[woodpecka]

Originally Posted by john dough

Hey everyone.

I actually worked at Canbec AND an Audi dealer so here goes;

Audi's are absolutely beautiful cars with killer good looking interior however the problems are outrageous!
Canbec is a bigger dealer with more mechanics yet have less warranty repairs than a smaller Audi dealer. Actually before working with Audi I wanted one....now I will never buy one...ever! I thought Audi fixed all the unreliability issues but OMG the horror.
Like everything though there a lucky and unlucky clients but I'm always surprised when someone tells me they never had problems with their Audi. I would even see 2 or 3 new engines being rebuilt per week...under 20k km. Ridiculous! BMW have their share of problems but compared to Audi (in my professional experience) they are so much more reliable! BMW is innovative and Audi try to better BMW's innovations instead of having their own. You will never find and option on an Audi that BMW doesn't have but will find new innovations with the release of each new BMW's.

As for the service at Canbec people need to realize many things;

1. dealers can't have 100s of loaner cars to rent out when owners bring their vehicle. (no room and dealer would lose money and close)

2 the dealer is at the mercy of clients...if 2 clients are supposed to pick up their car and return 2 loaners at 8 am and 2 other clients want a BMW loaner for 8:30 Canbec will reserve them ....what do you think happens?? 1 or both previous owners do not return the cars on time or even the same day! The clients with the 8:30 reservation will be pissed off and rant to everyone that the service is not good and didn't receive what they were promised. Some clients actually bring in their old BMW (2005-2007) late Friday in hopes of getting a new BMW loaner for the weekend then don't return it for days or even 1 week.

3. every single client wants a preferential treatment and requests a BMW loaner. Canbec repair between 70 to 100 cars at a time!!! Honestly every dealer do their best to hold a BMW or Audi loaner for each client but do run out.(especially busy days like freezing temps, snow storms, tire season..etc) Every dealer try's to treat every customers the same BUT people need to realize that some customers own 3 or 4 cars..for example a 7 series and M5 for him, an X5 for her and a 328 for the youngster. Or maybe an X6 M being the 3rd or 4th car the client buys from Canbec, spending easily 500 000$ at this dealer...this owner obviously gets the last BMW loaner before a 1 time owner. This happens in every dealer and it's normal.

4. we deal with mechanics and electronics...things happen and are unpredictable.

5. jobber parts including changed mufflers DO unbalance the car and CAN cause weird defect codes and warning lights, they also affect warranty and BMW Canada reserve the right to void entire warranty's for modified cars...even for repairs that have nothing to do with the mods

6.98% of mechanics at Canbec speak English!

7. contrary to popular belief when a warning light comes on after a service the mechanic didn't cause it by screwing around. They fix the problem at hand this may cause the electronic system to produce error codes and warning lights. After they fix the problem at hand they make a small test drive and that's it. They can't drive every car for a few kilometers after each repair to see if a light comes on, besides customers would not like it. (if the techs test drive the cars too much the client complains, if they don't drive enough the client complains!)

8. Canbec's main problem are lengthy repairs but if your SA gave you bad service remember they are human, make mistakes and can have off days...regardless of the dealer.

You are not totally wrong but can you explain why BMW Laval give a better service on loaners and repair? They also speak both french and english.

A lot of bimmer guys thing that BMW Laval and West Island are lot better with their customers.

[335BBS]

Originally Posted by john dough

Hey everyone.

I actually worked at Canbec AND an Audi dealer so here goes;

Audi's are absolutely beautiful cars with killer good looking interior however the problems are outrageous!
Canbec is a bigger dealer with more mechanics yet have less warranty repairs than a smaller Audi dealer. Actually before working with Audi I wanted one....now I will never buy one...ever! I thought Audi fixed all the unreliability issues but OMG the horror.
Like everything though there a lucky and unlucky clients but I'm always surprised when someone tells me they never had problems with their Audi. I would even see 2 or 3 new engines being rebuilt per week...under 20k km. Ridiculous! BMW have their share of problems but compared to Audi (in my professional experience) they are so much more reliable! BMW is innovative and Audi try to better BMW's innovations instead of having their own. You will never find and option on an Audi that BMW doesn't have but will find new innovations with the release of each new BMW's.

As for the service at Canbec people need to realize many things;

1. dealers can't have 100s of loaner cars to rent out when owners bring their vehicle. (no room and dealer would lose money and close)

2 the dealer is at the mercy of clients...if 2 clients are supposed to pick up their car and return 2 loaners at 8 am and 2 other clients want a BMW loaner for 8:30 Canbec will reserve them ....what do you think happens?? 1 or both previous owners do not return the cars on time or even the same day! The clients with the 8:30 reservation will be pissed off and rant to everyone that the service is not good and didn't receive what they were promised. Some clients actually bring in their old BMW (2005-2007) late Friday in hopes of getting a new BMW loaner for the weekend then don't return it for days or even 1 week.

3. every single client wants a preferential treatment and requests a BMW loaner. Canbec repair between 70 to 100 cars at a time!!! Honestly every dealer do their best to hold a BMW or Audi loaner for each client but do run out.(especially busy days like freezing temps, snow storms, tire season..etc) Every dealer try's to treat every customers the same BUT people need to realize that some customers own 3 or 4 cars..for example a 7 series and M5 for him, an X5 for her and a 328 for the youngster. Or maybe an X6 M being the 3rd or 4th car the client buys from Canbec, spending easily 500 000$ at this dealer...this owner obviously gets the last BMW loaner before a 1 time owner. This happens in every dealer and it's normal.

4. we deal with mechanics and electronics...things happen and are unpredictable.

5. jobber parts including changed mufflers DO unbalance the car and CAN cause weird defect codes and warning lights, they also affect warranty and BMW Canada reserve the right to void entire warranty's for modified cars...even for repairs that have nothing to do with the mods

6.98% of mechanics at Canbec speak English!

7. contrary to popular belief when a warning light comes on after a service the mechanic didn't cause it by screwing around. They fix the problem at hand this may cause the electronic system to produce error codes and warning lights. After they fix the problem at hand they make a small test drive and that's it. They can't drive every car for a few kilometers after each repair to see if a light comes on, besides customers would not like it. (if the techs test drive the cars too much the client complains, if they don't drive enough the client complains!)

8. Canbec's main problem are lengthy repairs but if your SA gave you bad service remember they are human, make mistakes and can have off days...regardless of the dealer.

John, you sound like a dough head. Bad mouthing competition doesn't sit we'll with many people....neither does mocking customers.

[Tonybest]

Originally Posted by john dough

Hey everyone.

I actually worked at Canbec AND an Audi dealer so here goes;

Audi's are absolutely beautiful cars with killer good looking interior however the problems are outrageous!
Canbec is a bigger dealer with more mechanics yet have less warranty repairs than a smaller Audi dealer. Actually before working with Audi I wanted one....now I will never buy one...ever! I thought Audi fixed all the unreliability issues but OMG the horror.
Like everything though there a lucky and unlucky clients but I'm always surprised when someone tells me they never had problems with their Audi. I would even see 2 or 3 new engines being rebuilt per week...under 20k km. Ridiculous! BMW have their share of problems but compared to Audi (in my professional experience) they are so much more reliable! BMW is innovative and Audi try to better BMW's innovations instead of having their own. You will never find and option on an Audi that BMW doesn't have but will find new innovations with the release of each new BMW's.

As for the service at Canbec people need to realize many things;

1. dealers can't have 100s of loaner cars to rent out when owners bring their vehicle. (no room and dealer would lose money and close)

2 the dealer is at the mercy of clients...if 2 clients are supposed to pick up their car and return 2 loaners at 8 am and 2 other clients want a BMW loaner for 8:30 Canbec will reserve them ....what do you think happens?? 1 or both previous owners do not return the cars on time or even the same day! The clients with the 8:30 reservation will be pissed off and rant to everyone that the service is not good and didn't receive what they were promised. Some clients actually bring in their old BMW (2005-2007) late Friday in hopes of getting a new BMW loaner for the weekend then don't return it for days or even 1 week.

3. every single client wants a preferential treatment and requests a BMW loaner. Canbec repair between 70 to 100 cars at a time!!! Honestly every dealer do their best to hold a BMW or Audi loaner for each client but do run out.(especially busy days like freezing temps, snow storms, tire season..etc) Every dealer try's to treat every customers the same BUT people need to realize that some customers own 3 or 4 cars..for example a 7 series and M5 for him, an X5 for her and a 328 for the youngster. Or maybe an X6 M being the 3rd or 4th car the client buys from Canbec, spending easily 500 000$ at this dealer...this owner obviously gets the last BMW loaner before a 1 time owner. This happens in every dealer and it's normal.

4. we deal with mechanics and electronics...things happen and are unpredictable.

5. jobber parts including changed mufflers DO unbalance the car and CAN cause weird defect codes and warning lights, they also affect warranty and BMW Canada reserve the right to void entire warranty's for modified cars...even for repairs that have nothing to do with the mods

6.98% of mechanics at Canbec speak English!

7. contrary to popular belief when a warning light comes on after a service the mechanic didn't cause it by screwing around. They fix the problem at hand this may cause the electronic system to produce error codes and warning lights. After they fix the problem at hand they make a small test drive and that's it. They can't drive every car for a few kilometers after each repair to see if a light comes on, besides customers would not like it. (if the techs test drive the cars too much the client complains, if they don't drive enough the client complains!)

8. Canbec's main problem are lengthy repairs but if your SA gave you bad service remember they are human, make mistakes and can have off days...regardless of the dealer.

Even though I don't know who John is with his 1 post... I agree with most of this post, and thank him for the rest of the post for the clarifications.

Originally Posted by woodpecka

You are not totally wrong but can you explain why BMW Laval give a better service on loaners and repair? They also speak both french and english.

A lot of bimmer guys thing that BMW Laval and West Island are lot better with their customers.

I am one that has had a worst experience with Laval's service than Canbec.
John said there are "lucky and unlucky" clients, that's all. There is a possibility that one day I might get bad service from Canbec...

Originally Posted by 335BBS

John, you sound like a dough head. Bad mouthing competition doesn't sit we'll with many people....neither does mocking customers.

He said he worked for both. He didn't name the Audi dealer. I appreciated his post, and it is in response to the posters that are bad mouthing the dealership.

[john dough]

Woodpeka I'm also a Bimmer guy and before working for Canbec I too had a strong negative vibe with Canbec plus my own personal bad experiences with them. I had actually banned Canbec and swore never to return! But as soon as they hired me I spoke directly to the boss (even during my interview) concerning all the negativeness surrounding Canbec and the fact that I knew more about the product than half their sales team (at the time) was not impressive.
My concerns were quickly answered and changes were made...it's a slow process but it was better (when I left).

Being at Canbec we would usually get the clients that were dissatisfied with Laval and West Island BMW's so its hard to say why or if Laval is better with loaners, maybe they have more of them or better management? Not really sure. I only have a small experience with Laval (went there 3 times) 1st time I was very satisfied, second time it was ok and I had big problems with 2 employees the third time, it actually was so insulting that I'm currently debating weather or not to report these people to the owner/president but that's insider stuff wich would not affect customer service however I did start questioning the hiring policies of the all mighty Laval dealer.

As for the languages most Canbec guys speak English yet are bilingual and speak French too...one or two have a hard time speaking or writing either languages wich is quite embarrassing.

335BBS, how did I bad mouth the competition or mock customers?? That really is not my intentions. If anyone chooses to badmouth a dealership I can understand but please make sure your complaint makes sense....unlike someone (don't remember who) wrote that once they left Canbec the TPMS light came on and had to return to Canbec to check if the car had a flat so Canbec sucks!! or someone with a jobber exhaust... he should realize that changing a muffler changes pressure in the whole exhaust! Make sure you're not at fault before badmouthing dealers or anyone else.

I'm new to this site and the purpose of my posts are simple;
I have always and will always be a bimmer and car guy and before working in the field I would go to dealers and rate them according to my experience and satisfaction...Now it's easier for me to understand and see both sides so I can help clarify a few things and help owners understand or realize things that may not be so obvious.

BTW my real name is not John

[catherinelam]

Originally Posted by john dough

Hey everyone.



3. every single client wants a preferential treatment and requests a BMW loaner. Canbec repair between 70 to 100 cars at a time!!! Honestly every dealer do their best to hold a BMW or Audi loaner for each client but do run out.(especially busy days like freezing temps, snow storms, tire season..etc) Every dealer try's to treat every customers the same BUT people need to realize that some customers own 3 or 4 cars..for example a 7 series and M5 for him, an X5 for her and a 328 for the youngster. Or maybe an X6 M being the 3rd or 4th car the client buys from Canbec, spending easily 500 000$ at this dealer...this owner obviously gets the last BMW loaner before a 1 time owner. This happens in every dealer and it's normal.

You should not assume that people are one time owners. We have had a few BMWs in the family so you're argument is invalid. And, I've had bad service there several times. It is NOT normal to wait hours for a loaner.

[Pseudo Nim]

Originally Posted by john dough

Hey everyone.

I actually worked at Canbec AND an Audi dealer so here goes;

Audi's are absolutely beautiful cars with killer good looking interior however the problems are outrageous!
Canbec is a bigger dealer with more mechanics yet have less warranty repairs than a smaller Audi dealer. Actually before working with Audi I wanted one....now I will never buy one...ever! I thought Audi fixed all the unreliability issues but OMG the horror.
Like everything though there a lucky and unlucky clients but I'm always surprised when someone tells me they never had problems with their Audi. I would even see 2 or 3 new engines being rebuilt per week...under 20k km. Ridiculous! BMW have their share of problems but compared to Audi (in my professional experience) they are so much more reliable! BMW is innovative and Audi try to better BMW's innovations instead of having their own. You will never find and option on an Audi that BMW doesn't have but will find new innovations with the release of each new BMW's.

As for the service at Canbec people need to realize many things;

1. dealers can't have 100s of loaner cars to rent out when owners bring their vehicle. (no room and dealer would lose money and close)

2 the dealer is at the mercy of clients...if 2 clients are supposed to pick up their car and return 2 loaners at 8 am and 2 other clients want a BMW loaner for 8:30 Canbec will reserve them ....what do you think happens?? 1 or both previous owners do not return the cars on time or even the same day! The clients with the 8:30 reservation will be pissed off and rant to everyone that the service is not good and didn't receive what they were promised. Some clients actually bring in their old BMW (2005-2007) late Friday in hopes of getting a new BMW loaner for the weekend then don't return it for days or even 1 week.

3. every single client wants a preferential treatment and requests a BMW loaner. Canbec repair between 70 to 100 cars at a time!!! Honestly every dealer do their best to hold a BMW or Audi loaner for each client but do run out.(especially busy days like freezing temps, snow storms, tire season..etc) Every dealer try's to treat every customers the same BUT people need to realize that some customers own 3 or 4 cars..for example a 7 series and M5 for him, an X5 for her and a 328 for the youngster. Or maybe an X6 M being the 3rd or 4th car the client buys from Canbec, spending easily 500 000$ at this dealer...this owner obviously gets the last BMW loaner before a 1 time owner. This happens in every dealer and it's normal.

4. we deal with mechanics and electronics...things happen and are unpredictable.

5. jobber parts including changed mufflers DO unbalance the car and CAN cause weird defect codes and warning lights, they also affect warranty and BMW Canada reserve the right to void entire warranty's for modified cars...even for repairs that have nothing to do with the mods

6.98% of mechanics at Canbec speak English!

7. contrary to popular belief when a warning light comes on after a service the mechanic didn't cause it by screwing around. They fix the problem at hand this may cause the electronic system to produce error codes and warning lights. After they fix the problem at hand they make a small test drive and that's it. They can't drive every car for a few kilometers after each repair to see if a light comes on, besides customers would not like it. (if the techs test drive the cars too much the client complains, if they don't drive enough the client complains!)

8. Canbec's main problem are lengthy repairs but if your SA gave you bad service remember they are human, make mistakes and can have off days...regardless of the dealer.

Ugh.

No offense, but you are the kind of people that make me want to change dealers. I really, really can't stand people that invent arguments (and straw men) to support their flawed logic.

Your points #1, #2 and #7 are correct. #3 is not quite; I have had better service with loaner cars than a number of people with far more cars than I owned. I was just nice to people and made friends. How many cars did you have plated JUST for you because no other BMWs were on the lot? I did.

#4 is an excuse, and #5 is bordering on criminal misinformation. BMW *cannot* void your warranty because of unrelated mods. This is in consumer law, and people such as yourself propagate this misinformation to literally scare your customers into behaving the way you want them to. The way you state it, a suspension modification allows BMW to void engine warranty, and a muffler modification would allow them to void the HPFP recall on the 335s. This is completely false and is clear indication of a general lack of technical and, more importantly, procedural knowledge. Please don't do this. Be honest with your clients and explain to them their rights - not just the marketing drivel BMW wants you to tell them. I've seen your internal memos where they threaten warranty voiding for "any" mods. That's bs. They are fully within their rights to void warranties on relevant modifications (chip your car, void the engine warranty), but not beyond that.

I cannot comment on #6. As for #7, you are defending the dealer more than you need. Even though, as I said, I am friendly with Canbec and would buy from them again, I have had cases where they did such a shitty job on something that I had to try really hard not to come back and yell at them. They replaced my shifter assembly at one point, and when they put the center console back on, they accidentally trapped the seatbelt receiver UNDER the center console on the passenger side. So obviously, when my passenger got in, their first reaction was "where the hell do I plug in the seatbelt?!". Like, really. This didn't even need a test drive. So don't overdefend them. They have good people working there, but sometimes they do sloppy jobs, which ties into your #8 but is nevertheless completely inexcusable. It's one thing if a somewhat complicated defect was missed during reassembly that surfaces "during highway driving", and it's another when the seatbelt assembly vanishes, the muffler is loose, etc. Not that there are many of those, I'm just saying that those are indefensible.

[catherinelam]

also, i don't see any threads about people complaining that badly about bmw laval, west island, ste julie, park avenue, or hamel.... just canbec!

guess the people at mini arent happy about canbec either

http://www.mini2.com/forum/canada/80...bec-bmw-2.html

[MTL Bimmer]

Originally Posted by Tonybest

He said he worked for both. He didn't name the Audi dealer. I appreciated his post, and it is in response to the posters that are bad mouthing the dealership.

We're just sharing our experience with canbec, it's a public forum and we can say whatever we want!