Calgary BMW terrible service

[dsmp]

Bought a 135i june 7,08

No major problems
has 8000kms to date
3000+ are highway from calgary to victoria in august.
No mods.
Never raced.
Obeyed the break in period

Sept 16 - coming home. Take off from a stop sign, feel heavy clutch slip. I stop immediatly. Check the cluster for temp/cel. Nothing. Try an easy take off. Huge clutch slip. Push in clutch pedal, and only goes in halfway, and then feelings of grinding. Shut off car push it home.

Sept 17 towed first thing to CALGARY BMW

Sept 24 The car sits till after i went in the night before and bitched, this is a new car blah blah blah.

New clutch kit orderd and flywheel.
Car not even looked at

Sept 25 Taken apart, and im told clutch, flywheel and slave cylinder are hooped due to abuse. I go in to take a look, and in fact bolts had to be grinded due to such heat. Definitly not cool. The tech says ONLY from abuse does this happen. I asked what he means. He says "smoking the tires, brake stands, etc". I point to my tires which have the "nubs still visible". he agrees tires are fine, but still thinks clutch failed because of me.

Agree to let them do the job, even though i am going to contact bmw canada, and am not please. COST = 2823 CAN.

Sept 26 Car is supposed to be ready. BMW calls at 4:30 pm. good news. Says she can take 10% off labour, and 15% off parts. BAD news : The "clutch pedal is broken"(im assuming linkage of some sort), and master cylinder is blown, among some other things. She cant provide details. Parts are three weeks lead time from germany.

Not covered under warranty. Claim is that after the clutch failed, i attempted to push the clutch so hard i did this damage.

WOW am i pissed. Meanwhile they rented me a 4cyl mazda 6... what a pos

Any thoughts? I will post my pictures.

[EvolutionI]

that is pretty bullshit. Unless you are the oldest asain grandma alive who has never driven clutch and decides to teach herself at the ripe age of 103, how is it possible to do this much damage in 8000 kms with tires almost brand new. I would talk with whoever is in charge. Then take it up with the BBB

[nbaker00]

That's Calgary BMW for you!
Shitty I know!

[Redlyne_mr2]

Sorry to hear unfortunately this isn't the first time I've heard such things.

[tabouli]

Having some experience with them myself, you can always count on Calgary BMW to shit all over their customers after they pay & drive off the lot. Look for them to place the onus of blame on the customer EVERY SINGLE TIME. Never once have I heard Calgary BMW admit that one of their cars had a mechanical failure. It's always something you did, you asshole.

*Edit
Credit given though. I'm amazed that the turnover time on the car was only 10 days. You got lucky! Usually they won't even assess the damage in 10 days, let alone fix it. You must have had sex with someone who works there. Expect a service fee.

[TurboCarrera]

hrm, what's more likely:

a) heavy clutch abuse that doesn't chew up tires, yet somehow breaks the clutch master cylinder and brake pedal, or

b) failed clutch cylinder results in heavy clutch slipping that would look like abuse to a retarded tech

Either way, good luck with the warranty claim on a wear and tear item.

[dsmp]

thing is i have the extended service package which covers brakes and clutch

and 10 days was just to tell me that i have to wait 3 WEEKS!

[Weapon_R]

You think that's bad...my brother-in-law has an 07 M5 with less than 30k on it.

His SMG tranny stopped working in first gear - all other gears are fine. They blamed him for abusing the vehicle, and he was stuck paying a $3500 bill for a replacement pressure plate and flywheel.

After spending $100k on a car, he's sworn off buying another BMW again.

[nbaker00]

Originally posted by tabouli


*Edit
I'm amazed that the turnover time on the car was only 10 days. You got lucky! Usually they won't even assess the damage in 10 days, let alone fix it. You must have had sex with someone who works there. Expect a service fee.
:werd: at wait time.
and :rofl: :rofl:

[funkedelic2]

that sucks, last time i was there i was actually very surprised with the service. Since i don't live in Calgary i took the car there on a trailer, had it like 5 days earlier than it was scheduled in for since i couldn't come on the day i had the appointment. The next day i got a call early morning saying that it was ready to go. Didn't give me any hassles and actually did a great job of cleaning up my car and had it sitting in the bay as soon as i got there. I was on my way back within 5 minutes of entering the dealership.

It was a nice change since the last few times i had been there were less than enjoyable experiences.

[TorqueDog]

Wow, that's a really shitty experience man. :\

[A790]

Wow... never buying a new BMW. :banghead:

[dsmp]

Seems to me that they perhaps choose which service work warrants decency.

For example, after 3 days of waiting on my car, i went in to talk to my SA and she was on the phone with another customer, about what sounded like the customer had a nasty pull to one side while driving the vehicle. The SA basically got in a fight with the customer right in front of me on the phone, blatenly denying any such problem. It even sounded like the call ended on personal insults, with an eventual "hang up" from the BMW SA.

If you ask me, why the hell would someone complain about a vehicle pulling to one side, if(according to what i heard "is within acceptable range") it werent true?

Made me wonder..... seems like they have their staff trained to treat all customers as though they are in the wrong, no matter what.





Originally posted by funkedelic2
that sucks, last time i was there i was actually very surprised with the service. Since i don't live in Calgary i took the car there on a trailer, had it like 5 days earlier than it was scheduled in for since i couldn't come on the day i had the appointment. The next day i got a call early morning saying that it was ready to go. Didn't give me any hassles and actually did a great job of cleaning up my car and had it sitting in the bay as soon as i got there. I was on my way back within 5 minutes of entering the dealership.

It was a nice change since the last few times i had been there were less than enjoyable experiences.

[max_boost]

WTF man. No way in hell I would foot that bill without causing a huge disturbance lol That's such BS.:thumbsdow

[HiTempguy1]

Raise hell. Thats what I did at Progress Volkswagen about my 2004 Golf. The throwout bearing literally exploded for no reason but stayed in one "sort of" full piece. The clutch would randomly engage when releasing the clutch pedal and violently jerk the car (sounded like what you get with bad wheel hop).

I brought it in, they took it for a test drive. "Well, our tech couldn't get it to do what you say it is doing." I said do you think I am LYING about this? If you guys really want, I will call VW Canada and let them know what you are trying to pull on me. They said, "Welllllll, ok...." and started pulling it apart. And then they magically found the destroyed throwout bearing. I even told them that when I first brought the car in, I believed something had happened to the throwout bearing to cause an issue like that.

Go in, raise hell (politely at first). And make sure to have BMW Canada's phone number on you. Then go through the process of going through the higher ups till you get someone who can deal on the phone if the stealership won't do anything.

[The Cosworth]

wow, kind of sounds like the 328i I was looking at on their used lot.

The shifter linkage was really loose, I mean it felt like I was shifting gears if I was in gear that is how much it was moving. The sales guy told me that it was normal for a BMW to do that. This car was supposed to have a M package and the linkage was really loose? BS.

[pinoyhero]

Brutal, contact the BB or other regulated agency. You may not have a balck and white case but at the very least you'll stir some shit and possible generate more publicity. Write head office as well, both BMW Canada and BMW NA. This seems to be a case of ... I have enough money to blow on your cars so listen; your service at Calgary BMW is BS and I will not buy another BMW product again unless this is rectified. See what you get back.

[Casa]

Calgary BMW is terrible. With the extended warranty and everything you honestly should be able to not have to pay for a thing. Demand to talk to the GM, make it a huge fight>

[HiTempguy1]

This car was supposed to have a M package and the linkage was really loose? BS.

Do you read Grassroots Motorsports by any chance? They LOVE BMW's, but have said the shift linkage in the newer ones makes them want to stab their eyes out with forks. It is seriously that bad supposedly.

[jadeboy]

This is one reason I didn't buy a BMW... I know the BMW drives better than a Lexus... but the interior, reliablity and service is not up to spec..

Lexus of Calgary has always treated me like a million dollar.

[The Cosworth]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1


Do you read Grassroots Motorsports by any chance? They LOVE BMW's, but have said the shift linkage in the newer ones makes them want to stab their eyes out with forks. It is seriously that bad supposedly.

what?

no it was an mspec 328i stock (meaning it was more likely driven to shit) and the stock shifter had a lot of play

[JordanLotoski]

i have been dealing with Don Murphy there....ever since i started using him my life at calgary bmw has been great...few of my buddies ..same thing..

[D'z Nutz]

Calgary BMW has had a long, long, loooong history of shitty service so it shouldn't be a shock to anyone.

Back when I had a bimmer, I brought it in to have some transmission work done. I don't recall all the details off hand, but those guys were fuck ups from the start and it was a nightmare dealing with them. They had my car for about 2 weeks and it was one thing after another. I do remember them trying to charge me $23 for a glove compartment bulb that didn't need replacing. Now, I'm no car expert by any means, but I didn't know glove compartment bulbs were such an integral part of the transmission system. :rolleyes: Oh and while the car was in their possession, the mechanics managed to lock the keys in the car and expected us to deliver the spare to them... in rush hour. Yeah right.

A couple years later I had some other problems with the transmission (heard some random weird chattering noises). To hell if I was going to bring my car back to those hacks, so I brought it to Sheni's. When he took apart the transmission, he could immediately tell they half assed the job because there was a loose rivet banging around in there from when Calgary BMW replaced my flywheel.

Lesson learned: Take all your BMW problems to Sheni's Auto-Trend.

[badatusrnames]

So with Calgary BMW being such a shit show, you'd assume BMW Canada would get a larger than normal volume of complaints about them and crack down. Are they aware of the problem?

I'd suggest to the OP that you file a well worded, descriptive account about the type of service you've received to BMW Canada. They may not do anything for you directly, but enough of these complaints may spurn them to deal with the larger problem.

A joint from several people relaying their individual bad experiences might be worthwhile too. Imagine getting a 30 pager from a number of angry customers describing their appalling experiences with your business.

[revelations]

Originally posted by jadeboy
This is one reason I didn't buy a BMW... I know the BMW drives better than a Lexus... but the interior, reliablity and service is not up to spec..

Lexus of Calgary has always treated me like a million dollar.

+1

Its one thing to have an unreliable vehicle, its a real kick to the junk when the dealership refuses to work on unreliable vehicles.

Do you know how much telemetry the ECU stores?

I know in some newer (more expensive) vehicles data is stored regarding # of full throttle launches, rpms, acceleration etc. - which could be used to deny claims of abuse.

[CUG]

I've heard nothing but BAD things about CALGARY BMW.

Everyone I've talked to about CALGARY BMW has had HORRIBLE DEALINGS with CALGARY BMW.

Is CALGARY BMW the only BMW Dealer in town? I hear their service is BRUTAL

[badatusrnames]

Originally posted by CUG
I've heard nothing but BAD things about CALGARY BMW.

Everyone I've talked to about CALGARY BMW has had HORRIBLE DEALINGS with CALGARY BMW.

Is CALGARY BMW the only BMW Dealer in town? I hear their service is BRUTAL

:werd:

[The Cosworth]

Originally posted by CUG
I've heard nothing but BAD things about CALGARY BMW.

Everyone I've talked to about CALGARY BMW has had HORRIBLE DEALINGS with CALGARY BMW.

Is CALGARY BMW the only BMW Dealer in town? I hear their service is BRUTAL

http://media.urbandictionary.com/image/large/iseewhatyoudidthere-40431.jpg

[D'z Nutz]

Haha! You did it wrong. You have to link the key words like this:


Originally posted by CUG
I've heard nothing but BAD things about CALGARY BMW (http://forums.beyond.ca/st/235737/calgary-bmw-terrible-service/).

Everyone I've talked to about CALGARY BMW (http://forums.beyond.ca/st/235737/calgary-bmw-terrible-service/) has had HORRIBLE DEALINGS (http://forums.beyond.ca/st/235737/calgary-bmw-terrible-service/) with CALGARY BMW (http://forums.beyond.ca/st/235737/calgary-bmw-terrible-service/).

Is CALGARY BMW (http://forums.beyond.ca/st/235737/calgary-bmw-terrible-service/) the only BMW (http://forums.beyond.ca/st/235737/calgary-bmw-terrible-service/) Dealer in town? I hear their service is BRUTAL (http://forums.beyond.ca/st/235737/calgary-bmw-terrible-service/)

[adamc]

there is a lady that runs the crowfoot location, she has helped me out HUGE 2x on bmws that I didn't even purchase there.

she actually went out of her way to help me on cars that she stood nothing to gain on whatsoever. I believe her name is christine.




On the other hand, I went to the glenmore shop to have my oil light reset in my old 535i (a 2 second job with the reset tool) and they wanted to charge me $40 +tax to do it.

I just started laughing and walked out, Vancouver & Kelowna BMW would always do it for free.

[5fivespeed]

Keep us updated on how the situation turns out.

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by adamc
On the other hand, I went to the glenmore shop to have my oil light reset in my old 535i (a 2 second job with the reset tool) and they wanted to charge me $40 +tax to do it.

I just started laughing and walked out, Vancouver & Kelowna BMW would always do it for free.

You can do that yourself with just a piece of wire.

[adamc]

cool, I didn't know that!

(no longer have the car though)

[redline]

Originally posted by CUG
Is CALGARY BMW the only BMW Dealer in town? I hear their service is BRUTAL

No but both dealers are owned by the same douche.....

[2002civic]

stories like this make me reconsdier buying another BMW

[alloroc]

Being that all BMW owners are douchebags the dealer has to take this stance.

If the dearships gave the owners proper service the owners would whine and bitch at the dealers for something else. This way it keeps the owners honest.

[alloroc]

^ --- j/k good luck with your plight.

[dsmp]

Well after a meeting with the service managers and the shop foreman, they called and offered to pay for half of the repairs.... I told him i still wasnt happy but he said that was the best i can do..... someone else has a rattle in their 135 clutch system and is getting that checked on tuesday, hopefully nothing too serious, but perhaps its soemthing that could have failed on my car as well. I always have the music blaring so i probably wouldnt have noticed any noises if that had been the case

either way, still gotta wait another 2 weeks for clutch pedal from germany

[rm777]

This is why I don't understand why people still buy BMWs, it must be about status. Get yourself a used Toyota or Honda, learn basic mechanics, and fix the car yourself. Trust me when I say that it's not hard. Most repair manuals are available online or on ebay.

Unless you guys are paying cash for these cars, or can write off the lease payment, you will find yourself in some serious financial shit. Like I have been taught, unless you can pay cash for it, you don't need it.