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      04-08-2015, 06:02 PM   #1
jr219
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Tips for serivce?

Hello,

What does everyone do when they bring their car in for service? I have had horrible experiences with my local BMW Dealer in the past. They scratched my X5 bad when pulling out drivers seat to deal with a condensate leak. Then they scratched a rim really bad when replacing a tire (but didn't mention anything until I brought it up). They did replace the rim, and they offered to fix the scratch but when it comes to re-painting, sometimes the cure is worse than the disease if you know what I mean..

I am the kind of guy where I walk around the car with the SA and have us both mark down any kind of scratches, etc. Many of us are likely the same way and have high expectations.

So, I am asking specifically what do you do when you bring your car in for service to help guarantee that your car is treated nicely and not abused?

Thanks!

-jr
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      04-08-2015, 06:09 PM   #2
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It happened to me too.
One time with front bumper (and they repaint it)
Another time with front rim in dealer car wash (and they fixed it)
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      04-08-2015, 09:49 PM   #3
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I walk around the car with the SA. I also take a pic of the odometer. If it's routine service and doesn't require the car to be driven, I ask them to keep the car indoors at all times and not run it through their car wash. So far so good.... granted I've only brought my '15 M6 GC in once recently for the 1,200 mile break in service.
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      04-08-2015, 11:25 PM   #4
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Pull the car up to the dealer, walk around by yourself and make sure theres no damage, or record whichever is already there.

Go talk to your SA, give him an envelope w/ $50 in it along with your keys, ask them not to wash it and move on with your life.

Pick up your car, make sure theres no damage... if there is, address it, have them fix it, and move on with your life. Next time, go to a different dealership and repeat.

The more you worry about your car, the more often its going to get damaged. Just saying...
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      04-09-2015, 07:26 AM   #5
jr219
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Igor@ONEighty View Post
Pull the car up to the dealer, walk around by yourself and make sure theres no damage, or record whichever is already there.

Go talk to your SA, give him an envelope w/ $50 in it along with your keys, ask them not to wash it and move on with your life.

Pick up your car, make sure theres no damage... if there is, address it, have them fix it, and move on with your life. Next time, go to a different dealership and repeat.

The more you worry about your car, the more often its going to get damaged. Just saying...
This is so true. This is good advice.. Especially the $50 to the SA..


-jr
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      04-09-2015, 08:36 AM   #6
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I always take a pic of the odometer with the date.
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      04-09-2015, 11:17 AM   #7
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I respectfully disagree with the $50 cash gift to the service advisor. If you want to give your service advisor a gift of food or beverage once a year during the holidays, that's acceptable, but bribing him to do the job he is paid to do is just awful. If you want to give a smaller tip to the guy who details your car or who drops you off or picks you up from work, that's understandable.

It sounds unethical to me for the service advisor to accept large cash tips for doing the job expected of him.

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      04-09-2015, 11:57 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ninong View Post
I respectfully disagree with the $50 cash gift to the service advisor. If you want to give your service advisor a gift of food or beverage once a year during the holidays, that's acceptable, but bribing him to do the job he is paid to do is just awful. If you want to give a smaller tip to the guy who details your car or who drops you off or picks you up from work, that's understandable.

It sounds unethical to me for the service advisor to accept large cash tips for doing the job expected of him.

Agreed. I don't spend a lot of time worrying about how my car is treated when it goes in for service. Like others have said, I give the car a once over before handing the keys and document the mileage and recent MPGs and keep it moving.
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      04-09-2015, 02:06 PM   #9
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I always give the drivers something ($10.00) because you never know when they are going to be asked to drive your car back to you.They also drop off and pick up winter tires/summer tires and leave them in my driveway if I am not around. I have a good relationship with the drivers and trust them not to do something stupid. As far as SA I'll give him something if he goes out of his way to get me in right away when I call him for needed service. $50.00 is crazy just to make sure he treats the car the way he is suppose to.
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      04-09-2015, 02:37 PM   #10
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I bring a bottle of whiskey each time, around $50 for my SA. It always pushes me right to the front and he ensures no test drives or car wash. A small gift goes a long way.
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      04-10-2015, 01:06 PM   #11
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lol this must be a NY thing cuz I never thought of tipping my SA 50 bucks... who knows if 50 bucks is even enough to someone's eyes. I think a bottle of whiskey or something definitely sounds better, but more as a holiday gift
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      04-10-2015, 01:31 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by secretariat View Post
I always give the drivers something ($10.00)...
This is appropriate and they will absolutely appreciate it and remember you. If you're a sports celebrity, any autographed item will send them over the moon and guarantee personalized service, even if it's just an autographed 8x10 glossy.

Quote:
As far as SA I'll give him something if he goes out of his way to get me in right away when I call him for needed service. $50.00 is crazy just to make sure he treats the car the way he is suppose to.
I guess I could understand giving the SA something as a thank-you but not $50 and only after the work is done. Otherwise it seems unethical to me for the SA to accept "bribes" for special service, which would indicate that other BMW owners are receiving second-class service. You do not have to bribe the SA to receive the first-class service you are entitled to as a BMW owner!

Quote:
Originally Posted by speedracerlo View Post
lol this must be a NY thing cuz I never thought of tipping my SA 50 bucks... who knows if 50 bucks is even enough to someone's eyes. I think a bottle of whiskey or something definitely sounds better, but more as a holiday gift
Maybe you're right. Maybe it's more common on the East Coast? It would definitely be considered unethical by most owners for their employees to accepted what amounts to bribes for special service. If you want to tip the guy who detailed your car, that's very appropriate, or the guy who dropped you off or picked you up, but not the service adviser and definitely not in advance.
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