Pissed off at Morristown BMW - Misleading and arrogant

Originally Posted by MrBones

I think you would hard pressed to find ANYONE here who wouldn't mind if a dealership swapped out his license plate holder with their own advertising.

I digressed with the above but totally agree that license plates holders, decals etc are nonsense. My ride is not a billboard for your dealership. I always tell dealer to never put any of that crap on. If it happens, I pull it off at dealership and throw in trash.

To assume it is OK with owner is poor business practice.

I am going to this dealership next week for my first service with them (oil change) since I bought my CPO convertible from them a few months ago. I will report back to you if they insert dealership frames on my license plates without my permission as well as the service received ....

I bought my 2003 330 at Morristown, and had zero problems, and made a pretty darn good deal. That being said, my recollection is that last time someone started a thread bashing them, it ended with a defamation lawsuit.

Originally Posted by Vince_nj1

I took my X5 in for a $165.00 oil change over the weekend. I waited for almost 2 hours to get my truck back. The dealer told me they found 2 oil leaks, vacuum pump and vanos seals that they could fix for an additional $1200. I told them I didnt't have time and needed my truck back because I had to be somewhere. I also told them how intereresting it is that they found this leak just as I am out of warranty (49,000 miles and 4 1/2 years)

The next day I noticed that they installed license plate holders with their dealership name on it. WTF??? I am not a rolling billboard for their dealership and who the hell do they think they are installing **** on my truck with out my permission while I sit in their lobby waiting. F'ing Arrogant bastards!

Today I took a closer look at the bill and noticed that the part number for the oil is
99-00-0-000-007 VL 5w30 Synth. WTF? That is not BMW oil!!! They did a $165 oil change and used what I believe is Valvoline!!

I highly recommend avoiding this dealership!

Sorry to hear of your problems. There is a great Indy in Morristown that I have used for years. EuropCar Service.

75 Mendham Avenue
Morristown

PM me if you want the number. Looks like I can't include in this post.

Originally Posted by 330soon2b

Sorry to hear of your problems. There is a great Indy in Morristown that I have used for years. EuropCar Service.

75 Mendham Avenue
Morristown

PM me if you want the number. Looks like I can't include in this post.

Why not? I include Bimmer Clinic #732-218-7632
cheers
vern

Changed my Mind.

Originally Posted by Critterracing

Well I'm pretty pissed off and won't be going back.

Picked up my cpo'ed 328i Friday. Love the car. Sales guy is actually a friend.

Going over the contract I see I was charged $95 for a tank of gas and a detail. Totally unacceptable after spending this kind of money. Also second car bought from this dealer.

I've bought of 25 cars in my time and have never paid for gas or detail.

I hate having my first post on this forum about this problem but as I said totally unacceptable to me.

Regards
Aldo

Same thing happen to me when I bought my CPO from them a few months ago. Like you, it also left a bad taste in my mouth. Nickel and diming like that on an expensive purchase is just so 'petty' and can only alienate your customer base.

It's like hotels and their idiotic 'resort fees'

Originally Posted by Critterracing

Changed my Mind.

Remember, on the internet ONCE YOU POST, you cannot 'change your mind'. The poster above quoted you. And I got your original post in an email notice. So...

Why DID you pay the $95??? You could have simply said "didnt order it, not part of our agreement, will not pay it"....instead of being a victim and then getting pissed off.

This stuff happens with dealers- just define your boundaries and stand firm, that way you reduce their ability to disappoint.

A

Originally Posted by JAPearson

I am working with the following
2 trips to dealer to fill urea tank unsuccessful, was out of time and went to dealer in springfield mass on a emergent basis
Filled the oil one quart low after oli change.(not a biggie I check it)
Had an auto-dimming mirror that did not work. They just changed it out and charged the manufacturer. Did not solve my problem. I had to purchase a manual mirror. They did put it on free of labor charge. The actual problem that I discovered was that the car did not have the correct harness from the factory
Just recently I brought the car in for A/C. The "refilled" it but now it has a bit too much charge and cuts out when you bring the engine RPM up a a bit like your on the highway and getting on from a ramp. If you shut down the motor and let it sit for a bit it kicks right back on...Don't gun it though
going back tomorrow to get it adjusted I hope...

I was able to chat with Jason the tech, he refilled the a/c but did not think it would make a difference. He was young and very nice and wanted to help. It was good to chat with him. I wish I could always speak with the person working on my car and not just the SA. A lot gets lost in translation. Anyway, it was because I read a post hear about A/c that I was able to offer the idea that just being more careful about filling may solve the problem, or maybe it had moisture in it or it was just plain luck that the A/C is working fine now. It is weired though that it even needed service as the car is only 3 years old...But I will give bmy hats off to Jason that he did try very hard to figure out what I was relating to the dealership and the effort he made to fix the A/C. I did not get a survey after this service, I guess they were not too confident about whether the pressure adustment was going to work. They should have, I would have given them an "A" for effort. I like saying nice things about people and products and organizations, I also like the honesty that Jason conveyed to me when we spoke. A breath of FRESH or maybe "working A/C air."

why is everyone still bashing Morristown? Aside from the license plate issue, they explained everything in detail about their work and their answers are legit. Most dealers would just tell the guy to F off. Atleast the parts manager has enough balls to come on here into the wolves den and explain both sides of the story.

deleted

Originally Posted by MrBones

I think you would hard pressed to find ANYONE here who wouldn't mind if a dealership swapped out his license plate holder with their own advertising.

At the very least, have the courtesy to ask for owner's approval! I am 76 yrs old and most of my cars have been purchased new. Being USAF retired, we have lived in many states and countries. I have NEVER had a dealer swap license frames, nor have I ever heard of any instance of it until now!

I found this thread intersting to me. It explains why I have gotten a 79 dollar coupon from my dealer, and I used it, and the dealer, (my regular dealer, and I am out of warranty) did not find anything else wrong with the car, delivered it as promised, and honored the loaner request. My service tech is the same one I have been using, and everything has always been on the up and up.

I have problems with the only dealer in town. Some minor some serious. The BIG problem no one can fix is FAITH. You have to have faith and confidence in your dealer, indy or main stream. Once that faith is abused; I cannot think what can restore it. Do you give then another chance to bugger it up again? Take it elsewhere and try to establish a relationship with new people? Definately always put it in writing and see someone senior.

On second thought, I'll stay out of this. I went elsewhere.

I have enjoyed following this thread. Lots to comment on, but I'll keep it brief.

1. have a personal thing about a dealer changing my plate frames without asking--- it previously happened to me, while I was waiting for them to complete an oil service. So I agree, other dealers do it, they must think it is a wonderful idea, it is not. While most customers may not mind, I doubt any actually enjoy having their license plate frames swapped without permission and more than a few have to be very annoyed. Personally, it's an imposition to me to have to remember to request they not do the free car wash, swap frames, or adjust the air pressure to whatever they happen find most convenient (which is invariably different from what is on the door jamb sticker).

2. Why would I have a dealer do an oil service? Sometimes I don't feel like it (it can be messy and time consuming or otherwise too inconvenient at the time it is needed), sometimes there are oil service promotions ($49 to $99 is fine with me, especially if it includes a limited scope or visual inspection, although they usually don't at these price points).

3. Props for someone from the dealership taking the time o respond to the OP's complaints. I do not believe there was a lot of "BS" in the response, on the contrary, I found the responses reasonable and credible.

Back in 2006, I found my pre-owned dream car on-line on the BMW Morristown website,NJ. The sales rep quoted me a price $1,000 more than the listed price on-line.

Fast forward 6 years later, the car burns oil, the passenger wells flood. My electrical system shorted out due to the flood. They do not honor the BMW value club discounts unless you beat them over the head with it repeatedly. I always need to remind the service reps of past work they did, and that I purchased the car there.

I do love the loaner car they provide. Relatively easy to pick up and drop off my car. I don't trust their sales or service reps.

it really depends on who you deal with. we have been customers of morristown bmw since 1997 and have been dealing with our current salesperson, Mike Wendroff, since 2006. He is an absolute pleasure to deal with. We had got switched to Mike after having a huge problem with our previous salesman. Mike makes car buying enjoyable.

In terms of service, it depends who you deal with as well. We have 3 BMW's and go to the dealership a lot. Nicole the service advisor takes such great care of our cars. Thoa the service manager makese sure everything comes out right every time, and if on the off chance that a problem still exists, she bends over backwards to make sure its solved the first time. Jason the service tech is by far one of the most knowledgable people out there and I wouldnt trust anyone else to work on my cars I know they get done right.

It really depends who you get, but if you make the effort to go to the people mentioned above, I guarantee a great experience. And if you have a problem in service, mention it to Thoa.

She told me that Morristown BMW would not acknowledge BMW value club discounts unless I brought my card in and showed the service rep. Even when I did bring my discount card, they neglected to reflect the discount. She hasn't taken any of my latest calls.

Because of flooding, the electrical system in my car has shorted out. The passenger side vapor barrier was never replaced.

I wish Morristown BMW spent more effort providing excellent service than monitoring blogs.

Originally Posted by max2700

She told me that Morristown BMW would not acknowledge BMW value club discounts unless I brought my card in and showed the service rep. Even when I did bring my discount card, they neglected to reflect the discount. She hasn't taken any of my latest calls.

Because of flooding, the electrical system in my car has shorted out. The passenger side vapor barrier was never replaced.

I wish Morristown BMW spent more effort providing excellent service than monitoring blogs.

Switch to JMK as so many do. No problems there.
cheers
vern

I'm working with Denson's Auto Repair in Martinsville, NJ (Shell Station).

So far it's been an uplifting experience. The owner, Billy Denson, called me within 4 hours of dropping off the car.

I'll forgoe the loaner car and coffee from a dealer for an independent family owned business.

I'm not from Morristown BMW or any dealership and don't know if they monitor the blogs. As far as service goes anytime I call thoa she always returns my calls, but I haven't had to speak with her in awhile.

Originally Posted by max2700

I'm working with Denson's Auto Repair in Martinsville, NJ (Shell Station).

So far it's been an uplifting experience. The owner, Billy Denson, called me within 4 hours of dropping off the car.

I'll forgoe the loaner car and coffee from a dealer for an independent family owned business.

Thats great.If your not using a dealer.I use Bimmer Clinic.When going to a dealer I always use JMK you can't beat them.
cheers
vern

Take your own BMW P/N oil in and insist they use it.

If a dealer swapped out the license plate holder, i'd be really p1$$ed off.

I'm happy I have a pretty good dealer. I've had several purchases and try to have good realtionships. Someone pulling games nees to be put under the micropscope.

Originally Posted by BMWofMorristown

Vince_nj1,

My name is Lenny DeFinis and I am the Parts Manager at BMW of Morristown. Mike Wendroff, who normally posts on Bimmerfest for our dealership brought this post to my attention today. I have to say, Vince, I can completely understand your frustration. I'd like to clarify what I can. I don't like to see any of my customers unhappy and I wish I had been able to speak to you sooner.

To begin with, you are correct; the part number for BMW High Performance SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Oil is indeed 07-51-0-017-866. This oil is a Full Synthetic produced for BMW by Castrol and is used for our non-M gasoline engines. It comes in individual quart size bottles that we are able to sell over the parts counter as well as use for service. However the same oil is also available to BMW dealers in a 220 gallon drum. We have this oil delivered weekly and it is pumped into our bulk oil tank. The bulk oil feeds an individual oil gun at each of our technician's service bay. This is far more efficient and also better for the environment. For inventory and ordering purposes, the part number for the drum oil is 07-51-0-017-954. This is primarily the oil we bill to repair orders in our facility and it is the exact same oil in the 866 quart bottle.

In regards to the oil on your invoice, first a little background. Over a year ago now, BMW came out with a parts line to cater to older out of warranty vehicles. They called them Value Line Parts. Basically they bundled various maintenance and replacement parts together at a cheaper price to allow us to compete with independent repair shops. It was mainly for E36, E46, E39 and E53 BMW's. The effort was unfortunately pretty weak and customers simply didn't know anything about it. So BMW went back to the drawing board and are now out with a second effort called BMW Value Service. It is now advertising pretty heavily on TV, radio, billboards, and other media. It consists of a $79.95 oil change with a multipoint inspection. BMW is rolling it out slowly model by model, right now focusing on the E46 3 Series. In response to the new campaign, and for internal tracking and pricing purposes, we fabricated a part number for the oil we sell on Value Services. That part number is 99-00-0-000-007 VL 5W30 Synthetic as you pointed out. This oil is actually the same BMW/Castrol oil used in our bulk tanks, part number 07-51-0-017-954. The VL actually stands for Value Line and I can see how you may think it was short for Valvoline. We used this number specifically for Value Services to meet the low oil change price. We also decided to use it for our out of warranty customers to extend the lower oil price to cars that don't fall under Value Service just yet. Price on the 007 part number is $5.99 per quart as compared to $7.45 per quart of the 954 part number. The reason for the different part number is as I said for internal use. We can easily track Value Services by generating reports searching for this part number specifically. It also allows us to quickly find customer pay repair orders. From these reports we analyze what customers are also coming in for and we can provide feedback to BMW. Again, I see where you made the connection and I'm sincerely apologize for the confusion. If you still feel uncomfortable, please do give me a call at the dealership. I'll make arrangements for your oil to be changed with your supervision if you prefer. If you would like, we can even tour the facility and I can show you the parts department and our repair shop.

As far as the oil leaks found right after you were out of warranty all I can say is I 100% believe it is coincidental. Some more background for you, the differences between a customer pay repair versus a warranty repair isn't what you may think. Generally speaking, because each dealer is actually different, what we get out of it is pretty close under both circumstances. If the leak was present prior to your warranty expiring I can absolutely say it would have been brought to your attention. Our techs look every vehicle over as closely as possible whether it has 10 miles on it or 100000 miles. We really don't have a benefit in waiting nor do we conspire to conveniently wait until you are out. We are just not that crafty but we thank you for thinking we are. All kidding aside, the truth is we want to maintain your X5 and keep you in good spirits about Morristown and about BMW the brand. That's a true challenge because when you come in for service, chances are you may already be upset about something going on with the vehicle. That goes for any carline. When you come to us and you are under warranty, that's fantastic. No money out of pocket and hopefully all parties are happy. If you happen to be out of warranty, it is our job to show you what is happening with the vehicle. We would not be doing the right thing if we did not. On a personal level, I love when a customer doesn't have to pay for a repair. Times are tough and it is not in my interest to make them harder, but sometimes this is unavoidable.

Finally the plate frames. I can see how this has upset you and that you mistake as arrogance. Unfortunately, the size of our dealership sometimes coveys the same wrong message. Simple and honest answer: We want to advertise that you come to us for sales and service. I believe this to be a common practice at many dealers as an easy way to advertise. I do know that most customers don't mind it but it certainly is something we should have asked to do. Seeing your reaction to it in print, I realize much more now that this can rub our customers the wrong way. It is something I will absolutely bring up at my next business meeting so the dealership can re-evaluate how we go about this.

I hope that I was at least able to ease your mind about some of the issues that upset you. If you would like to contact me at the dealership I'd be happy to discuss things further.

Thank you for considering us in the past and hopefully in the future.

Lenny De Finis

I dont even own a BMW yet, but this is a pretty decent response from the dealer..