mr_grinche

I have just covered 23,000 miles on my E60. For the past 6000 miles or so the ride quality of the car has been appalling. The car has been tram lining all over the place and I have been fighting a fair amount with the steering wheel. Initially I thought that the fault for the bad steering etc was a faulty steering rack as I have had these parts replaced in my last two E60's after 3-4 months. Or maybe just the nasty run flats my car came with as standard. However my car has only had a 7000 miles oil change so all the lights told me it was time for its first bit of TLC after 22 months of ownership, my first service. The lights told me that I needed front brake pads, a micro filter and oil and filter. I normally get my car serviced every year but this time I neglected her as I had purchased Service Inclusive which gives me 5 years or 60,000 miles servicing for an upfront sum.

Yesterday I managed to get my car in for a service after booking it in three weeks earlier. I mentioned the steering etc to my to my SA. We went for a drive. The SA however told me that my tracking needed to be done. He duly charged me ?241.00 ($350.00) for the privilege which I felt was larceny but paid it nonetheless. I also asked for my auxiliary port to be fixed as it has not worked since I got my car from new and my I Drive screen goes blank intermittently for a couple of days at a time and then returns. I told my SA that I needed everything in my car done as I would not get another chance to visit until the lights told me I had to. When I arrived to pick my car up I was told that I also needed four new tyres. They quoted me ?1260.00 ($1827.00).

Interestingly my car was only half washed when I picked it up, with blotches of mud on most panels. They weren't even bothered cleaning my alloys which are still caked in break dust. They also had not fixed my auxiliary port. I didn't notice any difference in the steering either. I fought all the way home with the steering as I had on my journey to the garage. But all my lights were now reset at least. The car does not feel any more responsive than it did on the journey to the garage. As I pulled into my driveway my washer fluid light came on! And then this morning my I Drive screen shuts down again. My dealers name is Murphy and Gunn in Dublin.

I don't know maybe I am being unreasonable here. I am getting a little older and grumpier and little things niggle me more. I get a little cranky with the kids when I ask them to do things and they don't. Maybe the ?1385.00 ($2008.00) that I paid for service inclusive makes me a second class citizen because Messrs Murphy and Gunn have lodged this money into their account and it is now showing in their P&L from FY06 and destined to history. I the customer am a lingering inconvenience?

What are your thoughts on this? What do you think I should do? I haven't even called the dealership to say that I am unhappy. I don't want to be a grumpy old fart. I just want an easy life with peace and prosperity and as little conflict as possible. All I want is to pay for a service and have it done properly so as I feel my car has been given the day at the spa treatment like the wife gets now an then!

joewatch

Holy sh*t that sucks! Why wasn't the steering included in your service agreement / warranty? Raise hell and find a new SA.

Rock14

Mr. Grinch,

Sorry to hear about your service. I went thru a similiar experience the first time and had no idea what to expect. I've owned a Lexus for 6 years and believe they have the best customer service experience in the industry based on my experience. I purchased a 3 series for my wife and took it in for service the 1st time as the wife does not like to deal with any servicing.

The service was horrible and unacceptable. The service manager didn't even take time to talk with me when I asked to speak to him when I picked the car up. Anyhow!

The car was due for service again and I got another service adviosr after bitching at the 1st one. The second visit was great and the SA was great. I think it all depends on the service advisor which is pretty sad.

Complain to the sales manager and take the car back to another SA. More than likely they should take care of all the problems. I can never understand why their customer service is so bad when the cars are not cheap. Lexus is far more service oriented then BMW.

Good Luck!

AlwynMike

Mr Grinche,

I knew that things were dearer in Eire, but that is somewhat over the top IMHO. I would have thought that the tracking should have been included in the Service Inclusive package. (Was the package from BMW or Murphy and Gunn?? i.e. can you go elsewhere and get the jobs done??).

I know I can be a grumpy old fart at times when it comes to my cars, but you have more than enough excuse there to be grumpy, even if you aren't an old fart .

We all have our experiences with Dealers, their lack of attention and sometimes downright rudeness and ignorance. This sort of thing is still not good enough. I would complain in strong terms, in writing, to the Dealer Principal. That way, they have to reply in kind, so you don't get fobbed of with platitudes. You are a BMW fan (3rd E60!!), so M & G need to focus on the bottom line - are they going to get the business for your next car??? I'll wager that you won't get Service Inclusive again!!!

Mike

colejl

Firstly, you should give them hell!

However, in regards to the above, AFAIK the dealer may well receive a small 'kickback' for selling the Service Inclusive pack, the majority of the costs have to be reclaimed when the actual service work is done. Obviously certain rules come into play about the timing and what they will do, but they claim a predetermined amount from BMW when the work is complete - I presume determined by an approved set of parts and man-hours of work. Remember, you can walk into any BMW dealer and get the work done... (Doesn't have to be the dealer that sold you the pack)

If you have the 'fully' inclusive package make sure you get the most from it - most things are covered except tyres. So just recently I demanded my new set of wipers I will chasing to see if my brake discs need replacing...

mr_grinche

The reason the tracking was not included in the service inclusive is they reckon i must have hit a pothole. Interestingly enough I bit the bullet and had my tires replaced today with a local fast fit crowd. They said that all four tyres were uniformly wotn which tells them the tracking is not off.

mr_grinche

I think I might give a call to the service manager tomorrow. He is a nice guy and to be fair normally does a great job. Interesting about the Lexus dealers. A pal just bought an e60 from one and they treated him very well