I will never buy a BMW again!

[infamxkris]

First let me start by saying this forum has many powers that some of us owners may not know it held. I posted couple months ago with an issue I had with my VIN sticker being missing from my vehicle amongst many other issues I was experiencing with the deceit I feel I received from one of BMWs authorized dealerships. Why I say this forum has amazing power is because after 2 days of posting my thread on here I got a call from BMW NA stating they had read my post on this site and want to resolve any issues I have. I thought to myself great now I can restore my faith back into the only car company I have ever bought and dealt with. All I have ever owned were BMWs as a 2010 e92 335xi m sport being my first car. Then went to the 09 e92 m3 and now currently with my 2013 f10 m5.

So to get to the story as I stated before I've been having the all to well known oil issue and luckily BMW finally approved a "new" engine. Now to my understanding I was told it would be a brand new engine but now I find out its a remanufactured engine and still not sure how I feel about that...

The main issue lies here... I was involved in a rear end collision at no fault to me and had the car towed to the same BMW service center I have been using for my M5. When the car got there they wouldn't let me bring it to the shop I usually get my work done which is MARTINO. They do absolutely the best work in the area and wanted the car to go there. Anyway BMW refused to take the car to any shop but the shop they work with which is MID ISLAND. I was very skeptical at first but the service manager as well as my advisor swore by them and said they are just as good if not better and I will not have any issues. So, I took their word for it. BIG MISTAKE!

So MID ISLAND had the car for almost 2 months and got compensated over 20k for the job from the insurance company. In this time one of the bumpers they worked on came out to a different shade of blue (I have MCB) so they worked on it again with no difference. I took the car back to deal with BMW because I did not want MID ISLAND touching my car again. BMW then told me to bring it to the shop of my choice to get the bumper the way I like it. I thought great BMW is standing behind their work and referral.

I bring it to MARTINO which is the shop of my choice. Upon having John (owner of shop) check the car out he started pointing things out I've never seen. To start things off my trunk is not flush and now my sensor says my trunk is open when it clearly is not. The rear of the car does not match the body of the car in terms of shade and is pretty noticeable. Then when I open my rear passenger doors you can see and feel overspray. One of the rear tail lights are coming off and not installed properly where the rubber seal is sticking out when I close the trunk. Front bumper is a different shade and is the most noticeable as far as paint goes. Now to top this all off I have a bill for 1200$ for hertz which they are charging me for the duration I had the rental when my car was being fixed. That is not so much BMWs fault but still frustrated nonetheless.

So I have reached out to both BMW service which I had the car towed to as well as MID ISLAND. The manager at BMW said I need to deal with it with MID ISLAND as they are the ones that got sent the check and was paid for the job. My argument here is that BMW was not allowing me to send my car anywhere else but to MID ISLAND the body shop they work with in which they swore by their work. I am sure both sides got paid BMW for the referral and MID ISLAND for the body work. So pretty much they passed the buck to MID ISLAND. So I got on the phone with Brian who is the general manager at this body shop and he starts blaming BMW stating that he saw my car at service when they were working on putting my new engine in and that they had my trunk open and my doors and saying they could have messed it up. To top it all off he blames me because I had bought the car pre owned and is now saying there was work done to the doors before I had bought it and that himself and multiple people at this BMW service center were laughing at the fact my door paint was all messed up.

To sum it all up I feel extremely disappointed in the way BMW handles situations like this. What really got to me is when Brian had said he was in the service center laughing and making jokes about my car and how bad the paint work was with the same employees that are working on my car which in his words agreed with him. What I want is a refund from MID ISLAND which is the shop BMW sent my car without giving me the option of going elsewhere for the cost to correct the issues they should have corrected from the beginning. I at no circumstance want MID ISLAND to touch my car ever again.

My hopes of getting this resolved is not high as everyone has already been paid but what I do wish is for BMW to step up and make this right.

Sorry for the long read as this is the only place I can really vent as well as to prevent anybody to go through what I have. Currently I haven't had the car for 5 months in which I make all my payments and now it might be gone for longer to get the paint work fixed if I can get someone to own up to the horrible work they did. Also to add the managers and staff from the sales department of the same BMW dealership actually said they were embarrassed after seeing my car in the state that it was. I think that speaks volumes on the type of work that was done if your own employees have to be embarrassed let alone having to let one of your loyal customers "live with it"

[Ryno 27]

Your issue should be with the dealership, not BMW. curious why you just didn't have the car towed directly to the body shop of your choice??

[NlckyBlack]

Everybody will be passing the blame to the guy next to them which is unfortunate. BMW should have let you send the car to whoever you want, and it's the bodyshops fault for their shitty paint job, although they will blame your car being used when you bought it. I would probably suggest getting a lawyer to help you.

[infamxkris]

The BMW service center I had the car towed to would not allow me to send the car to the body shop of my choice. As well as the manager saying they swear by this body shop and that they send all their work to this shop. So having the manager give his word on their work I thought if anything were to go wrong BMW would do something to make it right since it was sent by them. I would think if it is a body shop they send all their work to they would stand by each other but all I am getting is both parties blaming each other. Also anyone in the NY area steer clear of MID ISLAND as they are rude in customer service and their work is horrible from my experience.. Also one time I was in the back office and one of the employees slammed his phone on the desk and started cursing out this other lady that works there right in front of me... Literally fighting and saying each other can't do their jobs.. Doesn't necessarily make the customer comfortable when these are the people working on my car.

Also about the fact Brian ( shop owner ) would make jokes and say my car was hit and worked on before I bought the car which warrants my suspicion on the VIN sticker being missing. Pretty much he is saying I bought a car that was hit from the same dealership he gets work from. Did he unintentionally admit to working on my specific car prior to me purchasing it and never disclosing any damage? Remember the previous owner was the manager of the same dealership this guy does all the work for...

At this point I'm not sure who I'm supposed to be pissed at BMW for not stepping up or at BRIAN and MID ISLAND for the horrible job and possible cover up of a hit prior to my purchase...

[soooma]

Originally Posted by infamxkris

First let me start by saying this forum has many powers that some of us owners may not know it held. I posted couple months ago with an issue I had with my VIN sticker being missing from my vehicle amongst many other issues I was experiencing with the deceit I feel I received from one of BMWs authorized dealerships. Why I say this forum has amazing power is because after 2 days of posting my thread on here I got a call from BMW NA stating they had read my post on this site and want to resolve any issues I have. I thought to myself great now I can restore my faith back into the only car company I have ever bought and dealt with. All I have ever owned were BMWs as a 2010 e92 335xi m sport being my first car. Then went to the 09 e92 m3 and now currently with my 2013 f10 m5.

So to get to the story as I stated before I've been having the all to well known oil issue and luckily BMW finally approved a "new" engine. Now to my understanding I was told it would be a brand new engine but now I find out its a remanufactured engine and still not sure how I feel about that...

The main issue lies here... I was involved in a rear end collision at no fault to me and had the car towed to the same BMW service center I have been using for my M5. When the car got there they wouldn't let me bring it to the shop I usually get my work done which is MARTINO. They do absolutely the best work in the area and wanted the car to go there. Anyway BMW refused to take the car to any shop but the shop they work with which is MID ISLAND. I was very skeptical at first but the service manager as well as my advisor swore by them and said they are just as good if not better and I will not have any issues. So, I took their word for it. BIG MISTAKE!

So MID ISLAND had the car for almost 2 months and got compensated over 20k for the job from the insurance company. In this time one of the bumpers they worked on came out to a different shade of blue (I have MCB) so they worked on it again with no difference. I took the car back to deal with BMW because I did not want MID ISLAND touching my car again. BMW then told me to bring it to the shop of my choice to get the bumper the way I like it. I thought great BMW is standing behind their work and referral.

I bring it to MARTINO which is the shop of my choice. Upon having John (owner of shop) check the car out he started pointing things out I've never seen. To start things off my trunk is not flush and now my sensor says my trunk is open when it clearly is not. The rear of the car does not match the body of the car in terms of shade and is pretty noticeable. Then when I open my rear passenger doors you can see and feel overspray. One of the rear tail lights are coming off and not installed properly where the rubber seal is sticking out when I close the trunk. Front bumper is a different shade and is the most noticeable as far as paint goes. Now to top this all off I have a bill for 1200$ for hertz which they are charging me for the duration I had the rental when my car was being fixed. That is not so much BMWs fault but still frustrated nonetheless.

So I have reached out to both BMW service which I had the car towed to as well as MID ISLAND. The manager at BMW said I need to deal with it with MID ISLAND as they are the ones that got sent the check and was paid for the job. My argument here is that BMW was not allowing me to send my car anywhere else but to MID ISLAND the body shop they work with in which they swore by their work. I am sure both sides got paid BMW for the referral and MID ISLAND for the body work. So pretty much they passed the buck to MID ISLAND. So I got on the phone with Brian who is the general manager at this body shop and he starts blaming BMW stating that he saw my car at service when they were working on putting my new engine in and that they had my trunk open and my doors and saying they could have messed it up. To top it all off he blames me because I had bought the car pre owned and is now saying there was work done to the doors before I had bought it and that himself and multiple people at this BMW service center were laughing at the fact my door paint was all messed up.

To sum it all up I feel extremely disappointed in the way BMW handles situations like this. What really got to me is when Brian had said he was in the service center laughing and making jokes about my car and how bad the paint work was with the same employees that are working on my car which in his words agreed with him. What I want is a refund from MID ISLAND which is the shop BMW sent my car without giving me the option of going elsewhere for the cost to correct the issues they should have corrected from the beginning. I at no circumstance want MID ISLAND to touch my car ever again.

My hopes of getting this resolved is not high as everyone has already been paid but what I do wish is for BMW to step up and make this right.

Sorry for the long read as this is the only place I can really vent as well as to prevent anybody to go through what I have. Currently I haven't had the car for 5 months in which I make all my payments and now it might be gone for longer to get the paint work fixed if I can get someone to own up to the horrible work they did. Also to add the managers and staff from the sales department of the same BMW dealership actually said they were embarrassed after seeing my car in the state that it was. I think that speaks volumes on the type of work that was done if your own employees have to be embarrassed let alone having to let one of your loyal customers "live with it"

I am so sorry for your bad experience and I can relate out of similar bad experiences but not even close !!

I am the one who posted the thread about The Poll About Dealership Satisfaction 2 days ago and you are probably the one with rating as horrible!!

And I thanked this forum for empowering me because I was only heard when I posted a thread with names here, and dealer got so upset and was willing to work with me again on making me a happy customer after ignoring me for 2 months!!! , but to be honest they would never here do such a fraudulent deed done to you as they are rather classy but still it all boils down to $$$$ money, so you have to show you could touch that too!!!

You did the right thing which is "Take to the streets of this M5 forum" and others" but you need to put full names and specific places and make sure to keep the word circulating around and make a video about it with names too as well as a blog.

This all won't take you 2 days to do, and send them this post as an email and sign M5post at the bottom and ask them to go read it with names too on public forumS and name and sign some, and let them know thousands of people will be reading these posts in less than a week.

edit your post title stating names of person and city and dealership.

Tell me how I could be of more help,
hope you sort this out

If we just can get together as one hand we could always save such people from being abused by their dealership.

I don't mind sending a letter to this dealership stating what u think of them based on what we are reading online !!! And don't mind post bad reviews either

just tell us how to help!!
Empowered M5post member

[grendel88]

I agree with other posters here that it was a dealership issue. I bought and leased 5 BMWs from the same dealership, but when my CA left for another dealership, I followed him for my 6th lease and tried to get a 7th from him as well. The original dealership never even called me at the end of my leases and the service department is a pain in the ass about loaners. A meh dealership will always be a meh dealership, regardless of brand.

[nabizzy]

mind if i share this post? maybe if we get it around it will help you

[infamxkris]

Originally Posted by nabizzy

mind if i share this post? maybe if we get it around it will help you

You may share the post. Any help would be appreciated from you fellow members!

[Bönz]

I don't understand why you let the dealership push you around. Collision repair is between you, your insurance company and the collision shop of your choice. BMW has nothing to do with this and the only thing the dealership is guilty of is pushing you to their preferred shop (can you say kick backs?). You should have taken responsibility for this form the onset.

I do wish you the best in resolving this now terrible situation.

[infamxkris]

Originally Posted by Bnz

I don't understand why you let the dealership push you around. Collision repair is between you, your insurance company and the collision shop of your choice. BMW has nothing to do with this and the only thing the dealership is guilty of is pushing you to their preferred shop (can you say kick backs?). You should have taken responsibility for this form the onset.

I do wish you the best in resolving this now terrible situation.

I had the car towed to the BMW service center right after I got hit.. Which was around 1-2am. The next day that BMW service center told me that they towed the car to MID ISLAND ( their body shop ) at this point the car is already there and they are refusing to move it to a body shop of my choice which would have been MARTINO. Manager and everyone else in the service center then starts bashing MARTINO and says MID ISLAND is way better and that I would have no issues. I thought it being a BMW referral what could go wrong? And if anything did, I was certain they would stand behind their work... Guess not?

[pgviper]

Originally Posted by infamxkris

I had the car towed to the BMW service center right after I got hit.. Which was around 1-2am. The next day that BMW service center told me that they towed the car to MID ISLAND ( their body shop ) at this point the car is already there and they are refusing to move it to a body shop of my choice which would have been MARTINO. Manager and everyone else in the service center then starts bashing MARTINO and says MID ISLAND is way better and that I would have no issues. I thought it being a BMW referral what could go wrong? And if anything did, I was certain they would stand behind their work... Guess not?

Sorry about your story. Sounds to me that this is a personal referral rather than a BMW dealership referral in which case BMW NA can't do much about it. Like someone mentioned earlier, collision repair is between you and your insurance company. Thats all!

Care to share which BMW dealership it is?

Also, post up some pictures of the shitty work if you can.

[infamxkris]

Originally Posted by pgviper

Sorry about your story. Sounds to me that this is a personal referral rather than a BMW dealership referral in which case BMW NA can't do much about it. Like someone mentioned earlier, collision repair is between you and your insurance company. Thats all!

Care to share which BMW dealership it is?

Also, post up some pictures of the shitty work if you can.

I don't mind sharing the name of the dealership but want to give them a chance to make it right. I don't mind uploading pictures as well but would have to wait until I get back home from work.

Also how is it a personal referral when I had the car towed to BMW service and not to the managers house? The car was in BMWs facility where they went ahead and outsourced my car to the body shop they send all their work to. To me it sounds like they are responsible at least for the work as that body shop is representing BMW as they stated MID ISLAND does all their work...

[MFIZZLENYC]

I had a similar issue with my E39 M5 years ago same thing had the car towed to my dealer they brought it to their body shop... well long story short took 4 years plus to sue the body shop They had to pay up but the stress and dragging wasn't worth it...

sorry to hear

pm me the name of the dealer just curious


also Martino is a great shop John is a stand up guy he will make it look and be correct...

[DrewM5]

This is where my temper would have helped me. I would have gone totally apesh!t if they told me they moved my car to the shop without my permission and would not have it brought to the shop I wanted to use to work on it. That would have only strengthened my resolve to take the business away. Even if I had to pay for the tow to my shop - hell, if I had to push the damn car - I would have made sure they did not get the business.

9 out of 10 times my stubbornness and temper gets me in trouble. This would be the one in ten where it is an advantage.

[Northern X5M]

MCB I think is a very hard color to match. My X5M was MCB and the panel match from the factory was horrible. I almost didn't accept the truck when I received it. The front quarters and hood were way off from the main body.

With any metallic paint, a match is near impossible and how the metallics set will greatly alter how the paint looks. But the shoddy workmanship is BS, and like others have said, the dealer cannot tell you which repair shop to use. You got strong-arm'd. Hope everything works out in the end. I've seen forums move mountains, so good luck.

[infamxkris]

Originally Posted by Northern X5M

MCB I think is a very hard color to match. My X5M was MCB and the panel match from the factory was horrible. I almost didn't accept the truck when I received it. The front quarters and hood were way off from the main body.

With any metallic paint, a match is near impossible and how the metallics set will greatly alter how the paint looks. But the shoddy workmanship is BS, and like others have said, the dealer cannot tell you which repair shop to use. You got strong-arm'd. Hope everything works out in the end. I've seen forums move mountains, so good luck.

This is what the body shop MID ISLAND keeps saying that the car is supposed to look like that and won't get any better... It's just hard for me to believe that MARTINO was able to color match my Jerez black e92 m3 spot on but MCB at MID ISLAND can't be color matched. Both BMW and MID ISLAND are saying that's how MCB is. Just very hard to believe as well as extremely disappointing. Given my age (23) I feel like I am being taken for a ride.

My view of BMW has changed for the worst if this is how they treat their customers and can't seem to stand behind their work if they refer a shop or in my case "strong arm" me to a shop.

[Jay-K]

I am sorry about this,
but that 5 months with not having the car is seriously unacceptable for me,
the best way was to go to BMW NA.

anyways, I've had problems with my local dealer almost everytime,
but its bmw.. we just cannot not go back to it.

good luck I hope everything works out well!

[infamxkris]

Originally Posted by Jay-K

I am sorry about this,
but that 5 months with not having the car is seriously unacceptable for me,
the best way was to go to BMW NA.

anyways, I've had problems with my local dealer almost everytime,
but its bmw.. we just cannot not go back to it.

good luck I hope everything works out well!

5 months of payments is almost 10k I paid BMW to sit in their loaner cars.. And on top of it all I have to deal with the shit job that was done with no help from BMW at this point.

Again I've dreamt of owning a BMW ever since I can remember. I first fell in love with the e46 m3 back when I was in middle school and now that I've been able to set myself up in a position where I can actually afford these cars and now the experience has ruined everything I felt since I was just a kid.. Highly disappointing and is something that stays with somebody for life as far as experience goes...

[JOHNBMWM5]

My take on this is BMW new your car had prior damage which had been repaired buy this garage for them before you got it, this is why they specifically wanted the car sent there, to avoid any come backs once the car was stripped.

I would get shot of it asap and not deal with these arseholes again.

[Bönz]

No doubt metallic are hard to match , especially these blues. But I had both the front and rear bumpers painted during the course of ownership on my DSB 650i and I would challenge anyone who didn't know to tell the difference.

Plus the fasciae are the hardest to match due to the flex agents that must be added. So it can be done.

[infamxkris]

Originally Posted by JOHNBMWM5

My take on this is BMW new your car had prior damage which had been repaired buy this garage for them before you got it, this is why they specifically wanted the car sent there, to avoid any come backs once the car was stripped.

I would get shot of it asap and not deal with these arseholes again.

This is exactly what I am thinking but it's another to prove it... BRIAN from MID ISLAND specifically said it was hit before I bought it because he can see work was done to it. Blaming me for buying a pre owned car and keeping his name clean by saying it wasn't them that worked on it. When indeed they were the last body shop to have my car and the only work I had done was from them because of the accident I had incurred...

This is exactly what I suspect is that the previous owner which was the manager of this said dealership which he no longer works for. Being MID ISLAND is the shop they work with I am certain the manager worked something out with BRIAN from MID ISLAND to get work done but to cover it up so he can sell as a clean car. Now BRIAN made the mistake of saying work was done to the car previous to my purchase which would only strengthen my suspicions...

[secretariat]

A lesson learned from this experience and your age playing a factor. NO ONE TELLS YOU WHERE TO GET YOUR VEHICLE WORKED ON, NO ONE.