The Damage

After a few days delay due to parts availability and the requirement for a new starter motor - the existing one had (developed...) an internal fault that meant another £178.41, I collected the car on Saturday, with a few interesting incidents...

• The invoice showed all the main parts as "RMFD." (e.g. RMFD. TRANS., RMFD Startermotor (sic)). When I queried what this meant, there was some dithering from the Service Advisor who tried to bluff for a few minutes, then went to get the Service Manager. He bluffed his way for a bit too - even to the point of saying "no parts are re-used", without ever clearly explaining what happened, though he did reassure me that the part was covered for 2 years and unlimited mileage, which is the same as a new part. I've since found a (slightly) fuller explanation from BMW here.
• The invoice also showed a number of "Surcharge on above" items (e.g. £591.30 for the transmission) that are refunded on the line below. This (apparently) is an 'internal' charge from BMW for the retrieval and inspection of the part. It's refunded if the part is returned to BMW. However, BMW will levy the full charge if the part is kept for independent inspection.
• Sytner had the car for 2 weeks but had only given it a cursory wash & vac, which was disappointing... Though the Service Manager did offer a full valet next time I visit as compensation. I hope that it's not before the next service is due!
• I mentioned the recommendation from Honest John about replacing the transmission fluid at every Service II to the Service Manager at Sytner. He didn't seem at all surprised and also said that "... a number of our customers ask for this to be carried out on gearboxes and diffs...". He also confirmed that it wouldn't affect the warranty on the parts/car. When I asked him why they (Sytner) didn't suggest it as good practice, he said that they "were very tightly controlled by the manufacturer" and that "BMW's position is that the parts are sealed for life and don't need the fluid to be changed". This seemed to be an area where Sytner could really add some value, but are not allowed to because of BMW's rules & regulations...

Total bill £2880.57 (yikes!).

BMW Reliability?

Where do you go when the manufacturer digs their heels in and says 'non!'?

I thought I'd post this to provide a reference for anyone considering buying a BMW in the UK; highlight how they can expect to be treated and the risks involved.

The headline is that I've spent £9,200 on maintaining my BMW 330D over the past 2 years or 46,000 miles, which is £350/month. This is in addition to the £485/month that's been 'spent' on depreciation and finance charges...

The bulk of this cost (£5,650) is due to the following failures;

• Xenon controller failure - £860
  
• Seized rear calliper - £620
  
• Injector replacement - £470
  
• Gearbox replacement - £3,700
  

The car is currently at the Sytner dealership in Coventry where it requires £4,400 maintenance to replace a failed injector, glow plug relay and gearbox.

BMW's goodwill policy sets an upper limit of 6 years and 100,000 miles. A goodwill request was made by Sytner on 30th January 2008, but BMW said (today) that they would not make any contribution to the parts or labour charges and reprimanded the dealer for having made the goodwill enquiry in the first place!

I should point out that the car was bought as BMW approved and warrantied with 36,000 miles. It was first registered in May 2003. All these failures have occurred in the last 10,000 with the gearbox failing @ 82,000 miles.

I have accepted some of the 'unexpected' (non-service related) costs in the context of running a 4 year old car and the eye-watering depreciation as a result of the economic downturn, but feel that a gearbox failure @ 80,000 miles is unreasonable.

We used to durability test Jaguar cars to over 125,000 miles and all the Mercedes (I've owned) completed 90 to 120,000 miles without major issue.

I approached BMW Customer Services directly; provided a breakdown of the costs and illustrated the high level of background maintenance. They were unmoved and weren't prepared to consider the case in the context of their own rules.

So what do I do now?

• BMW don't care. 
  
• I'm not important to them as a customer and have no way of having a reasonable conversation.

All I can do is publicly state my case and allow others to use the information in their car purchasing decision.

The original intention was to sell the car after the next service and replace it with another BMW. Given my experience of BMW ownership, I am unlikely to do this.

I suggest other people look elsewhere too.

To provide some more detail;

I purchased the BMW from Rybrook in Shrewsbury in December 2006. I had been a Mercedes owner for the previous 10 years (E430 Estate, E280 Estate, E320 Saloon). The Mercedes cars were very good – well made & reliable, despite the press reports, but the dealers were arrogant and customer service was very poor.

I’d had a good reliability and customer service experience with two BMW motorcycles (K75S and K1200RS) and the press reviews of the E46 were very complimentary. Rybrook had prepared the car very well and it appeared to be in very good condition – one owner, low mileage.

During my ownership, the car has been used for business commuting – mainly motorway work; long journeys and light load. As in indication, the rear tyres require replacement every 20,000 miles, the fronts at 38,000 miles and the front pads were only 60% worn after 38,000 miles.

Rybrook or Sytner in Coventry have inspected or serviced the car at the correct intervals.

As an aside, I have also had a number of issues with the level of customer service at Sytner – something for another post. Whilst I am dubious about their claim that the headlight seal failure (that caused the Xenon controller failure) and the work on the headlamp washers are unrelated, I have no proof and have accepted their offer of a complimentary service.

There's an update on this here.