[petepete99]

Hi all,

If you are impatient or have trouble paying attention, please just skip to the text in bold below!

I bought a 335i N56 08 reg from Canterbury Motoring World in March. I believe they are part of the Big Motoring World group. I bought the car on hire purchase through Car Finance 24/7, who have actually been really good to deal with.

Big Motoring World, on the other hand, appear to be a very dodgy place to deal with indeed. The car has the dreaded wastegate rattle, but earlier in the year I had to convince them to repair the car (two months into ownership) because of what I thought was a failing HPFP. Turns out it was faulty injectors. Under the consumer credit act, Car Finance 24/7 helped me out as they're jointly liable being the finance provider.

The wastegate rattle has just got worse and worse and I had to fill up the coolant last week as there was a warning on the dashboard. I also never received the DVD sat nav disk which is on the invoice to be supplied, and they never sent me my V5 or the service booklet (which again was agreed in writing). To top this off, when I was buying the car the salesman said it was the second time they had sold the car as the previous owner sold it back to them after a few weeks (wtf?).

All in all, it's just not what I would have expected. As a result and based on the wastegate rattle in particular, I am formally rejecting the car through the finance company, which I'm entitled to do as still within the six months of the consumer rights act 2015.

The finance company has asked that I get an independent garage to write a report proving that there is an issue with the car. Rather than just take it to Kwik-Fit or Halfords, I would like a real expert to take a look and hopefully they will be able to provide clear evidence of a fault.

So after that long-winded story, does anybody have any recommendations on a reputable, friendly BMW specialist (ideally with good working knowledge of the N54 engine) that could take a look at the car? I would ideally like somebody who is understanding of my situation and supportive of my wish to provide a concrete case that the car is faulty.

Thanks for your help all

[djgandy]

Sorry to hear about all your issues. Big Motoring World are known to sell cars of questionable quality, and it looks like you probably picked one of them!

My first thought is take it up to A1BN in Stevenage. They are very familiar with N54 problems.
TWG in Camberley are also come well recommended on the forums.
Inside the M25 I can't think of many indy's, so expect to travel.

[Redguy]

There's a place in Sutton Valence near Maidstone. BM Workshops - although I think they're called Bee Em or something now.

I can't vouch for them personally - but they've been there as specialists for a good few years, and the owner is a prominent BMW owners' club member.

I can vouch for their pricing though - a job I was quoted as around £280 is in the region of over £400 there. I assume it's OEM parts and all that.

Pricey yes, but they should know what they're doing!

As for Big MW, I went there some years back, and left shortly afterwards. Friend of mine went earlier in the year (he never knew of my visit), and vowed never to return. Bad lot.

[Soul_Glo]

If you're building a case you will need an independent engineers report. Most garages don't provide these. I don't know about Steve but he comes highly recommended on here so worth asking if they do. If not then an independent engineer can travel to you. For that you can expect to pay up to £70 for their travel and £120 on a specific problem report. The report will be backed up with comprehensive evidence and facts which cannot be denied. The way it is put together by the accredited engineer, worded, documented etc. is great. Finally, on finance the the responsibility lies with the finance company at all times for the goods. However, it is down to the dealership/trader to prove there is no fault with the vehicle within the first six months of ownership. Outside of that time frame is when you need the independent report. You could even take it to a BMW dealership and ask them to diagnose it based on what you are experiencing - this probably works out cheaper as you are paying for the hourly labour rate and probably need one hour only. Once you have their invoice quote and TSB/SIB information you can take this back to the unscrupulous salesman you brought it from. There are a couple of options here.

[Tinsta]

Sorry to hear you're have issues, you could try Birds UK to check the car over and give a report?

[Dann]

I'd avoid BMW personally.
They say the WG rattle is normal and "all of them do it"

[petepete99]

Hi all,

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. I'll have a think, will probably try the one in Camberley as it's closest to me (I'm in Richmond). In terms of the 'independent engineers report' the finance company said they have their own people that would do this based off of the 'written evidence' from the garage, so they're not asking for an engineers report per se.

Just out of curiosity would failing turbos result in less than optimal fuel consumption? My car appears to be getting worse around town, even with a light foot I'm around 24mpg in mixed traffic.

[imy]

Most I've gotten round town is 19mpg.your doing pretty good.

[djgandy]

Originally Posted by petepete99

Hi all,

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. I'll have a think, will probably try the one in Camberley as it's closest to me (I'm in Richmond). In terms of the 'independent engineers report' the finance company said they have their own people that would do this based off of the 'written evidence' from the garage, so they're not asking for an engineers report per se.

Just out of curiosity would failing turbos result in less than optimal fuel consumption? My car appears to be getting worse around town, even with a light foot I'm around 24mpg in mixed traffic.

Falling temperatures are the cause of that.

[jai_raider]

try contact

Technosport - near staples corner

or

Brunswick Garage - north London - around southgate

maybe they will be able to help

[imy]

Jason BW Chiptune in Hounslow - pretty easy drive from Richmond.