[toughluck]

Hello,

I am thinking about buying a used BMW (which is still under warranty) from a non-BMW dealership. I am trying to be cautious and wanted to get the BMW history from my local BMW dealership to check the following:

-See if there is any repairs or warranty issues that is not mentioned in the carfax, that I am not aware of.
-Check and see if the BMW still has the factory warranty and verify it was not voided by the previous user.

Do I just walk into the service dept. with the VIN and ask them to look this up?

Chris

[BMW-NC]

buy it from a BMW dealership then you will get -peace of mind -extended warranty to 6 years/100000miles -a car checked and refurbished to BMW standards.

my .02

[dlwhite]

Carfax is not perfect. If I recall correctly not all states have the same title/registration standards and there may be loopholes that allow suspicious activity to go unseen.

I have a nephew that purchased a used 3 series from a non-BMW dealer.
He ended paying way more than the upfront money he saved in repairs.
A Honda dealer for BMW purchase, service and repair?

If the car checks and you can confirm service records and you can verify that BMW warranty is transferrable, it may ok. Maybe?

[toughluck]

Thanks for your advice, but I am looking for anyone who has had past experience buying a BMW that is not CPO. I understand the pros and cons already. Has anyone else requested history about a vehicle from their dealership? Any suggestions or advice?

[tintivilus]

I've bought a private-sale used BMW (my E34). It never even occurred to me to talk to a dealership, but I brought it to a recommended independent mechanic to give it a thorough once-over. The prior owner covered all recommended repairs (incl timing belt & water pump - eek) and a detailing job before we completed the purchase.

I think it's a sensible precaution to have a dealership run the VIN and give you the maintenance history & notes. Might be useful to know where the car was usually serviced by the prior owner.

[742]

A few years ago this issue came up on a Car Talk episode that involved a one year old Audi A4 for sale at an Oldsmobile dealership. It turned out that the car had been at the GM proving grounds. I suppose that it is _possible_ that it was being gently driven on coffee runs to the local Starbucks. But probably more likely that it was thrashed to within an inch of its life.

It is hard to think of a good reason for a recent production BMW to be outside of the BMW system.

[BMW2Hart]

Originally Posted by toughluck

Hello,

I am thinking about buying a used BMW (which is still under warranty) from a non-BMW dealership. I am trying to be cautious and wanted to get the BMW history from my local BMW dealership to check the following:

-See if there is any repairs or warranty issues that is not mentioned in the carfax, that I am not aware of.
-Check and see if the BMW still has the factory warranty and verify it was not voided by the previous user.

Do I just walk into the service dept. with the VIN and ask them to look this up?

Chris

If the unit is still covered under the BMW warranty - your good.

Then get the carry-over warranties (parts) and maint service coverage if you

like. Ride on!

[maddop]

Did you contact the dealer about your car?

I am in the same boat now... Just purchased an 06 320D M-Sport from indi dealer as it was £5,500 with only 10,000 extra miles...

Still have 5 months manufacturer warranty but wondering what else (e.g. if any service packs remain on it etc...)

[Alarbus]

I bought my 2006 325xi from a "Luxury Car Dealer" in Boston, and haven't had any issues with taking it to my local BMW dealer. I called them with the VIN, and asked about the service history, and the SA ran through it over the phone. Once I bought the car, I took it in for "State inspection and checkup". Basically, I gave them an hour's labor to look at the car and realize it would be coming to their shop. It was missing the blocks they use when they put it on a lift, but he sold me those at a discount, and when I had a summer -> winter tire issue (summers were stuck on REALLY bad) they were quick and accurate about swapping it for me.

Granted, my Dad bought a 2007 328xi Coupe from them new, so it's a bit of a two-for-one on service for them. They've been great though, and I don't feel like I've had any untoward issues with the car, though I've only had it a month.

[Topshelf]

I'm on my 3rd BMW, and all 3 of them were purchased outside of a BMW dealership. I don't think CPO is all it's cracked up to be, so I take my chances. But to answer your main question about getting a service history...good luck! Dealers will not print out a service history for you since it has information from the previous owner on it. I've tried 3 different dealers and get the same answer each time. However, once you own the car they will go over the history with you. The E91 I just bought for the wife had quite a few carfax reports (don't put any faith into them by the way as I've been screwed by them) so I took a chance and called the dealership that the car was serviced at. I explained to the SA that I was considering buying this car but was curious about it's history. I told her I know she can't give any info out, but asked if she could let me know if there are and red flags. She was very nice and we spent about 15 minutes on the phone going over things even though she didn't give me any info. lol Maybe it's different in other areas, but unless you're the original owner, I don't think you're getting a printed history report.

[742]

Originally Posted by Topshelf

I'm on my 3rd BMW, and all 3 of them were purchased outside of a BMW dealership. I don't think CPO is all it's cracked up to be, so I take my chances. But to answer your main question about getting a service history...good luck! Dealers will not print out a service history for you since it has information from the previous owner on it. I've tried 3 different dealers and get the same answer each time. However, once you own the car they will go over the history with you. The E91 I just bought for the wife had quite a few carfax reports (don't put any faith into them by the way as I've been screwed by them) so I took a chance and called the dealership that the car was serviced at. I explained to the SA that I was considering buying this car but was curious about it's history. I told her I know she can't give any info out, but asked if she could let me know if there are and red flags. She was very nice and we spent about 15 minutes on the phone going over things even though she didn't give me any info. lol Maybe it's different in other areas, but unless you're the original owner, I don't think you're getting a printed history report.

They won't even give me one and I am the owner of the car (well, my wife is). Not leased, not financed, owned outright since new. But no hard copy of the service history per BMW of North America policy.

This is a major issue to me on basic principles, but that is a rant for another thread.

[Van[ForTheTired]]

Kindof off topic, but I am in a similar situation and I would like to know what kind of package this car has. I asked the Sales Adviser at this independent dealership to give some info about the car and she said you have to talk to the bmw dealership to get the information about what packages it is and does not have, by giving them the vin #.

so what yall are saying is that the Service Advisers will not give us any info about this car, like packages, and past service records?

[thatg]

im actually thinking of picking up a 335 and possibly modding, 07 it has 45k miles and no extended warranty, should i be worried about warranty. this would be my first bmw. ive had infinitis and mazdas before this and my experience has been pretty good, no major problems just annoying squeeks then the dealer would handle for me, but if thats the most of my worries with this car i could do without the warranty.

[Whostheboss]

Originally Posted by dlwhite

Carfax is not perfect. If I recall correctly not all states have the same title/registration standards and there may be loopholes that allow suspicious activity to go unseen.

I have a nephew that purchased a used 3 series from a non-BMW dealer.
He ended paying way more than the upfront money he saved in repairs.
A Honda dealer for BMW purchase, service and repair?

If the car checks and you can confirm service records and you can verify that BMW warranty is transferrable, it may ok. Maybe?

+1

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by toughluck

Has anyone else requested history about a vehicle from their dealership? Any suggestions or advice?

Yea they typically won't give you the info (citing privacy laws). I went back to the BMW salesman I leased my E90 from because I wanted to pick up an old E36 on their used car lot to use as a beater and it was like pulling teeth to get the history. In the end when it was clear I wasn't going to even bother pursuing the deal without the history the salesman went and look at the records himself, and was willing put the history in writing as part of the used car sale (without actually giving me copies of the records)

Long story short, I had a hard time getting this info, I don't imagine it would get any easier if there was no potential profits for the dealership

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by thatg

im actually thinking of picking up a 335 and possibly modding, 07 it has 45k miles and no extended warranty, should i be worried about warranty. this would be my first bmw. ive had infinitis and mazdas before this and my experience has been pretty good, no major problems just annoying squeeks then the dealer would handle for me, but if thats the most of my worries with this car i could do without the warranty.

General consensus seems to be that non turbo powertrains are very reliable, turbo powertrains have questionable reliability (mostly because of fuel pump issues) and electrical gremlin can pop up as the car ages.

off warranty BMW = have a BIG slush fund of $$$ on standby because even routine stuff is expensive to fix (parts alone are more expensive than japanese cars). just IMHO

[npolite]

Originally Posted by Nick Nazareno

General consensus seems to be that non turbo powertrains are very reliable, turbo powertrains have questionable reliability (mostly because of fuel pump issues) and electrical gremlin can pop up as the car ages.

off warranty BMW = have a BIG slush fund of $$$ on standby because even routine stuff is expensive to fix (parts alone are more expensive than japanese cars). just IMHO

I'm also making the move but from Honda/Acura. The parts overall seem to be about 33% more expensive than the Japanese counterparts. If you are a DIY like me don't be worried about the part cost. It is the labor that you get nailed on.

Honda on average charges about $250 per axle for new pads. The pads run about 45-50 for the set.