eletrical damage caused by water!

Help! My 2011 X5 completely shorted out while I was driving. Dealer says its water damage and may not be covered by warranty! It was raining when it happen, and had rained heavy the night and morning prior. Please advise

The manufacturer has a duty to deliver a product that will perform within the markets they sell it, and under the conditions recommended in the Owners Manual...these are not just words, but rather very important for you to understand if the dealer takes a crappy stance.

If you drive through deep standing water- and I am guessing the owners manual advises against this- you will not be covered for damage (however, your car insurance SHOULD cover this). But heavy rain, highway and lcoal driving...even if this watter damages the car- BMW is responsible for delivering a car that cannot be damaged by these conditions.

Post back what they say, but early on you need to let them know your expectation is based on this implied warranty of merchantability. (ie cars are meant to be driven in the rain; I operated this car like all other car purchasers; BMW did not tell me 'don't operate this car in heavy rain'). Once they make a stupid decision you may have a battle on your hands.

GL

A

That's why they have windshield wipers - so that they can be driven in the rain. :0

I think there's more to the story than OP tells us. If a dealer spotted water damage, it probably translates to evidence of the car being flooded.

Originally Posted by smyles

I think there's more to the story than OP tells us. If a dealer spotted water damage, it probably translates to evidence of the car being flooded.

Then I don't know what the OP is trying to achieve by posting misleading information here..

Originally Posted by smyles

I think there's more to the story than OP tells us. If a dealer spotted water damage, it probably translates to evidence of the car being flooded.

That is not a fair assumption. BMW has a long history of flooded electric components, often caused by clogged sunroof drains. The problem reached epidemic proportions in the E61 5 Series wagons.

If its not a clogged drain tube, it could also be that the OP or her children spilled something in the trunk. But that wouldn't tie in with the heavy rains.

Sent from my HTC Inspire using BimmerApp

Originally Posted by quackbury

That is not a fair assumption. BMW has a long history of flooded electric components, often caused by clogged sunroof drains. The problem reached epidemic proportions in the E61 5 Series wagons.

If its not a clogged drain tube, it could also be that the OP or her children spilled something in the trunk. But that wouldn't tie in with the heavy rains.

Sent from my HTC Inspire using BimmerApp

Agreed. Apparently if you spill liquid or if liquid is found in the trunk of most BMW's then more than likely you will have electrical issues. I am not certain if this is true with the X5 but in the 5 series the battery is located in the trunk.

Currently all we have is a single post from (presumably) a woman who had a quick conversation with a BMW Service advisor when the car was dropped off..... SAs can be morons, can be motivated to say things for all kinds of reasons... heck, he may be tweaking her so he can look like a hero when he says "I was able to get it covered".

Originally Posted by quackbury

That is not a fair assumption. BMW has a long history of flooded electric components, often caused by clogged sunroof drains. The problem reached epidemic proportions in the E61 5 Series wagons.

If its not a clogged drain tube, it could also be that the OP or her children spilled something in the trunk. But that wouldn't tie in with the heavy rains.

Sent from my HTC Inspire using BimmerApp

I had this problem with my 2011 X5. It was covered under warranty. It took 3 days for BMW Assist to tow the car and another month to fix it though