Freaking dealers....

[nl328i]

So the e91's driver side mirror has a mind of its own, with the auto fold function causing the mirror to fold forward whenever I press the unlock button. I used to be able to pop it back into the right sequence, but alas, the random fix gods have forsaken me.

A check engine light came on and I suspected a sensor was the culprit so I bdecided to bring it to the dealer to have the code checked and to look at the mirror. The following interaction occurred (cue law and order music)

Service rep calls me after a few hours.

SR: ok we checked the codes and you need a new sensor. Also, your driver mirror isn't fixable. You need an entire new mirror.

Me: how much does that cost?

SR: after parts and labour about $1000.00

Me: that's ridiculous. I'll just buy a used one or aftermarket

SR: aftermarket? Are you sure?

Me: yes. Do not order that mirror.

SR: ok.


I attend the dealership to pick up the car.

SR: so, I guess I can go ahead and order that mirror for you now

Me: no. I told you already. I am not buying that. I have already ordered some aftermarket ones

SR: *scoffs* aftermarket? Like off eBay?

Me: no, like AC Schnitzers.

SR: what's that?

Me: never mind.

SR: ok, well what date will I book you to install the aaaceee shnouzers?

Me: no, I don't want you to install them. I can do that.

SR: it's probably best if we do it.

Me: no.

SRoookay


3 weeks later (yesterday) I get a call-

Different service rep this time

SR: hi this is **** calling from BMW

Me: ok

SR: just calling to let you know that the mirrors you wanted are in and we are wondering when you can come in to pay for them?

Me: I didn't order any mirrors.

SR: yes you did sir, it says here on your file

Me: no. I did not. I'm not paying for them.

SR: well...sorry sir. It says here you ordered them.

Me: I'm not paying for them and furthermore that SR that I was dealing with was really trying to push them on me. Talk to him about it. I'm not paying.

SR: ok. Yes. No worries.

Me: thank you

SR: did you buy mirrors elsewhere?

Me: yes, I bought some online

SR: very good, when can I book you in to have them installed?

Me:..................



I hope the length of this post properly conveys my absolute disdain for the service. Never again.

[Wschnitz]

Your surprised? They all do this. They do it at the Mazda dealership I work at. This little old lady needed motor mounts on her mint 60k 1980s Mazda and the quoted her $1200. For motor mounts. And then proceeded to make her buy a new car when she refuses, telling her it was probably best to trade up anyway.

[MPLFoster]

yup...having also worked in a dealership (Honda) i can attest to that being the norm for service reps. that's their job...up sell parts and labor. although ordering parts without express consent from the customer is not. it's unfortunate that the original rep you dealt with was so dense.

[blunttech]

Character and integrity is a thing of the past in this cesspool world.
On a different note but similar outcome my 81 yo mother called Comcast when her TV started freezing momentarily. They ran some test and figured out is was an easy fix. The customer service person asked her if she was interested in internet or phone service and she politely said no thank you. 3 weeks later she got her bill and shes being billed for home phone service and high speed internet even though she doesnt have it and doesnt want it.

[henryki]

I currently work for the service department at a dealership, and service writers can't order parts unless the customer authorizes it, and if they do they get fired on the spot..

I will never take any car to the dealer for service unless its for a recall.. Working at one has opened my eyes to how bad their work ethic is when they work on a customer's vehicle. I've seen a car just come in for an oil change and one of the lube techs forgot to put oil in it. then proceeded to drive it to the wash rack, he eventually realized his mistake and filled it with oil and the customer was none the wiser.

Also I've seen techs and porters rifling through customers belongings in the car and stealing little things like gum and spare change for the vending machines. And on top of that whatever they don't steal they mess with it and put it back, and on top of that I've seen porters going through the center console and the glove box..

I'm sure not all dealers are like this, but just seeing that with my own eyes makes me feel like they're all like that. It's no wonder that dealerships are putting windows from the customer lounge looking directly into the shop

[Kevinl]

I bought a used Suburban about 18 months ago and I get a call once a month from the dealer asking me if I am ready for a new vehicle and they started calling 2 months after i bought it

[henryki]

I bought a used Suburban about 18 months ago and I get a call once a month from the dealer asking me if I am ready for a new vehicle and they started calling 2 months after i bought it

They have a person just to do that all day everyday at my dealership. She has to send out 100 emails and make 100 phone calls every day...

[mohamed...]

I deal with this bull shit all the time at my shop. We are family owned and we actually take pride in our work. One time we had a vehicle that needed the transmission cooler replaced. its was covered under warranty so we took it to the dealership. We went to go pick the car up and drove it the 30 minutes back to the shop.when we get it back we parked it for a while then went to move it again. When we moved it we realized it was not only leaking oil it was pissing the transmission fluid out. we had never touched the car. So we go call the dealership and explain to them that their tech had not replaced the cooler correctly. Then they have the audacity to tell us that their tech noticed it leaked like that when it came in. The car had never leaked before it went to them! they refused to tow it back to their shop to fix it. They kept saying they had nothing to do with the leak. We finally cut through their bull shit and made them send a tow truck immediately. One customer told me a story about a BMW dealership charging him $1700 to do tires. Then when he went to trade it in the next couple weeks they offered him $800. he was furious. We have so many cases where the BMW tech straight up lie to the customer telling them that there are many things that need to be replaced. One time a customer told us that the dealership had quoted him 1500 to do brakes on his car. We then performed an oil change, brake service, spark plus, air filter, and tire rotation for the grand total of 800. The dealers are full of scum bags who are all trying to rip people off. they are all horrible people.

[101]

Amen.

On the odd occasion that I have to go to the Honda dealer for a small part, I ALWAYS hear the service advisors telling the service customers that they need a power steering fluid flush for $89.99.

That's for 5 minutes of work and $5 worth of fluid.

Unfortunately, most people that visit a Honda dealership don't know how to open their hood so the number of "OK - go ahead" responses is pretty good.

Can blinker fluid and muffler bearings be far behind?

[Aleman]

The only reason I ever go to the stealer is to buy BMW coolant, because it's not worth paying for shipping. Other than that, they can piss off. I'll drive my car broken, fix it myself, or go to a good independent shop.

[brbahner]

My lady will only go to the dealership for her car (not bmw) and at first i tried to explain all this to her but she is set in her ways so i pick and choose my battles.
I only go when i need those little interior plastic screws or the plastic pieces in euro lights...pretty much anything little and plastic that is always torn to shit when looking through cars at the yard. It still is insanely overprices!

[AndrewBird]

My lady will only go to the dealership for her car (not bmw) and at first i tried to explain all this to her but she is set in her ways so i pick and choose my battles.
I only go when i need those little interior plastic screws or the plastic pieces in euro lights...pretty much anything little and plastic that is always torn to shit when looking through cars at the yard. It still is insanely overprices!

You know you can order anything and everything from online places like BluntTech/ECS/BMA right? Just look up the part number on RealOEM.com or BMWFans.info and give it to them.

[keine30]

Because I'm leaving for college very soon, I had to drop my beloved e46 that's making a lot of noise in the clutch/flywheel are off at the local BMW dealership...

It's been 10 business days, and all they've managed to do is put my car on a lift and verify that, yes, it is indeed making a noise. I've been promised daily updates on my car, because I had wanted it to be fixed in time to drive to down to school.

Needless to say, the only way I ever got any sort of information from them was by calling and extracting it, only to be told that they "hadn't gotten to me yet." After yesterday I just accepted the fact that I wouldn't get to have my car down at school for at least the first month.

I shudder to think what my repair bill will be... And that's with my employee discount that gets me parts at cost + 10% and labor at $65/hr as opposed to $135/hr. And this is all happening to someone who doesn't blink an eye at putting my "modern" BMW up on jacks and dropping the tranny in a few hours.

[Hooffenstein HD]

The only reason I ever go to the stealer is to buy BMW coolant

Any reason you don't buy Vaico blue, or other phosphate free coolants?

[Aleman]

Any reason you don't buy Vaico blue, or other phosphate free coolants?

Because, admittedly, I know squat about coolant. Going with the BMW stuff seems to be the easiest/safest route. Haven't had any problem with the stuff yet...