[tony20009]

One of the BMWs in my family recently went "out of warranty." It was taken to Passport because the windshield washers weren't putting out enough fluid.

Passport fixed the problem and replaced the pump for the washer fluid as well at no charge to the car owner. They also shared that salt can sometimes get into the fluid opening at the base of the windshield and travel down the tubes to the pump. Once there, the salt can commence to corrode or clog parts of the pump. That's why they replaced it rather than fixing the problem by only clearing the obstruction.

They also provided a loaner car even though one isn't prescribed for warranty repair work. On top of that, although the car is one I purchased from Passport, it's not one that I use and isn't registered to me.

Joey is my service advisor at Passport. I'm very satisfied with all aspects of the service he provides: accuracy of information; integrity; making sure I'm not surprised by anything; etc.

I realize that many people in the D.C. area may be similarly pleased with the service and care their BMW store provides. If, however, you aren't, give Joey a call.

All the best.

[xzibit a]

Wait so they said that the salt worked its way down to the pump through the hose?

While you had a great experience, which is actually great to read instead of the typical dealer bash threads, That line is complete BS. 90% chance that one of the small plastic fittings on one of the hoses was broken or cracked. Selling you a 3 dollar part would not go over well on their sales report.

judging by your attitude this is probably not the only time you've been treated well so im not trying to bash them or take anything away from the dealer. just preventing some likely misinformation.

[Holshot]

Consider yourself lucky... Stay away from BMW of Towson. Had my car there for 2 faulty HPFPs, injectors and received the car back the first time filthy on the inside with white powder handprints all over the interior and dirty floor mat, car was dropped off imaculate. The first time no big deal and I didn't make a stink but then the second time I picked it up something had been laid on the roof and left some sort of residue that only came off with compound and polish. Again, didn't make a big deal just brought it to my SA attention in an email that same day.

Never got a response or apology to say I'm sorry for that and I'll make sure that never happens again. To make matters worse when I picked up the car, all of this mind you in a span of less then two weeks and only a couple hundred miles, the car was severely down on power. So another call to try to get to the bottom of this and seemed to get the run around and was told the car was fine when it left there and the "tech" drove it for many miles to makes sure I had no more issues, blah, blah, blah... Supposedly claimed there were no codes and they are sure that the flash/coding and DME were good.

Fast forward to this past Saturday, had some coding done and luckily someone was able to scan my DME and found 2 code, one of which was boost-pressure control deactivated. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't all in my head that what I suspected all along (low on boost) was in fact the case. If a tech can't read a scan tool and clear codes that says a lot... Sad thing is they are the only game in town and for the time being while the car is under warranty I'll have to live with it I suppose. It took me having to spend 50 bucks out of my own pocket to get the car back to normal running condition. Its sad and I thought going to a BMW would have come with better service, so far not the case. My Infinty dealer bends over backwards for me and I've NEVER picked my car up dirty or had any issues.

Joe

[Sgop335]

Originally Posted by Holshot

Consider yourself lucky... Stay away from BMW of Towson. Had my car there for 2 faulty HPFPs, injectors and received the car back the first time filthy on the inside with white powder handprints all over the interior and dirty floor mat, car was dropped off imaculate. The first time no big deal and I didn't make a stink but then the second time I picked it up something had been laid on the roof and left some sort of residue that only came off with compound and polish. Again, didn't make a big deal just brought it to my SA attention in an email that same day.

Never got a response or apology to say I'm sorry for that and I'll make sure that never happens again. To make matters worse when I picked up the car, all of this mind you in a span of less then two weeks and only a couple hundred miles, the car was severely down on power. So another call to try to get to the bottom of this and seemed to get the run around and was told the car was fine when it left there and the "tech" drove it for many miles to makes sure I had no more issues, blah, blah, blah... Supposedly claimed there were no codes and they are sure that the flash/coding and DME were good.

Fast forward to this past Saturday, had some coding done and luckily someone was able to scan my DME and found 2 code, one of which was boost-pressure control deactivated. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't all in my head that what I suspected all along (low on boost) was in fact the case. If a tech can't read a scan tool and clear codes that says a lot... Sad thing is they are the only game in town and for the time being while the car is under warranty I'll have to live with it I suppose. It took me having to spend 50 bucks out of my own pocket to get the car back to normal running condition. Its sad and I thought going to a BMW would have come with better service, so far not the case. My Infinty dealer bends over backwards for me and I've NEVER picked my car up dirty or had any issues.

Joe

Have you tried bmw of catonsville? Im not endorsing them just an option. I have gotten parts from them.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by xzibit a

Wait so they said that the salt worked its way down to the pump through the hose?

While you had a great experience, which is actually great to read instead of the typical dealer bash threads, That line is complete BS. 90% chance that one of the small plastic fittings on one of the hoses was broken or cracked. Selling you a 3 dollar part would not go over well on their sales report.

judging by your attitude this is probably not the only time you've been treated well so im not trying to bash them or take anything away from the dealer. just preventing some likely misinformation.

No, they didn't say it had done; my SA said that can happen and that if it does, the salt can effect corrosion or block "other" passages. If, as you say, the odds of salt actually doing as my SA stated it can are 10% or less, then that they replaced the pump, at no expense to me, on the off chance that it did happen is all the more impressive to me.

No, it's not the only time I've received what I consider outstanding service from Passport. They've consistently exceeded my expectations since 2007. Indeed, as I write this post, I can't think of a time when they didn't.

All the best.

[Holshot]

Originally Posted by Sgop335

Have you tried bmw of catonsville? Im not endorsing them just an option. I have gotten parts from them.

No, not yet... I'm new to the BMW world and these clowns are only 5 minutes away so it was convenient just to use them but after all of this it might be worth driving a half hour to hopefully someone more competent. It Jsut blows my mind and I can't imagine I'm the only one who's received such horrible service.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by Holshot

Consider yourself lucky... Stay away from BMW of Towson. Had my car there for 2 faulty HPFPs, injectors and received the car back the first time filthy on the inside with white powder handprints all over the interior and dirty floor mat, car was dropped off imaculate. The first time no big deal and I didn't make a stink but then the second time I picked it up something had been laid on the roof and left some sort of residue that only came off with compound and polish. Again, didn't make a big deal just brought it to my SA attention in an email that same day.

Never got a response or apology to say I'm sorry for that and I'll make sure that never happens again. To make matters worse when I picked up the car, all of this mind you in a span of less then two weeks and only a couple hundred miles, the car was severely down on power. So another call to try to get to the bottom of this and seemed to get the run around and was told the car was fine when it left there and the "tech" drove it for many miles to makes sure I had no more issues, blah, blah, blah... Supposedly claimed there were no codes and they are sure that the flash/coding and DME were good.

Fast forward to this past Saturday, had some coding done and luckily someone was able to scan my DME and found 2 code, one of which was boost-pressure control deactivated. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't all in my head that what I suspected all along (low on boost) was in fact the case. If a tech can't read a scan tool and clear codes that says a lot... Sad thing is they are the only game in town and for the time being while the car is under warranty I'll have to live with it I suppose. It took me having to spend 50 bucks out of my own pocket to get the car back to normal running condition. Its sad and I thought going to a BMW would have come with better service, so far not the case. My Infinty dealer bends over backwards for me and I've NEVER picked my car up dirty or had any issues.

Joe

I'm sorry to see you've had such terrible care from Towson.

Passport is very good about making sure the car looks immaculate when they return it to the customer.

• In the photo above, you'll see the two garage doors to their service entrance. The very first thing their porters do upon getting into a customer's car is cover the seats with plastic and put a plastic-backed floor mat before the driver's seat.
• They wash and vacuum the car every time they take possession of it, even if they the just look at something, but don't actually "do" anything.
• Return/respond to customer communications via phone or email, depending on what mode the customer used to initiate contact.

Have I ever had Passport's personnel make a mistake or not catch something? Yes, I have. They didn't catch that the seals around my turbo charger (a different car from the one that spurred me to create this thread) weren't good anymore.

The thing is that if I drove like my father does, the seals would have been just fine for all intents and purposes; the extent to which they allowed air/pressure to escape wouldn't have been enough to make appear the half-yellow engine appear in the driver's information pod. I, however, am fairly "assertive" in my highway driving and I want to know that my car performs as it should/can under more trying driving habits. So, after receiving the car back from Passport's replacing the turbo waste gate, I went out on the highway and when I got to a stretch that was devoid of other cars, I floored the gas. The half-yellow engine appeared immediately.

I took it back to Passport and explained what happened. I asked them why they didn't catch it. They replied that when they test drove my car after effecting the replacement, the fault didn't manifest itself. They also noted that they weren't about to "floor the gas" or drive over ~65 mph with a customer car. I was and remain okay with that. I didn't get the "fault" indicator either when I drove the car "sensibly" and without flooring the gas to effect full pressure in the turbo chargers. So what they said makes sense to me...

As for your experience with Towson, there being the only BMW dealer in B-more may have something to do with it. There are six in D.C. Metro, seven if you count BMW of Annapolis, and eight if one is willing to go to Baltimore. I'm sure Passport's management are quite aware that folks have several other choices for both sales and service. I'd wager that most folks will travel a distance to buy their car, but for service, going to the most convenient dealer is likely what most folks do.

The thing is that car dealers earn the great bulk of their revenue from their service department and used car sales departments, not new car sales. Why, therefore, Towson treated you so perfunctorily is beyond me.

Sidebar:
If you don't believe that to be so, go looking for a new car dealership that only sells new cars. I can tell you now you won't find one because there's no substantial sum of money to be earned by a dealer when they sell a new car. What you will find are businesses that only sell used cars, businesses that only provide service, or businesses that sell new, used cars and provide service.

The manufacturer is who makes money from new car sales; the dealer earns what is little more than a finder's commission. Once a dealership becomes "service absorbed," i.e., the costs of running the business are fully paid by the revenues earned from the service department, the money earned on new car sales can be quite significant and go a long way to making the owner a wealthy man, even if they aren't enough to pay for the elaborate showroom and offices one sees at a BMW new car dealership. There's a huge difference between what it takes to make a man/woman wealthy and what it takes to "keep the lights on."

All the best.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by Holshot

No, not yet... I'm new to the BMW world and these clowns are only 5 minutes away so it was convenient just to use them but after all of this it might be worth driving a half hour to hopefully someone more competent. It Jsut blows my mind and I can't imagine I'm the only one who's received such horrible service.

Given their very convenient location for you, I would make an appointment to speak in person with their service manager or general manager. You don't really need an appointment to speak with the service manager and don't often need one to speak to the general manager, but by asking for one, s/he'll know that whatever you have to discuss is very important to you. Alternatively, just show up during regular business hours to have that conversation on a day when you aren't there for any other reasons. That'll make the point just as effectively because it shows you went out of your way to speak to them when you otherwise had no reason to visit their store.

All the best.

[335idle]

Originally Posted by Sgop335

Have you tried bmw of catonsville? Im not endorsing them just an option. I have gotten parts from them.

Bmw of Catonsville is the worst place ever., and I've given them chances.

Be aware if you get a loaner they keep previous clients paper work in glove box(full name,address,phone) I saw this contacted my SA was given an apology. Happened a second time emailed the GM, and he called and said sorry. And a client advisor offered me a full service detail. Happened once again this time there was 3 previous clients paper work. Don't know about you, but I don't like my info shared.

Another time had same issue addressed 3 times in 2 weeks. Led tail light strip went out. I showed the SA and even tapped the light it would come on off. The tech replaced the wrong light the first time. Second time replaced the circuit board. third time replaced all the lights plus the inner and outer circuit board. The SA informed me the tech forgot which light and took care of them all.

Last and final visit oil change, and reprograming. The programing took 72 hours., and I go to pick up the car. And no oil change -.-, plus a nice dent in my rear passenger door.

End rant need sleep. Will edit later

[235Dude]

I can also vouch for Passport BMW. I bought my 07 from them a few years back and it was a great car and even better service. I live in Potomac (almost an hour away) and they would drive the loaner car out to me and pick my car up... how is that for service! If only they would buy more used 6spd manual cars I would have got my 2nd 335 from them.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by 335Dude

I can also vouch for Passport BMW. I bought my 07 from them a few years back and it was a great car and even better service. I live in Potomac and they would drive the loaner car out to me and pick my car up... how is that for service! If only they would buy more used 6spd manual cars I would have got my 2nd 335 from them.

Yep...they've done a similar thing for me, though not related to service. They brought a car (a service loaner) to my home and left it for me to test drive.

All the best.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by Holshot

Consider yourself lucky... Stay away from BMW of Towson. Had my car there for 2 faulty HPFPs, injectors and received the car back the first time filthy on the inside with white powder handprints all over the interior and dirty floor mat, car was dropped off imaculate. The first time no big deal and I didn't make a stink but then the second time I picked it up something had been laid on the roof and left some sort of residue that only came off with compound and polish. Again, didn't make a big deal just brought it to my SA attention in an email that same day.

Never got a response or apology to say I'm sorry for that and I'll make sure that never happens again. To make matters worse when I picked up the car, all of this mind you in a span of less then two weeks and only a couple hundred miles, the car was severely down on power. So another call to try to get to the bottom of this and seemed to get the run around and was told the car was fine when it left there and the "tech" drove it for many miles to makes sure I had no more issues, blah, blah, blah... Supposedly claimed there were no codes and they are sure that the flash/coding and DME were good.

Fast forward to this past Saturday, had some coding done and luckily someone was able to scan my DME and found 2 code, one of which was boost-pressure control deactivated. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't all in my head that what I suspected all along (low on boost) was in fact the case. If a tech can't read a scan tool and clear codes that says a lot... Sad thing is they are the only game in town and for the time being while the car is under warranty I'll have to live with it I suppose. It took me having to spend 50 bucks out of my own pocket to get the car back to normal running condition. Its sad and I thought going to a BMW would have come with better service, so far not the case. My Infinty dealer bends over backwards for me and I've NEVER picked my car up dirty or had any issues.

Joe

Towson BMW isn't the "only game in town." I just looked and found there are several BMW stores in the B-more area:

• Towson BMW
• BMW of Catonsville
• Northeast BMW - Owings Mills

All the best.

[Holshot]

I suppose I didn't mean it literally but rather they are the most convenient. The next closest dealer would be about 25/30 minutes away. I do think the next time I'm in need of service it will go to BMW of Bel Air.

[cotmfk]

Originally Posted by tony20009

One of the BMWs in my family recently went "out of warranty." It was taken to Passport because the windshield washers weren't putting out enough fluid.

Passport fixed the problem and replaced the pump for the washer fluid as well. They also shared that salt can sometimes get into the fluid opening at the base of the windshield and travel down the tubes to the pump. Once there, the salt can commence to corrode or clog parts of the pump. That's why they replaced it rather than fixing the problem by only clearing the obstruction.

They also provided a loaner car even though one isn't prescribed for warranty repair work. On top of that, although the car is one I purchased from Passport, it's not one that I use and isn't registered to me.

Joey is my service advisor at Passport. I'm very satisfied with all aspects of the service he provides: accuracy of information; integrity; making sure I'm not surprised by anything; etc.

I realize that many people in the D.C. area may be similarly pleased with the service and care their BMW store provides. If, however, you aren't, give Joey a call.

All the best.

Originally Posted by tony20009

No, they didn't say it had done; my SA said that can happen and that if it does, the salt can effect corrosion or block "other" passages. If, as you say, the odds of salt actually doing as my SA stated it can are 10% or less, then that they replaced the pump, at no expense to me, on the off chance that it did happen is all the more impressive to me.

No, it's not the only time I've received what I consider outstanding service from Passport. They've consistently exceeded my expectations since 2007. Indeed, as I write this post, I can't think of a time when they didn't.

All the best.

Wait, just need clarification here - the car was under warranty for that repair or not?

[sudo4re]

+1 for Passport BMW. My car is under factory warranty with FBO and the service writer (Pantelis) didn't even bat an eye. I think they will bend over backward for you as long as you agree to give them a high CSI score.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by cotmfk

Wait, just need clarification here - the car was under warranty for that repair or not?

The warranty had expired prior to the car's being taken in for the windshield washer problem.

All the best.

[alex2364]

Originally Posted by tony20009

The warranty had expired prior to the car's being taken in for the windshield washer problem.

All the best.

I don't understand what the praise is for assuming the dealer charged you for work performed after the warranty had expired. It seemed like the dealer did what they were supposed to do in diagnosing and fixing the problem correctly. Isn't this what a service department is supposed to do unless BMW service department standards are so low in that this isn't expected? And I always get loaner cars whether or not I'm getting warranty work done.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by alex2364

I don't understand what the praise is for assuming the dealer charged you for work performed after the warranty had expired. It seemed like the dealer did what they were supposed to do in diagnosing and fixing the problem correctly. Isn't this what a service department is supposed to do unless BMW service department standards are so low in that this isn't expected? And I always get loaner cars whether or not I'm getting warranty work done.

The warranty had expired. The dealer was under no obligation to perform the repair or part replacement free of charge to the car owner, and yet that's what the dealer did.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...2&postcount=16

I have edited the OP to state that no money was charged for the repair. I, mistakenly, left tacit the fact that the dealer didn't charge for the work it performed. I should not have done that.

All the best.