cmanc92974
04-17-2004, 05:51 AM
:mad:
On Monday, March 29th I took my 2001 BMW 330i with 21200 miles on it and still under warranty to BMW Dealer "x" for its major check up. I am overly cautious when it comes to my cars and always get my car in on time for maintenance. It was in the service department all day during which they checked fluid levels, oil change, etc. On Thurs., April 1st at 11am I noticed that the coolant light was coming on then going off. Since it was just in for complete servicing I did not think anything of it since warning lights are always periodically going on and off and when I take it in it is nothing.
We left for Spain on Sunday, April 4th and my son (age 23 and employed) drove it approximately 30 miles when it began to sputter and die. He made it ˝ mile to Pep Boys parking lot and opened the hood and it was smoking. It was not until he stopped that the “check engine light” appeared. He had the car towed to Dealer "x". Later in the week they told him it was catastrophic engine failure due to him driving it hard. They also mentioned that the radiator cap was gone. When I called them from Spain I was irate that they were trying to blame him for this. It was just in for complete servicing less than a week ago. The service manager suggested that I make a claim on my insurance that said that I went through deep water and then I would only have to pay the deductible rather than $12000 for a new engine. I notified two independent BMW mechanics who believe that they forgot to put the radiator cap back on the car. But magically when we returned to view the car they had a radiator cap. They are claiming that it was a faulty thermostat that started the overheat but Mark did not stop the car fast enough. Isn’t that the perfect dealer “get out of jail free card?” However on their work notes they noted that they took the car for a 20 mile test drive. I am furious. I would appreciate your thoughts on how best to proceed.
On Monday, March 29th I took my 2001 BMW 330i with 21200 miles on it and still under warranty to BMW Dealer "x" for its major check up. I am overly cautious when it comes to my cars and always get my car in on time for maintenance. It was in the service department all day during which they checked fluid levels, oil change, etc. On Thurs., April 1st at 11am I noticed that the coolant light was coming on then going off. Since it was just in for complete servicing I did not think anything of it since warning lights are always periodically going on and off and when I take it in it is nothing.
We left for Spain on Sunday, April 4th and my son (age 23 and employed) drove it approximately 30 miles when it began to sputter and die. He made it ˝ mile to Pep Boys parking lot and opened the hood and it was smoking. It was not until he stopped that the “check engine light” appeared. He had the car towed to Dealer "x". Later in the week they told him it was catastrophic engine failure due to him driving it hard. They also mentioned that the radiator cap was gone. When I called them from Spain I was irate that they were trying to blame him for this. It was just in for complete servicing less than a week ago. The service manager suggested that I make a claim on my insurance that said that I went through deep water and then I would only have to pay the deductible rather than $12000 for a new engine. I notified two independent BMW mechanics who believe that they forgot to put the radiator cap back on the car. But magically when we returned to view the car they had a radiator cap. They are claiming that it was a faulty thermostat that started the overheat but Mark did not stop the car fast enough. Isn’t that the perfect dealer “get out of jail free card?” However on their work notes they noted that they took the car for a 20 mile test drive. I am furious. I would appreciate your thoughts on how best to proceed.
