Sport Seats: Corrosion?

Originally Posted by omaralt

Maybe because I have two brothers who are SA's and hear stories from them about how people treat them and how they'll do the bare minimum with those types of people.

Perfect example of D-BAG SA. When you are at work, you leave your personal feelings and emotions at home and act like a professional. That means same level of customer service to every customer.

This is like trying to reason with a mule.

Originally Posted by Pappy Pipes

Got BMW to intervene and dealer confirmed it's corrosion. I expect BMW wil resolve to my satisfaction. That doesn't negate BMW's culpability and lack of responsibility. One can only imagine how many BMW employees turned a blind eye to this. If not for my own due diligence I'd be up the creek without a paddle. BMW's quality control reeks IMO! Love my car but my confidence in BMW has been shaken. The company will have to re-earn my trust. Thanks for all your supportive words. As for the Fanboys who tried to kick me when I was down, I pay them zero mind. Bullies are ubiquitous on the web.

good to hear this was fixed.its your money no reason you should have to live with bad seats.

Originally Posted by mr29

good to hear this was fixed.its your money no reason you should have to live with bad seats.

And just to be clear, not one person in this thread ever suggested that.

Originally Posted by mr29

good to hear this was fixed.its your money no reason you should have to live with bad seats.

Thanks! Hasn't been fixed yet but I expect it will be.

Originally Posted by Pappy Pipes

This certainly puts damper on my 3 day old dream car. I can't believe BMW would hire assembly workers who have so much contempt for the company and so much disrespect for their cars and customers. Very disappointed in BMW as a corporation and the executives who run it. They obviously know about this and buried it under the rug.

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=726583
http://f20.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=743476
http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=777392
http://f20.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=743476
http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=781312

Wrote email to dealer requesting part replacement ASAP... Just like this guy got...
http://www.f30post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=308

Oh, and here are pics from under my passenger and drivers seats... Shame on BMW! Suggest you check your cars peeps.

I just checked under the seats on my '11 335is and the they look factory fresh with a clean baked on black painted finish. BMW must have changed seat manufaturers.

I was worried because the car is stored in our Florida house garage that gets very humid inside when I store it for a couple of months in between visits.

Originally Posted by beden1

I just checked under the seats on my '11 335is and the they look factory fresh with a clean baked on black painted finish. BMW must have changed seat manufaturers.

I was worried because the car is stored in our Florida house garage that gets very humid inside when I store it for a couple of months in between visits.

Leer or Lear is the manufacturer.

My seats are perfect but were made in the period where the treatment wasn't added. It's inconsistent.

Originally Posted by Jamesonsviggen

Leer or Lear is the manufacturer.

My seats are perfect but were made in the period where the treatment wasn't added. It's inconsistent.

These guys:
http://www.lear.com

The seats made a boomerang trip from the us to germany or south africa, then back...

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by Orient330iNYC

These guys:
http://www.lear.com

The seats made a boomerang trip from the us to germany or south africa, then back...

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Bimmer App

Has Lear been the seat manufacturer for BMW for a long time or just since the F30? This may be tough to know for sure.

Originally Posted by beden1

Has Lear been the seat manufacturer for BMW for a long time or just since the F30? This may be tough to know for sure.

i know that the e90s used lear-- the other week i was retrofitting the storage hooks to a 2011 E90 and there was a lear build sheet under the rear bench. i remember finding the same under the rear seat of my 07.

i vaguely remember my 2001 had a similar lear build sheet under the rear bench...


edit: found this article, looks like lear has been the oem for bmw for 20 years or so
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., July 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Lear Seating Corp. (NYSE: LEA), one of the world's leading suppliers of automotive seating, has been awarded a contract with BMW. In the past, Lear had been delivering seating hardware to the Munich car manufacturer. In the future, Lear will assume the responsibility as Tier I system supplier, which includes both development and production of complete seats. A similar cooperation has already been agreed upon last year: Lear develops and manufactures complete seats for the future BMW Roadster production in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA.
The new contract allows Lear to transfer its know-how in complete seat development and production from the longstanding experience gained in North America to the European market. Within just a few years, system development contracts for major European customers such as Opel, Saab, Volvo and Jaguar as well as production orders in seven European countries have strengthened Lear's position in Europe. The close cooperation with BMW AG in Germany, one of the few who have not been hit by the recession, underlines Lear's high quality development capabilities as well as its cost-effective production know-how.
Lear Seating Corporation is a publicly traded Fortune 500 company which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (LEA) and is one of the world's leading automotive seating manufacturers. Lear produced over 11 million automobile seats in 1993 and employs approximately 18,500 workers in 60 facilities worldwide with sales of approximately $2 billion for the 1993 calendar year.
-0- 7/5/94
/CONTACT: John Bailey of Casey Communications Management, 810-746-6070 or Nick Feles of Lear Seating, 810-746-1515/
(LEA)

That's good information. Thanks. I wonder what caused this QC glitch? That's something that I would have envisioned from something produced in China instead of the USA. Maybe they did outsource these seats to a Chinese manufacturer?

It's quite possible. Here's a snippet from Lear's website:

Today, we provide complete seating and electrical power management systems worldwide. With 2011 sales of $14.1 billion, Lear ranks #189 among the Fortune 500. Our world-class products are designed, engineered and manufactured by a diverse team of 113,000 employees in 207 locations. With headquarters located in Southfield, Michigan, Lear continues to operate facilities in 36 countries around the globe. Lear is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol [LEA].

Many manufacturing facilities in China:

http://www.lear.com/en/contact/locations.aspx

Originally Posted by beden1

That's good information. Thanks. I wonder what caused this QC glitch? That's something that I would have envisioned from something produced in China instead of the USA. Maybe they did outsource these seats to a Chinese manufacturer?

It's quite possible. Here's a snippet from Lear's website:

Today, we provide complete seating and electrical power management systems worldwide. With 2011 sales of $14.1 billion, Lear ranks #189 among the Fortune 500. Our world-class products are designed, engineered and manufactured by a diverse team of 113,000 employees in 207 locations. With headquarters located in Southfield, Michigan, Lear continues to operate facilities in 36 countries around the globe. Lear is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol [LEA].

Many manufacturing facilities in China:

http://www.lear.com/en/contact/locations.aspx

if i remember correctly, aside from the SA plant, the lear factories are near the bmw factories. they do just in time supply, the seats are assembled and shipped to the factory just before the production of the car begins.
there was a segment about it showing the production of the e90 in the leipzig factory, the order for the seats would come in a few hours before the car entered prod. they highlighted how tight the timing was on having to deliver the set of seats with very tight deadlines. i cant remember the name of the show, but it was on cable

Originally Posted by Orient330iNYC

if i remember correctly, aside from the SA plant, the lear factories are near the bmw factories. they do just in time supply, the seats are assembled and shipped to the factory just before the production of the car begins.
there was a segment about it showing the production of the e90 in the leipzig factory, the order for the seats would come in a few hours before the car entered prod. i cant remember the name of the show, but it was on cable

The local just-in-time supply chain program may be just for seat assembly and the parts are probably manufactured elsewhere. I can't see them having redundant manufacturing facilities at each of their customer's auto assembly center locations.

Originally Posted by beden1

The local just-in-time supply chain program may be just for seat assembly and the parts are probably manufactured elsewhere. I can't see them having redundant manufacturing facilities at each of their customer's auto assembly center locations.

you are probably right

i could see them doing it locally if stamping/welding it from sheet steel locally was cheaper than shipping prebuilt frames. the latter would be bulky vs just a big roll of sheet metal.

Originally Posted by Orient330iNYC

you are probably right

i could see them doing it locally if stamping/welding it from sheet steel locally was cheaper than shipping prebuilt frames. the latter would be bulky vs just a big roll of sheet metal.

I'm betting that the frames that are rusting were fabricated in China. There are just too many examples of slip shod products coming out of that country. I'm hoping that US companies will get tired of further risking their company's reputations and start bringing the manufacturing back to America. That will help our unemployment and underemployment crisis.

Originally Posted by Orient330iNYC

These guys:
http://www.lear.com

The seats made a boomerang trip from the us to germany or south africa, then back...

Very helpful info, thanks! Since com boxes are assembled to accommodate various options once the seats are delivered, BMW should've treated them with an anticorrosive prior to shipment. Wonder if Lear will supply replacement seats and what origin and timeframe will be?

Originally Posted by Pappy Pipes

Very helpful info, thanks! Since com boxes are assembled to accommodate various options once the seats are delivered, BMW should've treated them with an anticorrosive prior to shipment. Wonder if Lear will supply replacement seats and what origin and timeframe will be?

treatment was supposed to be done at lear. after assembly and welding, before the foam and seating surfaces are assembled. the replacement seats are lear, just with the anti-corrosion treatment applied. my 11/2012 build car has no rust problems, its limited to the production run from feb 2012-aug 2012 if i remember the tsb correctly.

Time to update thread. Service Advisor at Beverly Hills BMW confirmed seats were corroded on February 27 but there was hitch. A "BMW Regional Service Rep" refused to replace the rotting seats in my 10 day old car -- the best he could offer was to "repair" them. Having dealt with numerous mid management flunkies in my day I realized dung flows downhill so I contacted Ludwig Willisch, BMW's CEO, and conveyed my thoughts and feelings.

48 hours later am happy to report the regional service rep's decision was reversed. My new seats are on order from Germany. Good I'm getting what I deserved to begin with -- a new car with defect free seats -- but miffed at Rusnak BMW of Thousand Oaks California, the dealership who sold me car. Rusnak totally turned its back on me, abandoned me! True, I went to BMW of Beverly Hills for this service because they're 90 miles closer roundtrip, but Rusnak sold me this rust bucket and Rusnak showed zero proclivity to own it. They asked me what I want them to do and I said "take responsibility!" That was 4 days ago and I'm still waiting for a response to that email.

there were instances where inetiors got scratched when seats were removed. watch out for that. also make sure there are no rattles in the car afterwards

Originally Posted by PK2348

there were instances where inetiors got scratched when seats were removed. watch out for that. also make sure there are no rattles in the car afterwards

Thanks for your kind advice my friend, am aware of the risk I'm taking. I have confidence in BMW of Beverly Hills thus far but shall heed your words.

Originally Posted by Pappy Pipes

Time to update thread. Service Advisor at Beverly Hills BMW confirmed seats were corroded on February 27 but there was hitch. A "BMW Regional Service Rep" refused to replace the rotting seats in my 10 day old car -- the best he could offer was to "repair" them. Having dealt with numerous mid management flunkies in my day I realized dung flows downhill so I contacted Ludwig Willisch, BMW's CEO, and conveyed my thoughts and feelings.

48 hours later am happy to report the regional service rep's decision was reversed. My new seats are on order from Germany.

Wow, that's awesome. How did you contact him? Via Email?

Originally Posted by Pappy Pipes

Time to update thread. Service Advisor at Beverly Hills BMW confirmed seats were corroded on February 27 but there was hitch. A "BMW Regional Service Rep" refused to replace the rotting seats in my 10 day old car -- the best he could offer was to "repair" them. Having dealt with numerous mid management flunkies in my day I realized dung flows downhill so I contacted Ludwig Willisch, BMW's CEO, and conveyed my thoughts and feelings.

48 hours later am happy to report the regional service rep's decision was reversed. My new seats are on order from Germany. Good I'm getting what I deserved to begin with -- a new car with defect free seats -- but miffed at Rusnak BMW of Thousand Oaks California, the dealership who sold me car. Rusnak totally turned its back on me, abandoned me! True, I went to BMW of Beverly Hills for this service because they're 90 miles closer roundtrip, but Rusnak sold me this rust bucket and Rusnak showed zero proclivity to own it. They asked me what I want them to do and I said "take responsibility!" That was 4 days ago and I'm still waiting for a response to that email.

I got my car from Rusnak too. The service department there took a quick look at my seats when I took it in and immediately ordered new seat frames, no hassles at all. I'm having them installed later this week.

I'm taking extensive pictures of both doorways before I take it in as I have also heard of damage when replacing them.

Originally Posted by FrogmanF30

I got my car from Rusnak too. The service department there took a quick look at my seats when I took it in and immediately ordered new seat frames, no hassles at all. I'm having them installed later this week.

I'm taking extensive pictures of both doorways before I take it in as I have also heard of damage when replacing them.

Well, suppose selling two rust buckets in one month was too much to bear for Rusnak so they simply ducked responsibility and turned their backs on me. Glad they took care of you my friend, good luck! But Rusnak has made me feel like odd man out.

Curious why BMW's "regional service rep" approved you're replacement and not mine? Rusnak's sales manager claimed its "regional service rep" was same as BMW of Beverly Hills "regional service rep". Rusnak's sales manager stated there was "nothing Rusnak could do". Your post confirms what I suspected, Rusnak is a very sketchy and slippery dealership!

Originally Posted by Pappy Pipes

Well, suppose selling two rust buckets in one month was too much to bear for Rusnak so they simply ducked responsibility and turned their backs on me. Glad they took care of you my friend, good luck! But Rusnak has made me feel like odd man out.

Curious why BMW's "regional service rep" approved you're replacement and not mine? Rusnak's sales manager claimed its "regional service rep" was same as BMW of Beverly Hills "regional service rep". Rusnak's sales manager stated there was "nothing Rusnak could do". Your post confirms what I suspected, Rusnak is a very sketchy and slippery dealership!

I picked mine up last June. I didn't notice the seat rust until it was reported in the forums and I took a look. Mine isn't too bad compared to the others I've see, but rust is rust and there shouldn't be any.

I don't know why the dealer would duck responsibility, they get paid by BMW NA to fix this stuff under warranty.

I don't even think they had the regional rep there, they just took a look and ordered the parts. There's no indication on the work order that they had to escalate it.

I didn't go through the sales to report this, I just went to service. I don't know if the CA/Sales Manager can do much after the car is delivered.

Did you get the attention of the service manager there? There's no doubt that they know about the issue. It's not just F30's, it affects F20's too.

Originally Posted by FrogmanF30

I picked mine up last June. I didn't notice the seat rust until it was reported in the forums and I took a look. Mine isn't too bad compared to the others I've see, but rust is rust and there shouldn't be any.

I don't know why the dealer would duck responsibility, they get paid by BMW NA to fix this stuff under warranty.

I don't even think they had the regional rep there, they just took a look and ordered the parts. There's no indication on the work order that they had to escalate it.

I didn't go through the sales to report this, I just went to service. I don't know if the CA/Sales Manager can do much after the car is delivered.

Did you get the attention of the service manager there? There's no doubt that they know about the issue. It's not just F30's, it affects F20's too.

Post #68 outlines the timeline. Your post confirms Rusnak's sales manager went out of his way to mislead me when he stated "We have the same Regional Rep as BH BMW…... If you had brought the car to us initially we may have been able to have done more for you, but that being said it is in BMW NA's hands". That was a lie! I physically pointed out the rust to my CA within 48 hours of the sale. Rusnak "looked the other way" leaving me, its customer, to fend for myself. An ethical dealership would have taken responsibility.