I had my first service at BMW (Classic BMW in Dallas-Plano). Should I expect more??

I brought my car in to Classic BMW for a few concerns. I purchased the car used from them the month prior. They took about 3 days longer than I expected; however, they did warn me they don't have a definitive time for the repair. They had to keep the car over the weekend, and I thought I would get an update on Monday. No one contacted me. I sent a friendly email on Monday asking for my current ISTA/P. I get a response with just the ISTA/P #. No "good evening", or "hello". Maybe I have higher customer service expectations because this is how I treat my customers and co-workers. Overall, I was pleased with my service adviser; however, I had slightly higher expectations going to a premium dealership.

They also had to take my vehicle for an "extensive" test drive, which they called and informed me of. It was about 50-80 miles. It was for the new steering program to fix the pulling issue. I turned the car in with about a quarter tank of gas. I get it back with it on empty, and only 17 miles left on the tank. I guess it was enough for me to make it to a gas station.

Anyways, I finally get the car back. Most of the concerns were addressed. I than inspected the car when I got home. There were still some bug residue on the front bumper and windshield. I also noticed oil marks from someones forearm and hands on my new $400 Huper Optik tint . The carpet did not seem properly vacuumed. The worst part is that they put black grease marks on my new grey Weather-tech all weather floor mats . Not cool!

I didn't have time to bring it back, so I used de-greasing agents and scrubbed the grease out, and re-washed the entire car. I than notice that behind the rear passenger seat, they did not tuck in some flap . It was definitely not like that when I turned in the car.

I left a voice-mail for the service manager. I am not sure what to expect, or what I should request to make this poor service visit better.

Here are some pics after I got my car back. I don't want to be one of "those" customers; however, I believe in great customer service. I also would not expect my car to be in worse shape in certain areas than when I turned the car in.




This was a new flawless Weather-tech floor mat



New dirt on the door step



poorly vacuumed carpet (if vacuumed at all).



obvious hanging flap behind passenger seat


I wish I had a pic of the grease mark on the drivers window and a good pic of the front of the car. We will see what the service manager says.

You should expect much better. Slam them on the post survey you will get emailed to you.

In a big market I would seek out a better dealer for service, doesn't matter where you bought it.

IMO this is just small stuff that I almost expect when I take my car in: the norm vs the exception. If the car does not develop any new issues as a result of the dealer's fix then I would consider myself lucky and move on.

I've never seen this before and I'm curious as to what this is:

looks like your car was used for someone's weekend transportation. the flap hanging down....looks like a passenger stuck their feet underneath and dragged that out. that's not normal.

....that's curious enough that i just went out and checked my car. it's part of the upholstery and it gets either stapled or fastened to the underside of the seat. i think some clod yanked it out with their feet or yanked it somehow while vaccuming.

no reason for that. nail them.

Something similar happened to me. I had greasy fingerprints on my oyster on the driver's door card, the center console and the passenger seat. I brought it back and the dealer cleaned it off as well as a full interior detail. Pretty decent.

Call them on it.

The service manager just responded:

I do apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused.

I can have a Valet drop off a loaner and pick up yours to take care of the grease marks and take care of the seat. I will also fill your tank for you as a courtesy.

I am pleased with that repines. Overall, I think it is a neat dealership. I will give them grace and hope the next experience is better. Thank for the responses and advice. My wife and I were shocked and disappointed when we got the car back; however, I am glad they are trying to make it right.

A good recovery!

Sounds as a reasonable resolution, whtfor did you bring in the car, how come the undercover of the right seat came loose?

Originally Posted by BigDeep1

The service manager just responded:

I do apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused.

I can have a Valet drop off a loaner and pick up yours to take care of the grease marks and take care of the seat. I will also fill your tank for you as a courtesy.

I am pleased with that repines. Overall, I think it is a neat dealership. I will give them grace and hope the next experience is better. Thank for the responses and advice. My wife and I were shocked and disappointed when we got the car back; however, I am glad they are trying to make it right.

Looks like the dealer is a keeper. They realized their mistake. At least they didn't try to blame you.

My car always comes fully vacuumed, interior wiped down, washed, and they seem to use some nice fresher spray because it always smells nice when I pick up my car.

I have it written on my work order do not wash or vacuum my car. My SA knows it and they've been great about it.

Grease I can understand on some areas, but the seat issue would really irritate me.

Originally Posted by Sophisto

Sounds as a reasonable resolution, whtfor did you bring in the car, how come the undercover of the right seat came loose?

I wish I knew how and why that undercover came out. It was not like that when turned in.

Reason I turned in car for service:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...&postcount=352

I've used Classic for over 20 years...never had a problem that wasn't resolved to my satisfaction. Next time, ask for Pat Arnold, the best SA there. He always replies promptly when I email him a question.

///Mike

Originally Posted by BigDeep1

I wish I knew how and why that undercover came out. It was not like that when turned in.

Reason I turned in car for service:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...&postcount=352

Despite the problems - what did they do to fix the issues? Just a programming update?

Originally Posted by dadesidon

Despite the problems - what did they do to fix the issues? Just a programming update?

Sorry for my delayed response.

To address the horrible "tip-in" and jerky shifting at low gears, BMW corporate told them to wipe the learned transmission data, and that should supposedly fix the issue. Surprisingly, the car is driving much better than before in regards to the throttle hesitation and surge issue.

They flashed in a new steering program, and that was supposed to fix the pulling to the right. I have not had a chance to drive the 5 a lot since the service; however, this issues also seems to be largely resolved.

They could not reproduce the brake vibration at highway speeds. They also could not experience/reproduce the idle fluctuation issue. Surprisingly, those issues are not as prominent any longer.

I've said it before - There is nothing premium about BMW service. Seems same as non luxury brands to me. If you want Premium service go to Lexus or Porsche.

Originally Posted by stonemik

I've used Classic for over 20 years...never had a problem that wasn't resolved to my satisfaction. Next time, ask for Pat Arnold, the best SA there. He always replies promptly when I email him a question.

///Mike

Pat is my SA too...he really is great. He will reply to calls, texts, or emails super fast and always makes sure that everything is done right!

Originally Posted by Stealth.Pilot

I've said it before - There is nothing premium about BMW service. Seems same as non luxury brands to me. If you want Premium service go to Lexus or Porsche.

Well, I think there are a lot of great points with BMW service. I think they do try to take ownership of their problems and most of their maintenance. I will say that the final wash and detail at the end of the service plays a huge role in my assessment of the level of care and luxury the dealer provides. This past wash and vacuum was very disappointing. I am sure they will make it right with the wash that the manager promised.

From my experience, more than the vehicle manufacturer, the dealership makes a difference. Sewell dealerships do a great job in customer service. I don't want to make any hard conclusions after my very first BMW service. I know that Classic BMW is the preferred BMW dealership in the metroplex. Hopefully I will get to experience the reasons why .

Originally Posted by BigDeep1

Well, I think there are a lot of great points with BMW service. I think they do try to take ownership of their problems and most of their maintenance. I will say that the final wash and detail at the end of the service plays a huge role in my assessment of the level of care and luxury the dealer provides. This past wash and vacuum was very disappointing. I am sure they will make it right with the wash that the manager promised.

From my experience, more than the vehicle manufacturer, the dealership makes a difference. Sewell dealerships do a great job in customer service. I don't want to make any hard conclusions after my very first BMW service. I know that Classic BMW is the preferred BMW dealership in the metroplex. Hopefully I will get to experience the reasons why .

I am not making excuses for Classic as i have had issues with their service in the past; the substandard washing is due to their automated car wash being closed the past 4 months as they build a new multi lane one. They are getting by with the runners hand washing the car and doing a shoddy job at it.

I am still pissed about the timewhere they kept my 528 for a week to fix a trunk rattle and returned my car with the issue not being resolved, the rear seats not being put back together, the rear seat belts not re-installed, and my child's car seat being broken.

Originally Posted by BigDeep1

....I know that Classic BMW is the preferred BMW dealership in the metroplex.

My one and only experience with Classic BMW several years ago was not that great and I never went back. I also had a less than stellar experience at Moritz in Arlington. For the past 12 years I've had my BMW's serviced at Autobahn Motors in Ft. Worth and they have been outstanding. I highly recommend them.

Originally Posted by mwdfdolan

Pat is my SA too...he really is great. He will reply to calls, texts, or emails super fast and always makes sure that everything is done right!

Pat is awesome, but have you ever dealt with Lenny? He was there for a long time and suddenly he was gone. He was MR. BMW. Lenny, if you are our there in this board, we miss you!!!!

Originally Posted by BigDeep1

Well, I think there are a lot of great points with BMW service. I think they do try to take ownership of their problems and most of their maintenance. I will say that the final wash and detail at the end of the service plays a huge role in my assessment of the level of care and luxury the dealer provides. This past wash and vacuum was very disappointing. I am sure they will make it right with the wash that the manager promised.

From my experience, more than the vehicle manufacturer, the dealership makes a difference. Sewell dealerships do a great job in customer service. I don't want to make any hard conclusions after my very first BMW service. I know that Classic BMW is the preferred BMW dealership in the metroplex. Hopefully I will get to experience the reasons why .

I had my first run in with the service at Classic BMW today. Took it in for a wash before the new tint went in. I went yesterday but was told that the car wash closed at 5PM, I got there at 5:08PM. So I went there first thing in the morning at 8AM. Seems like that place was busy first thing in the morning. They took my car and said it was going to be 20 minutes. I did get my car back within the time and they did a nice job of it. Since this wasnt an engine service related trip I cant say what to expect on the level of service I will receive.

The CA told me when I was buying the car that I can bring in the car for a free wash everyday but not to abuse that as they can track that. How would you abuse the free wash privilege? If they offer it unlimited then I should be able to take it in everyday dont you think?

One of my coworkers had a bad experience with Classic BMW but his car was out of Warranty. He has sworn never to go back to that dealership. He said that Dallas BMW is much better for him. To each their own I guess.

Originally Posted by rok8man

I had my first run in with the service at Classic BMW today. Took it in for a wash before the new tint went in. I went yesterday but was told that the car wash closed at 5PM, I got there at 5:08PM. So I went there first thing in the morning at 8AM. Seems like that place was busy first thing in the morning. They took my car and said it was going to be 20 minutes. I did get my car back within the time and they did a nice job of it. Since this wasnt an engine service related trip I cant say what to expect on the level of service I will receive.

The CA told me when I was buying the car that I can bring in the car for a free wash everyday but not to abuse that as they can track that. How would you abuse the free wash privilege? If they offer it unlimited then I should be able to take it in everyday dont you think?

One of my coworkers had a bad experience with Classic BMW but his car was out of Warranty. He has sworn never to go back to that dealership. He said that Dallas BMW is much better for him. To each their own I guess.

Track the car washes - what a bunch of BS. Your CA is full of it! The attendants make you sign a disclaimer that does not have your VIN on it. Plus they never scan your key FOB. No way they are tracking the washes. I have been using their car wash for the past 5 years. I did not buy my car from them; however, they do handle all my services; hence don't feel any guilt

Originally Posted by schnell525

I have it written on my work order do not wash or vacuum my car. My SA knows it and they've been great about it.

I couldn't agree more with this. I trust the BMW mechanics to service my car, but I don't trust the wash crew. My dealer has one of those heavy duty revolving brush drive through machines. No thanks, I'll do it by hand all by myself. (that last line sounds bad)

So here is some market research. You can see BMW is one of the worst brands in terms of dealership customer service satisfaction. This is entirely consistent with my experience having owned only BMWs for 13 of the 15 years that I have been owning cars. The other 2 years I owned a Lexus, and while the car was dull, the service did rock!