Chapman BMW of Phoenix AZ sold me a damaged CPO'd 650i

Buyer Beware!

I purchased a 2008 CPO BMW 650i in May 2010 and was told the car was in great shape and that because it was CPO'd vehicle, there had been no prior accidents, paint work or body damage. After a few weeks, I noticed the front end bumper and quarter panels were not lining up correctly. I looked behind the bumper and saw parts that held the bumper on had been glued together and were coming undone. After taking it to a body shop, they pointed out bent aluminum parts in the engine compartment, a replaced engine hood and a poor paint job on the front end.

I took the car back to the dealer and they told me the car would be sent to Chapman BMW Certified body shop for repairs. After not hearing from the dealer for a week, I went to the body shop where my car was supposed to be, and they told me the car was never brought in. Apparently Chapman BMW heard I was looking for my car and called me and told me they sent it to an independent shop they use.

Fast forward to today... My car has been in twice to this body shop. It was there for 4 weeks the first time and after I went to pick it up, the bumper and fenders were still misaligned even though they said they had replaced bent and missing parts underneath. I brought it back a second time a few weeks later and they had it for another 3 weeks. This time, they replaced the bumper and left fender. Although the paint job looks good, the bumper and front end is still misaligned ( seams are off with large uneven gaps, bumper screw holes near radiator support barely line up with the bumper, etc..) which leads me to believe there may be frame or unibody damage. Since most of the front end panels have been replaced and repainted, I will undoubtedly have a hard time trading it in or trying to sale it at a later date without taking a huge loss since it appears it has had major work now.

I paid a premium to purchase a CPO'd vehicle for what I thought was supposed to be a car that offered "peace of mind" since it had to pass BMW's vigorous inspection in order to be certified. Don't make the same mistake I did and make sure to have the car inspected before purchasing it since BMW's inspection process is not as thorough as they make it seem.

First: Holy s@&t!! What a nightmare.

Second: +1 on the third party inspection. Was a CarFax run?

Third: I would think that this is not necessarily a failure of the BMW inspection process itself, but an indication of Chapman's desire to SWINDLE somebody. I would also think that this would be fraud in the eyes of the law. Especially with the CPO implied guarantee of the cars "fitness"; that w/o CPO it's kind of buyer beware.

There is no dealer alive that would ever say that a used vehicle has NEVER been in an accident. They have no way of knowing its complete history. Also a CPO can be in a collision but has to be repaired to BMW specs. If what you're saying is true, I'm glad I'm not the dealer...

Thanks for the replies. Yes, this has been one huge headache. I would have been okay with minor damage but at this point, it's almost a whole new front end that is still misaligned, which might indicate damage to the frame/unibody. The dealer has acted as if they are doing me a favor by having the repairs made and they keep reminding me that the car passed an independent and cpo inspection, as if to release them of any liability.

Fortunately, I had been reading these boards and followed the advice to contact BMWNA after I first noticed the damage. They told me there is not much they can do since the dealers are independently owned and operated, but that they would contact the dealer to try to come up with a resolution. They have spoken to the dealer and are following the case, they have said.

As for Chapman, they asked me if I wanted a replacement more than a month and a half ago, but I had not heard back from them until today; only after I sent them a letter informing them that I would contact the State Attorney General's office to report them for fraud and misrepresentation, unless they find a replacement or return my money within the next 7 days. They told me today, that they are prepping a 650 to offer, and will be contacting me when it is ready in about a week. I'm really not sure what to expect at this point but am hoping it's a fair trade.

I'll keep you guys posted as to the outcome...

The offer for a replacement vehicle turned out to be a way for the dealer to gouge more money out of me... Absolutely shameless...

Their "certified sales director," offered a similarly equipped vehicle with less miles.. The deal: the new car was priced about 4k more than the last car I purchased and none of the 3.5k I had already paid over the last 4 months would be applied to the new loan. So, because they sold me a damaged car that has spent nearly two months in the shop over the last 4 months (due to their poor inspection or deliberate misrepresentation), I am to cough up an additional 7.5k for their mistake???

As for BMWNA, they haven't been of much assistance as far as I can tell.. All I do is play phone tag with them and all they usually say is how hard it has been for them to speak with the dealership.

I still can't believe these guys think they can get away with this... If you are in the market for a CPO BMW, stay away from Chapman in Phoenix.

It could help others if you posted your experience on other boards that have dealer reviews, including Edmunds.

Did chapman BMW fix the problem and replace the cpo 650 with a lower mile perfect car?

Originally Posted by bmw650burn

The offer for a replacement vehicle turned out to be a way for the dealer to gouge more money out of me... Absolutely shameless...

Their "certified sales director," offered a similarly equipped vehicle with less miles.. The deal: the new car was priced about 4k more than the last car I purchased and none of the 3.5k I had already paid over the last 4 months would be applied to the new loan. So, because they sold me a damaged car that has spent nearly two months in the shop over the last 4 months (due to their poor inspection or deliberate misrepresentation), I am to cough up an additional 7.5k for their mistake???

As for BMWNA, they haven't been of much assistance as far as I can tell.. All I do is play phone tag with them and all they usually say is how hard it has been for them to speak with the dealership.

I still can't believe these guys think they can get away with this... If you are in the market for a CPO BMW, stay away from Chapman in Phoenix.

Originally Posted by Bobcola1

Did chapman BMW fix the problem and replace the cpo 650 with a lower mile perfect car?

After 5 aggravating months of dealing with the dealership and the certified sales director who just so happens to have the same name as your username, the car was traded in with an additional amount paid by me, to offset the lower mileage on the second vehicle. Not exactly the definition of a "replacement." This was done only after I consulted with an attorney and informed the dealership of my intent to seek counsel and to file a complaint with the AZ State Attorney General's Office.

I really just wanted to move on and forget about it all, until I saw your post. Hopefully the vehicle was repaired properly and any potential buyers are informed of the previous damage and the repairs that were made since the updated carfax available on the dealer's site (where the car is for sale again), does not include this information.

VIN: WBAEA53568CV90185

Originally Posted by Bobcola1

Did chapman BMW fix the problem and replace the cpo 650 with a lower mile perfect car?

And zero mention of all of the aggravation that they put you through! Can this guy really be that clueless?

Originally Posted by chasz17

There is no dealer alive that would ever say that a used vehicle has NEVER been in an accident. They have no way of knowing its complete history. Also a CPO can be in a collision but has to be repaired to BMW specs. If what you're saying is true, I'm glad I'm not the dealer...

Thats funny, the dealer in the next town over from your location did the same thing to me. BMW NA didn't give a ****, nor did the state. Good luck OP.

good lookin out bro

Was this the one in Chandler or the one on Camelback?

Chapman is the most dishonest shop I have ever been to, and I am not alone with this assessment. I took my 528i there two years ago at the end of my warranty period. They changed out my engine mounts under warrant. When picking up the car I told them there was a service engine soon light on, they cleared and sent me on my way. On the way home I noticed the a/c did not work. My Indy showed me where they sheered the A/C wire AND an emmissions line when changing the engine mounts- right where they had to move the engine. I drove back in the next day and showed them, and they said the line was old and brittle and there was no way they sheered either piece. I freaked on them until they did the repair - but they are an aweful shop. Steer clear- you have been warned

I live 3 miles from the Chandler location and despite that recently bought my 335d ED from Greg Poland at Pacific in LA. My experience with both Chapman locations (Chandler and Camelback) was that the sales people were really bad. It was truly shocking how ignorant of their own products they were.

Some of the cars on their used/CPO lot are truly bizarre. They had an AW/chestnut 2009 328i E90 loaded to the gills but with strange unavailable options combos (m-sport steering wheel/shifter but no m-sport package; wheels that didn't belong on the car). It only had 1300 miles on it but had a 2008 in-service date and wasn't imported to the US until December 2010 and was bought at an auction in PA. According the sales guy it had also been switched from a RHD to LHD. Who would do that? I ran far far away. But some schmuck bought it and will soon be on here or a similar forum posting a rant.

I plan to do a break-in oil change at an indy shop and hope I never have to take my car to chapman since I am getting the heck out of PHX within a year.

Anyone know what the service at North Scottsdale is like? Their sales person treated me like an after thought since I wasn't interested in buying the one 335d they had on the lot.

Chapman = Ghetto!!!

Their mechanics look like they are from the LA street gangs

Originally Posted by HakenTT

Chapman = Ghetto!!!

Their mechanics look like they are from the LA street gangs

Isn't there a requirement that all BMW mechanics be blond haired, blue eyed Aryans?

Any updates here? Or does anyone know of a good indy place to take my x5 to in Phoenix. I too am tired with some of the dishonest service I'm getting in the Valley. Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by 3ismagic#

Anyone know what the service at North Scottsdale is like? Their sales person treated me like an after thought since I wasn't interested in buying the one 335d they had on the lot.

I've had really good experience with getting my car serviced by Ron Davis out of North Scottsdale. The experience is night and day between the two dealerships. Enough that I live 7 miles from Chapman Chandler, work 1 mile away from Chapman Chandler and choose to drive 32 miles one way to get my car serviced. Hope that helps!

Anyone have a good experience at Chapman? There's a car there I'm interested in but several bad experiences here have me a little nervous.

I guess if they were really that bad they'd be out of business?? I expect more negatives on here, since people usually complain instead of praise on these boards (in general, not specifically bimmerfest)