jcatral14

Because those damn oil level sensors can and do fail. Whoever heard of a dipstick failing? LOL

Rudy

I understand your point and I agree that there hasn't been many (if any) documented cases where the electronic dipstick failed. What is known, however, is that electronics do, in fact, fail from time to time. Since the technology is relatively new, many people still feel better with an old-fashioned (but failure proof) dipstick to double-check that the electronic method is maintaining it's accuracy over time...

octopaganini

I think I will send a leter to the GM. It couldn't hurt. By the way, the dealer was New Century BMW in Alhambra, California.

pinguhk

yes the electronic measure work fine apart from it dose not tell you how much you need to put in and how black you oil becomes after 7000miles

baadaaboo

HA! new century BMW! the service department sucks!! i had my car went back and forth 4 times to get the steering fluid fixed. The first 3 time they just filled the oil and fool me around. The last time got fixed because BMW NA contacted them. Also they lost chase of my car for a week, they didn't call me to pick up my car because they don't know where it was. I went to this dealer to find out, and they took more then an hour to locate my car. It ends up my car was on the roof and sunbathing for the whole time during the hottest summer days. I think if I didn't call them, my car probably still there now.

maybe I was too nice the whole time, I had never complained or raise my voice in the dealer. I just feel helpless the whole time. I had similar issue with their neighbour at Toyota dealer.

Blackonblackonblack

Sorry for the long post but after reading many recommendations to move on to another dealer for better service, I wanted to chime in here on several accounts regarding New Century BMW and the BMW Maintenance Program.

I have to say that the quality of service from dealer to dealer can be assessed several ways. I say this because I am currently having my car serviced at New Century BMW. From personal experience at this dealer and service department, I have experienced the highest and the lowest in service. The salesman I had, withstood my one year of coming in just to chat while I was waiting for the E60 to be introduced into the U.S. That relationship got me a no-hassle deal on my purchase.

My first service advisor...was excellent, accommodating and pro-active...and may I say generous to the point that without my asking for it, I received a complete set of brand new runflats after a year! Also any time I was displeased with something, he would have it redone for free without asking. He would also do what he could to get a BMW loaner even if I did not reserve one. The car was always washed when I retrieved it and I always received a courtesy call either at work or on my cell to give me an update on the scheduled service(s). Unfortunately, he's moved on.

Now, at this same dealership, and with a new service advisor, I am completely disappointed. It has nothing to do with the dealership or the maintenance program, but rather, the advisor. I almost never got a call from him to give me an update, unless I called in requesting for one. Furthermore, I always had to leave a message as he would never take my calls. Several times I had to insist that I was not going to hang up until I spoke to someone because the SA would not return my calls...sometimes for days! My main gripe was not that the service was not quick enough. It was NOT knowing what was wrong with my car that was killing me! The advisor at the dealer recommended body shop likened it to having a relative in the hospital and me wanting to know what was going on. She said exactly what I was thinking! (This was my baby!) I knew it was no one's fault in particular...it was a manufacturer defect. Not having the car was not the issue as I was always given a courtesy car. Consequently, I "nicely" insisted to speak to the service manager...who was actually very pleasant, informative, apologetic, and discussed my issue with the SA, who finally had a little better communication with me - through the 30-something days that my car was in the shop.

By fortune, the actual technician working on my car is a friend of a friend, and he went out of his way to email me or via the mutual friend, let me know the status of my service and repairs. So there, I was getting both good and bad service at the same time! Go figure!

Bottom line is, I have had good and bad experiences at many dealers in SoCal. So in fairness to New Century BMW, I just wanted to state that you can get good service there...but it may be the luck of the draw depending on which service advisor you get (or select), and I think keeping a cool head and speaking calmly has it's advantages when you're in a vehicular crisis!

LONG-story-short, I will be FULLY refunded for my LEMON, by BMWNA, (minus mileage), even if the car is 3+ years old. I have not paid a penny to the dealer for any maintenance servicing, including oil top-offs. And sorry guys/gals, I feel a little guilty, but I'm moving on to an E93 in a month or so, this time with Pacific BMW in Glendale which is a BRAND-spankin'-NEW facility! I will request for a particular service advisor who our family has used for years and years - maybe more than 20! Now, my criteria for selecting a dealer is not how cheap the purchase can be, but rather, my interview of the service manager and recommendations on which advisor to use, as well as researching the ratings of this dealer's service history. The headaches this will alleviate is well worth the slightly higher purchase price - though no dealers could beat nor match what PacBMW offered me!

The brand new set of runflats I received was worth more than a couple hundred dollars that I could have saved purchasing from another dealer!