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Get missing dash pixels repaired by BMWNA (E39)

224K views 607 replies 258 participants last post by  2nd3series 
#1 ·
Guys,

Just wanted to give a followup on my success of getting BMWNA to pay for the pixel repair on my 2000 540i. For those of you contemplating getting them fixed and paying for it out of your pocket, contact BMWNA first. Basically BMWNA will pay for the parts, you will be responsible for the 1 hour of labor. Here is what you need to do:

First, send an email outlining your problem, something like:

I have a (Year & Model BMW) and a number of pixels in the instrument cluster either function sporadically or no longer function at all. Does BMWNA have a repair/replacement program in place for issues such as this?

(You don't have to type word for word, but you get the picture. ASK, don't demand!!)

Send the email to:

> Leonora Vlaovich
> Customer Relations Coordinator
> BMW of North America, LLC
> 201-573-7742 (phone)
> 201-930-8362 (fax)
> Leonora.Vlaovich@bmwna.com

She will in turn send you a response email asking for this information:

As coordinator for National Customer Relations, I will assign a representative to assist you; however, I need some additional information. Please respond to this email with the name and address on the registration, contact phone numbers, mileage to date, and the last 7 digits of the VIN.

Also, please identify your BMW dealer.

Thank you for your cooperation.

*********************************************************************
My assigned Rep from BMWNA was Brandi. She was very quick at contacting me and just had me make an appointment with a BMW dealer here in Dallas, I used Dallas BMW (Formerly John Roberts). She then contacted the service manager at the dealership and advised what BMWNA was handling. I dropped the car off in the morning and it was done by 3pm the same day. It cost me a whopping 90.00 bucks, and the DASH now looks great.

I hope this information can be useful to members on the board. Good luck!

Dave
fourwindsflight@yahoo.com
www.tail-wheel.com
 
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#560 ·
I just received an offer from BMWNA....

100% part, I pay labor!!!!!!!

Yes, they are still doing good will replacements!!!!!
 
#564 ·
And here is a reply (Leonora.Vlaovich@bmwna.com):

This is the Postfix program at host mail128-va3-R.bigfish.com.

I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not be delivered to one or more recipients. It's attached below.

For further assistance, please send mail to <postmaster>

If you do so, please include this problem report. You can delete your own text from the attached returned message.

The Postfix program

<Leonora.Vlaovich@bmwna.com>: host
bmwamericas-14257-mail1.customer.frontbridge.com[192.109.61.18] said: 550
#5.1.0 Address rejected Leonora.Vlaovich@bmwna.com (in reply to RCPT TO command)

With Leonora out of the picture, I will be contacting BMWNA via their contact us form.
 
#565 ·
"Goodwill" dash pixel fix

UPDATE:

I just purchased (3rd owner) a 2002 540i M-sport with 86K miles.

I read the entire thread on the pixel fix, sent the email to the "lady"everyone is referring to only to receive a delivery failure notification informing me that the lady's address is no longer working.

So I called my local BMW dealer and articulately defined my request and what I was looking for.

I basically called the dealer, requested to speak to someone in service and that I was looking for information on a "goodwill fix".
I told the person in service that "I had heard from a colleague that BMW North America was addressing a quality issue with some components in the instrument cluster display that had failing pixels in the display" :) I asked if there was such a program and if so, how could I get some info.
The service person provided me the number to BMW NA customer relations;
800-831-1117

I called BMW customer relations, asked the same questions. BMW customer relations said yes, the program is still in place, and I was transferred to a customer service advisor.

I had to provide last seven of the VIN, year, make, model and mileage.

They would then send the request to corporate for review.

I will let you know the outcome. I am encouraged that the plan is still in place.
 

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#567 ·
Missing Pixel Saga

I am pleased that my first post to Bimmerfest might result in a contribution.

The young man at BMWNA (David A.) asked for the registration for my recently purchased 2002 540iA. He will 'look into the issue' to see if there is a program available.

I'll keep all y'all posted as things progress.
 
#570 ·
I contacted BMWNA and after much phone calls and run around, they only offerred 50% discount on parts, plus labor for instrument cluster. That is the support I get for using the dealer all these years? :(
 
#572 ·
Well, I pleaded my case, but they will not improve the offer, which SUCKS, considering what I have spent at the dealer. Okay, so on to VDO Repair! ;)
 
#573 ·
Well, I ended up using the dealer...here is my rationale. VDO Repair charges $299, plus overnight shipping each way. I figure I would be all in at around $350 with shipping and have a hole in my dash for at least three, perhaps four days. For $451 at BMW Seattle, I got it done in an hour, and they will warranty for two years, unlimited mileage. So only $100 extra. Granted VDO Repair claims a "lifetime" warranty, but again shipping would be up to me, and I would be without the cluster for several days, if warranty coverage is needed. Versus driving to any BMW dealer in north america for coverage. ;)

Oh well. Still seems random as to who gets 100% on the parts or not. I have heard from others that have complained repeatedly, that BMWNA would cave...did not happen in my case. :(
 
#575 ·
Hello Everone -

Like many of you, my MID/Radio display is broken. The pixel are being lost on a daily basis and it has become unreadable. This is totally unacceptable to me regardless that it is out of warranty. Radio displays should last the life of the car. The flaw is in the cable that attaches to the radio inside. BMW knows this is a problem, but refuses to fix it as it occurs outside of 4 years, becuase of the movement in the car. It is NOT wear, it is poor design from the start. There are endless complaints by BMW owners about this on all the forums.

Goal is to collect enough contact information to turn over to an attorney for a class action lawsuit to have our radio's fixed. We shouldn't have to pay and the radio should last!!!

Please sign up. If we can get 1000 owners, I can get an attorney to take the case ($1,000,000 worth of recall).

Sign up through FACEBOOK....search for GROUP "BMW RECALL OF RADIO/MID DISPLAY"

Thanks
Peter
 
#577 ·
Both clusters fixed!

I am pleased to report that BMW NA offered to replace both displays with missing pixels. It paid 100% of the parts, I paid 100% of the labor.

The 'catch' is that the job is to replace the entire dash unit as well as the center console device, costing about $270 in labor. The fix is *not* to simply replace the malfunctioning displays.

The unexpected benefit is that the speedometer is now more accurate than before.

As expected, as in as soon as I got it home a new problem presents itself, the 'Check Tail Lights' error message began to appear upon shutting down the car.

And, just today, the 'Low Coolant' error message appeared - now for the 2nd time. I guess I have the slow radiator leak problem.
 
#581 ·
1-800-831-1117 is the number for BMW North America. They followed through pretty quick. I had to fax them a copy of the current registration. After 3 days they called back and said they would pay 25% of the parts and labor. That still leaves us over with over $600 so we are just going to forget it I guess. I can paste 6 X $100 bills over the instrument cluster and heck, it would look great :D
 
#582 ·
BMWNA instrument cluster replacement

I have a 1998 540i and the pixels are pretty bad, can't really read how many miles or the temp etc... I called them and they told me they would cover 50% of the parts and 0% of labor so after I spoke with a service advisor I would end up spending over 700 to fix it. So, gonna give it a miss and start speeding up my search for my 2003 M5.
 
#583 ·
I have a 1998 540i and the pixels are pretty bad, can't really read how many miles or the temp etc... I called them and they told me they would cover 50% of the parts and 0% of labor so after I spoke with a service advisor I would end up spending over 700 to fix it. So, gonna give it a miss and start speeding up my search for my 2003 M5.
That doesn't make sense. I had the same offer and it came to about $450 at BMW Seattle.
Worse case, go to www.vdorepair.com and you can get it done for $299 plus shipping. It is very easy to remove and install the cluster, and they provide full instructions on their website.
 
#590 ·
My experience with the dash pixels issue

Thought I'd update this thread with my experience here in Dallas, TX USA. I called BMW NA, and they assigned a customer service person to my case. After speaking a couple of times, she asked me if I was the original owner and whether I had purchased the car from a BMW dealership or not (I am not and did not). In the end, BMW NA offered to pay 25% of the parts cost of the repair (0% of the labor).

After calling the 2 BMW dealerships near me (Classic BMW and BMW of Dallas), both quoted me a repair cost of over $1200 in parts and nearly $500 in labor! That's ridiculous! I can remove and replace the dash in less than 5 minutes. So, in the end, BMW offered to let me pay over $1400 to replace the instrument panel with a refurbished part. Ridiculous.

Guess I'll be contacting VDORepair.

I was hoping that moving up from my two 3 Series of the past to a 540i would mean better customer service and a higher-quality car. Boy, have I been disappointed... :mad:
 
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