I will not go into a lot of detail at this stage. My car is a 1994 BMW 545i with 20" Snitchers and has done a mere 13000 miles. It is now out of warranty. All service is by a BMW main dealer
1. Last year I had a very annoying clicking on turning the steering wheel. This turned out to be a known fault with a service bulletin to match. The cure was to lubricate the 'splines' on the column where the column extends in and out. This was done for free by the garage as I am a long standing customer. It cured the problem for a few months.
2. By June this year the problem was bad enough to be able to demonstrate to a mechanic. This know-all felt the problem and announced that it was the rack. I said no, it was the 'splines' in the column. He said there were no splines in the column. I tried to explain about the previous time and that the symptoms were exactly the same but finally gave up and said "Well, whatever. Just fix it."
3. I was contacted by the service manager who said "BMW have agreed to supply a new rack for free but you'll have to pay 50% of the labour (about £350+)." I said "But it's not the rack!" etc. Made the mistake of paying and by the time I got home the damned clicking was back. Within a week it was as bad as ever.
4. Car was picked up (newly washed and inspected by myself) and the procedure described in (1) above was repeated, apparently 'properly' this time. it has cured the problem.
5. The car was delivered back to me while I was eating my supper. I rushed out and put it in the garage. 2 days later when I got it out I noticed my near side rear wheel had been badly scuffed and there was a chunk out the sidewall of one of my £350 my 285 Michelin pilots (6mm). Two new rear tyres and a wheel job required! I notified the service manager.
6. I now have two problems, both of which the service manager is doing his best to resist :-
a) getting my £350+ back for replacing the wrong part
b) proving that they damaged my wheel and tyre!
BMW (UK) have been totally unhelpful. This reply beggars belief :-
"BMW UK contributed 100% parts and 50% labour towards the replacement of your vehicle's steering rack as a gesture of goodwill. This was not an admission that the dealership had misdiagnosed the problem but to demonstrate our commitment to you and our product. I discussed the charges you incurred with Mr ****** and he confirmed that you were only charged for 50% labour and for the cost of the wheel alignment. Therefore, there is no refund due as suggested in your email."
and
"I understand that there is damage to your vehicle's wheel and tyre and I appreciate that this must be very frustrating for you. Mr ***** is currently discussing this matter with all the dealership staff who had contact with your vehicle in the hope of determining when the damage took place. Mr ******* will contact you directly once he has concluded his investigations to discuss this matter further."
I suppose if Mr. ***** found the matching chunk of tyre in his car park then he'd pocket it!
In 50 years of motoring I have only twice had similar experiences.
1. In the 60's a wheel nearly came off my Elan 2+2 and ruined the threads on the hub while driving home from a service. Initial response was that I had changed the wheel on route home!! In the end they paid for a new hub without too much argument.
2. In the early 80's I had a Turbo fitted to a Golf Gti with a 6 month warranty. When the bearings failed after 2 months I was accused of putting dirty oil in it! A friend in the trade advised me to contact some Motor Trade Association which I did and it produced instant results. Unfortunately, I have long lost the details. Maybe someone could supply them?
Unfortunately, the Dealer Principal has just left so I can't get to him. Also, I am reluctant to escalate to Trading Standards until reasonable means have been exhausted. I've been with the garage for 30 years and my first car was a BMW 501 so I don't want to totally alienate myself.
It's the principal of the thing that really annoys me. I don't like being walked over!
meditek2
Edited by Pugugly on 31/07/2008 at 20:21
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What can I do next?
See a solicitor, or DIY through small claims court ? [Not said in jest, I do mean it. ]
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