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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
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Servicing in Europe
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04-04-2008, 01:43 PM | #1 |
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Servicing in Europe
Anyone tried getting their BM serviced across the channel? Based on what the likes of Carlosh & others are being charged by UK dealers, this must be a cheaper option. I doubt they could offer any poorer service!
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04-04-2008, 02:00 PM | #2 |
The Tarmac Terrorist
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Sounds like an idea, like a ''Service meet'' but abroad!!
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04-04-2008, 02:34 PM | #3 | |
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Oil was correctly filled, and they replaced his worn discs by the book. By his own admission he rags his car. He buys into the whole "my BMW is a better classs than a Ford" thing, but when it comes to stumping up cash it irks him. You've got to pay to play. Either you accept the rates and go to a BMW Dealer OR you go find a good independent. Simple. I've worked on both sides of this. Simply put, if you want to buy your car from nice centrally located, flashy garages with services centres containing dedicated waiting areas (TV, Coffee, etc.), the latest diagnostic equipment and special tools (which the dealer must buy from BMW), Stores, personal pick-up and delivery, and hope to get treated with good loaners - it costs money to the dealer, and ultimately the customer with the rates per hour. I've had my cars serviced on mainland Europe for the last 10 years. Even more expensive than the UK here in Switzerland, but a slightly more personal experience - and naturally big glossy service centres with stupidly complex coffee machines. But the Swiss take reassurance with a high price - if it is cheap they become suspicious and want to know what is wrong with it. My BMW comes with 3 years inclusive servicing and parts, and thereafter 7 years labour paid, pay for parts. D.
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04-04-2008, 02:36 PM | #4 |
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er dave, they have fcuked up my service book and HAD not filled the oil correctly. I had to check and ask them to fill more.
They charged me 500 quid more than they quoted and took my car for a spin of 7 miles.
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04-04-2008, 02:48 PM | #5 | |
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7 miles is nothing. I used to have a test route after servicing that took a bit of open road, then city - a good mix of differing road surfaces and speeds, and that was about 4 miles. They would probably have given you a quote in good faith not expecting to find that you used your brakes so strenuously (did you tell them it was re-mapped ?) as you rag about. That's normal to find things wrong. With your type of car they would not expect you to baulk at them fitting the right parts. If that bothers you - learn from this and ask them to phone you next time before fitting anything outwith normal service items. They did fill it with oil correctly. Mid-way is optimal. Just because it says MAX doesn't mean it is better. You say you are an engineer so you will know about boundary conditions. If you are unhappy about the service book, get them to make up a new one for you. It is superficial - your service history will be on the computer. D.
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04-04-2008, 05:02 PM | #6 |
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How far do you think they should have test driven your car, just around the block? Sometimes this isn't enough, especially if you have had the oil changed and they need to get the engine warmed up properly. They also need to do the test drive safely and they sometimes can't turn around just anywhere. I don't think seven miles is over the top for an oil change and rotors. I'd rather they test drove it at least that far and then retorqued than just go with the initial torquing. Ten miles could be a bit much depending on what they serviced. Twenty or more and I'd like to know why primarily because of the fuel consumped. But all of this is part of car ownership. You have to give them the benefit of the doubt that they aren't just joyriding, evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.
In my area, when they have to test drive, it's going to be a minimum of three miles unless they turn around in a street. Normally they'll take it to the nearest roundabout that is a mile and a half down the road or even up the bypass and back. In a perfect world all BMW dealerships would have their own one mile test track out behind the service center but since when do we live in a perfect world? I just changed my tyres last Sunday and took a little spin just down the road and back. I wanted to see what the car felt like at speed instead of in the pokey street traffic (can't get a feel for the tyres while stopped at a traffic light). The round trip was (a wonderful) ten miles.
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04-04-2008, 06:12 PM | #7 | |||||
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What is the relevance of whether Carl rags his car or not. I can't see anywhere that he complained that his discs needed to be changed, more that he was surprised, and others have queried why no onboard warning had been given (apparently). Quote:
Carl has always given a good and very valid reason for using a BMW workshop for carrying out the service, one which I would support 100%. Both a Dealer or a private individual would be looking for and expecting a full and conclusive dealer service history when he comes to sell, and anything less would have a detrimental effect on the value of his car. An independent, no matter how good/ respected would not be a good enough stamp in his now defaced service book IMO. Quote:
Of course he never told them the car was remapped,why the hell would he, again is it relevant? Quote:
I would then have been expecting a £500 adddition to the previous quotation when picking up the car. Just because people drive expensive cars, Dealers should not just assume that their clients can just cough up an extra £500.00 at the drop of a hat. Dave If you read many of the threads on the forum,a lot of people are complaining about all aspects of the BMW dealer network + the actual cars that they are buying, it's clear that the once great BMW name is becoming tainted in many ways. Carl's experience is in some ways no different to other's posts on similar subjects, why so much negativity to what were genuine complaints? |
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04-04-2008, 08:01 PM | #8 | ||||||||
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If his desire for a BMW service history is paramount his only other alternative is to phone around other dealers but realistically how much would he save taking all his time, and more than 7 miles to the next dealer, into consideration ? As I said he lives and learns. Quote:
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D.
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Escort Mk1 RS2000 (2.1 2x44IDFS, BVH, Kent FR32, 5spd, 180 BHP) : M440D ¦ Previously : F32 435D : F32 430D M Sport sDrive, 335D E92 2006
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