Nikasil Repair Kit for 6 Cylinder Engines

Hi Everyone,

The latest is that I took my 320i to David Prentice to have a compression test done and it failed. They asked BMW for a goodwill contribution and they came back to say that they'd give a 100% contribution as a sign of goodwill

Needless to say I'm delighted and just a word of thanks to all who replied with suggestions or views with regard to this topic.

Thanks again,

Mac

 

 

Mac wrote: It was then I went back to the dealer where I bought the car.... I told them of the bore wear problem and thry seemed very sceptical about it....

It was then that the complaint arose so if that's within 3 months you're in with a shot, to be honest it's probably still worth contacting them and cc'ing the dealer & BMW Irl as that may prompt a response

score!!

I would suggest however that you send a letter to the Head of BMW Ire stating what the problem was, that it was fixed by BMW UK and copy the head of BMW in Germany in on it as well. Ask him why you had to go to BMW UK to resolve the problem!!

Mac

Well done, the perseverence has paid off!  Pity is that you had to jump through so many hoops in what should have been a cut and dried case.  I'd been meaning to e-mail you on progress since I got back from holliers at the weekend.  How did you get on with the chap at the IT?  Missed a couple of editions, so don't know if he published anything.  Its ironic that the problem has been solved by a dealer who has had no involvment with your car in its life (or responsibility) while the dealers that have been involved with it have clung so hard to the fence they have been sitting on.

Mac's experience of the Approved Used scheme and warranty should serve as a warning to anyone here not to be complacent in the reassurance that can be taken from the AUC scheme here and see throught e sales patter.  Even though BMW Irl is wholly owned by BMW UK, it seems that they do not have the same enlightened attitude towards customer service that the dealers in the UK have (I know many UK readers of this may disagree about enlightenment, but its a relative thing).

Experiences like Mac's dent the reputation of BMW and the perceived quality of the brand in Ireland - would you blame him for not buying another and/or could you see him paying the over the odds price for another AUC?

The design direction of BMW today has given rise to much and heated debate on the forum and there have been more and more posts that question the engineering quality and reliability of the technologies and materials being used in the newer cars.  The dealer and customer service attitude may become a more critical part of why people buy BMW's in future.  If the attitude is apathetic at dealers and distributors (as this example shows), then people will start voting with their feet.  What you've got then is a Ryanair approach to customer service without the corresponding low fares.  I'm not an MBA, but this doesn't seem like a viable business model in the long run.

Hopefully someone from BMW keeps an eye on this forum.  If so, heed the message.  You've got a significant organization problem.  Get it sorted or your business will suffer.  It may be masked by the growth in volume with models like the MINI and 1 series, but  sooner or later it'll hurt your business and the bottom line.

Now that I've finished this little rant, I've got a soap box for sale that hasn't been stood on too often if anyone wants it!