Car at the dealer again
07-12-2008, 10:20 AM
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My Ride: 2007 Sapphire Black Metallic 525i. Beige Dakota Leather, Premium package, bluetooth, BMW Assist, Xenon adaptive lights, Sirius radio
I have had my car for 3 months. One visit to the dealership was for replacing worn interior door pulls. While driving there I heard moaning from the steering. Asked them to check the fluid. Needed a new steering rack. They gave me a loaner and had the car over the weekend and into the next week.
2nd visit was regarding the a/c. Max ac would only work intermittently. During one drive I had no air at all.
The dealership initially could not duplicate the problem. I told them to park it outside for an extended period of time. They did and it acted up for them. BMW NA said replace the blower motor and the blower motor sensor. They had the car all week.
The parts came in on a Friday. It did not fix the problem. The Service tech thought about it over the weekend and thought that the car may think their is a shortage of current and it went into sleep mode. Sure enough Monday he found a faulty ground, ordered the part and the problem was cured. Had the car back Tuesday.
Saga continues.. On 7/3/08 I had to get the car jump started. A/c problem started up again. Fortunately while at the dealership the a/c would not blow cold for 30 minutes.
The dealership has been nothing but helpful as has BMW NA. Friday BMW NA told the dealership to order an a/c compressor. The dealership did discover a weak cell in the battery and are going to replace it and look for other gremlins in the electrical system.
Mind you BMW NA was aware of the first visit a month or so ago regarding the a/c because I posted it here and BMW NA contacted me. This time I contacted them. They were very helpful. If the dealership cannot track down the problem or if it reoccurs BMW NA said they may consider buying back my car, giving me full purchase price towards a trade in, or swap it for a comparable vehicle.
While having the problems has been discouraging I still love my car. The dealership and BMW NA have been nothing but great.
2nd visit was regarding the a/c. Max ac would only work intermittently. During one drive I had no air at all.
The dealership initially could not duplicate the problem. I told them to park it outside for an extended period of time. They did and it acted up for them. BMW NA said replace the blower motor and the blower motor sensor. They had the car all week.
The parts came in on a Friday. It did not fix the problem. The Service tech thought about it over the weekend and thought that the car may think their is a shortage of current and it went into sleep mode. Sure enough Monday he found a faulty ground, ordered the part and the problem was cured. Had the car back Tuesday.
Saga continues.. On 7/3/08 I had to get the car jump started. A/c problem started up again. Fortunately while at the dealership the a/c would not blow cold for 30 minutes.
The dealership has been nothing but helpful as has BMW NA. Friday BMW NA told the dealership to order an a/c compressor. The dealership did discover a weak cell in the battery and are going to replace it and look for other gremlins in the electrical system.
Mind you BMW NA was aware of the first visit a month or so ago regarding the a/c because I posted it here and BMW NA contacted me. This time I contacted them. They were very helpful. If the dealership cannot track down the problem or if it reoccurs BMW NA said they may consider buying back my car, giving me full purchase price towards a trade in, or swap it for a comparable vehicle.
While having the problems has been discouraging I still love my car. The dealership and BMW NA have been nothing but great.
07-12-2008, 12:16 PM
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It's good to hear about your good experience with your SA and dealership. Continuing that good relationship would be beneficial beyond your warranty period 
07-12-2008, 01:20 PM
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Originally Posted by mrfva' post='622180' date='Jul 12 2008, 03:16 PM
It's good to hear about your good experience with your SA and dealership. Continuing that good relationship would be beneficial beyond your warranty period
07-12-2008, 04:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Martin525i' post='622201' date='Jul 12 2008, 05:20 PM
The dealership is Grady BMW in Mobile ALabama. They are very dedicated to their customers.
:-)
07-12-2008, 04:52 PM
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So what did you get as a loaner this time? Another 3 series?
07-12-2008, 05:37 PM
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this makes me wonder if I made the right decision too. i had an e46 a while back and left bmw because of the multiple problems i had with the car. i had hoped / figured that with the larger brother it might be better.
since having the car i had to reset the anti-trap "feature" of the rear driver side window and today the A/C decided to stop working entirely. i parked the car for an hour and tried again still no dice. i have an appointment on the 22nd but it seems like this car too is plagued by the same thing my first bmw (that drove me to audi) was.
since having the car i had to reset the anti-trap "feature" of the rear driver side window and today the A/C decided to stop working entirely. i parked the car for an hour and tried again still no dice. i have an appointment on the 22nd but it seems like this car too is plagued by the same thing my first bmw (that drove me to audi) was.
07-12-2008, 05:42 PM
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Originally Posted by PhilPGHE60' post='622308' date='Jul 12 2008, 09:37 PM
this makes me wonder if I made the right decision too. i had an e46 a while back and left bmw because of the multiple problems i had with the car. i had hoped / figured that with the larger brother it might be better.
since having the car i had to reset the anti-trap "feature" of the rear driver side window and today the A/C decided to stop working entirely. i parked the car for an hour and tried again still no dice. i have an appointment on the 22nd but it seems like this car too is plagued by the same thing my first bmw (that drove me to audi) was.
since having the car i had to reset the anti-trap "feature" of the rear driver side window and today the A/C decided to stop working entirely. i parked the car for an hour and tried again still no dice. i have an appointment on the 22nd but it seems like this car too is plagued by the same thing my first bmw (that drove me to audi) was.
07-12-2008, 05:53 PM
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Originally Posted by RJH&CO' post='622312' date='Jul 12 2008, 09:42 PM
i wonder that all the time but the answer to your question is. How many other cars drive like a bmw? besides a german car, i would only buy Honda/Acura. The rest just doesn't do it for me. All cars have problem, some more than others. With all things equal, you have to look at the end of the day - are you overall happy?
07-13-2008, 05:52 AM
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Originally Posted by PhilPGHE60' post='622323' date='Jul 12 2008, 08:53 PM
yeah this is true, the audi drove nice, but felt loose compared to the 535, and of course the power out of a 6 cyl is nice compared to an 8 with less gas. i'll see if the ac comes back in the am, but not having ac when it's 80-90F and humid kind of ruins the fun level for me.
I also feel safe in the car. I would not consider another brand. My parner has Lexus IS250. It has a lot more toys than my car, but, it does not drive like a BMW.
07-13-2008, 09:19 AM
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Originally Posted by Martin525i' post='622620' date='Jul 13 2008, 08:52 AM
I do not think driving anything else but a BMW is an option for me. The steering, handling and overall feeling of connecton between the road and driver cannot be beat.
I also feel safe in the car. I would not consider another brand. My parner has Lexus IS250. It has a lot more toys than my car, but, it does not drive like a BMW.
I also feel safe in the car. I would not consider another brand. My parner has Lexus IS250. It has a lot more toys than my car, but, it does not drive like a BMW.