[lconn]

I have an 08 335i which I bought as a cpo car from the local dealer, Jackie Cooper BMW in OKC. They have identified the broken bolt lying under my car as one of ten that hold the bell housing to the engine.

The dealer says BMWNA says while the drivetrain is under the extended waaranty, the defective aluminum stretch bolt is not and they will not fix it. They said not to worry as there are nine more bolts holding the bellhousing and transmission to the engine. This is a high tensile aluminum stretch bolt 3 inches long and 1/2 thick. Never mind that IT broke, they neither know nor care why, and it's cousins now have to shoulder its load. Also will look good when I try to trade it in huh? and no, to my knowledge the bellhousing has never been removed and these are one time use bolts anyway.

To break it has to be defective or it has to be over torqued, either way at the hands of BMW alone.

Going to have to read my warranty carefully before I call BMWNA I guess.

Also the cats are bad and the battery cable has been recalled. Add that to the previous visits for 4 flat tires, 2 HPFP's, 2 sets of injectors, a melted fuse block, and a bad waterpump inside of 66k miles so no, it has not been very reliable.

They also want to charge me $550 to reset the brake pad warnings because they have to replace the new brake sensors I installed with BMW sensors before they will touch it.

I love it but I want to throw it and the dealer out the as far as I can.

[Tzu]

Solution: Replace bolt yourself.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

I agree. You can just replace the bolt yourself. Feel free to go through any recourse action you feel necessary but at the end of the day I would just replace the bolt. My time is usually worth more then getting the run around buy corporate higher ups.

[JETmn]

Are you able to get the rest of the bolt out? If so replacing it would be the easiest. I am guessing it is broke off inside though and you are going to have to drill it and remove it. Fun times!

[David1]

Probably have to pull the trans to get at it. It is not covered by any warranty. It would have been under the OEM.

[ajsalida]

Saw your post over on bimmer forums, this blows.

If it were me I would ask them to explain how/why it failed, and then how they know all the remaining ones are still there and will stay there. If they can't do that then you could ask them if a few more fail will CPO cover the drive train damage due to tranny separating from motor under load, and the related medical/collision/liability costs. If not why not.

I had no idea CPO was this bad.

[sickem]

another option would be to work with them and offer to pay some percentage of the costs? they might work with you at that point.

[pwr hungry]

Originally Posted by sickem

another option would be to work with them and offer to pay some percentage of the costs? they might work with you at that point.

That's like saying, "I'm not gay, but I'll let you put the tip in." Why would you offer to pay for anything that is covered. The guy is getting the runaround.

[boom]

Originally Posted by pwr hungry

That's like saying, "I'm not gay, but I'll let you put the tip in." Why would you offer to pay for anything that is covered. The guy is getting the runaround.

LMAO.

Complain to BMWNA in a polite letter with photo evidence. Keep complaining...

[bhmax16]

Seriously replace the bolt yourself. It's aluminum, so it's far easier to drill than hardened steel. Drill it then use one of those bolt extractors, it should come out very easily as long as it is not stripped. If it is stripped then I would still drill out as close to the outer edge as possible, then chase with the correct tap to chase out the remaining material. You should be able to do this without removing the tranny unless you have really bad luck.

[sickem]

Originally Posted by pwr hungry

That's like saying, "I'm not gay, but I'll let you put the tip in." Why would you offer to pay for anything that is covered. The guy is getting the runaround.

show me the proof that it's covered, jackass.

[Transport3r]

I would ask them how the bolts that hold the engine and tranny together are not considered part of the drivetrain. That is some bull.
If the drivetrain is covered under CPO, I expect any of it from the air intake to the exhaust tip and halfshafts (excluding wear items) to be covered

[pwr hungry]

Originally Posted by sickem

show me the proof that it's covered, jackass.

Jackass, eh? You're a real tough guy behind that keyboard aren't you? Please don't start smashing keys at me!

In all seriousness, it is covered because it is not a maintenance item and the powertrain is covered...which it is a part of. So, with all due respect(not really), go pound salt.

[SharkBait]

How the hell is a broken tranny bolt NOT part of CPO???

[lconn]

That would be the question that I have posed and all they say is BMWNA declined warranty coverage.

This an original aluminum stretch bolt that bolts the bellhousing to the block. To my knowledge it has not been touched since it left the factory.

The dealer will say nothing more and so far BMWNA has said talk to the dealer. They can't tell me why it broke. Any others that might break will be unknown as they will usually slide out the back of the underbody cover. And yes to fix it, I'll probably have to pull the tran to ease out the remaining bolt end.

The CPO warranty is very clear on what it covers and what it doesn't and I haven't heard a rational argument yet on why it isn't. In fact I have gotten no explanation at all.

It terms of why, my concern is it could a bad batch of bolts and others will fail. It could be the engine or bellhousing shifting, in which case other bolts may be broken. In any case the strain on the other bolts is increased placing the other bolts at increased risk. If they break they could take the engine and tranny with them.

Since they have denied coverage, any subsequent damages will not be covered under warranty if I don't immediately fix it myself.

In the 30k I have owned it it has the water pump replaced, 4 tires, the HPFP, the injectors, both catalytic converters, the fuse block, and the battery cable. The prior owner had two HPFP's replaced, two sets of injectors, the DSC hydraulic unit, and the front seat. Everytime the car has gone to the dealer there was a complaint about misfiring starting when it was brand new but it has never been resolved. I am the second owner, the car has 66k miles on it and is still under the CPO warranty. If you don't think this is covered under warranty, please read the actual CPO warranty as it has very specific exclusions for things like wear items, etc. It specifically states the entire drivetrain is still covered for defects in materials or craftsmanship. I'm not going to post it all here.

The lack of response comes a close second to the actual braindead answer. I had always had problems with Jackie Cooper Imports on dealer service. I do not recommend them at this time.

[pwr hungry]

I would contact BMWNA and tell them exactly what the dealership is doing and if they still refuse to get involved, tell them you're contacting your local news station(s), yes plural, to make sure their failing to fomply with their own policy is negatively affecting you and potentially putting your person and property in eminant danger with no answer as to why. Make sure they know they aren't above reproach.

[lconn]

I did call BMWNA, they said they had no one who could help and referred me to the dealer as my only recourse. I asked who at BMW NA they could refer me to who could explain or resolve, they said no one. Of course that's not true but arguing with first level support is pretty pointless. So no warranty, no explanation, no recourse.

Since then I have researched the BMWNA executive email info, looking for the area manager as well. I have also posted the situation in every forum I belong to featuring the dealers name and BMWNA, have filed reports with dealerrater. consumer watch, ripoffs, and have filed a complaint with the better business bureau. If this doesnt work, my next complaint is to the state attorney general concerning fraud and a local tv station that has a consumer abuse line where they help consumers who have gotten the shaft.

After harsh words failed, these are the tools available to me.

[deathbunny]

Originally Posted by lconn

I did call BMWNA, they said they had no one who could help and referred me to the dealer as my only recourse. I asked who at BMW NA they could refer me to who could explain or resolve, they said no one. Of course that's not true but arguing with first level support is pretty pointless. So no warranty, no explanation, no recourse.

Since then I have researched the BMWNA executive email info, looking for the area manager as well. I have also posted the situation in every forum I belong to featuring the dealers name and BMWNA, have filed reports with dealerrater. consumer watch, ripoffs, and have filed a complaint with the better business bureau. If this doesnt work, my next complaint is to the state attorney general concerning fraud and a local tv station that has a consumer abuse line where they help consumers who have gotten the shaft.

After harsh words failed, these are the tools available to me.

Good for you. It doesn't make sense financially for companies to operate like this anymore, it's too easy for people to get the word out these days. It would of been much cheaper in the long run to just replace the damn bolt no matter if it should or should not be covered. GL

[blaster3500]

I went through the same problems with BMWNA and CPO. My wastegates rattled the shop foreman said he heard the noise. My car had over 82k but turbos are covered under CPO. They said I had to have a fault code in order for them to be replaced. I argued until I was blue in the face because I dont understand that how with the 82k warranty they can be replaced with no fault code but with the warranty that I paid for they would not be replaced. I asked the lady at bmwna if she even understood what was wrong with the car and said to speak with the dealer for technical problems. The dealer said bmwna was the only people who could help. Needless to say I went round and round and never had it resolved.

[pwr hungry]

Originally Posted by deathbunny

Good for you. It doesn't make sense financially for companies to operate like this anymore, it's too easy for people to get the word out these days. It would of been much cheaper in the long run to just replace the damn bolt no matter if it should or should not be covered. GL

Not to mention, the loss of a customer over a few bucks for a bolt and a few labor hours....just insane if you ask me.

[sickem]

Originally Posted by pwr hungry

Jackass, eh? You're a real tough guy behind that keyboard aren't you? Please don't start smashing keys at me!

In all seriousness, it is covered because it is not a maintenance item and the powertrain is covered...which it is a part of. So, with all due respect(not really), go pound salt.

Sorry I meant smartass not jackass. Oh and I'm a tough guy in real life, too. Not just behind a keyboard. good luck with your gay fixation.

[lconn]

Yeah, I can't make them do anything...but I can make them wish they had. In this case I am trying to motivate the dealer to resolve the problem since they will bear the brunt of whatever I accomplish.