Time for BMW to admit my M5 is a lemon?

[ColdList]

Not sure if this bears an ounce of relevance but I heard from a reliable source in Germany that there have been numerous fuel pump issues.

[Spinny02]

Went through this with our 08' Cayenne Turbo.... A problem every other month.... We (I) had too much vested emotionally in the car so it was never sold.... until now. NON stop SHOP is getting very old (Porsche has covered every problem with zero cost to date).... she is going up for sale..

[AlphaAlpineM6]

this isn't rocket science. lemon the damn thing and move on. it's a mass production vehicle, there's always a small margin of error. sometimes you get the bad lemon

[DanW]

Originally Posted by Protious

Hah that's funny.. I've been having a ton of issues on my M5 too.. Same dealer, makes you wonder.

I'm also considering doing a lemon case, problem is I'm out of state and it seems more complicated. I literally have a stack of service papers and was planning on writing a letter to BMW N/A and see what they say.

List of my issues:

Drivetrain Malfunction - "Soft Code", "Reprogram" (2x)
Wheel Hub / Wheel Bearing Replacements - "Left", "Right" (2x)
Caliper Replacements - "Front Passenger", "Front Drivers" (2x)
Wrong Oil - "BMW of San Antonio" (1x)
Seat Beat Malfunction - "Broken, Did Not Lock" (1x)
EDC Failure - "Soft Code" (1x)
High Pressure Steering Line - "Steering Vibration Right", "Steering Vibration Left", "Steering Vibration Left" (3x)

Most likely there are a few other things I'm missing, I haven't gone over all the papers I got today when I asked for copies of service orders.

For a car that cost me nearly 110k, I wouldn't expect this many issues to come up on a constant basis. Granted I do already have 11k miles on my car.

Social Media really gets a quick reaction. a few tweets tagging BMW NA got them in contact with me very quickly. I'd suggest that. Nothing like letting the world know that you are having problems with a car you spent over $100k on.

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by DanW

Social Media really gets a quick reaction. a few tweets tagging BMW NA got them in contact with me very quickly. I'd suggest that. Nothing like letting the world know that you are having problems with a car you spent over $100k on.

I would second that and should have been done long ago too.

[Protious]

Just posted a message on their Facebook.. We'll see what happens.

[greentrbo95gst]

Dan, I have an attorney that specializes in cases against BMW. PM me and he will take care of you financially.

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by greentrbo95gst

Dan, I have an attorney that specializes in cases against BMW. PM me and he will take care of you financially.

This would be my way, get started quick.

[Protious]

Well that was quick, BMW already reached out to me. Trying to give them a call back and see what happens.

[dhirm5]

+1 on social media.

It's very difficult for these companies to ignore you when you make your story public. Historically there was no easy way to do it. Now that they all have Facebook/Twitter, they open themselves up to easy far-reaching negative publicity.

To be honest, if I were them, I'd shut down my social media accounts - noone buys a BMW because they have or don't have a social media presence..

[greentrbo95gst]

Forget social media, do it the right way. Lemon Law attorney.
It sounds like you are wasting a lot of time on this when attorney could take care of all of it for you including charging BMW for his fee.

[Protious]

Anyone have some good lawyer contacts then? I just got the car back from the shop and my wheel clicking and steering wheel vibration is already back - it hasn't even been a full week since they've fixed it.

I left a voicemail with BMW and they haven't called me back, I'm getting a bit annoyed at this whole situation. My car has been in the shop much more then the number of months I've owned it.

I bought my car in Arizona (Chapman BMW) but the car is registered in Texas.

[RPiM5]

Originally Posted by AlphaAlpineM6

this isn't rocket science. lemon the damn thing and move on. it's a mass production vehicle, there's always a small margin of error. sometimes you get the bad lemon

Yeah it's not Rocket Surgery!

[elitex]

I lemoned my 12 550I, I was getting the same run around until I wrote an email to bunch of executives here in US and in Germany. It was all taken care of within a week.

I bought 2 M cars after that debacle. If they hadn't taken care of me then it would've left a bad taste.

[supLOL]

Originally Posted by Protious

Anyone have some good lawyer contacts then? I just got the car back from the shop and my wheel clicking and steering wheel vibration is already back - it hasn't even been a full week since they've fixed it.

I left a voicemail with BMW and they haven't called me back, I'm getting a bit annoyed at this whole situation. My car has been in the shop much more then the number of months I've owned it.

I bought my car in Arizona (Chapman BMW) but the car is registered in Texas.

Chapman is where I bought and et my car serviced! They're awesome.

But yeah OP, if you take to Twitter, you can get this issue resolved pretty quickly. They'll probably contact you and ask you to take the tweets down too. Social media can be very damaging to an image.

[Daboom]

I had some serious issues with my 2013 M5 and after 4 major computer issues in 3200 miles, BMW NA did a substitute of collateral and they replaced mine with a new 2014 M5 Competition two weeks ago... I am still stunned but BMW NA can make this happen.

[Protious]

Wow, and they won't even give me an extended warranty?! I just got my warranty claims report, and I've been there a whooping 20 times for similar issues on a SEVEN MONTH OLD CAR, and BMW simply called me back and said "management denied the extended warranty request, is there anything else I may assist you with?".

Talk about GREAT customer service, bunch of fools over there as far as I can tell. (oh, btw /s)

[ColdList]

It is obvious and understandable that you already have it firmly in your mind that that you do not want this particular car anymore. You might as well start taking the appropriate actions towards a Lemon Law claim. I would highly advise against further meetings with BMW and particularly against accepting compromises, monetary or otherwise. ie: no more "good faith" checks. It is a ludicrous assertion by BMW that you are "not driving the car enough". If this is so, then the vehicle should be marketed as a vehicle requiring a minimum number of miles driven. I would also not accept the BMW unilateral conclusion that your issues are TWO instead of one. They are well schooled in this and know that classifying these issues as ONE singular issue would put them at severe disadvantage.

Consult your attorney as planned and engage in no further personal communications with BMW without representation.

[fuddman]

Originally Posted by Protious

Wow, and they won't even give me an extended warranty?! I just got my warranty claims report, and I've been there a whooping 20 times for similar issues on a SEVEN MONTH OLD CAR, and BMW simply called me back and said "management denied the extended warranty request, is there anything else I may assist you with?".

Talk about GREAT customer service, bunch of fools over there as far as I can tell. (oh, btw /s)

In most states, a new car which continues to fail over a certain time frame is automatically a lemon and must be replaced by the manufacturer. These state lemon laws are provided on line for consumers by the state, usually in easy read form. I recommend you brush up on the law as it's written in your state and determine whether the problems you've encountered fit the criteria. From your description, it sounds like it does.
BMW is aware of these laws.
I suggest you start by speaking directly to the Service Manager and lay out the reasons you no longer have faith in the car. Provide as much detail as possible about how the car has failed to meet your requirements (work transportation, and other vital needs). A written explanation with shop invoices, time lost and so on, would be very helpful to your case. Ask the Service Manager to intercede on your behalf with BMWNA. BMWNA and the Service Manager need to communicate. Hopefully you can get the SM on your side. At some point, he is likely to ask you what you want. Be sure you are ready to answer that question. Do you want another car, your money back or what?
I've found BMW to be very fair about these cases once they have established the customers complaint is valid. That's the part which takes a little persistence.
Good luck with it.

[Daboom]

Originally Posted by fuddman

In most states, a new car which continues to fail over a certain time frame is automatically a lemon and must be replaced by the manufacturer. These state lemon laws are provided on line for consumers by the state, usually in easy read form. I recommend you brush up on the law as it's written in your state and determine whether the problems you've encountered fit the criteria. From your description, it sounds like it does.
BMW is aware of these laws.
I suggest you start by speaking directly to the Service Manager and lay out the reasons you no longer have faith in the car. Provide as much detail as possible about how the car has failed to meet your requirements (work transportation, and other vital needs). A written explanation with shop invoices, time lost and so on, would be very helpful to your case. Ask the Service Manager to intercede on your behalf with BMWNA. BMWNA and the Service Manager need to communicate. Hopefully you can get the SM on your side. At some point, he is likely to ask you what you want. Be sure you are ready to answer that question. Do you want another car, your money back or what?
I've found BMW to be very fair about these cases once they have established the customers complaint is valid. That's the part which takes a little persistence.
Good luck with it.

I agree with Fuddman.

You need to be more assertive with your Service Manager as well as the guy who actually sold you the car. This is suppose to be the "Ultimate Driving Machine"

It's not the "Ultimate" if you can't drive it... They should understand that more than anyone as they actually sell the product...

[Salespunk]

Why even involve the service manager? Call BMWNA directly let them know you would like to return the car under the lemon law for your state (make sure you check the requirements). They will take your VIN while on the phone and then reach out to the regional service director. The RSD will verify the service record and if you qualify BMW will take the car back. This avoids a Lemon title for them and hopefully retains the customer.

I speak from experience BTW. Currently going through the process with BMWNA (not on my M5) and they have been really great to work with.