VOB BMW of Maryland has the worst service

[cynicalwry]

On June 23rd I was driving to drop my friend off at his house and after coming up the driveway, my brakes failed. I had to push the brakes half way down before they responding. Being very concerned and confused, I drove slowly home and started looking up any other related issues on the web.
On June 24th I got in my car and drove to BMW Excluservice in Rockville, MD. Thinking that my warranty was over (being that I had 56,000 miles on the car) I was recommended this shop as having factory trained mechanics that mostly came from dealerships. Here I met Hector and he began to diagnose my problems. Thumbing through the paperwork I brought him he saw that I purchased the car used and that I had a 100,000-mile CPO warranty that should cover my brake problems. We looked up the fault codes on the computer readout and he carefully explained what each one meant and how that could affect the problems I was having. He said he would love to fix my car and take my money, but wouldn’t feel right about it being that I had a warranty.
I took my car to VOB BMW in Rockville, MD (just a minute down the road.) Talking to my service advisor Doug was not going anywhere. He said I should probably talk to Brian. Brian used to be my service advisor but moved up the ladder to service director after Mike Winter moved the BMW of Sterling. I brought a typed up paper that had all the fault codes and talked to Brian in detail about my car and how it was responding. He said he would try his best to look at it as soon as possible.
The next evening I got a phone call from Doug. He said that my car would not be worked on at all due to the aftermarket accessories I had. He complained about the PlayStation and Xbox that were in the trunk. Both of those don’t have any of the wires hooked up to them and never have. It is a very unfinished project. His complaint was the power draw that these were creating on the car and said that was affecting the entire car’s computer. He said he would be unable to do any testing on the car due to power flocculation.
The following morning (Thursday I believe) my father and I both showed up at the dealership to talk to Brian. He again said he would not work on the car because of the aftermarket accessories I had on the car. I told him I could very easily disconnect the power to the angel eyes and subwoofers and that if the fuse to the radio and cigarette lighter were removed, the car would again be electrically stock and there would be no extra current draw. After talking for some time he said he would contact a regional rep and get back to me within a few days. I told Brian I was going out of town and that I would be on a cruise July 3rd through 6th.
I called on Tuesday and left a message for Brian asking what the status of my car was. Thursday July 3rd I finally got a phone call back from Brian. He said the regional rep said if I turned the car back to stock that warranty work could then commence and my problems could be solved. At this point I was already on the Boat heading out to sea and told him I would be there Monday or Tuesday to unplug the aftermarket equipment and that it would take me no longer than 15 minutes to do so.
I showed up Tuesday morning with a socket and a screw driver (the only tools needed to unplug my equipment.) Brian asked me if I was here to pick up my car and take it somewhere else. He said he did not want to work on the car. I reminded him of our conversation from Thursday and he finally agreed. He said I would have to drive my car home (which wasn’t braking correctly) and do all the work there. I told him it was literally only two tools that I needed and that it would take next to no time. Brian told me that due to insurance reasons I would not be aloud to alter my car in any way on VOB’s property. I told him I would then drive it across the street and do it there. He sent for my car to be brought down to me. Around the corner I hear some serious bass coming from a car. Sure enough it’s my car being driven by some thug listening to rap very loudly w/ the seat all the way back and leaned down. He stopped the car, left the door open, and walked away! Now I’m 6 feet tall… the seat did not need to be adjusted as if to sleep in the car in order to drive it 100 yards. I turned the bass down on the radio (it was all the way up) and drove across the street. As I was leaving the “parking police” told me I was not aloud to leave my car on VOB’s property! I drove the car there and was now told to talk my BMW off the property to do the altercations… now I’m being told that I can only drive 1 car at a time… but I have to have both of them off the property! I moved the van to another part of the lot and drove off in the BMW.
Shortly thereafter I came back with the car changed. I left the equipment in the car but unplugged all of it. Brian said he would get to my car as quick as he could but probably would not be able to have it looked at until Wednesday.
Thursday July 10th rolls by and I hear nothing so I call Brian and leave a message. I call him again Friday and am told he’s with another customer and that he’ll call me right back. I do not receive any phone calls from Brian so I leave a message Sunday night in hopes that he will call me Monday. I hear NOTHING from VOB the entire week! Friday 18th my father calls VOB and eventually speaks with Doug. He says that Brian is out on vacation and that he will return on Tuesday July 21st. So while Brian is vacationing my car is just sitting in the lot looking pretty. My dad enquires about the progress of the car. Doug informs my dad that the mechanic refuses to work on my car because of the aftermarket equipment. This is 3 weeks after the original date that I brought in my car!
Monday the 21st in the afternoon my house is called and my mom is told that the car is ready to be picked up. I was in shock. I had my friend drop me off at VOB on his way to VA. I find a brand new service manager as the new Silver team advisor. I ask him about me car and am told that the ticket is waiting at the counter. I go to the counter and find that the only work that has been done on my car is a steering angle sensor and am charged $515 to have it replaced. I am furious because I complained about my brakes, o2 sensor, and right rear window! So now I’m stuck hear at VOB with a car that hasn’t been properly address in 27 days! I have no ride home so I pay the ticket and take my car planning on returning with the car the following morning planning to talk with Brian. The car is brought down to me and placed blocking all traffic at the driveway. I am talking to a technician and he is explained the work done to me for about 10 minutes. As I walk out to my car the “parking Police” tells me I have to move my car out of the driveway immediately. I told him was inspecting my car for any scratches/dents before I left. He said I would have to do that else where because the car was blocking people. I yelled saying that I did not park the car here; his incompetent staff parked the car blocking every body. So I moved if 10 feet forward and then checked my car.
Driving home I can tell the car is not fixed. The brakes work, but they take a much further depression of the pedal for them to activate. As the car heated up, the problem seemed to be getting worse and worse. Driving down a road somebody cut out in front of me and forced me to slam on my brakes. Here is what scared the crap out of me… The brake pedal was touching the floor and the car was slowing down. I was able to pull onto the shoulder (lucky there was one) and avoid a high-speed collision. This has been a nightmare all my life (not having brakes) and I just went through it. Needless to say I was pissed. I kept the car in 2nd gear and drove the last 2 miles home. I called BMW of NA and told them all that had happened. I decided to go in and talk to Brian the next day.
I went in around 10AM and began talking with Brian. He made up excuses for the delayed service and told me he would never attempt any form of warranty work on my car in the future. He apologized for not addressing any of the other problems I mentioned. After much argument he said the best thing he would be willing to do was tow the car from my house to VOB to have the brakes looked at but that it would be scheduled in with all the other incoming service and that would take time. This whole time Brian has been trying to push me out and not service my car. I thought that was what dealerships do… fix cars!
Now the car is still sitting at my house as I’m trying to arrange for it to be worked at in Sterling. I’ve called Mike Winter (Service Director at BMW of Sterling in VA) and have not gotten a phone call back. VOB’s terrible customer service has scared me and I will never do any business with them again. I suggest all do the same.

[·clyde·]

I didn't actually read your post, but the thread title mirrors the general feeling of board members that have dealt with VOB service.

[FSelekler]

It is amazing how many times we saw someone post such a long negative message about VOB service. As Clyde mentioned with no disrespect, we almost never read the whole story as we are quite sure we have seen similar posts about VOB several dozen times.

Sorry for the problems you had, but "welcome to the club of VOB avoiders" ;)

[vern]

On June 23rd I was driving to drop my friend off at his house and after coming up the driveway, my brakes failed. I had to push the brakes half way down before they responding. Being very concerned and confused, I drove slowly home and started looking up any other related issues on the web.
On June 24th I got in my car and drove to BMW Excluservice in Rockville, MD. Thinking that my warranty was over (being that I had 56,000 miles on the car) I was recommended this shop as having factory trained mechanics that mostly came from dealerships. Here I met Hector and he began to diagnose my problems. Thumbing through the paperwork I brought him he saw that I purchased the car used and that I had a 100,000-mile CPO warranty that should cover my brake problems. We looked up the fault codes on the computer readout and he carefully explained what each one meant and how that could affect the problems I was having. He said he would love to fix my car and take my money, but wouldn’t feel right about it being that I had a warranty.
I took my car to VOB BMW in Rockville, MD (just a minute down the road.) Talking to my service advisor Doug was not going anywhere. He said I should probably talk to Brian. Brian used to be my service advisor but moved up the ladder to service director after Mike Winter moved the BMW of Sterling. I brought a typed up paper that had all the fault codes and talked to Brian in detail about my car and how it was responding. He said he would try his best to look at it as soon as possible.
The next evening I got a phone call from Doug. He said that my car would not be worked on at all due to the aftermarket accessories I had. He complained about the PlayStation and Xbox that were in the trunk. Both of those don’t have any of the wires hooked up to them and never have. It is a very unfinished project. His complaint was the power draw that these were creating on the car and said that was affecting the entire car’s computer. He said he would be unable to do any testing on the car due to power flocculation.
The following morning (Thursday I believe) my father and I both showed up at the dealership to talk to Brian. He again said he would not work on the car because of the aftermarket accessories I had on the car. I told him I could very easily disconnect the power to the angel eyes and subwoofers and that if the fuse to the radio and cigarette lighter were removed, the car would again be electrically stock and there would be no extra current draw. After talking for some time he said he would contact a regional rep and get back to me within a few days. I told Brian I was going out of town and that I would be on a cruise July 3rd through 6th.
I called on Tuesday and left a message for Brian asking what the status of my car was. Thursday July 3rd I finally got a phone call back from Brian. He said the regional rep said if I turned the car back to stock that warranty work could then commence and my problems could be solved. At this point I was already on the Boat heading out to sea and told him I would be there Monday or Tuesday to unplug the aftermarket equipment and that it would take me no longer than 15 minutes to do so.
I showed up Tuesday morning with a socket and a screw driver (the only tools needed to unplug my equipment.) Brian asked me if I was here to pick up my car and take it somewhere else. He said he did not want to work on the car. I reminded him of our conversation from Thursday and he finally agreed. He said I would have to drive my car home (which wasn’t braking correctly) and do all the work there. I told him it was literally only two tools that I needed and that it would take next to no time. Brian told me that due to insurance reasons I would not be aloud to alter my car in any way on VOB’s property. I told him I would then drive it across the street and do it there. He sent for my car to be brought down to me. Around the corner I hear some serious bass coming from a car. Sure enough it’s my car being driven by some thug listening to rap very loudly w/ the seat all the way back and leaned down. He stopped the car, left the door open, and walked away! Now I’m 6 feet tall… the seat did not need to be adjusted as if to sleep in the car in order to drive it 100 yards. I turned the bass down on the radio (it was all the way up) and drove across the street. As I was leaving the “parking police” told me I was not aloud to leave my car on VOB’s property! I drove the car there and was now told to talk my BMW off the property to do the altercations… now I’m being told that I can only drive 1 car at a time… but I have to have both of them off the property! I moved the van to another part of the lot and drove off in the BMW.
Shortly thereafter I came back with the car changed. I left the equipment in the car but unplugged all of it. Brian said he would get to my car as quick as he could but probably would not be able to have it looked at until Wednesday.
Thursday July 10th rolls by and I hear nothing so I call Brian and leave a message. I call him again Friday and am told he’s with another customer and that he’ll call me right back. I do not receive any phone calls from Brian so I leave a message Sunday night in hopes that he will call me Monday. I hear NOTHING from VOB the entire week! Friday 18th my father calls VOB and eventually speaks with Doug. He says that Brian is out on vacation and that he will return on Tuesday July 21st. So while Brian is vacationing my car is just sitting in the lot looking pretty. My dad enquires about the progress of the car. Doug informs my dad that the mechanic refuses to work on my car because of the aftermarket equipment. This is 3 weeks after the original date that I brought in my car!
Monday the 21st in the afternoon my house is called and my mom is told that the car is ready to be picked up. I was in shock. I had my friend drop me off at VOB on his way to VA. I find a brand new service manager as the new Silver team advisor. I ask him about me car and am told that the ticket is waiting at the counter. I go to the counter and find that the only work that has been done on my car is a steering angle sensor and am charged $515 to have it replaced. I am furious because I complained about my brakes, o2 sensor, and right rear window! So now I’m stuck hear at VOB with a car that hasn’t been properly address in 27 days! I have no ride home so I pay the ticket and take my car planning on returning with the car the following morning planning to talk with Brian. The car is brought down to me and placed blocking all traffic at the driveway. I am talking to a technician and he is explained the work done to me for about 10 minutes. As I walk out to my car the “parking Police” tells me I have to move my car out of the driveway immediately. I told him was inspecting my car for any scratches/dents before I left. He said I would have to do that else where because the car was blocking people. I yelled saying that I did not park the car here; his incompetent staff parked the car blocking every body. So I moved if 10 feet forward and then checked my car.
Driving home I can tell the car is not fixed. The brakes work, but they take a much further depression of the pedal for them to activate. As the car heated up, the problem seemed to be getting worse and worse. Driving down a road somebody cut out in front of me and forced me to slam on my brakes. Here is what scared the crap out of me… The brake pedal was touching the floor and the car was slowing down. I was able to pull onto the shoulder (lucky there was one) and avoid a high-speed collision. This has been a nightmare all my life (not having brakes) and I just went through it. Needless to say I was pissed. I kept the car in 2nd gear and drove the last 2 miles home. I called BMW of NA and told them all that had happened. I decided to go in and talk to Brian the next day.
I went in around 10AM and began talking with Brian. He made up excuses for the delayed service and told me he would never attempt any form of warranty work on my car in the future. He apologized for not addressing any of the other problems I mentioned. After much argument he said the best thing he would be willing to do was tow the car from my house to VOB to have the brakes looked at but that it would be scheduled in with all the other incoming service and that would take time. This whole time Brian has been trying to push me out and not service my car. I thought that was what dealerships do… fix cars!
Now the car is still sitting at my house as I’m trying to arrange for it to be worked at in Sterling. I’ve called Mike Winter (Service Director at BMW of Sterling in VA) and have not gotten a phone call back. VOB’s terrible customer service has scared me and I will never do any business with them again. I suggest all do the same.
Put your dealer experiences, good or BAD on dealerrater.com so everyone can benefit from them.
I wish you a lot of luck, sounds like you can realy use it.
vern

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

Put your dealer experiences, good or BAD on dealerrater.com so everyone can benefit from them.
I wish you a lot of luck, sounds like you can realy use it.
vern
Yes, your message about how much of an asshole Brian is can join mine. :mad:

Just copy/paste all that in, if you can.

[pagsworld]

Clearly VOB BMW is struggling, does anyone have any places/people they'd recommend for BMW service??

[·clyde·]

I've only had good experiences at Tischer. I've heard mostly good things about Sterling, but they may not be quite as good as they were the first year or two (others here have direct experience).

[Salvator]

Clearly VOB BMW is struggling, does anyone have any places/people they'd recommend for BMW service??Since my car is a CPO, I take it to Sterling - My SA is Brian Latimer, who I have had a good rapport with... Things still do not always get done correctly the first time (IMO, technician problems), but Brian is willing to stick it out until the problem is fixed, unlike some SAs in the past... Mind you, I am a particularly annoying customer in that I am informed (usually walk in with TSBs in hand) and know enough about how cars work to recognize BS when I see it... Brian has been very receptive to my M.O., and doesn't (seem to :eeps: ) hold it against me... I'd recommend going to Sterling (if you want a dealership to work on your car) and ask for Brian.... :thumbup:

Just tell him the pesky guy with the Sienna Red 325Ci Coupe sent you... He'll know... :rofl:

[swchang]

Yep, VOB sucks not only for service, but for sales, too.

[pseto]

I currently take my X5 to Tischer, only b/c its still under warranty. Their service is OK; never really had any problems, but nothing that stands out either (except for the few good looking girls that work there :).

I had very good dealing with Passport BMW, but since I don't live anywhere close to there anymore, I haven't been back. They provided good service.

If you're looking for a good independent BMW technician, try Einstein's Motors in College Park. THe lead tech, Gary, used to work at Passport, and is very good. I usually go there to do non-warranty things. Plus, he's about $60/hour, much cheaper than stealer!

[walc]

Yep, VOB sucks not only for service, but for sales, too.

I recently bought, from Dave Strassman, at VOB, and I was very pleased with him and Ronna in F&I.
Luckily, I live too far away to have it serviced at VOB.
I plan to go to I.G. Burton BMW, in Milford, DE, for service.

[Pinecone]

Most of us Baltimore way use Russel, which is on the west side, so not a a LOT further than Tischer.

The former service manager of Sterling (which has always gotten high marks) is now at Towson, so they might be better than they were. I stopped in a while back with a question and talked with him, but wasn't totally impressed with his attitude. But I will give them a try, again.

[Chris90]

VOB is the dealership that told a female friend of mine that her 2000 323i had only a 3 year warranty. I had to tell her to go back there and demand they fix it. Asswipes.

[icky]

id recommend Lithia BMW they have always treating me exceptional... but then again they're in anchorage, ak :D you may not be willing to make that commute!

[Salvator]

The former service manager of Sterling (which has always gotten high marks) is now at Towson,
Which one? Winter or Smith? :dunno:

[Pinecone]

Robbie somebody.

[BMWenthusiast]

sorry to hear you story, hopefully you will find Sterling a lot nicer and meet your needs

[Chupracabre]

Read the post through and through.

1) Generally if you get such bad service you need to think about what you have done to piss of the service dept.

2) When you cootie out your car - of course they won't touch it. Lesson learned - roll back the options before you take it in. However they don't live a vaccum, they know what ppl do to their rides.

3) It is BS for them not to look at the car before telling what to do or not to do.

4) If the brakes are bad and you have documentation about your visit, you can sue them for willful negligance. You reported a brake problem, they did not fix it. They could have fixed it and charged you for it. But instead they let you drive off a defective car. If you did get in an accident they would have SOL.


5) I can tell that it seems that many BMW dealer ships suck. I live in Maine and have to go to Tennessee to get treated right. (Yes I do drive that far).

BMW - Hello - better start listening to ppl; because your competitors are catching up.

BMW - Notice how your cars are no longer be rated in most 'zines. Too pricey and too under powered for the class. Better wake up !


Ok I am done - and good luck with your's.

[ultimate_drive]

I work at Sterling, all the SA's there are great!... not just making Sterling sound good because I work there. I took my 328i there before I started working there.

[Artslinger]

5) I can tell that it seems that many BMW dealer ships suck. I live in Maine and have to go to Tennessee to get treated right. (Yes I do drive that far).


:yikes: You have got to be kidding! :rofl:

[Bart001]

4) If the brakes are bad and you have documentation about your visit, you can sue them for willful negligance. You reported a brake problem, they did not fix it. They could have fixed it and charged you for it. But instead they let you drive off a defective car. If you did get in an accident they would have SOL.


Yay another Internet Lawyer (tm) chimes in. There is no legal duty of care for a repair shop to prevent you from driving off when they've not done any work on the car. There is also no legal duty to take in the work and repair the car, outside of the contractual obligation of the CPO program (which had, in the dealer's view, been voided by the homemade modifications). When you think about it, if the owner has a brake problem they shouldn't be driving it to the shop anyway; the car should be towed there. So much for Internet Lawyering . . .

But I do agree with the point that the presence of homemade electrical modifications will definitely deter a dealership from doing warranty work. Some of the diagnostics can be thrown off by current draws that the computer does not expect to find. Even trying to return the car to its original state is not a guarantee that you'll get warranty work done, as the dealership could take the position that the modifications caused the problem. Certain types of homemade or other aftermarket modifications to a car under warranty ALWAYS bring along this risk (notwithstanding the Magnuson-Moss Act), and the owner has to weigh the possible costs vs. the benefits.

[Bart001]

5) I can tell that it seems that many BMW dealer ships suck. I live in Maine and have to go to Tennessee to get treated right. (Yes I do drive that far).



Yes, definitely a troll.

[ase2dais]

its not surprising that VOB service reputation amongst forum member is quite unpleasant, for I have observed the low quality of people working there, when a parts technician trying to scam me of my alloys takeoff.

He was quoting me a set of alloys style 161, which he couldnt beat from another dealership, and said he'll give it for the same price $100 less if i trade in my TAKEOFFs. :rofl:

What a JERK! Bastards!

on the same note!

Can members provide me feedback on HOW PASSPORT BMW SERVICE IS?,

for thats where i bought my car from, Sales are great

[cooldriverof3]

I had a very unplesant experience with VOB when I went for a test drive. Nobody came up to ask us if we needed help. Nobody was willing to answer any questions either.
This was not the case with PASSPORT, even though we had an appointment with one salesman, others greeted us well asked us if we were being helped.
VOB was my first BMW experience so I thought it was the BMW attitude problem. (I have been test driving other cars, everywhere else the reception was very warm).

I am fearing for the day when I have to take my car for service as they are the nearest ones.

[Salvator]

Can members provide me feedback on HOW PASSPORT BMW SERVICE IS?,

for thats where i bought my car from, Sales are great
www.dealerrater.com (http://www.dealerrater.com)

Take some posts with a grain of salt...

[ProV1]

hey guys, is Crystal the sales person still at VOB? I was in MD back in 1999 and she was very nice.

[Bill97Z]

Reading this stuff makes me sick. Make sure you get to fill out a review form and tgive them ZEROS! This place should be out of biz. If anything they should not be getting any perks from bmw for customer satisfaction. Waht did BMW NA say?

[nova-native]

M instrument cluster died on me and so I went to nearest dealer (Sterling-which wasn't opened when I bought car -VOB) -they wouldn't honor the warranty even though it was a BMW-dealer sponsored warranty. So back to VOB who were actually pretty nice about accepting the warranty (well, I guess so -since they sold it to me). But I think they had to fight with the third-party extended warranty company (why is everything a friggin' hassle!). Now I'm trying to get my car to pass the Virginia emssions test which failed due to some onboard diagnostic system problem which the SA at Sterling says is probably going to require them to download my computer and reload it which takes 6-7 hours and then retest it. And my car has been sitting in the garage since Oct 1 because they don't have any available appointments until Oct 19th!!! Generally Sterling has been OK but the SA didn't return my last call (he never answers the phone) about whether anyone has cancelled. I wish they would coordinate among themselves for any cancellation. Sometimes I wonder if a 2000 328i isn't expensve enough for good service-when I bought it (Aug99) I thought I was a big-shot - NOT!

[Chris90]

I thought it was common knowledge that VOB sucks?

That dealership told my female friend that her 2000 323i had only a 3 year, 36k bumper to bumper warranty. Maybe they confused themselves with a Dodge dealership?

[startac130a]

Dear VOB,
I hope BMW of NA/Germany would know about your customers (non)satisfaction!!

I just moved over from Michigan, and I thought I was not satisfied there, because out of 3 times I had the moon roof fixed for my new X3; only once they loaned me an enterprise car and them paying for the gas, on the other 2 times they loaned me 330CI (for 2 weeks, waiting for new moonroof from germany) and a new 5 series for 5 days and would clean my car each time, and folow up with calls and letters for satisfaction evaluation..., so I thought taking too long to fix the moonroof was annoying, yet I still wanted my X3 (in the end I bought X3 rather than 3 or 5 series).

I moved over to Maryland and I was shocked with the low standards of VOB, people don't seem to be professional, they are lousy. They had me pay for the oil change (well within my warranty) after I had to make many phone calls to arrange for my car's annual inspection, yet they loaned me a ford focus with literally NO GAS in it, how am I supposed to drive this thing with no gas?? then a day later I persisted on getting my X3 back and they apparently finished the check fast!! but they gave me my car dirty from the outside with finger prints..... and guess what, the enterprise/VOB guy asked whether I filled the focus with gas!!!!! Hell no I did not, why would I????

If I'd pick one thing I miss most in Michigan it would be my BMW dealer, thanks to the primitive VOB service.

[melioro]

I've been dealing with Passport through three 7-series models over the past 4 years and remain a VERY happy customer. It was convenient to get to/from them (in Marlow Heights, MD) when I worked in the District of Columbia but I continue using them even though I'm no longer working in the District and live almost in Manassas. Yes, it's a bit of a hike, especially with the Springfield and Wilson Bridge projects, but I'm happy to say that when I need serivce, I only have to make one visit! SA Steve Heath and the rest of the Silver Team, as well as Frank Parks and Sean Afshar in Sales have never let me down! Knowing that the job will get done right the first time makes it worth my time to make the trip over there.

[jerrykdc]

I have an 04 330 and I brought it to Passport for the two year complimentary oil change as I had not reached the mileage to require an oil change. I didn't realize that you also are supposed to get the brake fluid changed and my service advisor didn't say anything about it. When I realized it and called him, he said I could bring it in and wait for it but he didn't know how long it would be before he could get it done and it could take a few hours.

So I went by VOB to see if they could do it. They told me there was a recall on the car for coil replacement and they couldn't do it while I waited but if I made an appointment for the next week they would give me a loaner. I brought it back the next week and they really did a nice job. Two minutes to get the loaner and two minutes to drop it off, I told them I replaced the gas and they didn't have me wait to check out the gas and the miles. I had asked them to check the wipers and washer and they replaced the wipers but they didn't have the washer nozzle in stock and two days later I got a card that it was in and the service advisor said I could come in and wait for it and it would take less than half an hour. The only complaint I have is the people they have answering the phones are boobs.

[LADYBMW]

VOB BMW has the worst service department that I have ever seen. I have spent $3,000 on my 2001 325ci at VOB BMW since August and the car comes back worst each time.

My once mechanically sound, meticulously responsive car is now a hot mess!

I took the car in for a simple brake job and after leaving the car grumbled in low gear and the gear shift vibrated. I took it back in and tell them that the problem only started after having the breaks changed. They fix the fan belts and whatever else and supposedly do an oil change.

The oil light comes on two weeks after the supposed oil change and still the clutch grumbles. This is the second time that the oil light came on after a major service and I have to go to the P Street Mobil for Synthetic Oil late at night due to my work schedule.

And guess what, the oil light came on and I had to go to the Mobil to put oil in their BMW loaner car.

After two visits I lost faith and go to another set of charlatans for service. I go back to VOB and demand that only the head technician work on it, but I know that the car is still farmed out to the regular techs for work.

The car can't even steer properly, particularly going at 80 miles per hour or turning corners, but I am told that my car is perfect. The steering components are covered under my extended warranty ane I am at my last rope.

$3,000 later and one week after a major service, the coolant light comes on. They don't even bother to top your fluids off during your visit so I go off to the P Street Mobil at 10pm so that I don't burn up my car. I have to pour in half a bottle of Antifreeze.

They don't even want to wash your car after servicing it. You ask them to detail it while it is their for service and they say that it takes 3-4 days to get an appointment.


VOB BMW are volume dealers and give a good price on the front end, but get ready for the horse and monkey show when you go and to get it serviced.

Please tell me the best BMW service places in the Maryland and Virginia area!

Thanks
LADY BMW

[FDMeloan]

LADY BMW:

I would strongly suggest that you consider visiting BMW Excluservice at 12224 Parklawn Drive in Rockville. While there are other good independent BMW service shops in the Washington, D.C. area BMW Excluservice is among the best. They are cheaper than any of the BMW dealers and for my money they always do a better job. I have used them for the past 13 years for all of my BMWs when they were beyond the 3 or 4 year warranty period.

They will also give you a 10% discount on your repair cost if you are a member of the BMW Car Club of America and pay with a check. They offer a lower discount if you pay by credit card.

If your BMW is out of warranty there is no reason to visit a BMW dealer.

BMW Excluservice is just a few minutes from VOB and they will drive you to the Metro and pick you up from the Metro. They do not offer loaners or rentals.

Call 301 231-5400 and ask for Matt or Stefan to make your appointment. I can promise you that you won't regret it.

If you aren't a member of the BMW CCA you need to join today.

My $0.02. YMMV

[wwb4]

I live in Arlington, VA and drive to Passport to get my car serviced. I've always gotten nothing but impeccable service, my service advisor is very knowledgeable and straight forward. The only other dealership that I recommend is BMW of Sterling.......that is of course if you're patient enough to wait 2-3 weeks for an appt. My service advisor at HBL (services my Mercedes), worked at BMW of Fairfax as a service advisor for 6 years prior to going to HBL, and told me not to get my BMW serviced at BMW of Arlington, BMW of Fairfax (and he worked there), VOB, or Tischer. He highly recommended BMW of Sterling & Passport as being tops for service in the metro DC area. Hope this helps everyone. :D

[AzNMpower32]

Needless to say, I agree that VOB has the WORST service in the DC area. Wondering what place i should take it to though, since other dealers have gotten conflicting reports too. But I know for a fact, VOB is probably the worst of them all. :mad: Sadly, BMW NA has never called us to follow up...........maybe they're scared of the inevitable rants from customers.

[indiana219]

I live in Rockville and am about to custom order a 325xi. Passport is $625 over invoice, Tischer is $$1020 over invoice, and VOB is $1125 over. Both Passport and Tischer say they'll pick up and drop off my car from my office for scheduled service, but I wonder about the driving record of the person they would send. The hike to Passport is turning me off so I'm wondering if paying the extra $500 to VOB is worth it. VOB won't match Passport's price and claims that the bad reviews online is from people who didn't buy their car at VOB (of course, one would expect a sales person to say that).

So I'm curious: has anybody who bought from VOB had just as bad an experience with the service department as people who bought elsewhere?

[swchang]

I live in Rockville and am about to custom order a 325xi. Passport is $625 over invoice, Tischer is $$1020 over invoice, and VOB is $1125 over. Both Passport and Tischer say they'll pick up and drop off my car from my office for scheduled service, but I wonder about the driving record of the person they would send. The hike to Passport is turning me off so I'm wondering if paying the extra $500 to VOB is worth it. VOB won't match Passport's price and claims that the bad reviews online is from people who didn't buy their car at VOB (of course, one would expect a sales person to say that).

So I'm curious: has anybody who bought from VOB had just as bad an experience with the service department as people who bought elsewhere?

My friend bought from VOB and had very poor service. Besides, so what if the bad reviews are mostly from people who didn't buy at VOB? That's still a mark of a terrible dealership. I say avoid VOB at all costs.

[wwb4]

My friend bought from VOB and had very poor service. Besides, so what if the bad reviews are mostly from people who didn't buy at VOB? That's still a mark of a terrible dealership. I say avoid VOB at all costs.

:stupid: ......I know some people who have bought cars from VOB......and they said the service after the sale was/is "horrible". You're better off buying from somewhere else and avoiding VOB at all costs. I highly recommend Passport, I have my BMW serviced there and have "never" experienced a problem thus far.

[indiana219]

Any thoughts on Tischer's service? They called me tonight to match Passport's price. The few online reviews I've found suggested neither good nor bad. The only thing about Passport is that they're an hour from me. Anybody have experience with Tischer's post-sale service?

[wwb4]

Any thoughts on Tischer's service? They called me tonight to match Passport's price. The few online reviews I've found suggested neither good nor bad. The only thing about Passport is that they're an hour from me. Anybody have experience with Tischer's post-sale service?

Can't really speak to Tischer's post-sale service, unfortunately I don't know of anybody who has bought their BMW from them. :dunno:

[jerrykdc]

My friend bought a 645 from Passport and never went to the dealership. They brought the car to him to show it to him and they promised to pick it up for service. I think you should remember that you really don't service these cars very much. I bought my car at Passport and have had it serviced there but I also went to VOB and they did the work in a timely manner. In the end, the service is infrequent so you just have to hope that your car doesn't need a lot of repairs.

[hunt55]

I purchased a car from Russel BMW, north of Elicott City, MD. Great SA named Cindy Hahn. She takes good care of the customers. I had the Bluetooth software issue with 10/5/06 delivery of the 325i. She followed up with me until BMW issued the software fix. Also, car in today for a bad Oxygen Sensor and she is on top of the problem with a loaner, getting the parts etc. She makes sure the car is fixed properly and washed when you pick it up.

[Kraln]

I signed up to this forum just to add this post to this thread.

I recently bought a BMW, used, from a dealership in VA. The car passed VA inspections, and seemed to be in pretty good mechanical shape. Before looking on the internet, I made an appointment with VOB to get the car checked out and to do the Maryland state inspection.

I started posting on a forum for owners of the kind of car that I drive, and they declared quite clearly to "stay the hell away from vob". I asked them to recommend a mechanic, and they did. I brought my car to the mechanic, he did about $800 worth of repairs to the car (it definitely needed these) and said it would be good for inspection.

I take the car to VOB, and all of a sudden there's $2500 worth of issues with my car. They tried to claim my tires were dry rotted, and that my catalytic converter was shot, among other things. I didn't pay more than $8000 for the car, and I knew that if the car really had the stuff wrong with it that they said it did, it would not have passed VA inspections (which it did), or would have had a CEL on, or something.

So, I called the mechanic that had serviced my car, and quite frankly they were flabbergasted. They referred me to a shop nearby that does Maryland Inspections, and as I thought, there was nothing wrong with the car.

VOB, you guys are sleazeballs. Dan Martin (http://www.danmartinsautoservice.com/) is my mechanic now and for the rest of forever. He's a great guy, and he's honest too.

[marcpotash]

Their sales department worked out fine when I bought my car from them.

[300B]

I live in Rockville and am about to custom order a 325xi. Passport is $625 over invoice, Tischer is $$1020 over invoice, and VOB is $1125 over. Both Passport and Tischer say they'll pick up and drop off my car from my office for scheduled service, but I wonder about the driving record of the person they would send. The hike to Passport is turning me off so I'm wondering if paying the extra $500 to VOB is worth it. VOB won't match Passport's price and claims that the bad reviews online is from people who didn't buy their car at VOB (of course, one would expect a sales person to say that).

So I'm curious: has anybody who bought from VOB had just as bad an experience with the service department as people who bought elsewhere?

I'm in Olney and I made the trek to Passport.It was worth it:thumbup: .

[ibg]

I signed up to this forum just to add this post to this thread.

VOB, you guys are sleazeballs. Dan Martin (http://www.danmartinsautoservice.com/) is my mechanic now and for the rest of forever. He's a great guy, and he's honest too.

Do you still use danmartinautoservice and will you still recomend them? I own an '01 740 and recently had bad experiences with two service centers. The first time I took it in for the inpection II service and it's been problems since then, my car never had any problems before the service, besides replacing my brake light bulb, and that's the truth. I have been reading bad reviews about the service at BMW dealerships and quite honestly don't want to be a victim anymore, not if I can help it. Thx

[ibg]

I'm in Olney and I made the trek to Passport.It was worth it:thumbup: .

Do you mean Passport BMW in Marlow heights md? And will you still recomend them?

[ibg]

Do you mean Passport BMW in Marlow heights md? And will you still recomend them?

Does anybody have any recent experience with Passport BMW service, and would you still recomend them? Also, do you know of any reliable service play in the VA/MD/DC metro area?

[swchang]

Does anybody have any recent experience with Passport BMW service, and would you still recomend them? Also, do you know of any reliable service play in the VA/MD/DC metro area?

For dealership service or indy shop service?

[jerrykdc]

But I've also had good experiences with VOB. In fact, VOB was easy to get a loaner from, although not a great car, while Passport is much tougher to get a loaner and is tough to get to, but I did buy my car from them. No factory service is going to be reasonably priced - what kind of work are you looking for?

[hunt55]

I'm in Olney and I made the trek to Passport. It was worth it:thumbup: .

I am in Ashton and use Russel, north of Ellicott City. Bought the 06 325i from them and use their servivce. Not bad, the SA is great when you can catch up with them. They will even call you when your car sends in the service information.

What did you have done at Passport? They frighten me a couple weeks ago when I called because I was having difficulty getting through to Russel about the first service since my service light came on. The SA told me that the light does not come on in that model and I did not need service (17,000 miles) so I decided to just wait for Russel.

[BMWued]

I have had a great experience at VOB. My service advisor is Gint. Please feel free to contact me.

[chief3]

so which is the best indy shop in or near alexandria, VA? Switching my headlights for the HELLAs looks pretty tough - I dont wanna tear up the car....any suggestions for a good indy shop in or near alexandria?

[BMWTL]

I have had a great experience at VOB. My service advisor is Gint. Please feel free to contact me.

Do I get to choose who will be servicing my car when I bring my in?

[steverequiem]

I don't think so. I have a different advisor for both my cars serviced there. Gint is the one I prefer more, and he works on the E90. Last time I was there I had an alignment done, and when I picked it up it was completely, wayyyy off. I mean, I had the wheel at 45 degrees to drive straight. I took it back and the mechanic admitted he did not calibrate the machinery or test drive the car afterwards, like they are suppost to do. Never really been satisfied with service from there.

If you need to do out-of-warranty work, I would highly recommend BMW Excluservice, which is just a few blocks away from VOB. Top-notch shop.

[giantswin22]

if your car is out of warranty, try the guys at Eurasia imports on tyco road in tysons corner area. I currently go to sterling bmw (good service so far) because I am under warranty. WHen my older 5er was out of warranty, I went to Eurasia. They are great, bunch of old BMW guys from Fairfax BMW. Prices are good, service is excellent

[Boraxo]

But I've also had good experiences with VOB. In fact, VOB was easy to get a loaner from, although not a great car, while Passport is much tougher to get a loaner and is tough to get to, but I did buy my car from them. No factory service is going to be reasonably priced - what kind of work are you looking for?

Agree 100%. I leased 2 cars from VOB and always had great service. Of course, the cars were both under warrantly and never had any major issues.

Happy to PM the name of my salesman who I highly recommend (he sold to a few of my friends as well).

Sorry to hear about OP's experience. I moved to the west coast a few years ago, so maybe things have changed.

BTW, I can also recommend the Eurasia guys near Tysons Corner. I took my first car there for supplemental oil changes, etc. and the service was great (and about 50% < BMW).

[mbbmw]

I agree. VOB is worst dealer to buy BMW. I had similar exp. multiple times...i bought my new 328i from Tischer. Experience was good...Talk to chris when you go there...guy is helpful...

[ThoreauHD]

OK, I can vouch for the posters experience. I just got done messing with these incompetent tools for 2 weeks for a simple parts order. I knew I had to get out of there after I put in my order. They of course ordered the wrong part, even though they had the VIN and car sitting outside. But, I won't bore you. Just know that this is their motto:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y106/toasty0z/kirk.gif

[ThoreauHD]

LADY BMW:

I would strongly suggest that you consider visiting BMW Excluservice at 12224 Parklawn Drive in Rockville. While there are other good independent BMW service shops in the Washington, D.C. area BMW Excluservice is among the best. They are cheaper than any of the BMW dealers and for my money they always do a better job. I have used them for the past 13 years for all of my BMWs when they were beyond the 3 or 4 year warranty period.

They will also give you a 10% discount on your repair cost if you are a member of the BMW Car Club of America and pay with a check. They offer a lower discount if you pay by credit card.

If your BMW is out of warranty there is no reason to visit a BMW dealer.

BMW Excluservice is just a few minutes from VOB and they will drive you to the Metro and pick you up from the Metro. They do not offer loaners or rentals.

Call 301 231-5400 and ask for Matt or Stefan to make your appointment. I can promise you that you won't regret it.

If you aren't a member of the BMW CCA you need to join today.

My $0.02. YMMV

I agree completely with the above. Also Dan Martin's BMW service is great. He's out in the sticks, but he is honest as the day is long.

http://www.danmartinsautoservice.com/
http://www.excluservice.com/

My car isn't under warranty anymore and it's better off for it. So I go to the shops above and it runs like a top.

[f1fan]

Violators Of Bmws

They tried to tell me that a black z4 that had swirls in the paint like crazy could be buffed out. I asked to show me how they would make it "like new" and they buffed the crap out of it to no avail. Wankers. They were a bit rude also.


BMW of Towson is a great service center!!!

[dihedral]

On June 23rd I was driving to drop my friend off at his house and after coming up the driveway, my brakes failed. I had to push the brakes half way down before they responding. Being very concerned and confused, I drove slowly home and started looking up any other related issues on the web.
On June 24th I got in my car and drove to BMW Excluservice in Rockville, MD. Thinking that my warranty was over (being that I had 56,000 miles on the car) I was recommended this shop as having factory trained mechanics that mostly came from dealerships. Here I met Hector and he began to diagnose my problems. Thumbing through the paperwork I brought him he saw that I purchased the car used and that I had a 100,000-mile CPO warranty that should cover my brake problems. We looked up the fault codes on the computer readout and he carefully explained what each one meant and how that could affect the problems I was having. He said he would love to fix my car and take my money, but wouldn’t feel right about it being that I had a warranty.
I took my car to VOB BMW in Rockville, MD (just a minute down the road.) Talking to my service advisor Doug was not going anywhere. He said I should probably talk to Brian. Brian used to be my service advisor but moved up the ladder to service director after Mike Winter moved the BMW of Sterling. I brought a typed up paper that had all the fault codes and talked to Brian in detail about my car and how it was responding. He said he would try his best to look at it as soon as possible.
The next evening I got a phone call from Doug. He said that my car would not be worked on at all due to the aftermarket accessories I had. He complained about the PlayStation and Xbox that were in the trunk. Both of those don’t have any of the wires hooked up to them and never have. It is a very unfinished project. His complaint was the power draw that these were creating on the car and said that was affecting the entire car’s computer. He said he would be unable to do any testing on the car due to power flocculation.
The following morning (Thursday I believe) my father and I both showed up at the dealership to talk to Brian. He again said he would not work on the car because of the aftermarket accessories I had on the car. I told him I could very easily disconnect the power to the angel eyes and subwoofers and that if the fuse to the radio and cigarette lighter were removed, the car would again be electrically stock and there would be no extra current draw. After talking for some time he said he would contact a regional rep and get back to me within a few days. I told Brian I was going out of town and that I would be on a cruise July 3rd through 6th.
I called on Tuesday and left a message for Brian asking what the status of my car was. Thursday July 3rd I finally got a phone call back from Brian. He said the regional rep said if I turned the car back to stock that warranty work could then commence and my problems could be solved. At this point I was already on the Boat heading out to sea and told him I would be there Monday or Tuesday to unplug the aftermarket equipment and that it would take me no longer than 15 minutes to do so.
I showed up Tuesday morning with a socket and a screw driver (the only tools needed to unplug my equipment.) Brian asked me if I was here to pick up my car and take it somewhere else. He said he did not want to work on the car. I reminded him of our conversation from Thursday and he finally agreed. He said I would have to drive my car home (which wasn’t braking correctly) and do all the work there. I told him it was literally only two tools that I needed and that it would take next to no time. Brian told me that due to insurance reasons I would not be aloud to alter my car in any way on VOB’s property. I told him I would then drive it across the street and do it there. He sent for my car to be brought down to me. Around the corner I hear some serious bass coming from a car. Sure enough it’s my car being driven by some thug listening to rap very loudly w/ the seat all the way back and leaned down. He stopped the car, left the door open, and walked away! Now I’m 6 feet tall… the seat did not need to be adjusted as if to sleep in the car in order to drive it 100 yards. I turned the bass down on the radio (it was all the way up) and drove across the street. As I was leaving the “parking police” told me I was not aloud to leave my car on VOB’s property! I drove the car there and was now told to talk my BMW off the property to do the altercations… now I’m being told that I can only drive 1 car at a time… but I have to have both of them off the property! I moved the van to another part of the lot and drove off in the BMW.
Shortly thereafter I came back with the car changed. I left the equipment in the car but unplugged all of it. Brian said he would get to my car as quick as he could but probably would not be able to have it looked at until Wednesday.
Thursday July 10th rolls by and I hear nothing so I call Brian and leave a message. I call him again Friday and am told he’s with another customer and that he’ll call me right back. I do not receive any phone calls from Brian so I leave a message Sunday night in hopes that he will call me Monday. I hear NOTHING from VOB the entire week! Friday 18th my father calls VOB and eventually speaks with Doug. He says that Brian is out on vacation and that he will return on Tuesday July 21st. So while Brian is vacationing my car is just sitting in the lot looking pretty. My dad enquires about the progress of the car. Doug informs my dad that the mechanic refuses to work on my car because of the aftermarket equipment. This is 3 weeks after the original date that I brought in my car!
Monday the 21st in the afternoon my house is called and my mom is told that the car is ready to be picked up. I was in shock. I had my friend drop me off at VOB on his way to VA. I find a brand new service manager as the new Silver team advisor. I ask him about me car and am told that the ticket is waiting at the counter. I go to the counter and find that the only work that has been done on my car is a steering angle sensor and am charged $515 to have it replaced. I am furious because I complained about my brakes, o2 sensor, and right rear window! So now I’m stuck hear at VOB with a car that hasn’t been properly address in 27 days! I have no ride home so I pay the ticket and take my car planning on returning with the car the following morning planning to talk with Brian. The car is brought down to me and placed blocking all traffic at the driveway. I am talking to a technician and he is explained the work done to me for about 10 minutes. As I walk out to my car the “parking Police” tells me I have to move my car out of the driveway immediately. I told him was inspecting my car for any scratches/dents before I left. He said I would have to do that else where because the car was blocking people. I yelled saying that I did not park the car here; his incompetent staff parked the car blocking every body. So I moved if 10 feet forward and then checked my car.
Driving home I can tell the car is not fixed. The brakes work, but they take a much further depression of the pedal for them to activate. As the car heated up, the problem seemed to be getting worse and worse. Driving down a road somebody cut out in front of me and forced me to slam on my brakes. Here is what scared the crap out of me… The brake pedal was touching the floor and the car was slowing down. I was able to pull onto the shoulder (lucky there was one) and avoid a high-speed collision. This has been a nightmare all my life (not having brakes) and I just went through it. Needless to say I was pissed. I kept the car in 2nd gear and drove the last 2 miles home. I called BMW of NA and told them all that had happened. I decided to go in and talk to Brian the next day.
I went in around 10AM and began talking with Brian. He made up excuses for the delayed service and told me he would never attempt any form of warranty work on my car in the future. He apologized for not addressing any of the other problems I mentioned. After much argument he said the best thing he would be willing to do was tow the car from my house to VOB to have the brakes looked at but that it would be scheduled in with all the other incoming service and that would take time. This whole time Brian has been trying to push me out and not service my car. I thought that was what dealerships do… fix cars!
Now the car is still sitting at my house as I’m trying to arrange for it to be worked at in Sterling. I’ve called Mike Winter (Service Director at BMW of Sterling in VA) and have not gotten a phone call back. VOB’s terrible customer service has scared me and I will never do any business with them again. I suggest all do the same.

The long and short of it is: You never want to do business with that shop again. Attitude, safety, customer inconvenience, etc. It would be interesting if your city had a TV channel with something like "Eyewitness wants to know." Or a similar yellow press deal. There was an unnamed big (expensive car) dealership in Texas owned by a multi-millionnaire Texan. He lost that dealership after multiple people complained to the manufacturer. Someone else took it over years ago, and it is a real please to go there and even have your car worked on, according to customers.

[ssj4]

Wow, VOB. This is where my Dad purchased a 735 back in th late 70's, he was complaining about the service back then - several issues with a heat shield (if I remember correctly) that were never resolved. Took it to an indy shop (can't remember the name - somewhere in Rockville too) - problem resolved immediately.

I go to Passport, expensive as hell for non-warranty work, but they do seem to be on the ball.

[Dan OBrien]

I have used Pasport....great service, always friendly service and attention