K miles. Engine light issues - they blamed the diesel version of the vehicle. Was in the shop for over a month on and off for that issue. Now the car has 25K miles and both brakes needed replacing, front & back. Trunk lid issues, driving alone and light comes on. Light won't go out and lid won't close. What a disappointment.
Reviewed Sept. 8, 2014
I have a 2011 BMW 528i Sedan. Bought as a CPO, with factory warranty for about a year remaining at the time of purchase. From the beginning, I have noticed that trying to brake moderately quickly at low speeds (10 - 20 MPH) would create a very bad clunk from the front-end. Trying to reapply the brake quickly while the car is starting to roll (driving off) will cause a smaller clunk and a very noticeable vibration of the whole body of the car. Dealer replaced the thrust-rod bushings in the front, but that did not fix it.
Later, the dealer (perhaps under instructions from BMW?) started claiming that the clunk was "normal", since it was found in other 5-series cars!! They would simply not regard the fact that other BMW cars don't exhibit the same problem, and heck, even the non-luxury cars from Honda / Toyota / Nissan / Hyundai / GM / Ford etc. etc. don't exhibit this problem!!
Now I am close to the expiration of factory warranty. In the last month or so, I have started noticing a metallic knock from the rear axle area when braking at 15-20 MPH speed, a clicking noise from the front passenger door while slowing down, various creaks/squeaks from various parts of the body at random while driving, unusually heavy rattling from the driver and front passenger doors/windows on rough pavement...
I have taken the car to the dealer for these various noises, and the dealer has not been able to "replicate" these noises, other than just one rattle from the coin box. A LOT OF PROBLEMS, in one sentence. To make matters worse, MOST of the things outside the power-train seem to be excluded under the BMW CPO warranty. I am not really sure what to do, as the factory warranty is about to expire in just two weeks..
Reviewed Sept. 8, 2014
I bought a CPO - BMW E92 M3 2008 model, which had done 39,000 miles. Car was good. Clutch was hard from the beginning. Just drove 4000 miles over a period of 3 months... and then I keep hearing this click sound every time I changed gear... and the car diagnostic showed no problem. But when I went for servicing, they told me… broken pressure plates which I paid $2400 to get it fixed, and told me it's not covered under CPO. I was very upset. Then after a week I got the car and just driving the car for 100 miles, the clutch gets stuck to the floor and I almost missed a major car accident. I was this close to death… because the car halted at 40 mph in the middle of the road. I am so disappointed with BMW. The car is still under CPO.
Reviewed Sept. 8, 2014
I bought a 2008 528xi from Virginia. Drove 8 hours back to New York no problem. The next day drove the car, low coolant lights appear. I drove to the dealer; they bleed the car and put coolant in the system. Day 3 check engine light appears on the dash not on the computer screen. I brought it back to dealer to hear I need a new water pump and thermostat (-1465) later. Day 4 I received back the car drove around, while in idle the engine malfunction screens comes up and smoke... Smh! I brought the car back to dealer they say it’s an air bubble locked in. So they bleed the car and did a software update. Ok, I drove the car for the low coolant signal to come back on! I call they say top it off with tapped water. I said okay calmly. Went to class came back coolant all over the street!!! Smh Whats Next???
Reviewed Sept. 7, 2014
Thanks BMW for turning my lifelong dream of owning a BMW into a NIGHTMARE experience. Here's why... Since the time I saw a BMW while I was growing up as a teenager I always wanted to own a BMW. I have patiently waited to own a 5 series when the time comes for me to afford one. And that time came over the Labor Day weekend. It was time for me to replace the 1998 Nissan that I was driving for 9 years to be finally replaced with my dream car, the BMW. I went to Patrick BMW dealership, with my wife and kids, in Schaumburg IL to purchase a certified pre-owned BMW that I had looked online.
We test drove the car, loved it and finally sat down to close the deal. The whole process took us come around over 4 hours. During the contract finalization process (I had signed majority of the paperwork) the salesman came and told me that they could not give me the car as the car I just chose won't start and mentioned that I could not take the car today. They weren't sure why it won't start.
Well that was the big set back to my expectation of a BMW... A BMW machine with 22K miles on it (almost new) won't start. I never face this issue with any cheap cars and this is what I was hearing of a BMW a car with an original price tag of $60,000. I was really really disappointed and had to leave home. They told me that the dealership will investigate and call me what the issue is and provide an ETA on the fix date.
They called the next day and told me that the fuel pump went bad and need to be replaced. Was not happy to hear that and started doubting whether BMW is still the BMW people say we love for the lifetime. My entire family was disappointed. I had driven a 1998 Nissan with 142K miles on it and it had never given me an issue and the BMW blew in 22K miles. Anyways I thought it is a machine and I'll give it a chance.
The dealership called me 3 days later and mentioned the car is fixed and ready to be picked up. I was super excited and took off work to pick the dream machine. I had called my family to wait outside my house and see me drive my dream car home. I was just 30 yards away from my garage that the BMW stalled (dead). Really I could not believe and I see my family cheering at me (unaware) that the car had stalled and thought I stood there to let them see the car... 'EMBARRASSING AND FRUSTRATING'... The car won't start and I get a big message in the console "transmission failed". Really really. This is BMW.
I called the dealership and the damn guy asked me to bring the car back to the dealership. Somehow... the car started and I brought it back. The salesman told me that it is a sleeper mode issue. WTF is that... He told me that you have to reverse the car and then everything will be fine. I could not believe still that this is ** BMW man. Somehow the car started working fine... and brought it back. Happy but frustrated whether I have got a 'LEMON'...
I take it to work, drove 15 miles... showed it to my friends and colleagues. I took few for a drive and what happens the car stalls (dead) again. 'EMBARRASSING THAT I WANT TO DIG MYSELF IN THE GROUND'. I could not believe it and what a bad press for a BMW 2011 535i. I called the dealership and they asked me to get it towed. 'Towed not even a car that I had in my hands for more than an hour'... seriously. I wanted to scream and punch someone.. I had to wait for the tow for 4 hours and finally the car was towed..
You SEE WHAT YOU GUYS DID TO ME ... You just blew my confidence in luxury cars out of the window. I started hating it... rather than telling my family and friends that I had bought an awesome machine... I was ** about the car... seriously...I went to the dealership to ask for my money back and they mentioned they'll assure they'll fix the car. They told me this time it is a the fuel sensor... WTF. Really.. this is a damn certified car which I think is not certified from a Ford dealership (who know nothing about BMW). The certification is from damn BMW. I started to question about the whole certification process and the quality of BMWs . I so very much wanted to never ever own a BMW again and committed to make sure that ensure none of my friends and family or whoever I come in contact with... let them know to never ever own a BMW.
My wife, she know I always wanted to own one... convinced me to give this car a chance... someone I agreed. Now the car is with the Patrick BMW dealership in Schaumburg IL. I called yesterday to ask the status and NOW the guy is telling me it is the POWER MODULE. Seriously ... these guys just told me it is the fuel sensor. WHO SHOULD I BELIEVE.... I'M BEING CHEATED... having sleepless nights... BMW .. WHY ARE YOU GUYS DOING THIS TO ME?
Before I start hitting Facebook, Twitter, and other forums to share my experience ... you guys better call me tell me what the hell is going on and you better do something about it. I work for Deloitte Consulting LLP, the biggest consulting firm, in the world. I'm a consultant and my job is to keep my clients happy. We promote value, confidence and good relationships over money.
Many of my colleagues own a BMW and that was giving me confidence... but if BMW does not work with me here... I'm telling you I'm going to go all over the place. Let's see what experience I get about customer service from BMW and that would tell me everything about BMW and I'll have full ammunition to do either a good or bad press... A frustrated BMW first time buyer...
Reviewed Sept. 3, 2014
I own an 08 BMW 4S with 65,000 miles. The GPS failed and the dealer priced the repair at $1,435 to repair it. Need I say more? $1,435 to fix a GPS when Google Maps on my I-phone has a better GPS than the car did. Called BMW USA and they told me they could offer no help. This could be the last time I purchase a BMW. The Dealer is fantastic and the service specialist Terrance ** is top notch.
Reviewed Sept. 3, 2014
I took my car in to Momentum BMW for one thing (running out of gas due to defective fuel sensor) and my car died on me the day I picked it up from service. I took it back and they said they fixed the problem which was caused by an oil pan leak. Picked the car up again and drove to work for it to die on me again. I had it towed back in to the service center and they came back with a report of sludge in the engine. I was told I needed a new engine that would cost up to $10K. Even though my car wasn't doing this before Momentum BMW repaired it, I tried to comply. I supplied receipt from outside service and they rejected it because they didn't like the receipt format. I'm not sure that they even submitted other receipts of service done at BMW. When asked what was submitted, I was told they couldn't release that information. I've been given the runaround. I've been a loaner car for 2 months. I've been treated like a liar and devalued as a customer.
Reviewed Sept. 2, 2014
Between replacing wheels and tires the electrical problems are mounting up. Now I hear clunking from the transmission. I have had injectors replaced two times, fuel pump two times, rear tail lights, one front headlight and I wish I could only tell you about the gremlins with the seat belt, turning the wheel and having the phone call someone. Having the roof not open and close properly. You wouldn't believe.
Reviewed Aug. 28, 2014
Many performance positives, however, an electronic/electrical nightmare with a price tag out of this world for every ** little thing. And the damn thing is only 3 years old with 50k miles on it! And when you call BMW HQ if you had anyone but the dealers touch it’s then they are not responsible. ** THEM! I will never own another BMW as long as I live, nor will anyone directly related to me. On the other hand if you buy one you deserve every headache you get... and you WILL get them!!! Can't wait to get rid of this damn thing.
Reviewed Aug. 19, 2014
Purchased a CPO 2006 X3 with 13K on it in 2006. Car now has 103K on it. First time buy of a BMW for us. Have owned many different brands (Ford, GM, Dodge, Audi, Honda) and I have never had anywhere near the range of problems that the BMW has had with any of them. Car was back at the dealer every 3 months like clockwork over a 3 year period for a different failure each time. Everything was fixed under the extended warranty that comes with the CPO cars (thanks God!!) and the dealer has been very good at fixing each problem. But due to the wide variety of failures, whatever confidence I had in the "ultimate driving machine" is long gone. Car is used for commuting to work daily for my wife and has always been garaged.
The list of failures fixed under warranty: Torn engine mount, Sunroof controller failed, heated steering wheel failed (which also required a new airbag due to chaffed wires in the steering wheel), failed engine computer, failed rear wiper motor, water in the high mounted LED brake light, failed driver's seat position memory module, rear passenger door lock failed, broken rear coil spring and there is an oil leak around the oil filter housing (something that I learned is very common and an $800 repair at the dealer). The things that I had to fix myself once the car came off warranty: Failed front drive shaft CV joint because the boot cracked and slung out all the grease and the other rear coil spring broke.
While replacing the drive shaft I found that the steel used in the car is very cheap. I sheared off a bolt head like it was made of butter while removing the front suspension strut. BMW makes very nice cards out of very poor materials. The interior of the car is not holding up too well either. The seat vinyl is cracking and some of the bezels around the switches in the door panels are peeling off a layer of plastic. Last BMW I'll ever buy.
Reviewed Aug. 18, 2014
Without warning, my 2007 BMW 328Xi engine shut off and stopped in the middle of a busy road. I was told by a BMW service rep that my fuel tank draw tube fell off causing loss of fuel to the engine. I learned online that this is happening to other 2007 era BMW's and the reason is that the fuel draw tube is corroded by the fuel it is drawing and weakens and falls off. The fix is a new fuel tank, pump and draw tube for excess of $2,000.
When contacted by my service rep, BMW gave a token $500 toward my repair leaving me with a $1,900 repair bill. Had this failure occurred on a busy Seattle freeway, my life would have been in grave danger as would have others around me - there would have been an accident with no way to avoid it. BMW is aware of their product failure and my question is who has to die before BMW steps up to the plate and accepts responsibility and recalls and repairs these vehicles? If you own a 5-7 year old BMW (maybe newer), it's going to happen to you and I would appreciate your raising your voice to BMW before someone has to die to get BMW's attention.
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2014
Saturday, August 16, 2014, while going to 2:00pm appointment, drive train error notification came on and 2012 BMW 535 with 6,000 mile shut down on Littleton Blvd. in middle of traffic. While I have AAA Premier, I wanted to give BMW roadside assistance the opportunity to serve a customer in stress. I pressed the overhead SOS button and was connected to a rep who told me tow truck would arrive in 70 minutes, 3:38. At 90 minutes, no tow truck. So I called again and was told tow truck company had blowout and was on its way and would arrive in 10 minutes.
At 35 minutes, no tow truck. So I called again and was told BMW roadside assistance would contact the tow truck company to see where they are and would call me back. They never called back. My wife who had arrived earlier who has Parkinson's Disease waited with me. I called again and was told the tow truck would arrive at 4:48... It never came. At 5:00pm, I called BMW roadside assistance again and they said tow truck was delayed and would arrive in 1.5 hours. I called Ralph Schomp BMW in Highlands Ranch Colorado, our dealer and they dispatched 2 employees, 1 to wait until the tow truck company arrived and another to take me to the dealership and provide a loaner.
While at the dealer, my wife who was kind enough to wait for the tow truck with the Ralph Schomp employee was a nervous wreck when told the tow truck company Alpine operating in Denver had another 2-hour wait until a tow truck would arrive. This would make it 5 hours later. Finally the dealership called BMW and told them to cancel Alpine and send another tow truck company. Finally, after 7pm another tow truck company arrived and pulled the BMW 535 off the street to a parking lot and said they would come back as they had two more vehicles to attend.
BMW Roadside Assistance has proven to be a joke! I will never use them again nor will we ever buy or lease a BMW product. I am a 76-year-old, a retired academic with a heart condition and as a result of BMW Roadside Assistance incompetence, I had to spend over an hour at home resting after the exhausting ordeal to survive the incredible stress they caused. I recommend never to trust BMW Roadside Assistance and we will file an official complaint with the company. Ralph Schomp BMW however are a professional group of people who did everything to solve the major problem of a drive train malfunction shutting our BMW down... Courteous, working over the top to provide needed assistance... while putting their own employees at risk.
Reviewed Aug. 16, 2014
Two months ago I had to replace a regulator in the rear drivers side window. I own a 2008 BMW 328i BMW. This past week I was on my way to work. I'm a international flight attendant and my schedule was for me to be flying for 7 days straight. As I pulled out of my driveway, I tried raising my rear passenger side window. Once again it was broken and would not raise. I stopped at a nearby automotive and the mechanic was able to get the window out of the door and taped it in the up position. There are a lot of thief at any airport at any time of day. I was lucky no one touched my car but shame on BMW. Making a plastic regulator on a car that is supposed to be of high quality. I guess I need to prepare for the 2 front window regulators to go out soon. Plastic is a cheap inferior product compared to metal. It cost a lot a time I put the car in the shop. Your products and mechanics are over rated. The last time I put my car in a BMW dealership for normal check, the mechanic left his drill in the engine. I am selling this car because it doesn't stand up to its name.
Reviewed Aug. 11, 2014
328 xi 2011 - Leasing this car.. first few months car was great.. It started giving me problem. I have to drop it at the service every other month.. I just got stuck in the middle of the road few days ago.. I called my service adviser. They don't help me unless I speak to the manager.
Reviewed Aug. 11, 2014
I have had a terrible experience with this 7 series. This car jerks at times giving me a Drive Train Malfunction and the car becomes extremely unstable. This has happened 2 - 3 times already since I bought this car. Service Center (BMW Murray Motors - Denver) says Fuel Injectors are bad and so this issue. They replace Fuel injectors and the problem comes back after 2 months. Extremely dissatisfied and angry. I am paying too much money every month and have no peace of mind. In addition to this issue I have had other issues as well. My first impression Car: Terrible Car. Please do not buy BMW!!!
Reviewed Aug. 9, 2014
My first and last BMW ever! In summary: 1. A history of engine light-on events. 2. Uncommanded engine runaway at 70-80 mph. 3. Was over 2.5 months in the BMW Service Department, discovered cylinder heads that were full of gunk and carbon build up but no root-cause ever provided to Customer about vehicle's engine safety issues. They did not have a clue. 4. No Customer restoration process, as Customer had asked for in writing. 5. No extended vehicle warranty offered, no equal trade into a (safer) other vehicle with similar mileage, just a Sales Person trying to take the Customer for a ride by offering inflated pricing for a replacement vehicle.
The story - I bought an all new 2010 335d at Joe Self BMW in Wichita KS and experienced a history of engine light-on events. On Jan 13, 2013, I was driving vehicle at cruise control at speed setting 83 mph on turnpike at 11 PM. Suddenly engine light came on, followed by a significant reduction in engine power output. Engine was unable to handle power requirement to keep cruise control speed at 83 and vehicle's speed dropped to low 70s mph. ECU did not disengage cruise control while engine power was reduced. Suddenly vehicle accelerated uncommanded back to the set cruise control speed of 83 mph. Very dangerous and scary situation.
My (1) disappointment about the car's engine reliability and (2) worries about post-warranty life (only 40,000 miles!) now transitioned into serious concern about the car's safety. As a result of this scary experience and obvious engine defect, I brought in my car to Joe Self service on Jan 16th, 2013. I also provided a letter on that day with the request to receive a formal response as how (1) BMW plans to restore my confidence in the safety & reliability of this vehicle and (2) have a discussion about the options going forward. I never received any formal response from neither local dealer, regional service manager nor BMWUSA.
After two months of Joe Self's service "fishing" - apparently they were unable to diagnose a root cause and replaced one part after another - and me feeling less and less comfortable to get into a car that apparently had undetectable safety issues, I asked the service manager Chuck to assist me again with looking into other options. He never did.
I then called Joe Self himself and left a message to see if he was interested to keep me in the BMW family. That call led to the same service manager Chuck calling me again, who promised that a sales person would call me. No sales person ever called me. After eight days of waiting for a sales person to call me, I used my own personal relationships get a phone number and to call Mr. ** (apparently Chuck's boss), who consequently put me in touch with Robin ** (BMW Center Manager). I explained my situation and she provided me with some car options to get into a different used vehicle.
At that point in time I was not picky about what vehicle. Sadly, the offers from Robin seemed nothing more than NADA average trade value for my 2010 335d vehicle and a few thousand dollars more than NADA Certified values for the replacement vehicle (in this case a 2011 335Xi). Yes, they were trying to "take me for a ride". I pointed out that this offer was unacceptable in this particular situation and challenged the apples & oranges value trade provided. I stated, "Since you replaced half my engine, why don't you sell my car under this special BMW program with your inflated pricing?" Robin's response was, "Oh no ... we do not want to sell your car to any of our Customer. They may have the same problems you had." That was the moment I realized that buying a BMW at Joe Self was a big mistake.
Ironically, vehicle was finally returned to Customer on March 27, after 70 days of repairs and troubleshooting. Customer was shown pictures by Service Manager of a cylinder head, one of the many parts that was replaced, that was full of gunk and carbon build up. Cylinder head was apparently mailed to Germany for further analysis. Service manager stated that this vehicle was probably not the only vehicle with this problem... He also stated that my car was the longest in service at BMW under his tenure and requested me to go gentle on a survey that I was apparently going to receive. No root cause was ever provided about vehicle's engine light, significant carbon build up in cylinder head and safety issues. Bottom line, very disappointing experience ... not only from a vehicle reliability/safety point of view, but especially how a Customer restoration process - or shall I say the complete lack of - was handled by the Joe Self team... while trying to "take me for a ride". They should be ashamed.
Reviewed Aug. 7, 2014
Leased a 2013 328xi, brand new, off the lot! Loved the car for the first six months until I was driving one day and the car shut off while driving down a back road. An error code read on the screen, so I called BMW. They manually reset the code, car started right up and drove home. I didn't think anything of it until a month later, I'm driving 70 miles on the highway and the car shuts off again! Called BMW and drove the car directly to the dealership. They had the car for a week and couldn't replicate the issue and blamed it on the cold winter we were having even though the car is garaged.
Fast-forward another 3 months.. It's spring, warm outside and car shuts down again driving on the highway. This time, almost got into an accident and since I was close to the dealership, drove right there. I refused to take the car back until they figured out the cause, and cold weather wasn't to blame. They had the car almost a full month and couldn't replicate the issue. They claim that there was a loose rear distribution box and fuel pump. Three weeks later, car is back in for check engine light. I get the car back but called corporate BMW and got a complete runaround.
Three times in one year the car shuts off, COMPLETELY UNSAFE! After a month of going back and forth with a resolution specialist, BMW refuses to terminate the lease and offers a credit for money toward the lease. NOT ACCEPTABLE!! Still trying to climb the corporate ladder and find someone to speak to. What happens if the next shut off cause an accident?? They don't care, no customer service, and no regard for safety. They say you get what you pay for, well apparently not in this case.
Reviewed July 31, 2014
I have a 2007 BMW 328xi that I have been having gear, transmission and electrical, air conditioning issues. The car shuts off, stalls and shuts off, air conditioner doesn't work, alert lights on dashboard light up and now gears aren't shifting and car cannot move into drive, reverse, neutral and park. So now I have no car. BMW has just given me the run around not addressing the problems finding other issues just to cover and hide their blatant disregard of the 3 series issues. I saw that there are many complaints and the there is a place to officially file a complaint to NHTA 888-327-4236. Please file a complaint if you’re experiencing any issues. BMW can't continue to ignore the issues and try to hide all complaints like they don't exist! And someone gets killed. Please FB or Twitter to get the word out!
Reviewed July 30, 2014
I don't know where you went to have your oil changed, but I do know most of the "drive thru" oil change places have poor, untrained employees who know nothing about cars, changing your oil. It's very possible one of these employees introduced oil to your cooling system via the overflow tank which could have long term effects on your engine, water pump, etc. I believe if you are a BMW owner or German car owner in general, you need to have some basic automotive understanding which would include NOT taking your car to any random oil change place. Learn how to do it yourself using the correct oil, filter and tools, and it can be so rewarding. Or take it to someone who cares about your car as much as you do...
Reviewed July 29, 2014
In August of 2013, I purchased 2010 X 3. This car had approximately 27 K and factory warranty effective through the end of April 2014. Approximately 2 weeks prior to the expiration of the warranty, I noticed a vibration in the drive train and took the car to the local BMW dealer for evaluation. The dealer determined that a manufacturing defect was contributing to the symptom but that another related component was also defective that BMW was already aware of for my make and year vehicle. The dealer replaced the component causing the initial symptom and advised that it would be 8 to 10 weeks before BMW could manufacture the other needed component and that all of these repairs would be covered under warranty.
We were advised to keep and drive the car pending the receipt from BMW Germany for the other component, at which time we would be re-scheduled to return for completion of those repairs. We took the vehicle on an out-of-town trip days after having these initial repairs and while away several warning lights came on indicating a number of issues. Because the car was still drivable we completed our trip and promptly returned the vehicle to the BMW dealership for evaluation on approximately April 29, 2014. We were advised the car was now in worse condition than before and we were lucky that the differential had not locked up going down the highway.
The car was left at the dealership who arranged for a loaner vehicle pending the repair of mine. On June 21, 2014, I was contacted by the dealership and advised that my car was repaired and ready to be picked up. I requested a test drive before taking receipt and the shop foreman accompanied me and my wife on a test drive. The car surged upon stopping which it did not do before and the vibration in the drive train was still very pronounced when turning. The shop foreman agreed the car was not roadworthy and we returned to the dealership.
As of July 29, 2014, the dealership has not completed repairs to my vehicle. This vehicle has been out of service now for three months. I have offered to buy the loaner vehicle because my wife and I have lost all confidence with the dealer's ability to competently repair my car. The dealer and BMW have offered assistance in an effort to negotiate a trade; however considering the aggravation and lost trust, their terms are currently viewed as unreasonable for me. We have had many BMWs down through the years and normally receive very good service from the car. The dealers however need more customer service training.
Reviewed July 28, 2014
I'm a repeat owner of convertibles and on cooler days it is VERY common to place the heater on high when the top is down. I purchased a 2011 BMW 128i convertible with 30k miles in April 2014 and immediately discovered that when the heater was on very high or high for a period the radio will shut down and refuse to work. After an attempt (not knowing what that attempt was) to fix this car the dealer and BMW complaint division refuses to fix it or admit to a design FLAW. Has anyone else experienced this problem. My ADVICE to anyone thinking of buying a BMW convertible - check this out closely or shy away. They will not attempt to fix it nor admit it is a Design FLAW. It is REALLY inconvenient to drive in the cooler weather. Once the radio shuts down the heater must be turned off and returned to cool to continue listening to the radio. Never had this problem with any other convertibles. I will be selling this car!
Reviewed July 12, 2014
BMW Nightmare! 7 months ago my 2008 X5 died while I was driving the vehicle. Fortunately, there were very few cars on the road at the time. I jumped the car and took it straight to United BMW in Duluth, Georgia. They informed me that everything checkout fine and I simply needed a new battery. Fast forward 7 months and the vehicle died again while I was driving at a speed of 45 mph. I nearly got rear-ended. My family and I made it home after getting the car jumped, only to have it die in my driveway. Oh wait! It gets better. The vehicle was towed to United BMW in Duluth this morning. I explained the history to the representative named Scott **. Scott's response to me is as follows:
2. You must lock the vehicle when you're not driving so the system completely shuts down.
3. We recommend you purchase supplemental power for the vehicle to ensure the batter is adequately charged.
4. If your fuel is low you may also experience problems.
My response to Mr. Scott **: "No one in their right mind would purchase a BMW based on what you described"! His response, "My job is to give you the information. I apologize if your sales representative failed to do so." Needless to say, I'm afraid to let my wife or kids operate this vehicle. BMW, IF THIS ISSUE DOES NOT GET FIXED ONCE AND FOR ALL, AND WE END UP IN AN ACCIDENT, YOU WILL PAY DEARLY!
Reviewed July 9, 2014
I took my 2002 X5 in for service and was told I had to replace my engine coils and valve gaskets. $1,200 later my wife picked up the car and drove it home. The next day after the repair my car would not start. I called the service dept to have my car towed back to the dealership only for them to tell me that I blew my engine. I only had 76k miles on it and I was shocked. They quoted me 8k to rebuild my engine and tried to pressure me into buying another vehicle off their lot. I had my car towed to a BMW specialist and they showed me photos of where BMW of Henderson technicians sucked a bolt in my intake! After three meetings with the general manager John ** he told me although he liked my presentation of the facts he will only refund me most of my original cost of the repair to my intake gaskets. All I wanted was him to assist with the cost of the repair his service dept caused. So now I am left with no other option than to file a lawsuit. Fortunately the BMW specialist is willing to be my expert witness!
Reviewed July 3, 2014
Bought 2014 BMW X3 with 3900 miles and used as loaner at Silver Spring, MD BMW dealer. Right after 1st oil change at the dealer, I can hear loud ticking noise coming from the engine. Strange!! Next week took back to dealer to get it checked to get it fixed. At the end of the day dealer called me saying they could not find any trouble with the car and they compare the noise with brand new 2014 BMW X3 and the noise is normal.
Took the car back home and after week the ticking noise is still constant and now I can hear it on the upper first floor window of my home. What a disappointment!! I will take back to dealer as I did research on internet and found that this kind of trouble lot of other people have also. I have 2012 Honda CRV and it still runs very silky smooth and cost half of this BMW X3. If BMW dealer cannot fix it, I will fight till they buy back it from me as this is nothing but a lemon. No more BMW in my car shopping ever!!
Reviewed July 1, 2014
Purchased a 2005 BMW X3 in 2009 with 20K miles on it, purchased as a "BMW Certified" with the full 100K (or 6 year) warranty. At some point around 40K miles, I noticed the anti-freeze overflow tank had oil mixed in it. I took it to BMW and was given a tongue lashing for allowing Valvoline to change my oil. Not only did they state Valvoline put oil in the anti-freeze reservoir, they gave me a letter and advised me to take legal action. Instead, I opted to pay BMW $1200 to total flush the entire system of oil. A few months later the water pump went out (under warranty) and I was advised once again I had oil in my anti-freeze. Once again I was fooled by the BMW liars as they told me it was probably just left over from the previous incident. Finally while I was driving one day the engine started to run hot, being that I work literally 2 blocks from BMW I drove the car over to be checked out. By this time the car had run out of its BMW warranty, and lo and behold they said I had oil in the anti-freeze and that I would now need to pay them $4K to replace the head as the "thought" it was cracked. Now they couldn't really tell me that would fix the car and the only other option they gave me was to replace the engine $6K.
I have all of the paper trails, I called BMW USA, I tried to get the people at Swope BMW Louisville to work with me but they would not. At the end of the day, nobody could ever tell me how I was getting oil in the antifreeze....a cracked head and/or blown head gasket would result in antifreeze in the oil, what I had was exactly opposite. Rolling the dice, I took the car to a very reputable shop in Louisville and paid the $2500 to replace the head gasket...a repair which did not work.
I have owned 2 new BMW's. I will never, ever, ever even look at another one of these cars. The dealers are under a huge amount of duress and will not do what's right for the consumer. My warranty was worth nothing as they (BMW) milked it out until my car was no longer covered before telling me the engine was shot. Since then I have leased a 2013 Mazda CX5 AWD GT for my wife, and purchased a 2013 Honda Civic Ex for my son. I have plenty of money to spend, and will never spend another dime on these pieces of human excrement who represent BMW.

Reviewed June 19, 2014
I hate my 2009 X6. Since I purchase this car 2012, I have had it in the shop 6 times for electrical issues! They tell me at the dealership they can't find anything wrong with it..... go figure but I keep taking it back. The last 2 times my son was in the car and the problems started. I want to trade it but I can't at this time.... No more BMW for me!
Reviewed June 11, 2014
I owned a 2008 BMW 335i and experienced the same issue that is being recalled on the 2010- 012 models. I now own a CPO 2011 335i and the starting my car sounds as if the car hasn't been cranked in 2 months. While in park the engine is super loud and revs for no apparent reason. The dealerships are nothing but vacuums for money. After having a tire replaced for the 2008 at one dealership, the water pump failed less than 5 feet of the service garage door; but I was told this was normal and could happened. Please note that the car never had any warning signs of overheating or loss of a/c power or anything. This was $1200 to fix. The service manager was smug and uninterested in my concerns. His only offer was to allow me to leave my car on their premises and charge me a "fair" rate for renting a car.
On the same 2008 model, I was driving on the expressway and out of the blue my car loses engine power and goes into "safe mode". This was $800 to fix. I contacted BMW customer care and the rep could've cared less, telling me I was out of warranty and nothing they could do about it. If this automaker cared anything for their customers they would deliver superior products and superior customer service. Unfortunately, this automaker fall short on both.
Reviewed June 3, 2014
I'm a 19-year-old full time college student and full job worker. I'm broke and I don't have money for anything besides my studies. I'm on an extremely tight budget. Anyway one day Some guy contacted me from Craigslist since I posted my Honda for sale since I have been wanting to get rid of it and get something more decent since I have a professional job. He asked if I wanted to trade my 01 Honda Civic for his 1999 BMW 5 series. The pictures of the car were so beautiful and I said immediately, "Yes! Can I see it? Where can we meet?" And we met up 20 minutes later. I was alone (I know I'm an idiot). He was w/ his baby and his girlfriend and he said he already had the same BMW sitting at home and he wanted a Honda for his GF because of the good gas mileage.
I then test drove the Beamer and it didn't feel quite right, but I told myself, "Oh well, I'll take it to a mechanic and I'm sure it's something minor." The guy who traded me didn't ask for cash on top which was sort of sketchy. All he said that was wrong was that it needed an oil change and power steering fluid, hence the check engine light on the dash. I come to find out that the BMW couldn't even start the second day I had it and it began to make this LOUD air noise when I would hit the gas.
OMG, I was having an anxiety attack and immediately took it to a fair priced mechanic who works on marine and automotive here in Salem, Oregon. The Mechanic felt so bad for me I could see the sympathy in his eye. I basically told him the story and he couldn't stop staying how BMWs are pieces of ** and I should have never ever traded my perfect beat up Honda for it. I also came to find out that it would cost over 7 grand to repair the vehicle back to good condition since it had OVER 10 CODES or mechanical work needed to be done to it. Now my car still won't start because the battery died and I live alone and have no one to help me. I'm broke as hell and I don't have money for ANYTHING not even to register it under my name so I get the title in hand to get rid of it.
Reviewed May 27, 2014
Ordered a custom built leased 328i Luxury Line. After a few months of ownership, I noticed that the wood trim on the right rear door had a crack in it. Although it was minor, it could be felt and didn't want BMW to charge me when I turn in my lease. Went to South Motors BMW to tell them about the problem. The first service guy was an idiot who said that "I should have bring up the problem earlier" and that it was too late. Upset with this, I emailed BMW of NA included VIN, name, photos, and description.
Within a week, I got a call from my the person who sold me that car saying that he was so sorry and to bring in the car for another look. I went back and was met by my salesman and service manager. He took photos and ordered the new part which they installed a week later. Apart from the first idiot service guy. I want to thank both BMW of NA, my salesman and the service manager for resolving this problem in a quick and responsible matter. On my 4th BMW and very satisfied. Car has been flawless since.
Reviewed May 27, 2014
I send my car to BMW of Main line on Bala ave, Bala Cynwyd PA to fix the engine as I noticed a white smoke come out of tail pipe. The car have only 80 K. After they take the car for about month they give me the car. I drive the car for about two months. It was time to change the oil. I go to another BMW dealer closer from my new home. After they change the oil I noticed a ticking noise. At the time I go to pickup my car, they inform me that this issue inside the engine and I should take the car to the dealer who open the engine for me as this engine should be under cover.
I called BMW of main line and I called BMW of north America. NO one helped me, no one even their manager told me to take it to BMW who change the oil and the one who change the oil, they told me to take it to the one who open the engine. They forgot that both of them are BMW and I don't care how they deal with this thing. I just need this ticking noise to be fixed. They only smile on your face when you are there to buy a car, then when you go back to fix something that they can't handle they just keep ignoring you. They look for cheap mechanic to handle our cars. They are not professionals.
Reviewed May 14, 2014
For the past 6 months I have been experiencing problems with my iPhone 5S and my bluetooth. It has been at the dealer (Budds BMW, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) no less than 6 times to address this issue. The service manager has witnessed the problem and has escalated the problem to BMW Canada and furthered the issue to Germany. Finally, BMW claims to have duplicated the issue and tell me that it is only on certain models of the X5. In any case, the dealer has been reasonable in providing me with a courtesy car while my X5 has been in their shop even though it has been a huge inconvenience to me.
Please note, at BMW's insistence I have replaced 2 iPhone 5s and invested all the time necessary to make these changes. I am in corporate sales and rely heavily on the use of my phone while driving. I have chosen apple for all of my products (MacBook, iPhone a number of chargers (6) also the convenience of the icloud)..... especially Siri that allows me to concentrate on driving while Siri reads and dictates my emails and text messages safely. BMW has told me that my only option is to switch to an Android platform phone. They have given this proposal as a take it or leave it. Android phones do not offer a fraction of the features that an iPhone does.
I asked BMW Canada when they will have the bluetooth issue resolved. Their reply was that they were working on it with Apple but they did not know when. BMW claims that they cannot be responsible for keeping up with manufacturer's software (assuming that is the case, please consider..... of the courtesy BMW's provided by them to me the dealer, I have not experienced one single issue with the bluetooth using the same phone.) In closing, I confess to enjoying my X5 very much; however, this bluetooth issue renders my vehicle unusable given the importance of my phone while driving. Here in Ontario, it is against the law to operate your vehicle without handsfree.
I have spoken with both the dealer and BMW Canada that I am not unreasonable and would consider moving to a similar vehicle along with accepting there would be an additional cost involved that should be shared by all parties. I remain open to suggestions/options but BMW is only offering a take it or leave it regarding a change to an Android device. They are not willing to entertain anything else. Regarding the Android device...... I will leave it. My family and friends all drive premium vehicles and are watching the way BMW is dropping the ball. Switch your phone as your only option...... Are you kidding me?!!!!
Reviewed May 3, 2014
I am in the process of suing BMW for a number of things. I have a lawyer. It is just taking longer than expected. I purchased a BMW 2007 750 November 2011 and before April, the engine gave out!! This is horrible and has been a nightmare!!
Reviewed April 8, 2014
2010 328i Horrible Car - Bought a BMW 2010 M package, the whole 9 yards. 700 miles - Driver side head light fails. 3,800 miles - Transmission jerks (needs update). 5,600 miles - USB stops working and needs replaced. 10,900 miles - Front rotors are warped and needs new rotors and pads. 21,200 miles - iDrive fails (the screen goes red). 27,300 miles - Rear left driver side malfunction on tail light (LEDs failed). 27,900 miles - Loud clicking at idle (alternator failed and was replaced). 28,400 miles - Car would sound like a diesel (all injectors were replaced). Finally had enough, I traded the car in after all these issues.
Reviewed April 7, 2014
For people thinking about purchasing a BMW, please read on about how corporate shamefully handled our situation with a brand new 2014 BMW X3. Since mid December, our vehicle has damaged itself by scratching straight through the hood to the bare metal. This happened twice. First incidence, the service manager Marvin at our local dealership (Joel Confer in State College, PA) had no idea how it could have happened and advised we touch up the spot and wait to see if it happened again. Also note that paint residue was on the underside of the wiper assembly (very difficult to touch in regular operation). Marvin agreed that this was very strange. Within a month and a half, the same exact spot was scratched through right through to the metal again. This time, the paint residue was on the top of the wiper assembly.
The second time, we sent the vehicle back to Sun Motors in Mechanicsburg, PA (original purchase location) for an "official corporate inspection." Waited a week and a half to hear back and then it was claimed that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the wiper so they would not be doing anything except to re-touch-up the area with a touch up paint kit. The spot is not perfectly touched up and the damaged area is still clearly distinguishable. We were also advised against having the entire hood repainted again because it would diminish the value of the vehicle, have to be on record as being repainted for any future trade-ins and the paint job wouldn't be factory perfect.
I asked that a resolution team member (Ruth **) look into it as that was an unacceptable response. No one from our family has lifted the wiper blade and the vehicle has been either garaged or kept in our driveway. Wipers have only been operated in rain and NEVER under heavy snow. I asked that if two service departments and corporate couldn't explain why this happened TWICE IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT, how could they write it off as coincidence? Nobody could offer us an explanation or even a firm indication that this wouldn't happen again. No compensation whatsoever was offered at all.
BMW corporate resolutions then stated that perhaps someone lifted the hood and/or wipers incorrectly. Again, I responded that no one in our family has done so. Of course, conveniently for BMW, there is no way to prove this since I haven't had a video camera on my car at all times since purchase. I stated then that this only left supposedly "trained" technicians at two different certified BMW dealerships that touched our car. Ruth ** from corporate, then agreed that it could be a possibility that these "professionals" could have damaged our car, twice. Unlikely but the only explanation offered. End Result: Left with a $50K+ 2014 X3 that apparently hates its own hood. We also need to be paranoid about using our wiper blades. If third instance occurs, we will most likely look into PA Lemon Laws. May simply trade in or sell X3 for a brand that actually has a sense of corporate responsibility. Conclusion? #shouldhaveboughtAudi
Reviewed March 27, 2014
I'll keep it short but my 5 series transmission failed on the same week the car registered 70k miles. Such a pity the BMW driving machine can't make it past 70k miles.
Reviewed March 25, 2014
I own a 2003 BMW X5. This car is a real nightmare. Over the past two years, I've had the following issues: overheating, driver side window's arm broken, leaking sun roof, amplifier not working, LCD display fading, leaking power steering fluid, leaking engine oil, all door handles broken, broken rear axle arms, unexpected engine shutdown, leaking break fluid. That will be the last time in my lifetime that I will ever buy anything that BMW makes!
Reviewed March 25, 2014
I purchased a 2013 X5 last year and after putting 13k miles on the vehicle, I am told that it needs new tires. The dealer said that they should last 30k miles, but have worn uneven. Because I have purchased 7 ($500k worth) vehicles from BMW over the past 12 years, I thought that they would work with me in replacing the tires. They told me that it was my problem and that they are not doing anything about it. Well I am 35 and at this rate will be purchasing 15+ new vehicles over the next 35 years.... guess it's time to give the Audi and Mercedes a try! I am sure that they value their loyal clients more.
Reviewed March 21, 2014
I recently visited the BMW service center in about my 2007 BMW 525i, 58K old car. It stalled on the road with a huge cloud of smoke behind the car on the coldest day of the winter and I had to tow the vehicle to the service center. I did not get an appointment initially. I was told it would take at least couple of days to see the vehicle. I had no choice but leaving the vehicle at the service center. It took 10 days to get my vehicle back. I did not get the vehicle completely fixed and problem free. Nobody trust the owner of the car when I said I never found a single problem till it was stalled on the road.
I was charged $2k initially. When I asked for the bad spark plugs which were replaced as part of the process, I was told they were disposed, then the representative went inside and found unused parts lying around the car and reduced that part price from the $2k he initially charged and gave me a new receipt. If I had not asked for spark plugs, I would have paid $2k and returned losing my money for the unused parts brought as part of my invoice. I am not confident if they have really replaced the parts that they are saying they did as part of the service contract.
Now my car makes a chopper sound. It rattles like a old car out from the junk yard. The service manager says it could have existed before and it is continuing which is not true as nobody trust the car owner. The service guy told me that my engine is hydro locked and says that he never saw such problem in his entire experience and says that he do not know how to fix this. I am left to live with the problem. I smell the burnt odor when I drive. I do not know if it is a major problem or not. I was told if I drive the car for 1000 miles, the burnt smell will go away.
One more surprising thing is, I was told they removed the entire engine oil from the engine. When they did that, is it not their responsibility to fill it back to normal level? They did not do it and told me I have to drive at least 1000 miles do get rid of the burnt smell and delivered the car. I took the car home, before I reached home it threw an error message saying the Engine Oil Levels are below minimum. What kind of service is that? Do they want to ruin my car and make me buy a new one or leave the car for more repairs and get looted? When I contacted the service center about the Engine Oil Levels, service manager asks me to come down to top off with one quart of oil. I asked him how can they deliver the car with engine oils at so minimum levels after service? I got no satisfactory answer. I have to leave the car for half day at the service center requesting (begging would be a right word here) to service my car paying $120+ more.
I have no peace of mind with the car. All these problems clearly state that if you are out of warranty, just sell the car and get rid of the hassles. 58k on my car shows that it is still a baby. But the problems on the car are very scary. It is just the appearance and from inside BMW is the most problematic car I have ever experienced. I have to always worry about the battery draining because of the continuous checking of computers. The display throws all sorts of problems. Some times it stops working. Display is not a wear out part so early. Why should a customer worry about the car all the time? I have gone thru the forums. A lot of problems with 525 series. Why don't you guys recall and fix the problems? Why should the customer suffer so much paying for all the hot fixes you forgot in the first place while releasing the model? I am a very good driver and I maintain the cars very perfectly servicing them every 5k miles and taking good care. I have a Honda Odyssey 2007 model. Hassle free, not a single problem till now. Cars should be like that, hassle free. BMW is proving that luxury is a pain and a hole in customer pocket.
If BMW is trustworthy as it claims, then please fix my car with no additional costs, as you did not fix the problem in the first case, despite charging me so much money and time. I hope someone will respond positively to this painful email. If not I will definitely will not buy a BMW in my life again and would not recommend to anyone. It is really painful knowing that BMW is so poorly serving customers not fixing the car's problems properly and driving customers to buy new cars.
Reviewed March 19, 2014
There are so many issues reported for this vehicle (BMW 745), they have become essentially worthless, so my issue is not with any particular problem as most have been stated already. My issue is that when is BMW going to be held accountable for not doing their own issued TSBs when the vehicle was in for service and still under warranty. Okay so now I will state a particular problem (like we need another). COLD CLIMATE CONDITIONS TSB S.I. B11 01 07 October 2007. In a nutshell it states that in cold weather conditions, the crank case ventilation valve "may freeze" causing a "leaking oil filler cap, leaking or broken valve covers to complete engine failure". What does BMW mean by "extremely cold climate conditions", by reviewing forums etc. where the problems have been reported. This extreme cold area appears to be anywhere that it might snow!
Being located in central Alberta, Canada is now apparently the equivalent to being in the arctic circle, then again so it would appear for locations as far south as Michigan. One must wonder where the BMW engineers developed the car, my guess Germany, but alas it would appear that Germany must have been unseasonably warm during the testing of this engine. How this is not a mandated recall is beyond my comprehension. But wait it gets even worse! So the valve gaskets start to leak in fall of 2013, I take it in for the repair and the work is performed, but leak persists, then it is discovered that the BMW dealer here in Edmonton supplied, standard valve cover gaskets, not the gaskets referred to in the TSB issued in 2007. Being Edmonton, why would they even supply any gaskets, that were not "cold weather approved'.
It's just not an issue with the 7 series as it also exists in the 6 and 5 series. When it comes to the X5 AWD, where does BMW think their North American customer base is... California? I am the original owner and the car has all off 114,000 Kilometers on it. Does BMW make a good car... no, do they care... no, would I ever buy another ....no. Would I recommend anyone buy one... no. Hopefully this complaint will be read by people doing research prior to purchase and they can avoid the incredible frustration of being a BMW owner.
Reviewed March 11, 2014
I leased my BMW 328i - Jan 2013. All the wheels where the brakes are, shows a lot of rust. I went to my dealer Motorwerks of Barrington, IL and the service person/and manager looked at it and said it’s a normal wear & tear, however since I was not satisfied with the answer, so I called BMW of North America Customer service and Rep told me that it can be fixed and is included and is part of my Warranty. And so she conference the line with service manager who instead of servicing this issue accused me that I abused my car with an Acid pour??
Seriously ?? You are talking about selling a 43k worth of piece of ** AND THEN BLAME IT ON TO YOUR CUSTOMERS?? They are not only unprofessional but THUGS who SHY away from their Jobs!!!! However it is so much of shame that such a Reputable Brand like "BMW" is having these issues and problem with their expensive piece of Junks!!! And are unable to fix em! Can’t wait for my lease to be up and then bye-bye to them. Never going to send my valuable money and time on this "Brand Name".
Reviewed Feb. 20, 2014
In 2011, I bought a 2010 550i gt with 10k miles from Global Imports and in the span of a year, It had ten service repairs on everything from oil consumption to pumps leaks drivetrain failures. Global trade assisted me out of that vehicle into another 2010 550i gt. Within one year this vehicle was sixteen times in repair shop with ongoing failure of vehicle. I am in negotiation with BMW of North America as they have admitted liability of their failed vehicles but they have a goal to profit from this and 'sell' me another vehicle. I believe that two and a half years of constant repairs subjecting my family to stress, loss of time, loaner vehicles and a incident where we broke down on the busiest Atlanta freeway at high traffic time potentially deadly, is cause for BMW to offer a apology and as they stand by their Brand, they stand by myself the consumer and offer my family a new vehicle comparable to the features of the 550i gt minus the constant failed operations and performances.
Reviewed Feb. 14, 2014
This is another long history with the great BMW dealership! So one day I'm enjoying my BMX X5, you all know what I'm talking about. Get a new car, and its a good feeling! UNTIL!!!! You start to Experience Issues. I just got a new BMW and don't know mechanics so you have to take it to a dealership. Now I take it to Chapman BMW, And remember I have a 2003 X5 it's the 4.4. They came out with a Estimate Bill for $7800. I was like what!!!
So I work on cars for a living and I know they full of you know what, when they say that number. Cause I fixed most of their list for under $1300. They get you with their labor 1st, then the parts! In capital letters SHAME on you BMW!! So then after all the parts and time to fix her. 4 months later I start to Smell of burning coming into my vents also a noise coming from the rear and sound like my rear differential. So I take it to BMW and they tell me I have no leaks nothing burning, everything is great. Well I take the car back thinking that BMW knows what they're talking about, WRONG!!!
I smell it again so I call my service advisor to tell him the same thing. I smelled the same smell and I hear the same noise so I take it back. So then two weeks later they get back to me saying that my transmission is making that noise and that smell is my valve covers leaking onto my headers which I had just done my valve covers. Tell them really? But before this you said I was good with no leaks? I tell them off a little cause they have no clue what they're doing! Well they do cause their Ripping off all of us these insane prices! I'll make it short now! I pay $798 to fix the Smell they said, and the Transmission is going out! They said!
Get the car back two months later and what do you know I smell the smell again! I paid them to do a job to take care of the smell and see what that noise was. Well smell everybody is called the oil separator, I changed it for $30 and fixed it myself! The noise is my rear diff, like I had told them before but they said trans! They need to make things right for what we pay!
Reviewed Feb. 10, 2014
Two words to say about BMW, EXPENSIVE JUNK!! It was my dream car..... Unfortunately sorry to say it's my nightmare now. If there is fair justice, Perrillo BMW in Chicago should be closed down by the authority for the scam that is between them and warranty companies scamming consumers to make fast buck. Every time took the car to them for service had to bring it back for something else. My car been to them over 30 times. Last time they kept for 7 months to fix the passing of state emission test. My car had less than 50.000 miles all that time. The body was damaged and rust spots all over it from their underground garage and lost my key. l can go on on with this. And contacted BMW North America, they're even worse by misleading advertisement for the make of the ultimate pure JUNK. THEY NEED TO OWN UP TO THAT!!!!!
Reviewed Jan. 27, 2014
My name is Anura, and I'm from Chino Hills, California. Exactly 1 (one) week after my 72 months/100,000 miles warranty on my BMW 745 Li's was expired, I started to experience series of expensive car repairs. First, it got overheated and smoke started coming out of engine without a prior warning, after driving to Long Beach, California, just 45 miles with my family. I had to change all the plans and have it towed to my mechanic. It ended up costing me nearly $2,600 worth of repair work before getting the car back. A month or so later my transmission started slipping. This cost me another $3,100. 6 months later, I took it in to have it checked for serious oil and coolant leak problems. They had to change the valve cover gasket, coolant sensor and some coolant hoses, costing me another $3,600.
Now I'm having a serious smoking (out of tail pipe) problem, which will not make it pass the smog test. I got an estimate of $3,600 to fix that problem. Additionally, I have all kinds of flashing warning lights on the dash board. I hate to admit, if I want to go somewhere without having to worry about breaking down on the way, I wouldn't dare take my luxury BMW 745 Li, but rather my back up pick up truck Nissan Frontier. I intend to file a Lemon on this. If anyone has any advice or tips, please contact me at **. Thanks.
Reviewed Jan. 16, 2014
I have a 2007 BMW 335i that I bought from a BMW dealer. The car is a CPO car. I have had a constant problem with the car burning oil. It uses about a quart of oil every 750 miles. I took the car into the dealer when I realized that there was indeed a problem. Their course of action was to do an oil study. What that meant was that I had to take it back to the dealer every time that the oil warning indicator went off, and that they would verify that the car had a problem. After many trips and quite a few hours sitting at The BMW Dealer, they did verify that the car was indeed using a lot of oil.
On two occasions they kept the car for a few days to check it out. They said that they could find anything wrong with the car. I contacted BMW North America on their website, and they came back, telling me that 750 miles per quart was normal. Since then my CPO warranty has gone out, and I am stuck with this problem. On the plus side, the car is a lot of fun to drive. This has been a bad experience for me. I have had the car in the shop once since then. More problems, amounting to a $1,000.00 repair bill for what should have been minor things. I will never buy another BMW and cannot recommend them to anyone else. I also have a Lexus - five years old and ZERO problems. I would love to hear from anyone else that has had oil issues.
Reviewed Jan. 15, 2014
I DID PURCHASE A BRAND NEW BMW 520 D from BMW from the Cochin dealer in India, Completed 3 years and done less than 20000KM, regularly serviced at BMW, last servicing done at 15000 km. Recently it was noticed that only one of the rear brake pads had worn out and had badly damaged the disc while all other brake pads are okay and the BMW intelligent maintenance system display showing all brake pads okay.The system is showing all brake pads okay, a rear brake pad replacement after 4100KM and front brake pad replacement after 37000KM !
THE KEY DATA AND THE Printout also confirms that while it failed to monitor and display any warning even after the pad's badly damaged, the disc (we noticed it after hearing abnormal sound, otherwise we would have stranded some WHERE). Although the dealer said that he will write to BMW, as expected he came back to us asking for our consent to repair the discs for approx. US$1400. He failed to give any explanation for the failure of the BMW intelligent maintenance system, CBS, The I drive display, VEHICLE information display, etc. and is not ready to own any responsibility to ensure a reliable system, leaving us doubts about the reliability of other data shown on the display about the wear and tear, fluid levels, etc. Such an irresponsible response is unacceptable for expensive vehicles as the systems has to be reliable and if there is a fault and consequent damage, inconvenience to its clients, the company should take responsibility and get the matters sorted out at the shortest time possible.
Reviewed Jan. 8, 2014
I have been purchasing and driving BMWs since 2002 and have purchased or leased 9 different NEW BMWs for myself, my son and my wife over the past 12 years. As a "driving machine" it is awesome, but their Bluetooth and Navigation software is beyond terrible... it is USELESS! The navigation software is only useful if the address has existed for more than 40 years in some cases, and every year, BMW tries to sell you an "updated" navigation disc for $200.00 - are you kidding me? The Bluetooth phone software is at least three years old on my 2012 X5 and even with their software "update," it is at least two years behind current technology. I had to search for and buy a retro cell phone that BMW claims works in my car, but it DOES NOT!
The software repeatedly drops calls and now it's even dropping my phone from the system, causing me to repeatedly have to "add new phone" in the telephone Bluetooth menu; a process that can take several attempts and in one case more than an hour. I was doing this at least twice a week until I just said the hell with it and now don't use my phone through the BMW Bluetooth system. This is a huge inconvenience for me, as I make a lot of calls from my car in conjunction with my business. This has become so bad that I cannot use my phone in the car, unless I stop, turn on my Bose Bluetooth earpiece and make the call directly from my phone.
I have complained to BMW numerous times, but quite frankly, they don't care. Their excuse is that BMW doesn't actually make the software, but purchases it from another vendor. When I pay in excess of $83,000.00 for a vehicle, I expect to be able to use my phone and access my "phone book" from the navigation screen and not have to stop my car and use a Bluetooth earpiece to initiate or receive a phone call. It is incomprehensible to me why BMW does not contract with a software company that will allow BMW owners to use whatever cell phone they wish and have it work properly in the car. As it stands now, only the iPhone will work in BMWs and then only certain of those and then only some of the time. I will not have an iPhone and I shouldn't have to use a phone I don't want, after spending the better part of one hundred thousand dollars for a BMW.
Reviewed Jan. 6, 2014
A NEW (not used) BMW transmission was replaced for our X5 BMW year 2001 in July 15, 2010. We understood that the warranty on this transmission would be 10 years. Recently, December 28th, 2013, the transmission was failed. BMW did not accept responsibility for replacement under warranty claiming that the warranty period is only two years. Is this correct? The replacement cost we paid at the BMW OTTO Service was for a New BMW transmission. Your assistance & advise is appreciated.
Reviewed Dec. 18, 2013
I've been driving BMWs for 15 years and had come to trust the brand. I decided to spend a bit more than I wanted to buy a newer version (6 years, 2007 320D model) to try to reduce the generally high costs of maintaining old BMWs. The car had 80k miles, sounded and drove OK. Little did I know that between 2007 and 2009, BMW built their cars with weak timing chains and located them at the back of the engine where they could not be replaced without complete engine removal. Furthermore, the lower timing sprocket is integral to the crankshaft, so the latter has to be replaced as well even though the shaft is hardly worn (600 for the bit). If the timing chain is slightly noisy (not noticeable to most people), the cost to fix is at least 2000. If the chain fails, the engine instantaneously loses power without warning. If you can recover yourselves safely on foot from the fast lane, or wherever, the bill is at least 5000.
My local mechanic noticed the slight noise under the engine. I took it to the BMW dealer who agreed that the chain should be replaced. BMW then declined to offer any "good will" contribution to the repair cost because the car was out of warranty and had been bought from a non-BMW dealer, even though all but the last two services were carried out by the BMW dealer. I have been advised by an engine repair company that they are repairing 3 or 4 of these engines per week (including other models made in 2007-2009) and that the new timing chain is stronger than the old, implying that a design-failure has been admitted by BMW in practice, if not officially. There is no instruction in the owner's manual to check the condition of the timing chain (as there is for cam-belts in other makes) so owners are unwarned of this costly maintenance task. In my opinion, BMW, by not admitting their calamitous design errors, are foisting the massive costs onto owners. Be warned of BMW incompetence and insensitivity if you are thinking of buying one of their cars. I would be pleased to consider taking part in a class action against the company, alleging that their denial of fault is false and that they are liable for all repair costs. This would need proof with expert witnesses but might be affordable if enough people come forward.
Reviewed Dec. 6, 2013
BMW Serpa, in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada - has the most unprofessional service provider that are more oriented towards how much money they can get out of your pocket (Consumer) before they decide if they will provide you with WHAT GRADE of Service or if they will decide to provide you with a Car for your use while your BMW is in service. BMW Serpa has gone from being low class BMW service Center to the being Most Unprofessional and most horrible place to take your BMW for service or less even to buy your next BMW. They will wipe your feet if you are trying to Buy Your Next BMW, but the minute the funds have exchanged hands, you are in the Doom Land - They do not know you any more. Now only money will talk - if you spend more money at their service desk, then you will get a LOANER CAR - if your work is under the Warranty, then you will be told sorry we do not have any LOANER at this point but we will try our best to get you one very soon. WELL, THE SOON WILL NEVER COME!!!!!!!
I bought my BMW X5 from BMW Serpa in Newmarket, Ontario and soon after the driving became kind of rough engine sound and driving experience. Well I called BMW Serpa and was asked to come-on in for service. Well I took my X5 in for service and filed the report with the Service of Engine running rough that was covered under the WARRANTY. First I was asked to pay $158 for Diagnostic check, which I did and asked for a Loaner Car - But was told they had none available at this point (DAY #1).
After 2 days and ME Calling them to get update on my BMW, I was told that the Spark Plugs need to reset and they are good and X% running fine now. I picked up the BMW and drove home that late Evening (Day #3) - Well I do not what the hell BMW Serpa did, but the car did not run smooth and was giving the same engine trouble as before. The next morning (DAY # 4) I took my car back to BMW Serpa and filed the same complaint and report of Engine Running Rough, Still giving NO LOANER CAR. Next day (DAY # 5) I did not receive any call from BMW SERPA. (DAY # 6) I called BMW Serpa and request for the service department and was given the Voice Mail and so left a message for them to call me. Well No Calls were received. NOW I AM WITHOUT A CAR for 4 Days. Finally I went to BMW SERPA and spoke to the Owner of the events that took place and Unprofessional Approach of the Service Department of his BMW SERPA.
Well, during my visit to BMW Serpa, the service agent said he was going to call me today and that my BMW X5 had some Engine problem and they need to order various engine parts to get them changed that will be done in 4 -5 days. They still did not have any Loaner car for me. WOW! By god's Grace I was called by the service agent and said to come and pick up the LOANER CAR the Next day (DAY # 7).
Well the 5 days that was told for repair of my BMW X5 by BMW Serpa was really 14 days. And NO SIR, I did not get any update calls as stated by BMW CANADA (Service Promise to Customers). It was me who was calling BMW SERPA at all time to get update on my car. Well finally after had received NO CALLS from BMW Serpa for 4 days, I called them on Friday Early Afternoon and was told, "OH! The papers just came from the service desk," and that they were about to call me as my BMW X5 was ready, but as they were putting the paperwork together, they will call me in few minutes. The few minutes really was few hours. I received call back from BMW SERPA at 17:30 hours and was asked to pick my BMW and it was all tested and ready to go. Well I picked my BMW next day and drove home.
Well, the BMW X5 started with same engine trouble within 24 hours of bringing it home from BMW Serpa after having it repaired and tested by the BMW SERPA Service Department. I called the Service Department on Tuesday (DAY # 18) and was attended by Female Service Agent and said she will ask the other Service agent working with me to call me in One Hour. WELL, NO Sir! No calls were received and Next day I called back in the Morning and was asked for Voice Box. I refused and asked to be put on hold until the Service Agent was free to speak to me. After 18 minutes on Hold, he answered and took down my complaint and asked me to drive the BMW back to BMW SERPA, which I refused as it was not safe and asked to arrange Tow to bring the car to Service at BMW SERPA. At 12:16 hours the Tow truck arrived and I went with the Tow truck to BMW SERPA. On arrival, I spoke to the agent at the service desk and was told that I should wait for the service agent who was dealing with me and was on lunch at this point. Also instead to asking me to wait in the waiting area, was told to go for lunch and come back. Well I decided to just wait there as the time was 12:30 hours and I was told the agent will be back at 13:00 hours.
At 13:25 hours I went back to the service agent and asked when the other agent was expected back from lunch and was told very soon. So after 30 minute later than what I was told, the agent arrived and at 13:47 hours he came to me and asked for my BMW KEY. At 14:25 hours he came back and said the fuel in the car was only good for 6 KM before empty, I said that was not true and took him to the car and after starting the car, showed him that the car showed still good for another 68KM before reserve (He was trying to put the engine trouble on lack of fuel in the car). Well at 14:38, the agent drove the car to the service line and spoke to the BMW service supervisor to look into the X5 and get it diagnostic tested. Again I was told in few minutes it will be all done and ready to go. This was at 14:55 hours. Finally at 15:45 hours I again approached the service desk and asked for any update was told, "OH! I was about to come to you, the problem was in the spark plugs," and as they do not have all the required plugs the car will be ready the next day by late morning.
NEXT DAY NOW - I waited for a call from BMW SERPA - But No calls - so as always I called them and again left a Message for them to call me back. No Call back and neither I have any transport at this point. So I called them back and again I demanded to be put on hold, until the service agent was ready to speak to me, In 7 minutes I was speaking to my service agent, who said - he had no idea what was going on, but will find out and get back to me in 10 minutes. Well this time he did call in 10 mins and told me now the spark plugs were okay, but the problem was still existing and that the team was working on the electrical system now, so I said it was all covered under the Warranty and he said YES it was and so I asked for a LOANER CAR and he said they had NO LOANER CAR and he cannot be sure as to when he will have a loaner for me. Also he was unsure as to how long it will take for my BMW X5 to be ready or what was going on.
I was once again, left hanging with No CAR, No proper information, No Details on how long the fix will take and neither any words of professional courtesy of what will happen to all my work meetings and my transportation. I had changed from AUTOHAUS BMW to BMW SERPA about 8 months back after 9 years of being a BMW AUTOHAUS customer (Happy One), as the BMW SERPA was closer to my house. But I do regret going to BMW SERPA and am most disappointed in the level of service provided by this BMW SERPA in Newmarket, Ontario, CANADA. Be Smart and stay away from BMW SERPA. Unless you like giving away your money with NO Accountability at all with this service provider, BMW SERPA. Best to go to other BMW Dealer! BMW SERPA = UNPROFESSIONAL.
Reviewed Dec. 4, 2013
BMW has had my vehicle for over a month now for repairs. The car is less than 4 years old and has less than 35,000 miles on it. I bought the car brand new. This is not the first time my car has been in the shop. There have been numerous other occasions prior to this time. I am emailing to express my dissatisfaction with the whole matter involving my vehicle. I am very distressed at the fact that it has taken this long for BMW to diagnose the problem with my car. I have stated before to BMW North America, I have reason to believe I was sold a "lemon". I was also forced to buy a battery recently (receipt of 11/2/13 for amount of $898.68) to what I believe was an original defect with the vehicle. To say that I have been not only depressed but suffering mental anguish and frustration is an understatement. I am not pleased with BMW. I have strongly suggested some other recourse in this matter but I still get the run around. Please help me!!!!
Reviewed Nov. 26, 2013
I purchased a brand new 528 BMW and the battery went dead in less than 5,000 miles. And the dealer refuse to replace it under the warranty. They make me pay for it. And now it made me upset even more. Because the battery dead again in 2 1/2 yrs later. But this time they said I have a shortage in the wires or whatever and it costs me over a $1000.00. At this point, I just gonna sell that piece of **. And never buy another BMW. I believe I've been ripped off by BMW or the dealership.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2013
BMW 2011 x535i Premium Problems - I purchased this car new 2 years ago. My car boiled at 12,520 mi. in New Mexico, was towed to Tucson At 2 am for 1.5 hrs. Tucson BMW - requested them to drain and measure oil. They refused! BMW book for owners states: Too little or too much oil can damage engine and/or transmission. BMW doesn't care. In Sept. 2013, got front brakes at Escondido BMW, CA. They refused to change the rotors that were badly rusted and below specs until I returned to the BMW shop after taking it to a German shop to see if they did the work. They didn't.
Upon returning, I was able to force them to change the rotors. Since purchasing the BMW, the car hesitates and jerks for about two blocks before driving right. The car emergency parking brake is designed to ruin the transmission if it isn't applied in a certain order. There is a pin in the brake that will pop if not set right and if it breaks off, you need a new transmission! $$$$. The leather is cheap and thin. I am a single retired woman that doesn't drive daily. My seat is worn as if it had 60,000 mi. on it, instead of 29,000! I also paid an extra $1,300 for contour seats, but the ride is so hard, you become a bobble Head with a headache if you aren't driving on very smooth highways!
My entire rear muffler system arrived totally rusted when brand new. BMW has a 10-yr. Rust warranty, but refuses to honor it! Windshield was defective in the 20,000 mi. range. BMW refused to honor their Windshield warranty also... My cost: $903! The glare from defects blinded me. Navigation went out three times, blank red, then all in German language... Acktune? Attention! Etc. My AM-FM and Sirius also went blank. If they can't replicate it at that moment, they won't fix it and don't care. Navigation works, but also is defective and often tells you the wrong way to turn, so you also have to rely on N, S, W, E. When you buy the car new, they want you to pay hundreds to "update your navigation". It does not come updated!!!
Gas mileage is not good like they claim. Neither is the twin turbo engine. I was told by a Vista BMW dealer mgr. that I need to add a qt of oil every 2,000 Miles. I don't think that is in the manual either. "The oil seals go bad often," claims a BMW mechanic. When BMW was being taken apart by BMW rep at Encinitas BMW, they scratched my rear side bumper! They also did not put the car back together right and frequently called to tell me the car was "ready" when they had not performed the work, causing multiple trips to dealers and much aggravation and gas.
Filed a lemon law in NJ where I bought the car. If I had purchased it in Calif. BMW would have bought the car back; but all they want to give me is $8,000, which is standard for any lemon law complaint in OH and NJ unless the car quits and is a life threat or injury from malfunction is proven. Someone in Munich had my same vin# except for last 5 nos. Their car stopped in the middle of the highway, lost all power and brakes! This happens to some BMW owners of X5s. At the time I purchased the car, I thought I loved it. Now that I own it, and have researched all problems with this model. It states in Car magazines this is the 2nd worst SUV for 2011 and is on the "Do not buy" list because of all major problems. This car sticker: $63,225. Worth: 0 in safety and reliability and service at BMW!
BMW does not honor their warranties! If you file a lemon on BMW, be aware they add "code 13" on their "confidential" Store copy of your invoice. This means the dealer must contact BMW Corp. in NJ., who in turn tells the dealer to do nothing except oil changes and they told me their hands were tied! BMW corporate just did a fabulous remodel for $100 million in New Jersey. It seems nobody can make them honor their worthless warranties!
My recommendation: Do not buy this car unless you are a European mechanic. BMW does not tell you to buy a software update program for $325 or your car may totally fail leaving you helpless and frightened when it shuts down. Locks are iffy. Sometimes they work, but they seem easy to break into. Remote battery fails frequently and all BMW does is temp. charge it. BMW can erase all the codes on your car if they don't want you to know what is really wrong.
I had German shop run 3 pgs. of codes that were bad on my new car. BMW Ohio kept these records. They were mostly camera errors. If you can find a German shop to run codes on your car, then you will know what is really wrong. BMW will never admit to any failures and paid millions in fines to NHSTA because they refuse to turn in complaints to the national board according to the law in the time frame regulated for the first few years on any BMW! Why are they allowed to get away with breaking the law????? And why can't they be made to Honor all their warranties, which you pay for in the price of the car and is an Incentive to purchase the car?
Prestige BMW in NJ also failed to give us the $2,500 holiday credit incentive they promised! And it took two months to get the privacy cover that came with the car new! You be the judge! Please consult Carcomplaints.com; NHTSA 2011 X5 problems and recalls; Recallowl.com for more info on autos. I hope this is helpful to others.
Reviewed Oct. 29, 2013
I purchased a 2011 X5 brand new from the factory back in 2011 and was experiencing some squeaking noises coming from the front end of the car. I complained to my servicing dealer about the problem back in 2011 or 2012 and they never took any action on the problem. However fast forward to 2013, the problem got worse and occurred on a frequent basis which was very embarrassing to me. In May of this year, my U-joint broke. My truck was down for about 2 1/2-3 weeks. During this time I complained about the squeaking noise as well. The U-joint was repaired; however, the truck was still making the squeaking noise. Took the truck back to the dealer for the noise. The truck was down again for about another 2 weeks. However the squeaking noise was still occurring.
I took the truck back again but I was told by my service advisor he didn't hear the noise so I should record it when I hear it and email him the noise so that he could send it to the shop foreman. I did so and returned the truck to the dealer. The truck was down for another 2-3 weeks and when I got it back, the squeaks turned into a whining noise. In addition to the fact that I now had oil leaks. At this point, I took the truck back to the dealer and filed complaints with the BBB, Consumer Affairs in addition to contacting BMW N. America. I was told that due to the mileage and age of my truck that BMW was not liable for the issues I was having with my truck thus they would not provide me with a new vehicle or provide a sufficient monetary amount to buy out my finance contract, etc.
I am very disappointed that a luxury vehicle has performed so poorly and BMW does not want to immediately take responsibility for a defective product. However they did offer me $2k for my inconvenience on the condition that I sign a confidentiality agreement which would release them of all responsibility of any issues I may have with my vehicle past present and future in addition to agreeing to not disclose the nature of my experience with the defects and failures of my vehicle.
Reviewed Oct. 23, 2013
Sought a remedy to this issue having a bumper to bumper warranty. BMW of Albany refused to earnestly deal with discoloration of the interior. After several interior cleaning the seats and panels has darken and door panels appears to fold into little ripples in upper and lower areas.
Reviewed Oct. 20, 2013
I leased a 2009 328i BMW and a basic part of the car was Voice Recognition - no need to buy the navigation system. I leased the 2013 328i and of course expected the Voice Recognition to be part of the package. No one at BMW Manhattan knew that it wouldn't be. I took the car and soon learned this was the case. Called BMW and was told that this year it wasn't part of the basic package but they were fixing it and the software would be available by June 2013. June has come and gone and I am now told it will not be available at all. Never would I have taken this car. BMW will not take the car back. This is a safety issue - and I don't know of another car that doesn't provide this as a basic. BMW is arrogant about this and dismissive. I will never get another one of its cars. This is bad business.
Reviewed Oct. 9, 2013
I purchased a 2013 X5 on 5/22/13 and it has been in the car shop over 2.5 months. I am beyond frustrated in dealing with the dealership and BMW North America. I've gone in for rattling noises that took them 2 times to fix and now my module that holds the lights, Bluetooth, SOS button, etc. will not work. This is the 3rd time in the shop for the module issue, BMW has switched out the module twice, and has rewired it twice but they still do now know what is causing the issue. They have had expert technicians that came out and conference Germany but no one knows why it sometimes work and sometimes doesn't work. All I am asking for is for BMW to give me a fair trade for the car but they are not willing to so. The reason being that this is not a safety issue. How do I know it won't be a safety issue in the long run?
Reviewed Oct. 9, 2013
I love BMW. BMW cars are well manufactured and can last a lifetime if properly maintained. Many people with these luxury high end cars do not understand that regular maintenance alone will not allow for any problems to come up. It's a car, IT MUST BE DRIVEN! I cannot stress that enough. Many people come in complaining of a "problem" when it is just a common thing to happen.
Reviewed Oct. 4, 2013
I bought a brand new BMW 530i in 2004. Since I am an independent consultant in the software industry and often work at home, I don't drive that much so until yesterday, it has only about 80,000 miles on it. I was driving on a bridge in San Francisco Bay Area in a slow traffic yesterday, both transmission and engine burned down suddenly (with regular maintenance). The car has been giving me troubles from the first week after I bought it. Whenever I drove in slow traffic, the on board computer will show a warning to tell me "Transmission Fault". I have to pull over to turn the engine off and turn it back on again; otherwise, I can't drive it.
My BMW - I was told the three letters can be translated into "Don't Touch Me" into Chinese - finally dead yesterday. I paid $400 to tow it to a BMW (don't touch me!) dealership near where I live, and just got a call from them and told me the total cost to repair is more than $16,000. I am filling a form online to donate the BMW junk to a charity now. In my will, I will ask my son not to buy "Don't touch me" in his life, and ask him to tell his son not to do so neither.
Reviewed Sept. 26, 2013
I have bought a CPO BMW 2011 328i back in April 2013 at McKenna BMW in Norwalk, California. Since day one the sales advisor was unable to do a check list with me, a bad start. I had to go back three times and ask the service advisors on how to work my vehicle. Then, not even a month later I went back for the bottom trim on the back windshield that was coming loose. McKenna repaired the trim and not even a week later it came out again. I took it back a second time, repair it again and here we go, not even a week later the trim is loose. Finally, they got it right the third time around.
Now, the trim is fix. Let’s move on to the brake light inside the car that came loose. The car went back to the dealership for that repair. Two week later I found a loose plastic in the bottom part of the passenger seat, so here we go again to the dealership. They got it fixed. Not even a month later I noise started to come out from the front of the vehicle every time I exited my drive way. I took it to McKenna three times and finally the foreman ** was able to identify there was actually a noise from the suspension. McKenna kept the car for more than a weeks without any follow ups with me. I would have to call to know an update and every time I was told they were unable to duplicate the noise. I told the foreman specifically on how to duplicate the noise, and they kept saying we can’t hear it.
I called BMW of North America and a Field Technician came down to the dealership and check the vehicle and I was advice unable to duplicate. Keep in mind all of these problems in less than five months with my car. All McKenna had to say is “We cannot do anything about getting you into another car. We are sorry you are having problems; there is nothing we can do for you.” I have been talking to ** Executive Consumer Care from BMW of North America and all he has to say is “Keep the car. If we can find the noise before your 50k the warranty will fix it. But if not you are liable for the cost of repairs.”
Reviewed Sept. 20, 2013
I am a big loyal long time fan of BMW (German Engineering).I was referred friends family to buy BMW cars based on my experience. Finally that came to an end. Little story - First time I took my 2008 BMW X5 (36K miles) on a vacation out of Colorado with my family (Wife and Little daughter). I drove from Boulder, CO to LA and was driving this big guy was fun. Stayed in LA couple weeks then I went to San Diego to see zoo and Sea World. On Saturday we went to zoo, came back and drive my BMW x5 to Los Angles Americas shopping center. Had good time shopping center and finished the dinner. Then got in to X5. Started the car. Something unusual. Heard some big fan noise and then opened bonnet and looked for noise. Fan was running like chopper blades. Thought it’s because of air-conditioning is running in full mode. Then drive the car for 1 mile and suddenly engine over heating symbol displayed on dashboard. Then I took my car in near gas station (it was midnight, 10:30 PM in new place) and stopped. Luckily internet was on my smart phone and searched the internet for this problem and found lots of postings. After reading these posts, I understand something went wrong in engine cooling system.
I called my insurance guy to tow the car and drop at nearest BMW dealer. Tow guys showed up in 30 minutes and off loaded all the things out of my car and handed it tow guys. My hotel is quite far and I need a car to go to sea world next day .I took taxi to airport to rent a car. Around 2 AM reached hotel...I was trusting BMW than any other brand because all that I was feeling that BMW are made finest engineering company and will not break down at least within 60k miles. My perception was wrong. Today morning I got a call from dealer and said electronic water pump is broken. The repair cost would be 1300 USD.
I searched internet and NHTSA for recalls. I found one recall 11V521000 about the same issue. BMW recalled 2008-1011. I called BMW Customer Care about the same thing. They took around 55 minutes to find the recall information. Finally they said your VIN is not under the list. My problem is same exact problem what they recalled for. The supervisor was very rude (Her name is CASEY **, Resolution Specialist, Customer Relation Department) at me and behaved like she is the only decision maker in BMW. I felt really very bad and regretting why I bought BMW. The colleague was next to me was able to hear all the conversation. He is worried now because he owns X5 and M3. What bad service from BMW.
Reviewed Sept. 18, 2013
My new vehicle is the worst experience I ever had. Wind noise creates so much distraction while driving that I feel safety issues are questionable. While driving I cannot focus on the road because the only thing I can hear is wind noise. I took vehicle to dealership twice, and third time they refused to take it in. They said that all of them are like that. I made a mistake to trade in my 2007 328i, which never made any noises. BMW needs to supply complimentary helmets with every new sold vehicle because that appears to be only cure. I tried turning my radio volume up, and still I can hear it. But another thing that worries me is that I have constant headache from the volume. Does anyone experience the same issues? I have called the manufacturer, and they are not concerned at all.
Reviewed Sept. 7, 2013
I acknowledge that there are reams of reports on early transmission failures in the E46. My 2003/325 transmission failed at 70,000 miles. However, I'm not sure how many reports exist of transmission failure twice in the same car, as I experienced recently. Interestingly this occurred again at an interval of roughly 70,000 miles in the new transmission. As far as I know, BMW continues to deny culpability. Certainly, I would be eager to participate in legal action.
Reviewed Aug. 31, 2013
It's been about two months now since I went to San Antonio BMW to obtain the key code for my 2001 and 2004 BMW. I was told by the dealer that they had to access to that information. I then contacted BMW of North America and spoke with Allison. Her and I corresponded for two weeks before she told me that she did not know how to retrieve that information. Keep in mind this is the corporate office for BMW who has access to all the information on car here in the United States. I think BMW is withholding from owners for what reason I don't know, but as an owner with a free and clear title, I believe that information should be provided to every owner. This experience has left a very bad taste in my mouth about ever doing business with BMW in the Future, and I have owned BMW's since 1997. I have also been a member of BMW CCA since 1998. Thank you.
Reviewed Aug. 31, 2013
On Friday, July 12, 2013, the Eastern Shore of Maryland had torrential rain storms throughout the area. In Salisbury, Maryland, the City public works closed off streets promptly if they became flooded. On this date I drove my 2012 BMW 328I to the post office, and then to the bank to make some deposits. I traveled only over main thoroughfares that were being utilized by normal traffic. These streets were wet and had puddles of water encroaching on the streets as one would expect during torrential rain storms.
While going from the post office to the bank the vehicle started missing, and an error message appeared which stated, Engine Malfunction Drive Moderately. All though the vehicle was running rough, I made my deposits and returned home and parked the car in our garage; believing that maybe the electronics got wet and they only needed to be dried out. The next Monday I started the car and it seemed to run better but the engine light and error message still were on. I then called the dealership in Annapolis, Maryland where I had purchased the vehicle approximately one (1) year ago and talked to a service representative about the problem.
This service representative told me to bring the vehicle to Annapolis, which is about 90 miles from Salisbury. As there seemed to be a major problem with the engine I felt that they should pick up the vehicle as it was still under warranty with less than 10,000 miles usage. Finally, the Service Rep. told me to call BMW Road Service and have them trailer the car to Annapolis.
The next Tuesday, a Service Technician from BMW Annapolis called me at about 9:00 AM and told me that there was water in the Air Filter and suggested that the filter and oil should be changed. I told him to go ahead as it was covered under warranty. He then stated that it was not covered under warranty and I inquired why as it was still in the warranty period since it had been driven less than 10,000 miles. After much discussion, I told him to go ahead and change these items, but I wanted a call from a management employee as I strongly felt it was a warranty problem. I also asked this technician how high the water would have to be to cause the problem he noted with the engine, and he stated, "Up to the windows." Since he had the vehicle, I asked him if he saw any indication of a water line on the car, or even that the water had reached the floor boards. He responded in the negative, but stated that he was following his supervisor’s instructions.
On the following Wednesday, the same Service Representative (with no call from the Supervisor), called and stated they changed the oil and air filter, but the engine light and the error message were still displayed. More investigation by the Service Representative showed that a rod had been bent and that it now needed a new $21,000.00 engine and by the way, it’s not covered under warranty. I was totally flabbergasted, as I could not believe that I driving a BMW during a rain storm would cause this kind of damage, and, that then it would not be covered under warranty. Please keep in mind I have been driving for over forty years with significant experience in similar rain storms, the BMW has less than 10,000 miles on it (has not even reached its first service period), and that BMW would even question whether or not the car had been in a flood when they had the vehicle there and there was absolutely no visual signs of flood damage.
I again stated I wanted to talk to a manager regarding this problem and stated my complete disillusionment with BMW Annapolis on how they were handling this matter. This has been my third BMW over nearly 20 years (previous had 5 series BMWs), and I felt that as a luxury car organization they would stand behind there warranties and not treat their loyal customers in this manner.
Finally, on this last Friday July 19, 2013, I got a call from the same Service Technician at 5:00 PM in the evening reiterating that he talked with his Supervisor, and that the engine needed to be replaced at a cost of $21,000 and that it would not be under warranty. I inquired why the Supervisor had not called me for over two (2) days when I specifically had requested this. Furthermore, I had been without a vehicle for well over a week, I am being told I need to spend $21,000 on a basically brand new BMW, and I don’t even get the courtesy of a phone call from a BMW Annapolis Service Supervisor.
At 5:30 PM that evening I received an email (copy attached) from the Service Supervisor stating basically the same thing the Service Technician had said previously. I responded to the Supervisors email, and now I am writing you in a attempt to resolve this before it completely gets out of control. I have filed a claim with my insurance company, but feel strongly that this is a warranty issue, not an insurance problem. Even if it is covered, I will have to pay a deductable and the re-sale value of the car will be greatly reduced as it will be tagged as Flood Damage. Even though there is absolutely no evidence of the vehicle being in a flood, or for that matter in very deep water.
As stated before, I have been a loyal BMW owner, driving in similar conditions as I experienced in this case, and have never been as disappointed as I am now with your company. I have many friends and associates that have BMWs and I have to say they are as flabbergasted as I am regarding this matter. I DO NOT think that this is the reputation that BMW would like to have in the public’s perception.
Reviewed Aug. 30, 2013
I have a 2007 BMW 335 with 68,000. I took it to the dealer and came up with $3600 repairs. How can a reputable car manufacturer produce cars that have an oil leak and to repair it, you need to remove the casket of the engine for a car with such a low mileage? I am saying goodbye to BMWs. Their official dealer garage shop is clearly stating that their cars cannot compete with those of other manufacturers such as Lexus where one can go up to 100,000 miles without any major repair.
Reviewed Aug. 26, 2013
I recently submitted a survey of my recent visit to the local BMW dealership (Schafer BMW of Wilmington, NC). I stated that I had taken my vehicle (2011 X3) in for a problem with noise coming from the passenger side at speeds of 45-50 MPH. The dealership stated that they too heard the noise and it was due to the tires. With 30K miles on the tires and their recommendation, I purchased 4 new tires, had them balanced and a front end alignment. Two weeks later I noticed the same noise coming from the same location. I returned my vehicle to the same dealership and again stated that the same noise was coming from the same location even after purchasing 4 new tires with an out of pocket of expense of $850 for tires, mounting, balancing and front end alignment. The dealership now states the noise is coming from the exhaust and not the tires. The resolution is still pending and BMW Customer Relations and Assistance states that they cannot reimburse me for the tires or accept responsibility of the dealership's misdiagnosis. Help!
Reviewed Aug. 18, 2013
I bought a new BMW 328i a couple of weeks ago and around all the wheels where the brakes are, shows a lot of rust. If BMW has been having this problem with this car they should have used a different wheel and cover plate to prevent from seeing this on a 42,000 dollar car.
Reviewed Aug. 16, 2013
Both BMW of Dallas and Classic BMW of Plano have horrible service centers. Most recently, my service adviser, Richard ** insisted I missed my appointment day because the online appointment scheduler didn't catch the update I sent him, even though I was sent an email reminder for the day I showed up. ** left me a message on estimates but never answered or returned a call to confirm authorized work. I left a message with the service manager, who never called back either. I never saw him while paying the invoice and only while driving home and the left signal stop working did I realize they disassembled the tail light power supply.
Last month, I made an appointment over the phone to have the door handle fixed at Classic BMW of Plano. When I arrived that afternoon for the arranged appointment where I described the issue, they said they wouldn't even look at it until the next day, if I leave it overnight. I left and called for the service manager. He/She never called me back. I talked with someone at the BMW USA toll free customer service center. They never followed up.
Last year, I had a bad experience with BMW of Dallas and ** when I explained the passenger window was rattling, ** kept the vehicle the whole day and call me later to explain the rattling was music CDs in the door pocket. I took my husband back with me who demonstrated the rattling noise without the music CDs in the door pocket. We had to bring the vehicle back another day for repairs. Back in 2007, I wanted to purchase a vehicle from BMW of Dallas and they wouldn't let me test drive the vehicle. Because of this, I shop and purchase my vehicles from Autobahn BMW in Fort Worth.
I love driving the ultimate machine. I have never complained about the expensive cost of maintenance even though reliability is awful for such a high priced vehicle. My biggest complaint is the service I receive at the Dallas area dealerships. And because service is so poor, it is time for me to admit to my friends and family BMW is a poor option and consider another make of vehicle.
Reviewed Aug. 13, 2013
My name is Nina ** and I'm based out of Mumbai, India. After seeing the many advertisements on the television, I bought the very expensive BMW 7 series which cost me about 1 cr rupees. I bought the car in Nov 2009 and I have used it very carefully and sparingly without giving it to a single driver. The car has run only 18000 kms so far and has been regularly serviced by the authorized service centers of BMW on time as prescribed by the BMW company. Last month in July I drove my car from Mumbai to Pune and it was a rainy day. I parked my car and went to stay in a hotel overnight with all doors and windows completely shut. When I came to the car the next day, I found that my car was completely flooded with about 40-50 liters of water only on the left hand side of only the back side.
We used 1 liter Bisleri bottles to remove and we removed water for about 2 hours manually from my 7 series BMW. When the water was completely removed, we started to drive back from Pune to Mumbai. Only drive back I noticed that the car was filling up again as fast as about 10 liters in 30 minutes so we stopped the car every 30 minutes to empty the car of the water. We were very worried for our life while this was happening as we were worried that the water in the car will interfere with the electricals of the car and the car could catch fire.
However, when we returned, we sent the car to the authorized BMW service center - Navnit Motors. They told us that the water had filled up inside the car because apparently the car has some vent which sends the rain water out of the car. However this vent got choked so instead of the rain water going out of the car, it started coming inside the car. Now I don't understand this - as this is the basics of any car. I have never heard of something like going happening in even small segment cars like Tata Nano, Fiat Taxis, Hyundai i10, etc, Maruti 800, etc.
I can't understand how a luxury car like BMW 7 series can get something so basic wrong wherein a car which is regularly serviced by the BMW authorized service centers can flood up during monsoon from inside and make its passengers do work like removing water from the car and throw it out of the window. It's supposed to be a luxury car which is supposed to give immense joy and that is why they are charging a hefty price for it. But what I have experienced is barely joy.
Sir, I need your help in getting justice as BMW thinks that it is my fault that this has happened to me and they have raised a service repair bill of 38000 for this and along with it they have raised a bill for million other things which were not wrong in the car and they are saying that I need to pay them 150,000 rupees for random other jobs which are as crazy as this. Sir, how do you recommend that I get justice? I feel cheated by BMW as I feel that I've been sold a faulty car and they are not responding to my email.
Reviewed Aug. 5, 2013
I have bought a BMW 7 Series in May 2009. I had horrible experience with the car and the services. Till now the car has gone for servicing more than 15 times (which is too much as compared to an Audi & Merc.). The gear box has failed twice. Had to change all the 4 tires twice. The mileage is horrible. It shows a regular transmission failure issue. Battery had to be replaced. The car hasn't traveled more than 55000 kms. I strongly recommend not to buy this car. After paying such a huge amount I felt cheated.
Reviewed July 29, 2013
In the last two months, I've had to replace the battery and the ENTIRE I-drive (a.k.a.--brain) in my 2009 BMW 328I series with 26,000 miles (not a typo, I have another car) to the tune of nearly $3,000! I purchased the car new at the BMW dealership in Tulsa. I am furious and disappointed in BMW! I had such high hopes for this supposedly high performance auto. The dealership in Tulsa seemed at a loss to explain why this would happen in a car with such low mileage, yet didn't hesitate to charge full fees. The car is barely out of warranty. I would love to find out who the regional manager is in Oklahoma and am pursuing that now.
Reviewed July 24, 2013
A 3" long 1/2" thick sheared and fell out on the driveway. The dealer (Jackie Cooper Imports, OKC) identified it as one of the bolts that bolts the transmission to the engine block. They could not say why it broke and BMW USA refused it as a warranty claim even though the driveline is covered by the CPO extended warranty. In the two years I have owned this car it has had the fuel pump go out, the fuse block melt, the water pump fail, and both catalytic converters fail.
The dealer said call it was BMW USA, BMW USA would do nothing other than refer me to the dealer. This is a legitimate warranty claim and they are refusing to cover simply stating that is not covered by the warranty. No explanation, no body to talk to who can do anything about it. The warranty is not worth the paper it is written on. I love their cars, I hate their company. The dealer has been equally useful.
Reviewed July 23, 2013
I sent an e-mail to BMW Customer Service/Relations (customerRelations@bmwusa.com) including a couple of pictures of my X5. Searching on the web it is clear this issue is present on these model year cars. Today, I was contacted by RuthAnn, BMW Customer Representative, and she basically stated that all they can do is to log a complaint. My 2002 X5 is well over the 4 years/50,000 miles warranty and there is nothing that BMW can do. I explained that this was clearly defective workmanship on the part of BMW given the amount of problems on these model years, but she stated this issue was due to the elements and I should take my car to the dealer to make an assessment of the problem. However, even if the dealer determines it is due to a bad paint job from BMW, there is nothing BMW can do since the car is out of warranty. I tried to explain that I have had cars from Ford and Nissan older than my X5 and they never presented a paint peeling problem. Yet, here I have a luxury car with less years than my old cars where the paint work is peeling away with no warranty coverage. No response there. At the end all I was able to get is to have the complaint logged and be disappointed by BMW once again.
Reviewed July 23, 2013
I purchased a CPO BMW because I wanted to feel safe and secure that the vehicle was well maintained. The cherry on top was that I would be getting "free maintenance" for 3 years. Then I found out the restrictions along with the "free maintenance" which includes only one oil change a year. I live in an area where there is no BMW dealership. So after two years, I took my vehicle in to a local place so that I could get oil changes after 6 months. I thought it would be a good test to see how good the place was too since I would be taking it in to the dealership the next time.
The service place reset the indicator lights on my BMW so that I wouldn't get the incessant notification - I thought was nice of them to do that. My mistake. I took my vehicle in after 50,000 miles to get it serviced and BMW said they couldn't perform most of the major 45,000 and 50,000 mile maintenance because the service light wasn't on. I tried to escalate by calling Customer Relations, but they pushed it back to the Dealership and the area managers. The area managers said since I hadn't been in to a dealership for over a year, it showed that I didn't have any "brand loyalty".
Keep in mind the closest BMW dealership to me is about 45 minutes away - so not a quick drop off. Also, keep in mind I went the past two years and realized they would only perform maintenance on my vehicle once a year anyway - anything earlier and I wasn't qualified for any service. Seriously? How much does it cost to change spark plugs on my car anyway?!?! They've certainly lost a customer in me. I was going to have other service completed ($800+) but after this treatment, I'll take my chances and go to a local place instead.
I'll give them credit that they did perform some of the other warranty covered items (like replacing gaskets, etc.), but it makes me angry and frustrated that they won't perform the regularly scheduled maintenance items due to me not having "brand loyalty", especially when I've always gone to BMW except for one time. And something as minor as not changing spark plugs has decidedly made me never to buy BMW again. I love the way the cars drive, but the joy of driving it doesn't compensate for the poor treatment I get as a customer. I should have listened to everyone else who said BMW doesn't care about their customers.
Reviewed July 16, 2013
I have a 2009 BMW 3 series. I got a flat tire and was lucky to find a tire shop nearby. They did not have the tire for my car, so I called Roadside assistance to see how they could help me. They said I was entitled to a free tire and tire change, which was not true. So I agreed to have my car towed by a tow company, All About Automotive II on that Saturday night, until Monday morning when they would deliver it to Life Quality BMW Service Center. When I received my car back from the Life Quality BMW, the tire rims had been replaced on all four wheels with older, more damaged and dirtier rims, as if from a car that had been sitting in a dirty lot for years. I was outraged.
I brought it to the attention of Life Quality, and their answer was that they could wash the car for me. These were not the original rims on the car. I foolishly believed that BMW would be working with a respectable tow company, even though when the company towed my car they did not take pictures of it, and one of the women who came to get the car was visibly a substance abuser. I was so foolish for trusting BMW. I put in a claim, and they denied it, without even trying to get evidence of my claim. I plan to continue fighting this case, but my advice to you is never to trust BMW roadside assistance.
Reviewed July 15, 2013
On 04/28/12 I purchased a 2012 528i BMW. On 07/01/13 I noticed the A/C was having trouble. The AC kept blowing high, then low, like it was wheezing! I turned it off, then back on and it was ok! The next day I did not drive my car. On 07/03/13 at approximately 6pm the AC stopped working completely. BMW service dept. was closed and the next day was 4th of July. On Friday 07/05/13, at approximately 7am, I took my car to BMW service dept. At approximately 430pm, I get a call saying a part (Blower Regulator) in the AC blew/shorted out, they could not get the part until Monday and I could keep my loaner car until Monday. On Monday 07/08/13 at approximately 230pm, I get a call saying my car was ready and I can pick it up! Note they also serviced my car. When I received my car I noticed they had the AC blowing full blast, set on Max 60 degrees, blower on Max and noisy! The outside heat was in the hundreds so I thought they had it up because the car had been sitting and they wanted it cool when I got in the car. But I notice after driving about 10 or 15 minutes and stopping at stop lights I was sweating, my forehead was burning and something was not right.
The AC was not fixed properly or they put in another Faulty Blower Regulator! This was my second Bakersfield Summer driving my BMW. The heat can get as high as 110 degrees and I never had to keep my car AC set on MAX any/everything. I always kept it set on 71 to 75 degrees, with blower on medium, this was very comfortable! I am anemic and get cold very easily! Now at my normal setting I am burning up and sweating, the air blowing out of the AC does not reach me which tells me the New Blower Regulator is not working properly or they put in a used faulty one. I am riding in a $57,000.00 car and sweating like a pig! My friends and family rode with me this past weekend and were complaining they were burning up, had to keep AC on MAX which burns a lot more gas! I took my car back to BMW on 07/11/13 to have them fix it correctly. At the end of the day I get call from BMW service dept. basically saying there is nothing is wrong with my AC!
The Rep and I were sitting in my car talking about the issues with the AC, the AC was MAX, the BMW service Rep is sitting there wiping sweat off his forehead looking stunned, he is trying to tell the AC inside the unit is putting out 40 degrees air (per their gauge), yet after 15 minute of talking the Car cabin is 80 degrees! He could not explain it and went to get the service dept. manager! Manager did everything the Rep did, even went to get a new 528i to show that AC is normal. My car is not Normal! I am still burning up and sweating especially at stop lights/signs, people in back seat is burning up, the air is not reaching them! The Manager keeps saying he can not fix what is not broken! The Manager refused fix the problem correctly! The Manager stated several time "I can't fix what is not broken!" It is obvious the New blower Regulator is faulty, it's not blowing the air out enough to reach me! I just want my AC to work correctly like the day I bought this $57,000.00 Car! Put in a Brand New Blower Regulator!
Reviewed July 15, 2013
I am the third owner of an '08 BMW 535I with a bad high pressure fuel pump (recall) that has been replaced two times in the last three years. This would be the third time for replacement, but Gwinnett BMW refuses to replace it. They said it was the alternator, and OM battery that caused the problem to the high pressure fuel pump and my warranty or recall would not be honored. There is nothing wrong with my alternator or battery, they are operating properly. If there is an OM battery in the vehicle it had to be placed in the vehicle prior to my purchase. Last service was at Global Imports in Atlanta, GA.
Reviewed July 11, 2013
I wrote my first review a week ago telling you guys how my 2009 BMW x6, with 39,000 miles on it, stopped one day on the road and lost the power while the engine light was on. The estimate to fix the problem was $3,000, plus tax. I called BMW North America asking them for help, but they left me with nothing. After waiting for any of their response for the whole week, I just found out that they will not cover it because I bought this car one year ago! How is that possible??? The car has only 39,000 miles on it, and my warranty expired two months ago!!!
I cannot believe how a big prestigious company treats their customers. Looks like it's not worth to pay so much money for the cars that have so many major problems!!! I have a very bad experience with BMW, and I'm very disappointed with how BMW treats their customers. Can someone please help me? Does anyone know the contact info to the main office in Germany??? What can I do now??? I feel that this is so not fair that I have to pay already big money for the car that has such a low mileage when its warranty expired only two months ago, when originally, the manufacturer's warranty is up to $50,000. Very, very sad and disappointed...
Reviewed July 10, 2013
My 2004 BMW 525 headlights have completely hazed over. I have tried several aftermarket products for headlight lens restoration. This has not worked or even made them marginally clearer. My dealer service person believes that the lenses were made of a lower quality plastic in this time frame compared to newer models. The only repair is to replace the whole headlight assemblies at $2,000 each. The Customer Relations person at BMW USA cheerfully took the complaint and said that nothing would be done. We are on our own. It is always nice to see a company stand behind a poor engineering decision, which is widely known within the company.
Reviewed July 5, 2013
I'm the owner of a BMW X6 2009. I bought this car one year ago and just last week, I was driving it and, all off a sudden, it stopped on the road and lost the power. How embarrassing... The engine light turned on. ENGINE MALFUNCTION REDUCED POWER. All this just two months after my warranty expired. I called to the BMW service and they got me the Appointment few days later. They gave me the estimate for the fix which is $3000 plus tax. CRANK CASE VENT VALVE LEAKING, INTAKE SEALS FOR TURBO. I called to BMW of North America and spoke with them explaining what happened and that this is not my fault, that the car with only 39000 miles on it has already so many problems. They told me I have to wait 3-5 business days for their answer whether they will cover it or not.
I am very disappointed in how such a big well-known company treats their customers. They don't even care that they left me with no car for probably another week. I just have one question. Does anyone know if there is contact info to maybe the main office in Germany I can reach out to? Does anyone know what I can do if BMW of North America won't help me? I would really appreciate your help. I'm pretty upset that the car I own already has a major issue like that. I really didn't expect that from BMW.
Reviewed July 2, 2013
The paint on the roof is fading & the rubber seal around my back window is chipping and cracking on my 2005 530i. I have gone to the BMW dealer & was told it was normal wear & tear. I have a 1999 Acura & the paint is not fading nor have any of the seals cracked on the windows. It is a shame you pay all this money for a BMW and the body of the car does not hold up. I have also gone to several body shops & been told the roof must be painted & window seal replaced. I am now forced to pay to have my roof painted and seal replaced on the back window.
Reviewed June 23, 2013
We purchased a 2005 BMW X3 in 2007 to be my wife's car. It had 22,000 miles, not bad. While it's styled nicely, also with ample room for an SUV and it handles nicely, it has been a mechanical nightmare. It's our first BMW and I assumed it would be reliable and be of high quality. WRONG. It was OK for a couple years of use, up to 35,000 miles, but since then, it's been one expensive repair after another. Things that SHOULDN'T break in a relatively low-mileage automobile.
First, it was the liftshocks that raise the back tailgate. It would drop down on your head if you didn't keep one hand holding up while unloading groceries, etc. I was able to do that repair myself with new shocks. Next, it was the back passenger window mechanism in which a plastic piece along the ridebar broke. No one was messing with the window. There was no abuse, just my wife lowering the window to bring in air. Of course, the plastic piece is part of a whole motorized ridebar/lift assembly and in order to fix (only a dealer has the parts, btw) cost $575! Ridiculous.
Next, a cracked intake manifold, along with several other parts (faulty PCV valve, breather hose, vent valve) that required replacement. Cost: $1,500! This last October, it was a leaky oil pan and oil filter housing, $450! Finally, about six months ago, four lights appeared on the dashboard, AWD, brakes, I forget the other two. Well, they're all related to the same thing: a small motor beneath the driver's side undercarriage that distributes torque to the four tires independently, thus AWD. Great concept, BUT NOT IF THE GEARS INSIDE THE MOTOR WEAR OUT which is exactly what happened. The car had about 51,000 miles when this occurred. The motor is inside a housing about the size of a football.
The motor cost $1,800, plus $1,200 labor, grand total of $3,000! The labor is high because numerous things have to be removed under the car to get at, and replace, the AWD motor. Well, we have to wait to get this last fixed, but I WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER BMW AGAIN, EVER!! I could understand one fluke, one faulty part, but this has become an awful financial burden for us. My Toyota, on the other hand, has 74,000 miles and never a problem! Only basic maintenance: oil, tires, brakes... So you figure it out, which is the better vehicle?
Reviewed June 22, 2013
I purchased a new 2007 BMW 116i 5-door in June 2009. I am a good BMW owner with regular service, etc. I had no problems until March 2013. The oil light came on, smoke was coming out of the tail pipe upon turning car on, and the car also idles funny (jugging). The service technicians and manager have given many reasons. The car only has 34,000 km driven for just under 4 years. To date, the car is still giving me problems. The local BMW SAID they contacted BMW Corporation for goodwill and help, but to no avail... the car problems still persist. I just had regular car service. I do not drive the car so as not to aggravate the problem. I felt that I was spending $$$ for quality and good name. What do I do now??? Not sure! Are there any other BMW owners having this or similar problems? Any suggestions on what to do???
Reviewed June 7, 2013
While headed to vacation from New Jersey to Canada, our BMW 328i xDrive began to experience a tapping sound from the engine and shortly thereafter, the "check engine light" lit up, at which point we used the BMW Assist feature for advice and to locate the nearest BMW Dealer. Explaining our situation to the BMW Representative, we asked for the nearest BMW dealer. Unfortunately they were over a hundred miles away, but the BMW representative informed us that we could continue to drive the vehicle with the service engine light on indefinitely as long as it wasn't red or flashing. We thanked her and proceeded on our journey.
A couple of hours later, the tapping turned into a knocking sound and we again used the BMW Assist feature who located a dealer in Rochester, NY. She proceeded to place a 3-way call and remained in the background to listen. We were informed from the dealer that they could not get us in, but he reiterated that we could continue to drive the vehicle with the service engine light on indefinitely as long as it wasn't red or flashing. We continued into Canada, checked into a hotel, and parked the car for the night, searching the internet to locate the closest dealer which turned out to be Performance BMW in St. Catherine's Ontario.
We brought the car to Performance BMW in St. Catherine's, Ontario, Canada in the hopes that they could have a look to diagnose the problem.
Tanya ** was very understanding and sympathetic to our situation and she got our car right into a bay for diagnosis. We sat patiently for almost 2 hours until we were informed that it is taking longer to figure out the problem, and that BMW uses Enterprise Rental rather than loaner BMWs and we were put into a Hyundai Sonata, which is NOWHERE near a comparable vehicle to what I have purchased. After returning to the dealer to get the remainder of our luggage, Tanya informed us that as soon as they have a diagnosis, they would contact us.
We returned to the dealer the following day hoping to get the car, and continue our vacation to New Hampshire, when we were informed that the main bearing of the crankshaft was the problem, and that the parts have to be ordered from Germany, which would take anywhere from 3-6 weeks plus the time needed to put everything back together.
We were advised that Performance BMW could only cover the rental for the end of the day (second day) and that we would have to cover the remaining rental time, and then submit our expenses as part of the trip interruption clause, but there is no guarantee that it will be reimbursed.
We have made several attempts to contact BMW North America. All we have been told is that until we have our vehicle back & submit our expenses, BMW North America will take the expenses under consideration for reimbursement. This is unacceptable.
BMW of Mt. Laurel (purchasing dealer), indicated that if we had brought our car there for repairs, we would have received a loaner car until our vehicle was complete; and Performance BMW indicated that if we had purchased the vehicle in Canada, and brought it there for repairs, we would have received a loaner car until our vehicle was complete; but since a "foreign" dealer is working on a "foreign" car, neither dealer wants to cover the cost of the BMW loaner vehicle that we are entitled to let alone figure how to get it back to us.
Once the car has been repaired and everything is in working order, we now have a new problem. We already took our vacation, now we have to take time off work to get our vehicle that failed.
In addition, we now have a "new" car that had to have its engine rebuilt with less than 30,000 miles...not only will it affect our comfort level in this vehicle (do we take it on a trip, will it break down, what will it cost, etc.) but now we feel that this will affect the trade-in value of the car. I have spoken w/ several service advisers and sales personnel all said that this engine issue is not at all common, and the work will not affect the value of the car. However, I do not believe that is an accurate statement. There has to be something that can/will be done by BMW to correct this issue.
At this point, I feel that BMW should replace the vehicle w/ a comparable BMW. If your resolve of this matter is not to our satisfaction, we will have no other choice but to leave the BMW and purchase a better quality luxury vehicle.
Reviewed May 21, 2013
BMW K1200r motorcycle - I bought the bike new in 2006; it now has 5000 miles on it and the transmission is shot. After being told by the dealer it will cost $6,000 to repair and BMW has a known issue with this transmission to the extent that they totally redesigned a new transmission that my existing clutch and associated parts will not be compatible with, they will not do anything towards customer goodwill even though they have known of this problem and never sent a notice while it was in warranty to get it checked out. I guess it's true that BMW is an acronym for Bring My Wallet. This will be the last BMW anything I ever own. Such poor customer service!
Reviewed May 11, 2013
BMW X1 is absolutely ** car. I am regretting the day I bought BMW -X1 20D from Navnit Motors. It has given me more grief than pleasure, and the guys I bought it from don't even have the basic courtesy to get back to me or call me or reply to my email; attitude stinks, they sell the car and forget about it. That's the attitude Navnit and its staff has; go to hell. I bought an XI -20d last year, Invoice no ** dated 21-3-12 from Navnit Motors in Narain Pro Audio Lighting Pvt Ld and I have driven less than 3000 km. from 21st April 2012 till 21st March 2013 as the car is still in BMW repair center and I have driven here 6-7 times to my bungalow in Lonavala. I hardly use this car in Mumbai.
The front wind shield glass got damaged sometime last year while cleaning the car on the passenger side. I had BMW secure and Navnit replaced the glass and charged me Rs 1500 but I lost no claims bonus plus the headache of traveling from Bhiwandi to Andheri to and fro and wasting my entire day, money and petrol. After that, both the 2 rear windows were not working and I sent the car to Navnit service station and it was stated that the motors need to be changed as they were defective, and the motors were replaced and it's working okay now. I don't understand why the motors should break down so easily. This is obviously the case of substandard motors used.
Now again the glass has broken on 19th March 2013,while cleaning the car at the same point as last time on passenger side. This is definitely a manufacturing defect. The toughened glass has to take a lot of abuse. Why should it break like this? It cannot even take the load of its own wiper. In discussions spanning almost 2 hours with Prakash **, I came to realize that both the left and right side wipers were different with different curvatures. Prakash stated that maybe a stone or flying object had hit the glass. I physically removed the wiper blade from its attachment and we checked that the lower part fitted on the car was touching the glass, where the crack had started.
So we both arrived to the conclusion that the windshield was broken due to the wiper falling on the glass on the passenger side. Further, I let the wiper slip from my hands with its maximum inherent force to touch the glass at least 15 times on the driver's side but nothing happened to the glass. Why should it break the glass not once but twice on the same side and at the same point? A car of this quality is supposed to handle a lot of abuse and XI cannot even take the pressure of its own wiper which is absolutely ridiculous, obviously a drop test with several thousand times drop of the wiper on the windshield which ensures unbreakability by its own wiper is not taken or maybe the curvature of the wiper is such that it breaks the glass or maybe the padding is inadequate but I feel absolutely cheated by buying such a substandard product
I am just too scared to even get my car washed or even take it out, for anyone on the street can just accidentally take the wiper up and put it down on the wind shield and the glass breaks again. When I called about the basic charge which was Rs 1500, I was told by Sameera that the charges are Rs 2500 and I would have to pay a couple of thousand more for rubber charges, and when I spoke to Miss ** in Service, I was told that Rs 1500 only need to be paid and not Rs 2500 as my insurance was done in March12 and the charges were hiked from April 2012. I am shocked that anything is quoted just to milk the customer more and there is no fixed policy of Navnit.
Further, I had gone to the service station and met the head, Mr. Ravi **, and he was abrupt to the point of rudeness and he was just saying he had a meeting at 12:30 and had to leave and when I told him about the glass breaking twice on the same side and motors failing in almost a brand new car as it is driven less than 3000 km., he just said, "It happens," and gave vague reasoning that electronic components like motors can fail without any rhyme or reason. I was zapped by his answer. Now these are high quality geared motors and the test method involves thousands of times to do up and down and 2 motors failing at the same time is not a coincidence and that, too, when we have hardly used the car and in less than a year
For the record, I would like to state that my son or I personally drive the BMW and we don't let our driver touch the car and even the inside cleaning is done under my son's supervision as we don't hand over the keys to anyone excluding my son and myself. We treat it like a baby. I have been dealing with BMW such as Suchita/Pritesh/Kuber/ ameera,/Ashwini /Prakash (service), Miss **(service)/ Ravi (Service ) but none of them have even bothered to call back or answer my grievance. What precaution has been taken that the glass does not break yet again? I am thoroughly disgusted with the car and specially the attitude of the dealer and its staff. We bought the BMW x1 thinking that we would have a superior quality product but even a Nano costing 1/12 the price we paid would have been better.
In my 33 years of driving spanning at least 30-32 different varieties and makes of cars, no glass has broken like this, not even once (wiper touching the glass) or motors damaged within 9 months of use and that too not once but twice, I would take this up on public forum and I am going to put this on all websites of manufacturers of BMW's rivals so that maximum people are aware of this if my concerns are not addressed as it is a clear case of selling me a substandard product and cheating.
Reviewed May 8, 2013
A tech has been promised to come out to the dealership to try and find out why the MPG are so bad on a 2010. They e-mail me from headquarters between such and such day; they either don't call and let me know they are not coming, or I go and get a loaner and they come for ten minutes and then leave. This is actually the third time I have tried to have the car looked at. I can't just drop everything the night before and go and get the loaner and leave my car.
Some of us do have other things to do in our lives. Communication between the dealer and the customer care of BMW is awful. You would think they would let you know the exact day and then have a loaner for you, not so. The dealer is also frustrated. Their follow-up service is the worst ever of any car I have owned, and that has been quite a few over the years.
I paid over 4000 dollars extra for the car to get good gas mileage and have asked every time when I bring it for service to check it, and nothing changes.
Reviewed May 5, 2013
2006 BMW 5501 - I purchased my car new from Santa Barbara, CA dealer in December 2006. I paid over $60,000. By the end of 2010, I noticed the paint on hood was fading and a white cloud began to appear. I took it to the dealer, who did not have any suggestions and thought it might be from car washes. But there was nothing they could do, it was not covered by the warranty. It got worse and spread to the roof of the car (but the sides and back look like brand new). I had another shop look at it. He said waxing would do me no good, that the car would have to be repainted and that the car was likely damaged when it was brought in on the boat. They probably repaired it and in doing so, had to repaint or touch up the paint, altering the original paint job and the clear coat finish. I have brought the paint condition to the dealer both in person and in writing, but I get the same answer - not warranted.
In addition, the rubber around both my front and rear windshields has totally disintegrated. There is nothing left. I brought this to the attention of the dealer. I was told my car was out of warranty. Other BMW owners have told me they have experienced the same. This seems to be a common problem. You would think BMW could afford to use a higher quality rubber on their vehicles. I have had several issues with this car. A bad exhaust smoking problem, while my car was under warranty, which took months of complaint writing to the dealer as well as BMW North America to finally have them diagnose the problem and make the repair.
I love driving the car and the BMW look, but I am so disappointed with the quality and the service of BMW. For the amount of money they charge and the advertisements regarding ultimate driving machine, you would think they would do better in the customer relationship department and stand behind their product.
Reviewed May 3, 2013
At the end of the 4th year, my front windshield rubber sealer started cracking and falling off - small cracks on the back window as well. I talked to my dealer and I was told, "It is normal." I've never had such "normal" experience with other vehicles - Ford, Nissan, Lexus and Benz. It is not covered under warranty. I was told it is not even a service provided at the dealership. I'd be better off if I just call an auto glass shop. I strongly advise BMW to use better material for the sealer.
Reviewed April 30, 2013
BMW and Eagle Goodyear are the worst customer oriented companies ever. A little history. I bought a brand new 2012 BMW 535 XI in February of 2012. Since then I have had 8 flat tires and the other tires on the car all have dimples on the Goodyear Eagle LS 2 run flats. While returning from a trip to upstate NY, I got a flat tire on the highway. The run flat didn't last 4 miles and I had to have the car towed via BMW roadside assistance. BMW roadside assistance will only tow the car to a BMW dealer. It was 6PM and I was stuck in Syracuse, having to rent a car to get back to NYC as I had an appointment I couldn't miss Monday morning at 9AM.
Now the dealer is telling me it is over $500 to put on a new tire. The dealer agreed to put on a used tire and after I purchased one and arranged for it to be shipped to the dealer, he called and said they could not put a used tire on. Now my car is 300 miles away with a flat tire, and I am being extorted for over $500 to get my car back. I have had 8 flat tires on my brand new 535 XI. Goodyear knows the tires are defective and they rip on the seating bead. Neither BMW nor Goodyear is willing to make any concessions or help.
This car cost too much money to have to drive like a jalopy. I should not be stranded with a vehicle that costs so much and because of a flat tire, the car is completely useless. How can BMW knowingly sell a car with tires they know are defective and do nothing about it? This car is a complete lemon.
Reviewed April 8, 2013
I bought a brand new 2013 BMW 650i Gran Coupe xDrive which cost me $104K. After driving my car 13k miles, I got an oil change from a non BMW repair center which is okay according to BMW. The shop was not able to take off the service light when it turned on at 15k miles. They told me it's not a problem because I already got the oil change; I should take it to BMW to take the service light off. Within five days, my car shut down and I got it towed to BMW of Bayside. When I took it to BMW of Bayside, they automatically declined my service because I never took the car for an oil change at a BMW dealer and told me I owe $18,500 for a new engine. I spoke to the service manager and I told him I had a valid receipt for repair. He was quick to answer, "It doesn't matter to me. Your car's warranty is void."
I quickly reached out to BMW of NA and going back and forth, they asked to see the receipt just to waste my time for two months. Now BMW of Bayside and BMW NA does not want to give me information or a reason why they aren't covering me especially after BMW of Bayside told me when they received the car, it had only 4.5 quarts in the car and only 3500 miles over the normal 15000 miles per oil change limit, which should be enough to drive it even if I didn't get an oil change. I'm now in the position of not paying for my car and leaving it in the shop. I will burn my credit before I shell out $28k for a warranty item!
Reviewed March 28, 2013
I have 316I model 2010. Although PM services are being performed at BMW service center as per BMW manual, but while driving, I've discovered that air condition is not working. Cairo BMW service center informed me that the coolant has to be replaced. I'm wondering that an expensive car manufactured by reputable company, an important part gets faulty within 3 years after 42,000 km which is not happening in cheap cars. The problem is not only the cost of replacement but what hurts me is driving long way in sandy and hot weather with no AC and the cost of renting a car while my BMW is being fixed. This makes me hesitant to depend on my BMW car again, although it is not the case with BMW brand name. Please advise what to do. Thank you and looking forward to hearing from you.
Reviewed March 17, 2013
My car battery suddenly died on my new 335i 2011. They wanted $195.00 to diagnose the battery and $435.00 (totaling $630.00 for parts, not including labor). What use is a warranty if you have to pay as much to repair it if it was out of warranty? It took them 2 days to diagnose it, and they wanted to keep my car over the weekend. It's not rocket science to replace a dead battery. It's literally a 5 minute job. I'm disappointed at the amount of my time that they have wasted. The battery only charges to 10.6 volts (dead cell, faulty product). I have completely lost faith in BMW. I have had transmission problems since 5,000 miles (2nd gear synchro 6MT) that the dealer has failed to replace under warranty. When I purchased the car, it came with 2 bad rims.
Here's my current BMW Warranty experience: Did the custom-ordered car come with bad rims? Blame customer. Is the car transmission failing at 5,000 Miles? Blame customer. Does the car battery have dead cells? Blame customer. There is poor communication with customers and lack of communication.
Reviewed March 15, 2013
I have owned 3 new BMW 3 series, prior to this purchase - this being #4. On Saturday, March 2, I went into the sales department at BMW Roxbury, NJ. I wanted to trade my 2009 330xi (purchased exec demo model) fully loaded for a new leased vehicle. After 5 hours an overly long and drawn out negotiation, and after being physically and mentally exhausted, we agreed to a deal. The first offer provided to me on my trade-in value for my car, which was at 50,000 miles, was $15k… A few hours later, and after many back and forths on lease options, monthly payments, etc., they begrudgingly offered me $17k, justifying the low amount for a windshield that had been cracked and filled by Safelite previously, and 4 worn tires. The car was in impeccable condition otherwise, and BMW assured me they could only retail it for $19k.
On March 5, after only 2 days of actually driving the car, I experienced a horrifying issue - I lost the throttle in my car in 2nd and 3rd gears. I was on a 60-mile drive back to my home at night by myself, and while in stop-and-go local traffic, accelerating and merging onto a major highway, and then in local traffic again, I found I had lost any and all throttle over first gear. My speed dropped from 60 mph to 35 mph in seconds and without warning. I narrowly escaped, I would say, at least 10 precarious situations that were nearly horrible accidents. I ended up driving the car straight into the dealer in Roxbury fearing for my safety.
They had the car until March 8. Service told me they don't know what caused the issue - they couldn't reproduce it - and asked me all kinds of insulting questions, inferring that maybe I didn't understand how to drive a manual transmission when I've driven one for nearly 20 years. Or, maybe I just didn't understand the auto start and stop feature, or maybe I just couldn't differentiate scenarios during which it would be appropriate for a car to either "go" or to "stop”. They said they spoke with BMW engineers who told them it could have been a faulty fan sensor and fan, which would have cut the throttle to protect an engine overheat. Brand new car, no issue showing on the temperature gauge. Car was returned late Friday night. While I was waiting for the car that Friday, I found the flyer for the resale of my traded-in 2009 330. They had created a sticker for $21,959... about $5k more than what they have given me on the trade-in. Nearly a 25% margin on my trade in. I kept the flyer for my own records.
On March 13, again on a late night drive back to my home, the same issue happened. Same real danger of accident and this time I had a friend following me who witnessed the behavior of the car. I called the morning of March 14 and Service offered to come pick up the car for service and drop off the loaner. It's now March 15 and I haven't heard a status yet. I paid the $499 initial monthly lease payment on March 2 and BMW has had the car for 7 of the 13 days it's been in my possession.
At this point, I would like to return the car for a full refund since it is neither safe, reliable, enjoyable or usable... and I would like my 2009 330 back and to walk away from BMW and never look back!
Reviewed March 13, 2013
3 Year Tire & Wheel Contract for BMW X5 - I thought I was purchasing peace of mind. That was what I was told when I bought the warranty. When I ran into a problem, no one was able to help. I was told to replace the tires on my own and get the money back from the contract. Little did I know, they pro-rated the money I paid and then gave the money to the lien holder.
Reviewed March 8, 2013
Who is Jared's boss? In the attachment, you will find pictures of my front tires with 9k miles and picture of my two boys ages 4 and 7, who are riding with me every day on bold tires supplied by BMW. Per my conversation with Jared, BMW is aware of the problem with the tires on vehicles with Sport Package (rubber on Dunlap Tires is too soft), yet no one will replace them for me and my children. I was offered 50% discount to replace all 4 tires, however, why should I pay anything if you, BMW USA, were aware of this problem for past four or five years and have done nothing about it?
I need someone above Jared to contact me and resolve this dangerous situation. When you spend $65000 on a purchase of a new BMW, you do not expect to have this type of issues when it comes to safety of all occupants riding in the vehicle. I have been a loyal BMW customer. Since 2007 I have purchased and leased over 14 new BMW vehicles. This represents over one million dollars in sales. I cannot believe you are ignoring this issue and refusing to replace my tires.
Reviewed March 3, 2013
This problem has plagued the in-dash GPS since our purchase of the 2011 X3. The GPS, a $2000+ options, is inaccurate and unreliable. Its colorful appearance is appealing; its directions are consistently idiotic. If you follow its suggestions, you will backtrack, adding unnecessary time and miles to your trip. The worst instance: In returning to PA from FL last summer, we were traveling North on the FL Turnpike, North of Miami. The GPS wanted us to exit the Turnpike, head west and south on the Sawgrass Expressway, and circle around, get back on the Turnpike, and retrace our course.
If we had followed that route (which we knew enough not to) it would have added more than 50 miles to the trip. Locally, making a short (30 mile) trip that I do often, the GPS wants me to go North several miles on a side street, than head South on a four-lane surface road, connecting at an intersection that I would have encountered almost immediately if I had turned South instead of North on that side road. It doesn't matter which setting the GPS (fastest, shortest, etc.) was on, the directions are equally bad. My Garman, at a fraction of the cost, is reliable and almost eerily accurate on setting arrival times.
The BMW's arrival time is a wild guess, usually off by 1/3 or 1/2 the total driving time. Repeated complaints and visits to our Dealership has accomplished nothing. The problem is with the manufacturer, and BMW is either unwilling or unable to correct the deficiencies. It is my contention that if BMW cannot offer a GPS commensurate with the price, it should not be offered until a reliable product befitting of the brand is available.
Reviewed Feb. 23, 2013
As a result, my name was signed by a Roxbury BMW dealership employee prior to submission. When I discovered the mistake and complained to the general manager, he told me the person no longer works there. This is considered fraud and unacceptable; I want justice. I am a three-time BMW 5 series owner with the same dealer. Please help me with the next step. Thank you.
Reviewed Feb. 22, 2013
I paid for a platinum extended warranty on my 2008 BMW X5 to extend coverage to 7 years or 100,000 miles. I did so because of the numerous major problems I had with the vehicle after initial purchase. During a routine service at Freehold BMW in NJ, I was told that I needed thrust bushings replaced at a cost of over $1,000. When I asked if they were covered under the platinum warranty, they said no. I went to BMW's website and found that they are listed as covered. When I pursued this with both the dealer and BMW USA, I was told that they are not covered if replacement is due to normal wear and tear and that I failed to read the small print on their website. They said if it was a defect in the product, they would cover it.
So I guess everything that I paid for under this contract is subjective based on their opinion. They do not even identify which items specifically are subject to this wear and tear clause. So I guess if my navigation system breaks, they will claim I used it too much! I will never buy another BMW again. BTW, I never had these corporate integrity problems with my Mercedes or Infiniti cars. Escalation to Managing Supervisor at BMW N.A. doesn't help either. All you get is the dealer blaming corporate and corporate blaming the dealer. What a scam these extended warranties are.
Reviewed Feb. 19, 2013
After buying a BMW, I was getting some indications that some general service work needed to be completed. After bringing my car into the local BMW dealer, Bill Jacobs BMW, my work was completed under warranty as well as additional items that they told me that needed to be fixed. Some of the items like brakes were also fixed and I was told that they were covered with the maintenance agreement that came with the car. I was surprised to learn that brakes were covered because they are not normally covered. I remember being told by the staff at BIll Jacobs BMW that BMW maintenance agreement is real good and covers a lot of stuff not typically covered.
A month or so later, I was getting calls from Bill Jacobs BMW letting me know there they had additional service recommendations. I did not ask for their recommendations. I did not initially come in due to other commitments. After their persistence in calling me (they called at least 3 times), I agreed to bring the car in for the work. At that time, my battery was going defective and I asked them to look at that as well and I was told it needed to be replaced. I was asked to sign an agreement authorizing them to work on my car. Those were the exact words used by the service advisor. I signed the agreement.
Never at one time did he say, "These are the services we will perform in your car and this is the cost for the service for each issue." It was simply, "Sign the agreement to authorize the work." When I went to pick up the car after the work was completed, I was astonished when I was handed a bill for almost $1360. I refused to pay the bill as the dealer never told me this service was something that was to be paid for. The service advisor never went over the estimate outlining what the costs were. The whole time, I was under the impression this was warranty work. Afterwards, they showed me the work order with prices but I assumed they were what were being billed back to BMW to cover the cover their costs.
I figured if I were paying, it would have come up somewhere. They were very deceptive but released my vehicle without any hesitation. I received a phone call from Grant **, the GM. He was condescending during our conversation but willing to knock off the a few hundred dollars as if he was doing me a favor. I still felt since their employee was not upfront and the charges for the services they provide were extreme compared to what I could have purchased the services for elsewhere, I did not feel like they were being fair. I was willing to pay some of it but when he agreed to knock a bit off, it was a take it or leave it.
I went out of town for a few weeks on a business trip. When I returned, I received a call from the Naperville police who were threatening to arrest me for theft of service if I did not come up with the full amount in 36 hours. After I consulted an attorney who advised me that this was a civil matter and not a criminal matter, I decided to tell both the police and Grant that I would not be bullied by them. Then a warrant was issued for my arrest. Now I feel as if Bill Jacobs BMW as well as the Naperville Police department for getting involved in a civil dispute is bullying me.
How could it be a criminal offense if they released the vehicle? I never demanded it or threatened them in any way to turn it over. So how could I have stolen something? I would think they have an obligation to explain their services and be abundantly clear when work is being done outside of the warranty. Both the service manager and Grant ** hung their hat on the fact that their guys are well-trained so they were assuming the misunderstanding was on my end. But it does not matter how well-trained their guy is because he did not disclose that I was responsible for the repairs regardless of what was signed.
Furthermore, as far as the police investigation, there really was not one. Bill Jacobs BMW filed a complaint and I was arrested. There was zero investigation. Even when I spoke to the officer who issued the warrant after I told them my side of the story, he said, "They said that would be your response," that it was my word against theirs. Seriously, how can they investigate my word against theirs? There are only 2 people who know for sure what happened: the service advisor, Brad, and myself. The service manager and general manager who were so very confident that Brad indicated these were paid for services were not present during the discussion when the car was dropped off.
Reviewed Feb. 15, 2013
I had purchased a BMW black X3 very recently on 8/2/13. The car was taken from the Cochin showroom on 8/2/13. While taking the car out on 9th for a short drive, a disturbing "knock " sound from the back side of the vehicle was occurring. The vehicle was taken to the showroom and the same was attended by the technicians on 12th Feb. On the 13th, while traveling the same sound was heard and this time it was louder. The vehicle was taken to the showroom again on 14th Feb, but I was informed by the staff that as the technicians were not available, the complaint cannot be attended to. The AC cooling effect was very less. It's highly disappointing to notice the callous attitude from the staff and just within days after purchasing a brand new car. This really creates a very bad remark on such a well-known prestigious brand.
Reviewed Jan. 8, 2013
My transmission needed a $3000 part which had been replaced less than 2 years earlier near San Diego, CA. BMW's warranty for parts purchased from their dealerships has a 2-year part and labor warranty. The part was replaced at Ontario BMW (now Penske) of Southern California under warranty free as confirmed by the customer service manager named Gary at Ontario BMW. And after the repair in a very unexpected manner, the BMW reps at BMW of North America rejected the repair because the repair was not done at the San Diego BMW dealer where the original repair was performed. The possible caveat that the transmission parts be replaced at the original part of service was never mentioned to me by any of BMW's official agents and representatives.
The car is now fixed. And because it was not done in the original dealership in San Diego, they literally want to dismantle my BMW's transmission (basically redamage it) and make me pay for towing to San Diego to redo the repair. Not only does this make no financial $$ sense for me or even for BMW's own dealership, but it's a poor and senseless, useless decision that violates BMW's own warranty policies. Please intervene and quickly shut this case in our favor since my request is beneficial for all sides involved. The warranty was honored as stated by BMW's agents and since no one at BMW knew of this hidden caveat, it makes no sense since my BMW broke down in Ontario, California. Thanks!
Reviewed Dec. 28, 2012
On or about 12/24/12, I was waiting at a red light when I heard a loud bang similar to a gunshot at which point the driver window of my 2012 BMW X3 spackled or spidered.
Reviewed Dec. 24, 2012
I purchased a BMW-X1 series from Sanghi Classic (BMW showroom) at Jaipur on 16/8/12. Now it's total running kilometer is 14,214 km till date. But after that, we found that my vehicle is not running properly - On speed of 100 km, my vehicle trembles automatically which may cause serious accident at any time. We have a Honda CRV for the last 5 years and have changed the tires of the vehicle, and now, after running for more than 100,000 km, there is no damage in any of the tires. But in just running for 14,214 km of the BMW vehicle, we found that the condition of the tire is worst from the inside and in a very worst condition and is very risky to drive or travel. So please look in to the matter and replace the same with a new one. Thanks and regards.
Reviewed Dec. 13, 2012
I purchased a 2013 X3 SUV this past April. I did not have Bluetooth on my cell phone so the dealership I purchased it from told me to get a cell phone with Bluetooth. I did and it worked for a few months but now it has quit working. So I took the SUV in to let them look at it and I was told my phone was not a compatible cell phone. I was not told what kind was compatible when I purchased it and now I'm not eligible for an upgrade on my phone and I'm stuck with a cell phone I can't use in my car. Do you have any suggestions on what to do? One of the features that attracted me to this car was the Bluetooth. Thanks.
Reviewed Dec. 9, 2012
BMW is the Toyota of Germany. Reading all the reviews, the non-response of the company, and the mechanic/engine problems of the car, I can't help but remember what this company is selling - a prestige status symbol. Anyone who's thinking of buying a BMW needs to take a trip to Berlin, Germany first. In the debt-ridden capital, you will see that BMWs are the bread and butter cars of Germany. BMWs line up the streets next to homeless shelters, graffiti parks, and taxi stands. Delinquent juvenile teenagers drive a BMW. Older middle class ordinary citizens drive a BMW. People who have no teeth have a BMW. BMWs are just about the most commonplace car in Germany, like a Toyota Camry here. Somehow, the brilliant marketing campaign and the high price tag for initial purchase and maintenance have convinced North Americans that BMWs are a luxury ultimate driving machine.
Autobahn sounds so cool in English. In German, auto means car, bahn means way (as in U Bahn, sub-way, S Bahn, another type of subway, and autobahn, car-way or highway). Before you think that the company will value your $400,000 spending over 10 years, think again. They don't really care as they are already laughing all the way to the bank. In fact, the more expensive the maintenance, the more prestigious the brand. The brand is for people who have money to burn. The more mechanic problems, breakdowns, and barriers the company creates, the more it sets the people apart in who can maintain this prestige factor. Before you buy a BMW, go to Germany and spend a week in the major cities and walk around the poor areas. And once you see how commonplace BMWs are, the more you'll think twice about doing what you are doing.
Reviewed Dec. 6, 2012
I recently purchased an '09 BMW 535i which had 23k miles. I have since put 8k miles on this pile and it has been in for service twice both for fuel related issues (injectors/fuel pump). When it was in for service last time, they said I needed four new tires. How could this be? I explained to the sales manager I thought I bought a certified pre-owned vehicle. After our meeting, he said he would pay for the two front and I would have to pay for the rears (ridiculous) especially when I traded in a car with brand new tires on it. Well, since he was only willing to purchase the two rear, I said okay reluctantly. But when he said the two rear tires will cost me $1,400 with an alignment, I about fell out of my chair.
I then explained that I would get the four tires on my own and bring him the bill for the rear two since I know I can get them much cheaper. His response was no for the reason he did not want to take the commission from his service writer and his service department. (Wow.) This guy would rather make sure his people are making a buck rather than make a customer happy. I will never buy a BMW again. It has been the worst experience of my life. They are only concerned about making a buck. They have no integrity or honor. I don't want to deal with this type of people.
Reviewed Dec. 4, 2012
I bought a 2006 BMW 750i and it comes with CPO. I also paid for maintenance program up to 6 years or 100,000 miles. So the BMW NA and dealer should really take good care of the car until 2012, right? Nope! Right after my warranty expired, which was Feb 2012 and did 100,000 services, the dealer listed over one hundred things that need to be taken care right away. My car broke down twice on the road (fuel injection systems and transmission fail) and I have complained those issues (27 services record for 4 years), plus more (line motor oil burns too fast and the dealer answered me that it's normal right after the warranty). The dealer warned me and now reported:
2. Replace valve cover gasket (found engine oil leak) - Fail $2,376.13 X.
3. Previously declined recommendations status.
4. Replace blushing caution $1,076.50.
5. Perform power steering system fluid exchange service caution $169.00.
6. Perform coolant fluid exchange service caution $199.99.
BMW CPO is a fraud. I just keep asking and the dealer declines, stalls for the mechanic issue and not fix it. I believe Consumer Affairs should look into it. I called and wrote an email to BMW NA customer relations. They changed the rep and even used lousy excuses. They said I did not pick up the phone. After a callback and not returning my call, they changed the rep and sent me another email. Speechless. I just want to share my experience with all Beamer owners and a warning to those want to become a Beamer owner.
Reviewed Nov. 29, 2012
I keep getting a warning sign on my BMW 1 Series, which reads "Drive train, continue to drive slowly." This has been happening at regular intervals and I have been taking it to the dealership called Club Motors Randburg, in which case they have not been able to fix it. The query is now at the hands of BMW SA and I am not getting any joy as I am disgruntled and pained by the way I have been treated by BMW. I have now requested for the dealership I bought the car from to take their car back and organize me another deal. The dealership is telling me that they can only trade in the car and I will have a shortfall of R100,000, which is extremely unfair from BMW as I got this problematic car in April 2012.
Ever since I bought the car, it has been problems after problems. I regret the day I decided to buy a BMW ever in my life. That was the worst decision I have ever taken in my life. I have had the worst experience in my life. If this is the way BMW treats its customers, then they do not deserve the status they claim to give to their client - which is sheer driving pleasure. I am deeply disgusted and I feel ridiculed by BMW. While all I wanted was to have a great German machine, instead I found myself the biggest lifetime liability.
My wish is for BMW to deliver the promise they give to the customers, which is a world class product and great customer experience. I would like BMW to contact me urgently as I am faced with a problem. The dealership is now forcing me to bring back the loan car that they have lent me as they feel that I must take my scrap car and it is not their problem, but mine.
Reviewed Nov. 22, 2012
Poor BMW service at Performance BMW in Chapel Hill, NC - When I purchased my pre-owned, certified 2006 325i, I also purchased the extended warranty which ran through to Oct. 31, 2012. Fifteen days after my warranty expired, apparently the bushing on a thrust arm (I am told) popped and was leaking some kind of viscous fluid. I was told it would cost $690.13 to repair which included realigning my car. I had, less than a month ago, purchased four new tires and a realignment to the tune of $1,200. When I complained about this happening 15 days after my warranty expired (and my car only has about 50,000 miles on it) and having just paid for a realignment, I was told they would knock off the $150 realignment and a $50 co-pay. So now I am still having to pay almost $500 for this problem. What a ripoff.
I also tried to get my oil and filter changed before my service contract expired, but was not accommodated. I was told by the service rep to see him next time I brought in my car and have asked for this service while my car has been in their shop for almost a week now. Don't know if they will do this for me as they are very unaccommodating. I am still upset about their inability to accommodate me.
Reviewed Nov. 20, 2012
I purchased a brand new 2007 BMW 328I in October of 2006. After 6 years of owning that car, I am completely swearing off of BMW for life. Most recently, the steering lock on the car malfunctioned. A few months back, it was an engine overheating problem that caused my engine to completely lose all power in the middle of a busy intersection. Over the years, there were countless incidences of the vehicle losing power. Put all that together with a ride that is hardly ever smooth, lots of jerkiness and delays in acceleration. I contacted BMW to complain about the most recent issue - not because the issue itself, but because of my level of dissatisfaction that a brand as reputable and as costly as BMW would present me with this many issues on a 6-year old car. It pains me to have to say goodbye to a car that is as attractive as the BMW model, but I refuse to spend my hard-earned money with a dishonorable company on a car that under-performs.
Reviewed Nov. 16, 2012
I contacted BMW customer relations as my sunroof was not closing properly. I had extended warranty but I received a follow-up call to notify me that BMW would not honor the repairs. My request for an additional escalation path was denied by Paige and Erin (customer service manager/supervisor) because according to them, they were at the highest level. I requested the physical street address for the corporate office in NJ, in which I was also denied. They do not escalate cases and if you open a complaint, they do not tell you what they would do with that. They also refuse to send you a letter, which gives the reason for denial. BMW customer relations sucks big time!
Reviewed Nov. 7, 2012
I was told by an honest employee at BMW in GA that all plastic on the newer BMWs are recycled and sprayed on. I am now getting peeling plastic all over the inside of my car (2006 BMW 330i). My outside passenger lower panel is coming off because the screws are plastic and cheap and can't hold the panel, so the panel is falling off. My back window regulator which, again, is made of plastic, won't let me roll up my window. Once the window is down, it's broken! It won't go back up!
I hate BMWs. Like one mechanic told me, BMW has built these cars to break down. They don't want you getting 200,000 or 300,000 miles on them, any longer. They want them to be problematic so you take the car back to BMW for them to rip you off and say to hell with it, "I'll buy another BMW!" BMW is getting greedy, and they need to die a slow death. I'm done!
Reviewed Oct. 24, 2012
My girlfriend drove her BMW 328I up from Florida on Sept. 24th, and when she got it here, she noticed that the window was down and would not roll up (motor broken). It was late at night, so we didn't want to leave the car out on the street with a window down in NYC. We called BMW Roadside Assistance and they had a tow truck company come pick up the car. Since it was late, they said they would take the car to their lot and then drop it off at BMW Dealership the following morning. The next morning, the tow company called us and said they dropped it off and it would be ready in a couple of days. We then called the BMW dealership when we thought the car would be ready, and they informed us that they never received the car nor had any information on the car.
It turned out that the tow company wrecked the car, and they were trying to cover it up and "fix" the car themselves. They basically took the car to a chop shop in the Bronx and it looked like they were trying to replace parts of the car with aftermarket parts that were not BMW's. We went to the Bronx with the cops and had another tow truck come out and move the car to the BMW dealership. It has now been exactly 1 month and BMW has not even started working on the car yet. We filed claims with BMW Roadside Assistance and BMW Customer Service, and they never get back to us when we call to try and figure out what is going on.
I have been getting the runaround from everyone I speak with and when I ask to speak to a supervisor, they say they have no other contacts they can give. The BMW dealership has tried to contact Roadside Assistance, and they are not even able to get a hold of them. Now the dealership wants to charge $85 a day for storage of the car. Meanwhile, we've been without a car this whole time and there is no end in sight on when the car will be fixed. At this point, I'm not really sure what to do, or what legal action we should take. Any help you may be able to provide would be greatly appreciated.
Reviewed Oct. 22, 2012
I have a very high threshold for dissatisfaction, but my recent experience with BMW caused me to take the time to document my experience as I wanted to share how bad it was with as many consumers as possible to save you from the same experience. I have spent over $400K on five 7-series cars over the last 15+ years as an extremely loyal BMW buyer. My current $100K+ 750iL just passed over 65K miles and the extended warranty expired and to my surprise, mechanical issues have not stopped materializing! I contacted BMW NA to find out what $400K over 15+ years of loyalty meant to them. Evidently, it means nothing! They pushed me to a call center rep who was clueless and of zero assistance, and she kept to the script.
I guess BMW feels that everyone will just cave and do nothing when they are pushed aside. It shocks me that in the current environment where brand loyalty is critical to the corporate bottom line, BMW obviously feels that someone in their mid-40's who will be in their target market for the next 40 years has no value. I wonder if Mercedes and Audi feel the same way? Extremely dissatisfied in Barrington!
Reviewed Oct. 4, 2012
I just bought my 2007 BMW 325ci about a week ago. I bought it 250 miles away from where I live. I was assured that it had all been inspected by BMW in Tri-Cities, WA and that it was in perfect shape. By Archibald Motors in Tri-Cities, I bought and paid for the car and drove home. It did not seem right on my 250 mile trip, but I thought I was just getting used to a different vehicle. Oh no that was not it, the fuel pump was bad. I called the dealership and they said that they knew it was leaking when I bought it!
This is a BMW. There are reasons we put our lives in their hands. I am so fortunate to make it home without an incident. They did tell me to contact BMW in Boise and they would pay for the repairs and they have all done a beautiful job. My point is is that it should have never happened in the first place. I am 67 and it was a gift to myself. BMW should be more up to speed with their dealerships.
Reviewed Oct. 3, 2012
I purchased a vehicle from this used car dealer that was supposed to be a certified BMW and I've been having problems with the car since buying it. I've had the car for three months and every month, the car has been in the shop. I have spoken to the manager about the problems, but kept getting the runaround. Now I've had the car for three months and there's a clicking sound when I make a left turn. When I told the manager about this problem, he told me I have to pay for parts and labor. I paid $2,000 for a car that was supposed to be certified that's really not. I was sold a car that is supposed to be 160 points certified and was not. This dealer is telling me that I have to pay for parts and labors on a car I only had for three months and now I'm having a hard time getting anything done with the management which I paid $2,000 to for a car that I shouldn't be paying to repair.
Reviewed Oct. 1, 2012
My first experience owning a 2009 BMW 535i: I recently took my vehicle to BMW of Columbus to have my in-tank electric fuel pump and a sensor repaired. I spent $1,254.00 to have it repaired. I picked up my car on Sept. 14, 2012. Shortly afterward, I was traveling north on I-185 and suddenly my check engine light came on. I began losing power and it started hesitating as well. It appears to be the same initial problem I had and thought it was fixed. Here I am now dropping my car off to a closed (late Friday evening) BMW dealer for repairs. I had plans to go on a vacation and now once again I can't go anywhere. I have never had this to happen to me. It's unbelievable!
You don't expect this from a BMW. I hope they can get right the second time around and according to all the articles I have read (which I should have done my homework before I purchased it), 2009 BMW 535i are having a lot of fuel issues that should have been addressed and now as the consumer, I guess I have to suffer now. I think BMW needs to do more about the 535i fuel problems. I took my car in to BMW of Columbus. They initially diagnosed my car with the in-tank electric fuel pump and a sensor. I had that repaired for $1,254.00 and I was not happy with the bill because the 535I was notorious for having awful fuel problems. Shortly after I had it fixed, my car check engine light came back on and I had a sudden loss of power. And while this was happening, I am saying to myself this cannot be happening to me again.
This was the second time I took my car to BMW of Columbus and it took them several days to find the problem. From my understanding, the 535Is injectors had a recall and they were checked and removed by a BMW tech, removed, refitted, scanned and possibly replaced but I am not sure. However, BMW of Columbus tech discovered that the last fuel injector closes to firewall of engine. One of the injectors bolt, which holds the injector down, was broken off into the engine block. The tech who performed it tried to cover it up by screwing an oversize bolt over the top of the broken bolt. The recall was done on Oct. 17, 2011 at 50,408 from center ID: 23055, but I purchased the car from Roswell Mitsubishi of Atlanta, Georgia at approximately 57,000.
According to Stephane **, service consultant from BMW of Columbus, he stated that he spoke to the BMW dealer service manager from center ID: 23055, which performed N54 injector check (B131410). He claimed that if they did do it, the car should have malfunctioned before now. I got a chance to look at the area where the oversize bolt was, on the engine block. It was damaged all around the engine block with chips missing around it. This is the second week I am without my car and I have not heard from BMW customer service specialist Jodi. I sent Jodi another email, asking her to please contact me and I have yet to hear anything as of Sept. 26, 2012.
I made another call on July 27, 2012 to North America BMW customer relations. I was able to get in contact with Jodi (who is handling my complaint). I left message on her voicemail. Stephane ** from BMW of Columbus called and left a message on my cellphone and he wanted to know something because he had not heard anything from North America BMW. It has been over the three to five business days and I have yet to hear from Jodi. As of today (Oct. 1, 2012), I have not heard anything from my customer representative Jodi.
Reviewed Sept. 28, 2012
Since I bought my new 2007 BMW 530I in 2006, I have had a squeaky brake problem - a defect in the rotor. Up to this date, 2012, this problem has not been resolved. I have taken the vehicle into the dealerships repeatedly to fix this issue over the last 6 years, but it has never been fixed, and they never told me that the rotors needed to be replaced to fix the squeaking brakes until now, as my maintenance warranty is expiring soon. Out of all the years I took it in, they never told me this until now, and they appeared to be trying to get money out of me to pay out of pocket.
Under the maintenance warranty, I need to drive the vehicle another 14,000 miles before they can replace the rotors for wear, but my warranty will end before I can drive that amount. Otherwise, I will have to pay out of pocket $900 per rotor to replace. I also contacted BMW customer service, and they told me they cannot do anything under the maintenance program and the warranty for the rotors expired already. I am very upset that BMW cannot resolve this squeaking brake issue. I'm upset that the dealership never fixed this issue from the beginning, and BMW's poor customer service cannot help me. The squeaking has become unbearable wherever I go. Don't ever buy a BMW; overpriced and poor customer service.
Reviewed Sept. 26, 2012
Electrical system - I had the heated seat on then it started smoking and caught fire. I would like to know if BMW is responsible for this. My shirt and hair almost caught on fire.
Reviewed Sept. 26, 2012
I purchased a 2005 X5 last week that had been in two accidents from BMW of Oyster Bay located in Oyster Bay, Long Island. I traded in my Volvo XC90 towards purchase of the 2005 X5 grey color SUV. I brought the truck to my regular mechanic to get new front tires and my mechanic found and showed me the left and right front axles were shot and it was dangerous to drive the vehicle. So I replaced them, cost me $850 for parts alone plus labor.
My mechanic also pointed out it needed lower ball joints and front control arms so I brought it back to the dealer and raised hell, "How can you sell me a vehicle with all these problems?" They sold me a piece of junk. They sold it to me for $16000 less my trade. I laid out 8402 dollars for the balance due. They are now fixing the vehicle and called me today to let me know they ordered air bag parts. They won't be in until Thursday. Also, I gave them a list of all the problems that have to be fixed. The driver's door has a rattle in it and closes sloppy. The front end is shot. They gave me loaner car while I wait till they fix it. They sold me a lemon.
Reviewed Sept. 20, 2012
I bought a 2006 BMW 330i in 2010. It has low miles - 24,000 and still under warranty at the time. The cheap faux silver around the windows was coming off. It was not covered under BMW warranty. I took it to a BMW mechanic and he fixed it with glue in a second. I changed out the awful run flat tires with regular tires and a light came on that would not go off. I took it to the BMW dealership and they wanted to take all four tires off and charge me $400 to turn off a little warning light! I pitched a fit and they threw me off the premises. I took the car back to the tire store, and they wiggled the stalk on the steering wheel, and the warning light went off. Cost = 0!
My battery died on a Sunday and I have towing services with BMW. Since they were closed, I had to pay to have the car towed to Firestone. BMW refused to reimburse me since I did not take the car to BMW for a new battery. They didn't care if they were closed! I was livid! I called the BMW corporate office and they were useless. The corporate office people are jerks! Now my car has loose plastic under the door because it's screwed with plastic plugs. I feel like I am driving a Yugo; only Yugo is a better car than a BMW. I don't expect BMW will be living long. They are bordering on life support as we breathe. I will never, never, never, never buy another BMW. Oh, don't trust your BMW manual either. BMW mechanics told me to change your oil every 7,000 miles - not 15,000, or you will have multiple problems. He's seen people wait until 15,000 and the car had many, many expensive fixes. Another mechanic told me BMW wants your car to break down, so you'll go back in and buy another BMW. I still have my BMW and can't afford to sell it. So I'll see how it goes.
Reviewed Sept. 17, 2012
Sterling BMW Newport Beach - This dealership is dishonest and misleading. First time, I went there to value my trade-in but we were still a few thousand dollars apart so I left. I called them back a couple of days later because I really liked the car and I agreed to pay $3,000 more than my original budget and they agreed and told me to go back there and get my new car. Once I got back there, the managers ** and ** decided that they wanted even more money than what we agreed on the phone and tried to sell me a car two years older! This dealership has proof to be dishonest! If you are a woman, do not go there, they will take advantage of you in any possible way.
Reviewed Sept. 17, 2012
My Z4 power top motor got water in it and shorted out (2nd time I paid to have replaced). The dealer broke the windshield to repair the gasket around the front window and made me pay for a new windshield.
Reviewed Sept. 13, 2012
I'm a BMW lover and now owner of a 328xi series. I wouldn't have ever thought that I would become a lover of BMW knowing my dream was to have a drop top four door Lexus. But once my husband brought me to your curious dealership to test drive one of your 3 series model, I was sold. The car drove like it knew me and the sales associate made my drive easier by informing me about the developed and smart function on the vehicle. I was impressed and sold. I went home cooking and buyer way into my husband heart to get that 328xi. I guess it worked because the next week I drove my new man home.
I loved my car until after driving it for four months. I’ve been to the Oyster Bay Dealership three times due to the malfunction sign that continues to show up on my dash board. I drove around stopping female BMW owner wondering if the malfunction sign appears on their dash any time they place their bag down, and they informed me that it does occur.
I was so disappointed to hear this. I went online and noticed that BMW is # 6, in the top driven car selected by woman at 60.31 percent. I was also shocked to see that too. I think BMW is a great car for woman considering its sex appeal and the smart and easy functions. But now I understand why this is true. The car insides aren't accessible for woman. Women need car that is enjoyable on the inside. Many women also work, manage to take of our kids and would like to be sexy at the same time. It's very disappointing when you have everything you want except what you need. Women are go getter too and we are growing every day.
If you do a survey within your company and ask the men to ask their wife's where they place their hand bags, I'm sure they would say on the front seat. Women have grown to be great consumers in the world now. We like to buy what we like. Studies show that one legacy of this recession is that women become a majority of the work force for the first time in American history. This information should give you more insight on how important it is to please a woman, will do whatever it take to feel complete and to be happy.
I'm writing to you today not only to complain, but to express the inconvenience it is for me to drive from Canarsie in Brooklyn to Oyster Bay, Long Island about 3 times out of four months to correct this malfunction issue. I continually think each time I get in the car, if something is wrong and is this car safe to drive God forbids if an accident occurs. I'm very understanding the first time but the third time, I was in tears because I started to believe I received a used car, not an off the showroom car. Please believe that it wasn't easy for me to write this letter because I'm a woman of patience. But it’s not easy for a married woman with children that has three jobs then have to drop what I'm doing or take off from work to drive nearly an hour away just to get this problem fixed.
I understand that your job is to deliver a car that make sense, drive smoothly, have a sleet look, economy friendly and safe. I must say BMW has all of those qualities except the nice accessory for a woman's hand bag, preferably a hook on the side that slide in or out that we can place our hand bags. I believe this will bring your company in first place on the charts where it belongs and make us women a little happier. Thank you.
Reviewed Aug. 25, 2012
This has been the worst car I ever purchased (2000 BMW 323ci). The water pump has been replaced three times in five years. This is so unacceptable for a so-called “world-class” automobile. Every imaginable problem that could go wrong with this car, I have experienced… of course the standard… brake pads, clutch, hoses, etc. Those things are to be expected after a certain length of time. However, the same part ... You asked yourself, “Is it the mechanic? Was it the part?” Well, on 2 occasions, repairs were BMW authorized. Three were actual BMW dealerships. This car has cost me more than my son's college education, however, to BMW North America's credit. I had a lovely lady named Medidah to help me with my sensor board. I had to pay labor which was ok; at least, someone cared and assisted. I wish I could afford another car, which I can't unfortunately. This car is paid off. My first new car (ever) I purchased. I was so happy to save money. I ordered exactly what I wanted. I paid it off in 3 years. Next car will be my Honda or Toyota, which I have owned previously. Both were great, inexpensive to maintain, and lasted long time. I shall never, ever purchase another BMW, even if I do love the x5 :(

Reviewed Aug. 23, 2012
Electrical fire in 2002 BMW - Smoldering wires caused the car's GPS and radio to stop working. The insurance said smoldering wires, not a fire, and refuses to pay. The insurance company (Wawanesa) also states that radio and GPS are aftermarket products, therefore not covered.
Reviewed Aug. 23, 2012
I am the original owner of 530 2006 BMW. The fuel pump went out before the car was 2 years old and a couple months later, the other fuel pump went out. The dealer repaired it because the car was still under warranty and had less approximately 17,000 miles. After repairs, I began to have severe gas vapors inside of the car. The vapor was so strong you could see the car vapors seeping from the car while standing on the outside of the car. I took the car to be repaired 3 times for the same problem. The fourth time, I had to contact the corporate office to have a specialist look at the problem. The last repair was a little better, but I can still smell the gas as of this date.
Now my car is 6 years old and still has less than 50,000 miles on it. The thermostat light came on saying that the car is hot, not to drive any further. So, I took it to be checked. I was told that the engine thermostat needed to be replaced and would cost $650.00, so I asked them to hold up on repair because I wanted to check with other mechanics for 2nd opinion. I called the specialist to get a quote thermostat repair. Both mechanics from other shops told me to tell BMW service department to make sure that my problem was not the water pump before changing the thermostat. I called BMW back to ask them to make sure that my problem was being caused by the water pump. The repairman insisted that my problem was not a water pump. He said he was absolutely sure that my car needed a new thermostat.
After his confirmation of the problem, I gave permission to replace the thermostat. About 1/2 week later, the thermostat light is on again, worse than before because it's now red instead of yellow. I had to bring the car back on Monday, 8/20/12. Guess what they are telling me the problem is? The water pump which is around $1,100.00, not to mention the $650.00 I just paid for a thermostat that was obviously not the problem in the first place. I am raising hell! I hope you readers can hear it in my complaint and excuse the spelling because I can't even think straight right now. I will never buy another BMW! Never, never, never, never! Nice looking car, but you can't drive from here to there on looks. Buyer beware.
Reviewed Aug. 22, 2012
I own an 08 760Li that was purchased in 11/08. It's less than 4 years old and would still be under warranty if the car had 5k miles less. The logic 7 amp quit and BMW failed to offer any assistance for the replacement. When you look on the internet, you will find a multitude of complaints about this amp failing. The car was 134,600 dollars new and I'm in shock that BMW doesn't stand behind their product.
Reviewed Aug. 19, 2012
I purchased a 2011 BMW 528I from Pattersons BMW in Wichita Falls, Texas in July 2011. The car almost stalls when you stop and try to start again. The car hesitates when going around a corner and almost stalls. I have almost been run into because the car cannot leave a stop light like normal cars and people are in a hurry behind you. The car has been into the dealership six times and even the factory representative tried to fix the problem. No success resulted from all these attempts to fix the problem and the BMW solution is this is a characteristic of this car and all BMW's 528I have this characteristic.
The salesman's car I drove did not have this problem and I doubt if any other 5 series has this problem. This new feature on 2011 BMWs is like fly by wire, in that there is no linkage between the engine and the footfeed. The computer responds to all controls within the car and somehow I have the slowest response computer, since computers were invented. If a, F-16 had this response time, the pilot would be dead and if I continue to drive this vehicle, I may be dead also.
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2012
I made large principal only payments that weren't even due. They charged interest on this and I have been told by several different car company finance managers including the one I bought it from that they cannot do this, it's illegal. I have made many large principal only payments to other lenders such as Toyota, GMC, home loans and none have ever charged interest on this. I contacted the Attorney General of Ohio where their loans are located, the FTC, the DMV Investigations and none have helped me and I do not know where else to go and I do not want the hassle and cost of suing them.
Reviewed Aug. 13, 2012
My 2005 645 CI is as awesome as it is a nightmare. It drives great, it looks great but I have had problems with the convertible top since I bought the vehicle. While driving with the top closed, a warning comes on: "convertible top not locked". At this point the convertible top and the rear window cannot be operated, and if the rear window was open at the time that the warning came on, such window is stuck in the open position. At times such warning disappears while I continue driving a few moments or a few miles, at times it disappears after the engine has been shut down, and at times it continues to stay on until the problem is fixed by the dealer.
The car has been at the dealer for this reason more than 15 times, the rotation sensors have been changed three times and they have been re-adjusted and/or re-positioned the other times. In 2010, I wrote about such problem to the management of the local dealer, as well as to BMW USA. The malfunction continues to happen, regardless. I just got back the vehicle from the dealer 2 days ago (beginning of August 2012), still for the same reason. I am reaching the point where if the problem re-occurs, I am going to dump my loved/hated car.
Reviewed Aug. 12, 2012
I purchased a BMW 320d Highline from KUN Exclusive, Chennai. I took my car for a long drive - about 30 km drive from Chennai. I made an attempt to make a fast U-turn, for which I held the gear as a support, and as soon as I completed the turn, the gear knob came off with my hand. I was really shocked to see that. Pictures can be uploaded if necessary.
Reviewed Aug. 9, 2012
2007 BMW M6 - The fastest lemon on earth: I bought a used 2007 BMW M6 with 20,500 miles in January 2012 from Dave Walter BMW of Akron, Ohio. I drove from Detroit to pick the car up. Upon driving home to stop for gas (This car averages 10 mpg of premium, for your information.), my father noticed the BMW emblem was gone on the front. Needless to say, driving off the lot without a BMW emblem they blew off was very irritating, to say the least. But the dealership was surprised and said they will mail me one to put on. (By that, I mean I had to have a dealership put another one on because I broke the tiny plastic trying to squeeze it on the holes on my first attempt.) Prior to me receiving the new emblem was day two where while driving, a warning light came on that said passenger restraint warning. Now, I was very pissed. And just as this had happened while driving, the screen just went blank and would not turn on for the navigation or iDrive system.
Now, the dealer was confused and said, "We will see if we can get a dealer closer to you to handle this." Well, after a few days, they called saying I will need to bring it back to them in Akron, Ohio. I am now really pissed. It's winter, so I just tell them when the weather breaks, I'll get it to them. About a month later, I have a friend in Toledo drive the car back to them which results in no M6 for 2 weeks. They fix it, I get my car back. One day, that's right one day, after I got it back, the light returned! Great Job repairing that! So, I now just tell them to send a transport to my house and pick this pig up. I'm not adding more miles and gas money, because you didn't fix it the first time. They agreed.
Another few weeks passed, and I got the car back. Wouldn't you know it, they left me with 1/10th of a tank, despite promising to have it cleaned and full (I had over half a tank before they took it.). So I think "Ok, the worst is over, right?" Wrong! While driving home in July, the car literally died while driving and a light stated "increased battery discharge." And my screen died, and I could not change gears! I got home, and now, I am not even on speaking terms with the dealership as I have been so pissed about how they handle everything. I had to jump the car (New battery was installed when I bought the car.) and drive it around to try to recharge it. This worked temporarily, and the light cleared.
3 days after the power dying issue, lo and behold! The passenger restraint light is back to its usually warning position. I have now made up my mind to sell this car asap as I fear the worst. 6 days after this and one day after putting it up for sale, driving home from work, there's a warning engine malfunction (reduced power). That's right, it's now 500 horses. I honestly was scared. Oh, and I forgot the trunk wouldn't open. You had to use a key, and the center consoles locking mechanism made it where you couldn't open the center console.
I have since traded this car in, but I want it to be known that this story is 100% true and actually longer and more depressing. But this was my shorthand version of this POS. Dave Walter BMW of Akron, Ohio. It should be shut down! They do not deserve any business, and I assure you they did nothing to try to help me out in any way. Do not ever buy a BMW. Don't even take one, if it's given to you, because the repair costs will break your bank account!
Reviewed July 31, 2012
Endless problems, high parts cost, Arrogant dealership! - I realize fully that my opinion(s) are not exactly the same as some out there who are chiming in with comments about more recent models purchased, new or used from BMW dealerships, but I thought I would give my two cents because of my shock that these cars are absolutely not built with the same quality of a Mercedes or of Chevrolet (at least when it comes to their Corvette products). Recently, I purchased a 1999 BMW 328i Convertible with 116,000 miles on it. I did so believing that BMW had superior quality and engineering. The car is so cosmetically perfect as to indicate that it had been well taken care of, and the Carfax was in order, too. The engine overall runs fine, although I've already gone through two steering pumps because BMW's are apparently prone to having steering pump clogging issues with their steering pump filters, also, my air conditioning does not work properly due to a common BMW problem called the fan regulator switch.
Realizing fully that there would be things that needed fixing on any car with such high mileage, I never in my life have heard of some of the ridiculous things that are wrong with this car nor have I ever experienced the sticker shock with regard to finding/purchasing parts in order to patch this thing back together (i.e. a new cup holder, which usually can only be ordered directly from BMW because there are no used ones on the market due to the fact that they are made so cheaply is $60.00 at the local arrogant dealership. A coin holder which is usually broken but which has to be replaced in order to complete the restoration of the center console is $30.00 and looks like nothing more than a small piece of thin plastic with cheap springs inside).
The airbag light that is on is not due to something specifically wrong with one of the airbags, but rather has to do with the "seat belt tensioner", a typically BMW, overkill, goofy part and/or mechanism, which requires a full replacement of the seat belt latching mechanism on the passenger side, $550.00 for the part from BMW, $150.00 if I'm lucky to find a used one on eBay that actually works. And the service advisor at the local dealership here in Kansas City just kind of laughed, like they've done about most things. When I asked for an estimate to have it installed, saying, "It's hard to say how much it would cost, we don't do much work on the ‘older’ cars.”
When I asked about the driver's seat, of which the power gears have locked up and no longer work, he simply flat out said "We really don't do work like that on the ‘older cars’, and recommended one of two or three local boutique-type foreign car garages around town.” The same went for my convertible top, always with a good little arrogant laugh. I inquired about an oil change, and after another arrogant little chuckle, and checking with several other mechanics and service advisors, was told it would "probably be about $100.00." This after I've spent a good $1,000.00+ at their dealership on parts which I've installed myself.
I've owned several sports cars in my life, most of which were purchased used, including 5 Corvettes, and two Mercedes-Benz SLs (one of the Mercedes' had over 160,000 miles on it when purchased; the other over 80,000 miles). All were far superior cars to this "ultimate driving machine", with far fewer problems of any kind on them. I cannot believe the shoddy quality of everything on this car. The plastic on almost every plastic part is cheap and cracks; electrical problems are now starting to crop up with my entire left tail light mechanism failing to operate now (never have I experienced a whole bank of tail lights failing on any car I've ever owned, foreign or domestic).
I realized I was going to have to replace the top because it was worn out; however, parts of the top that are necessary to complete the top rebuild are astronomical in price, with small plastic pieces and one foot of elastic cord costing $80.00 wholesale; one piece, available only from BMW, that is held in place with the stupidest design I ever saw of having one central screw in the center of the windshield, cost $283.00 and is so flimsy that it's a wonder that it won't need replacing once a year. The top doesn't work correctly and there is no guarantee that it ever will. I've seen 30 year old Chevrolets with tops that are not this intricate, cheap, nor prone to problems that still work beautifully. Just today, most of my tail lights and all of my interior lights stopped working!
This car looks like it was well taken care of, but it must have all been to no avail. I now understand why a used BMW is only worth about 30% of what a used Mercedes is valued at. I did not sign on to being a Beemer owner thinking that I was buying something with as many problems as a 50 year old Jaguar or MG. I was thinking the quality would be more like a Mercedes and as for the arrogant preamble to this site, which says: “High-performance cars require lots and lots of very expensive routine maintenance. Also they're notorious for being afflicted with all kinds of exotic problems. If you're really into cars, understand them and are willing to lavish time, money and attention on one, the BMW may be for you. If you're looking to raise your self-esteem by buying something really expensive, we recommend real estate.”
That's **! Furthermore, the arrogance of the people who work at the local dealership, including at the parts counter is unbelievable. They almost want to argue with you about what part you need. If they can't find it immediately, they get cranky and claim it doesn't exist, that that was a part that BMW didn't put on the car, or some other crazy excuse. Then, when you finally bring them a part number, they apologize and tell you it's $500.00. A Corvette and Mercedes SLs are high performance cars, and I do understand cars, and BMWs are pieces of crap! Just my two cents, but I will never purchase a BMW, new or used ever again!
Reviewed July 23, 2012
The husband and I both have BMWs. Mine is a 2010 and his is a 2011. After getting extremely crummy service at Fairfax BMW in Fairfax, VA, we decided to try Sterling BMW in Sterling, VA. Surely BMW doesn't hand out their Center of Excellence awards all willy-nilly-like, right? Well, apparently, they did in 2010. While there are many additional detailed points of their "suckage", I will provide you the highlights:
I took the 2010 in to get new tires. After spending $2000 on 4 new kicks mounted and balanced and alignment for the old girl, they wanted to charge us over $100 to fill the tires with Nitrogen. While I understand it's a business, don't nickel and dime me when I just dropped $2000. After finally getting my car back, we drove it home. Traffic was a little rough that evening, so we weren't going terribly fast. The next day, however, we noticed a major wobble. The vibration was so bad, the side mirrors were shaking. I got to work and felt like I had driven a jackhammer instead of my "luxury" car. I took it back in on Monday. They finally called on Tuesday, claiming it was "two bad tires". Alright, fine.
When we went to pick up my car, they couldn't find it. Let me repeat that. When I went to go rescue my car, they had misplaced it. It took the entire service department, a few of the sales guys and over an hour to find it. Immediately after picking it up, we magically had squeaky brakes that we had never had before. The sad thing is that I'd rather listen to the brakes than to BMW Sterling's horrible excuses.
During the same time, we had my husband's SUV in for several items that BMW Fairfax couldn't fix after repeated visits. These included brakes, slipping transmission, air conditioning and a rattle in the tailgate. They had the Bear's car for over a week. They replaced the brakes and fixed the AC. They could not, however, "recreate" the slipping transmission and they said they could not hear the rattle, despite the fact that they let the technician drive our car home one night (I'm still reeling at that one especially when they asked my husband if that would be okay and he said no)! Of course, we heard the rattle in the tailgate as soon as we left the dealership. Call us crazy, I guess.
We changed from Audi over to BMW because of service issues. We had a 5 series and a Mini Cooper prior to getting our current cars. When we got these cars in San Francisco, we were in love with the cars and the dealership/service. At this point, we are about a millisecond away from switching to Mercedes. Apparently, our paltry two-car household matters not to the auto giant. Between the incompetence, attitude and just overall cheapness, I can't see spending another cent with BMW. Dare I say "lemon"? I dare.
Ha! So we got a call from BMW USA. After playing phone tag for 3 weeks, the Rep rushed us through our side of what has happened. She kept saying she was sorry we "felt that way" anytime we mentioned how disappointed we were about the crummy service or the shoddy quality. When she asked what we wanted, DH mentioned we would love to be able to just settle things amicably without having to consult a lemon-law lawyer. She said that if that was what we wanted to do, go ahead. This doesn't bode well for their Customer Service. I will update with results.
Update #2: We were promised a resolution within 3-5 business days. We are on the 4th business day and just got a call from BMW USA to tell us they don't have a resolution yet. Surprise, surprise. And, there is no update on when we will know something. We are not surprised one single bit, aside from the fact that they called at all. What do you want to bet that they will wait until we make our next payment in 6 days and then call to tell us they can't do anything?
Update #3: My husband finally called and was told we would hear something early in the week during the week of 7/16. They are supposedly waiting to hear something from Fairfax BMW. I'm not holding my breath.
Another update: We were supposed to hear from Customer Service last week. Nada. DH called on Friday, 7/20, and asked for her extension. It rang and someone else answered. DH requested our rep and was asked what it was in regard to. He told her we are trying to give back our lemon. She said she would look up our "case", looked up the information and surprise! She couldn't find anything. He asked then to get transferred to our rep's phone and he left a message requesting a call back that day. Again, nothing. We got a call back from her today, 7/23. The phone didn't ring; we just got a voice mail. We called her back and haven't heard a peep since then.
We are giving her until tomorrow pm to get back with us and if we don't hear from her, we will be foregoing the niceties and proceeding directly past "go" to a lemon lawyer. In the midst of all this, other things have stopped working on the X5. The rear camera works occasionally, but it chooses when and where. The auto-telescoping steering wheel has stopped working. The transmission is still jerky. My opinion? Do not buy a BMW!
Reviewed July 5, 2012
Engine rebuild after 110,000 miles - Here's the scenario. I was driving home from work and a yellow thermometer lit up on the display screen and in less than 10 seconds, a red thermometer was displayed. I pulled off the freeway and immediately felt the lack of power in the car. It felt like I was driving a 4 cylinder car. There was never any warning of low fluids or overheating before this. I filled it with BMW coolant and drove it to my mechanic. While I was driving to the mechanic, I got a low fluid warning, yellow thermometer and red thermometer within 30 seconds. My mechanic took a look at it and I have a blown head gasket, which is costing me $2200.
I've owned the car since day one and have kept up with all the maintenance, with one year out of warranty. I didn't expect this to happen. BMW has to add temperature gauges to their center display. I had no knowledge that my engine was overheating or that I was low on fluid until it was too late. I'm out $2,200 and need to find alternative transportation while my car is being repaired. At this point, I would not recommend a BMW for anyone.
BMW Company Information
- Company Name:
- BMW
- Website:
- www.bmwusa.com
