Goodbye BMW.
01-16-2009, 05:02 AM
#1
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Text of a letter sent to my dealership;
Dear Sir or Madam,
I'm writing to you to express my utter frustration and disappointment with my BMW - a 530D SE Touring which I bought new from you in September 2005. In that time, and over only 17,500 miles, the car has suffered a list of faults the like of which I have only experienced in one other car of them any I 've owned; a tired old Jaguar. These faults have included;
1. Rattling bulkhead. Evident on delivery. Repaired within only 2 weeks of ownership.
2. Noisy driver's window seal. Repaired with a new seal, but has remained an intermittent problem ever since.
3. Battery drain. This fault totally drained the battery and left me stranded not once, but twice, before being identified as an obscure recall fault emanting from the tailgate.
4. ECU failure. This capped revs at 3,500, proving dangerous on motorways. Was fixed in an ECU recall.
5. Rear luggage cover. Never worked consistently from new until it was finally replaced.
6. Sunroof. The panoramic sunroof has been nothing short of an ?1170 disaster. It has been returned to the HR dealership for unnacceptably noisy seals so many times I have lost count. Last year alone it spent time at the dealership for investigation in July and then again in September. No fix has ever provided my with more than a couple of months of noise free travel; replacement seals fitted last Septemeber only cured the problem for 2 months/500 miles. In 2006 the roof sprang a leak, which resulted in it being replaced with a new one. Now at the start of 2009, it has jammed open, and the remedy yet again is to replace it. To add insult to injury, as the car spends it's 5th day at the dealer awaiting a third roof, after the first one delivered was supplied with incorrect lining trim, I am now told it will be Monday at the earliest before a correct replacement arrives - which means at best another 9 days off the road.
So poor has this car proved that after only one year and three months of ownership, my dealership sympathetically agreed with BMW UK to offer a 4th year of guarantee - and thanks goodness they did - otherwise I would now be facing a bill for over ?2000. But it goes way beyond the potential cost of the next failure - it's the sheer inconvenience caused by ?45,000 worth of poorly engineered car which ultimately is defeating my brand loyalty (which spans 6 BMWs and 25 years).
For admitting defeat is what I am now doing - to save my sanity if nothing else. The car will be sold, I will turn my back on the brand, consult the JD Power index, and go wherever reliability is proved to be a core brand value.
Yours in disappointment,
Mike Allen.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I'm writing to you to express my utter frustration and disappointment with my BMW - a 530D SE Touring which I bought new from you in September 2005. In that time, and over only 17,500 miles, the car has suffered a list of faults the like of which I have only experienced in one other car of them any I 've owned; a tired old Jaguar. These faults have included;
1. Rattling bulkhead. Evident on delivery. Repaired within only 2 weeks of ownership.
2. Noisy driver's window seal. Repaired with a new seal, but has remained an intermittent problem ever since.
3. Battery drain. This fault totally drained the battery and left me stranded not once, but twice, before being identified as an obscure recall fault emanting from the tailgate.
4. ECU failure. This capped revs at 3,500, proving dangerous on motorways. Was fixed in an ECU recall.
5. Rear luggage cover. Never worked consistently from new until it was finally replaced.
6. Sunroof. The panoramic sunroof has been nothing short of an ?1170 disaster. It has been returned to the HR dealership for unnacceptably noisy seals so many times I have lost count. Last year alone it spent time at the dealership for investigation in July and then again in September. No fix has ever provided my with more than a couple of months of noise free travel; replacement seals fitted last Septemeber only cured the problem for 2 months/500 miles. In 2006 the roof sprang a leak, which resulted in it being replaced with a new one. Now at the start of 2009, it has jammed open, and the remedy yet again is to replace it. To add insult to injury, as the car spends it's 5th day at the dealer awaiting a third roof, after the first one delivered was supplied with incorrect lining trim, I am now told it will be Monday at the earliest before a correct replacement arrives - which means at best another 9 days off the road.
So poor has this car proved that after only one year and three months of ownership, my dealership sympathetically agreed with BMW UK to offer a 4th year of guarantee - and thanks goodness they did - otherwise I would now be facing a bill for over ?2000. But it goes way beyond the potential cost of the next failure - it's the sheer inconvenience caused by ?45,000 worth of poorly engineered car which ultimately is defeating my brand loyalty (which spans 6 BMWs and 25 years).
For admitting defeat is what I am now doing - to save my sanity if nothing else. The car will be sold, I will turn my back on the brand, consult the JD Power index, and go wherever reliability is proved to be a core brand value.
Yours in disappointment,
Mike Allen.
01-16-2009, 05:18 AM
#2
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My Ride: 2008 535i w/ Sports & Permium Pkg. Silv/Blk
2008 VW R32 w/Nav.
1992 VW Corrado Silv/Blk-retired
2001 530i Sports/Premium-retired
Originally Posted by Mike.Allen' post='769334' date='Jan 16 2009, 09:02 AM
Text of a letter sent to my dealership;
Dear Sir or Madam,
I'm writing to you to express my utter frustration and disappointment with my BMW - a 530D SE Touring which I bought new from you in September 2005. In that time, and over only 17,500 miles, the car has suffered a list of faults the like of which I have only experienced in one other car of them any I 've owned; a tired old Jaguar. These faults have included;
1. Rattling bulkhead. Evident on delivery. Repaired within only 2 weeks of ownership.
2. Noisy driver's window seal. Repaired with a new seal, but has remained an intermittent problem ever since.
3. Battery drain. This fault totally drained the battery and left me stranded not once, but twice, before being identified as an obscure recall fault emanting from the tailgate.
4. ECU failure. This capped revs at 3,500, proving dangerous on motorways. Was fixed in an ECU recall.
5. Rear luggage cover. Never worked consistently from new until it was finally replaced.
6. Sunroof. The panoramic sunroof has been nothing short of an ?1170 disaster. It has been returned to the HR dealership for unnacceptably noisy seals so many times I have lost count. Last year alone it spent time at the dealership for investigation in July and then again in September. No fix has ever provided my with more than a couple of months of noise free travel; replacement seals fitted last Septemeber only cured the problem for 2 months/500 miles. In 2006 the roof sprang a leak, which resulted in it being replaced with a new one. Now at the start of 2009, it has jammed open, and the remedy yet again is to replace it. To add insult to injury, as the car spends it's 5th day at the dealer awaiting a third roof, after the first one delivered was supplied with incorrect lining trim, I am now told it will be Monday at the earliest before a correct replacement arrives - which means at best another 9 days off the road.
So poor has this car proved that after only one year and three months of ownership, my dealership sympathetically agreed with BMW UK to offer a 4th year of guarantee - and thanks goodness they did - otherwise I would now be facing a bill for over ?2000. But it goes way beyond the potential cost of the next failure - it's the sheer inconvenience caused by ?45,000 worth of poorly engineered car which ultimately is defeating my brand loyalty (which spans 6 BMWs and 25 years).
For admitting defeat is what I am now doing - to save my sanity if nothing else. The car will be sold, I will turn my back on the brand, consult the JD Power index, and go wherever reliability is proved to be a core brand value.
Yours in disappointment,
Mike Allen.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I'm writing to you to express my utter frustration and disappointment with my BMW - a 530D SE Touring which I bought new from you in September 2005. In that time, and over only 17,500 miles, the car has suffered a list of faults the like of which I have only experienced in one other car of them any I 've owned; a tired old Jaguar. These faults have included;
1. Rattling bulkhead. Evident on delivery. Repaired within only 2 weeks of ownership.
2. Noisy driver's window seal. Repaired with a new seal, but has remained an intermittent problem ever since.
3. Battery drain. This fault totally drained the battery and left me stranded not once, but twice, before being identified as an obscure recall fault emanting from the tailgate.
4. ECU failure. This capped revs at 3,500, proving dangerous on motorways. Was fixed in an ECU recall.
5. Rear luggage cover. Never worked consistently from new until it was finally replaced.
6. Sunroof. The panoramic sunroof has been nothing short of an ?1170 disaster. It has been returned to the HR dealership for unnacceptably noisy seals so many times I have lost count. Last year alone it spent time at the dealership for investigation in July and then again in September. No fix has ever provided my with more than a couple of months of noise free travel; replacement seals fitted last Septemeber only cured the problem for 2 months/500 miles. In 2006 the roof sprang a leak, which resulted in it being replaced with a new one. Now at the start of 2009, it has jammed open, and the remedy yet again is to replace it. To add insult to injury, as the car spends it's 5th day at the dealer awaiting a third roof, after the first one delivered was supplied with incorrect lining trim, I am now told it will be Monday at the earliest before a correct replacement arrives - which means at best another 9 days off the road.
So poor has this car proved that after only one year and three months of ownership, my dealership sympathetically agreed with BMW UK to offer a 4th year of guarantee - and thanks goodness they did - otherwise I would now be facing a bill for over ?2000. But it goes way beyond the potential cost of the next failure - it's the sheer inconvenience caused by ?45,000 worth of poorly engineered car which ultimately is defeating my brand loyalty (which spans 6 BMWs and 25 years).
For admitting defeat is what I am now doing - to save my sanity if nothing else. The car will be sold, I will turn my back on the brand, consult the JD Power index, and go wherever reliability is proved to be a core brand value.
Yours in disappointment,
Mike Allen.
Damn, that sure sounds like a nightmare...... 
GL Mike.
01-16-2009, 06:36 AM
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My Ride: E60 530d M-Sport
My E46 320d was pretty damned bullet proof, already I have a small list of annoyances going on with my E60, if the car causes me big trouble I think I will be forced to switch brands or just moderninse my old school E34 with a modern engine transplant or something.
01-16-2009, 08:51 AM
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My Ride: 2008 550i Jet Black on Black Leather, SAT with Paddles, Logic 7, Comfort Seats, NAV, Sport Package, PDC, Xenons, Sirius, Trinity 12W LED Angel Eyes, RPi GT Exhaust, M rear spoiler, ACS Roof Spoiler, Tinted Tail Lights, Bimmian Carbon Fiber Pillar Trim, Bimmian Shadow 550i emblem, RPi Scoop, E60 Forum Cling, Mtec bulbs in fog lights, Mtec 2W LED for License Plate Light Bulbs, K&N Filter, Bimmian LED Smoked Side Markers, Blackout roundels, Carbon Fiber Kidney Grills.
Retired Rides - 1989 325i convertible, 1995 M3, 2002 X5, 2005 545i, 2008 X5 (Lemon)
Sorry for all your troubles, good luck with your next car! 
01-16-2009, 08:59 AM
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My Ride: Week 17 Build, 2008 E60 535d M Sport - Titanium Silver, Black Dakota Leather, Visibility Package, Media Package, Automatic gearbox, Steering Wheel Heating, M Double Spoke 172 19" Mixed Wheels, Auto-Dim+Exterior Mirror, Comfort seats, Front Seat Heating, Aluminium Pentan interior trim,DAB Tuner, TV Function, BMW Individual Audio System 825W !!
Sorry to hear that. I had troubles with my old E61... Nearly put me off BMW's also.
Sounds like you had a Friday afternoon car
Sounds like you had a Friday afternoon car
01-16-2009, 10:06 AM
#9
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My Ride: My ex-ride: EU '08 LCI 520dA. Space Grey, Sport Seats in Black Leather/Fabric Anthracite, Sport Steering Wheel, A/C with Extended Features, Hi-Fi Speakers, Cup Holders, Cruise with Braking function, Folding Rear Seats, Xenons, Park Distance Control.
Sorry to read about your problems Mike.Allen
What now?
What now?
01-16-2009, 10:09 AM
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My Ride: 2007 530i. Purchased 6/28/07. Titanium Silver Metallic, Black Dakota Leather, Dark Poplar Trim, Steptronic, Premium Package, Cold Weather Package, Bluetooth, Adaptive Control Xenons. 10/30/07 Added OEM 124s with 245/40/18 & 275/35/18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires. Installed red Cal Covers� from BavAuto. 11/21/07 Added OEM all-weather floor mats (for winter, carpet in summer) and coat rack. 6/26/08 installed M5-style rear spoiler. 6/30/08 put on red reflectors. 8/22/08 Euro turn signal stickers applied. 3/20/09 Installed Shadowline Trim. 3/27/09 Added Matte Black Kidney Grilles from Trinity. 4/03/09 Installed Bimmian Shadow Matte Black 530i Badges. 4/04/09 Installed LED license plate lights from Trinity. 5/01/09 Installed Brabus Interior LED Kit and White Angel Eyes. 5/02/09 Put in Brabus 6K Fogs. 5/14/09 Removed charcoal filter. 5/15/09 Installed light smoke LED side marker lamps from Trinity. 5/21/09 Sprint Booster. 6/12/09 Painted exhaust tips flat black. 6/13/09 Pulled red Cal Covers and painted calipers low gloss black. 6/27/09 RPI Ram Air Scoop from Trinity. 8/15/09 Installed Brabus's silver invisibulbs front and rear. 9/24/09 Installed R-Dash license plate LEDs from Brabaus (John).
Originally Posted by flyingpuck' post='769500' date='Jan 16 2009, 11:51 AM
Sorry for all your troubles, good luck with your next car!
