redEYEjedi

UPDATE:

F*CK ME!! I mentioned to my SA that I had rough idling with increased emissions message before.

The result:

They say I have bad lifters. Price tag for that job is $6000... I'm only under CPO and NOT covered for this.. multiple misfires from 5 cylinders I believe. SA said he'd speak with his manager and see what they can do. Very vague..

In a nutshell... F*CK!!



Has anybody dealt with this OUT of warranty? What did you end up paying? Did you do it at the dealership or an indy shop?

Please help..

pjinca

Damn, that sucks bro. How are bad lifters NOT covered under CPO? Are they covered under maint warranty then? Another thing to make them check when I go next, geez!!

redEYEjedi

The SA said in his 4 years experience he's only seen this once. It is not covered based on this SIB, which he was surprised I found so fast on my own.

https://5series.net/forums/index.php?act=at...st&id=60281

skelevirus

WTF?? What does that attachment mean in plain English?

skeeter

Man that sucks!!! Hope they can cut you a huge deal!!!Thats a lot money to shell out!

redEYEjedi

It's pretty lame because in the SIB it states "Incorrect tolerances and geometry of Valvetronic intermediate levers are causing uneven cylinder filling during the transitional cold start period."

From what I can make of this.. doesn't it sound like a MANUFACTURER DEFECT, WHICH SHOULD BE COVERED regardless? Even the SA said it its' probably due to the improper metals/materials used to make the original intermediate levers which is why they now have improved intermediate levers. They wouldn't improve them unless there was a problem with the original levers, right? And it MUST be a big enough issue for them to be aware of the problem and make an SIB.

Quoted from the SIB:
"IMPORTANT:
Improved intermediate levers are currently available from our Parts Department.
In the event of a reproducible customer complaint proceed with the diagnostic and repair procedure.
There is no need to contact Technical Hotline."

My SA has been doing his best to help me, but if I get nowhere with the Service Manager I'm taking this up to BMWNA to see what can be done. This just isn't right especially since I still have the CPO warranty damn it..

redEYEjedi

Today's Update:

So.. after a lengthy discussion with my SA, I was able to find out more about Pacific BMW and their warranty department. I do want to make this disclaimer that I'm not trying to be racist in any way, but am stating what was provided to me as a fact. Unfortunately, based on the demographic of Glendale, Pacific BMW has one of the highest if not possibly the highest buy back figures in the nation. That coupled with questionable warranty claims, the warranty department has become VERY strict with their policy in warrantying things and if anything would rather turn down a legitimate claim than put the customer first. It's to the extent where actual BMW NA representatives are located at that dealership due to this problem.. or so I'm told.

That being said, I contacted the dealership where my car used to be serviced when it was owned by the previous owner, and they said they would take care of me and COVER the lifter replacement. It took all but maybe 15 minutes to explain my situation and get that approval. The only problem is that the dealership that gave me the quick approval is over 100 miles away from me... My car has been at Pacific BMW for over a week now. They originally replaced my alternator and went so far as to REMOVE THE NEW ALTERNATOR AND PUT MY OLD ONE BACK!!! WHY??? The alternator is COVERED, but they are using the excuse of a light bulb to NOT replace it and rather spend the time and energy to remove the new alternator, and they honestly don't know 100% if the bulb is really the problem either!!! Because they are "claiming" one of my "aftermarket" interior light bulbs was causing a draw that drained my battery!! WTF!! This is ridiculous how bad things are handled there. I do not blame my SA at all since he was doing his job and can't really do anything if his manager's etc don't give him the ok.

I can honestly say I'd be EXTREMELY hesitant to go to Pacific BMW again because obviously they don't know how to take care of a customer. And I am also sorry to say that a lot of bad apples spoiled the bunch in this situation..

I am waiting for the SA to discuss with the warranty manager to see if they are willing to cover the work since another dealership is willing to do so.

PLEASE LEARN FROM MY EXPERIENCE. IF YOU ARE NOT UNDER NEW CAR WARRANTY, PLEASE THINK TWICE AND DO NOT GO TO PACIFIC BMW BECAUSE MORE THAN LIKELY THEY WILL NOT TAKE CARE OF YOU!!!

redEYEjedi

12-29-09 Update:

I went in person on 12-23-09 to have that lengthy conversation regarding CPO warranty covering the intermediate lever replacement as described above. I was supposed to get a call back at the end of that day with an answer whether or not the warranty manger would approve my repair. NO CALL.

Being the holidays and knowing people are NOT in work mode, I had some patience and waited for a call. I decided to call today, 12-29-09 to get an update, almost a full week after I was promised a call back. 2 hours later my SA calls me back. They will COVER the repairs since I had the SA from the other dealership confirm that their dealership would cover the work when I went in on the 23rd. I do have to pay for seals and gaskets, but that's better than $6000!

This may be partial redemption for Pacific BMW, but honestly they wouldn't have honored the repair if the other dealership didn't say they would. I literally had a panic attack when I heard the original quoted repair cost..

On a side note, I've worked customer service for many years, and if I ever learned anything, it's never smart to be a dick when things are not going your way, and ESPECIALLY when you need help from the rep. Though I was very inquisitive and skeptical about what I was being told, I was able to keep my cool and maintain proper rapport with the SA, and thankfully I did not need to escalate the situation and speak with the Service manager or Warranty manager.

Keeping my fingers crossed.. wish me luck guys.. and I guess this year's holidays wasn't that bad after all.

To be continued..

danzanchy

shit i could have told you to stay away from pacific bmw if u dont have full warranty they tried to screw me over a few times already... idiot mechanics did the passenger seat sensor recall for me and now my seat wont move up or down!!! i took it back to them and they told me the motor was dead and that it wasn't their fault and that it was a coincidence that the motor died directly after they effed around with the seat! then they quote me $720 for a $200 motor, and as a "favor" they would cut the price down to $450!!!! screw them, they're all thieves! get your car out of there as soon as you can, trust me!

so much other shit happened to me with them that i would need a new thread to list it all!!

i'm glad that it worked out for you though and yes, keeping your cool is very important, and not letting them know that you know they're trying to screw you over

redEYEjedi

I can't believe it.

My car is FINALLY done and waiting at the dealership to be picked up.

2nd visit and 17 days later.

More to come..