onefat99

I emailed the owner of the bmw dealership were i purchased my car. I kindly explained to him how disappointed I was. Well you know what below is a copy of the email i sent on 12/02/04. Well anyway I received a phone the the very next day from my service advisor. He comforted me ( like they all try to do ) I was told that I definitely deserve to get a different vehicle. 1 1/2 months passed I was going to let it go but I decided to email them again asking for a status on the situation. 1 week and no reply so I tried once again. Finally A phone call from the head of service depart. ( Didn?t have time to return his call) the next day head sales manager calls, Of course being in sales he tries to take my car as a trade in for me to purchase another one. He tells me the car is only worth 37,000. I think that?s a little low? 04 530i with premium and adaptive xenon 12,500 miles. My vehicle was a aug 03 production so options were limited. Anyways my question is how should I confront this? I just want another 530 or 545 with little or no problems with the features I originally wanted. Your input is greatly appreciated.



First Message sent
Hello,

My name is Super man , This is my first BMW. I've had this 04 530i since February and it has been nothing but disappointments and headaches. I am tired of taking my car in for service every other month. If its not one thing its another. My car is in service more than I actually drive it. Certain features that are suppose to work with this vehicle don?t. I don?t understand how you can release a vehicle and not have all the bugs fixed and all the options available. This car is an early august of 03 production. Now I am stuck because if this stupid car was made in November or December options like navigation, aux inputs, and Bluetooth could be added. I spent over 50,000 dollars on a car that does not do the things it is suppose to and interior and mechanical problems continue to develop as the days go on. I have had it! This is not the ultimate driving machine. If I am having theses problems now, how reliable is this car going to be 3 years from now! I do not want this car anymore I want you guys to take it as a lemon buy back. I feel as I have been ripped off. I expect a prompt reply on how this problem will get resolved! Here is a list of issues I've had or still have...



-Creaking doors! still there
-Steering wheel buzz rattle! Still there
-3 software upgrades Take up to weeks
-passenger airbag error
-door lock error
-creaking drivers seat
-noisy interior
-transmission slips ( just started!!!)
-mildew smell from AC
-delay from throttle still there
-rattle from rear shelf still there
-headlights turn on at 2 in the afternoon!
-hard time starting in the mornings
-NO RETROFITS AVAILABLE FOR ANYTHING!!!!!
-passenger window has a mind of its own
-front pillars cloth began pealing
-cd player tracks starts at beginning
-there is no pause or play feature
-cup holder broke then when it is replaced I cant hold a simple can!
-center console creaks and buzzes
-My brakes are already squeaking


I have been very patient for this first couple of months. I know that this is a new vehicle but I cant take this anymore. Every time I drive car I feel so disappointed in the quality and stress it has brought me. A car this new should not be having so many issues. All I ask is for you to take this car back I replace with another 5 series with the the features I originally wanted and that has have all the bugs taken out.



Message numero 2





On December 2 2004 I emailed ??????????? concerning the issues I've had with my 04 530i. I know the holidays season might be busy for you guys and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year but I need to know what is going on. ?????? you called me and informed me that you will begin the process in which my vehicle will be exchanged. Its been almost 2 months now. Please contact me via email or cell phone and I would appreciate an update on this situation . Thank You.

same message was sent again

Guest

Sorry, but the missing features you knew about when you accepted the car. The rest are squeak/rattle type problems and the car runs. No court will make BMW buy the car back from you.

Next time do not buy a BMW. That is the only thing you can do. If the dealer gives you a decent trade in, take it.

Harsh but true. This is the hazard of buying a car in the first year of production. This sucks, sorry.

onefat99

Thanks for the input guest. Not everyone knows about the 1 generation deal. You learn from your mistakes but the fact is I accepted this vehicle because the sale person told me that navigation and Bluetooth could be added at a later time. Also one other thing you can login you don't have to be scared i wont take any comments personally.

Aaron

onefat,

They also banged your wheels that were discontinued right? I would say they should definitely buy your car back if they consider themselves reputable. If not, keep beating them upside the head until they give in. It will be hard for them to do because they will lose money initially, but if they treat you right, they may have a customer and his friends for life. Also, make sure that you visit them in person. It is ALWAYS easier to ignore or say no to someone over email or over the phone. Good luck with that, and I hope we don't lose another BMW member. The competition is getting better, but IMHO, the 5 is still the best sports sedan out there!

stream

The only way they'll buy the car back is if they are required to under the lemon law, IMHO. You need to educate yourself on the lemon law in your state, see if you think you have a case, and be sure to follow the required communication procedures (such as sending a certified letter to the manufacturer). You may need to hire a lawyer. Unless you've been a lifetime customer, having bought numerous cars, I highly doubt they'll do anything other than a normal trade at market value, unless yours qualifies as a lemon. Good luck.

Here's a good site:
http://www.carlemon.com/lemons.html

EBMCS03

That is a good site! Thanks for the link. Good education info.

mlahti

Each dealership is visited monthly by a BMW district manager. I think there are two one deals with mechanical issues and the other is a "suit". You need to find out when one of them or both will be visiting or are scheduled to visit your dealership. You need to speak with both of these people about your issues as it will be BMW who has to make the "ultimate" decision and not the dealership. The dealership does not give a hoot. Most likely they are also clueless or pretend to be that way.

Guest

To my knowledge, no automobile manufacturer (MB, BMW, Ford, etc.) has a "buyback policy" -- indeed, most product manufacturers do not have any kind of buyback policy, although some may offer money back guarantees (usually, for products that cost less than US$100). Unless the sales contract for your car includes a provision that entitles you to demand that the BMW dealer "buy back" your car under certain conditions, you are SOL (I have never seen this kind of provision in the sales contract for an automobile, nor do I expect any auto dealer, whether MB, BMW, Ford, Chrysler or others, to agree to such a provision).

While the "lemon law" approach has been suggested, the "defects" you list above are not of the kind that might cause death or serious injury, so you may have difficulty proving your lemon law case in many states (depending on where you purchased the car). You may have better luck persuading the BMWNA reps to help you out with some kind of exchange/trade in package so that you do not have to suffer a great depreciation loss on your existing car.

Agent24

BMW actually replaced my '04 545 last month with a '05 545 without having to use the Lemon Law. My March built '04 was having major stalling issues, to the point where I wouldn't let my wife drive it or my kids ride in it. After three attempts by the dealership to fix it, I contacted BMWNA, who had the regional service rep meet me at the dealership. Finally, after many failed attempts by the service rep to replicate the stalling, the car stalled twice within five miles once the regional rep drove the car. About a week later, I got a call from the service manager at my dealership, telling me to contact my salesman and order a new 545 with the exact options. About three weeks later (and six weeks into driving a 325), I picked up my '05 545 after just resigning my lease documents. No money out of pocket and the terms of my original lease remain the same.

I hope this of some help.

300TTto545

BMW will buyback cars that don't meet lemon laws. You just have to push and get lucky.