60K car - dealer swirls - fight or settle

J

jsoto

New member
i recently took delivery of my new black bmw. The car was glazed and it looked *great* off the lot at pickup time. Salesrep confirmed my wishes for no exterior detail but I guess their prep center was instructed otherwise for their customer service call.

After seeing the swirls on the car, I was in immediate talks with my salesrep.



Anyways, I've been in discussion with my salesrep and the manager has approved only $80 since this is what their detailer rates are. I did give the quote to my sales rep of what MY detailer was going to charge to detail the car properly and polish it out - $200 to $250. I either can get the $80 from them or have their detailer polish it out.





Well, to make a long story short, I have 2 options



- Fight to get the $250 to get it fixed by MY detailer which does an excellent job.

- Take the $80 and just leave as is



I made it clear I was very unhappy the fact the car has swirls on my 60K purchase and would like your opinion on this.
 
I'd get a written estimate from a few detail shops and present them with it. Show them that their rate is rediculously low and they should pay more. Then take whatever you can get and have it done elsewhere. Also make it clear that their shop already screwed it up once and won't have the opportunity to do it again!



The same thing happened to me when I picked up my car, I specifically asked that they not buff/glaze or anything else, but they did. I didn't have the time to argue with them and luckily the car wasn't butchered to badly.



Good luck.
 
First, isn't it just so unfortunate that the experiance of buying a wonderful new vehicle so often turns sour. I'd first get the additional quotes as suggested above, and give them one last chance to reconsider then if they do not agree to pay I'd ask for the phone number of the Regional BMW office and give them ONE call to explain the situation. If they are uncoporative, which they probably will be I'd consider taking the dealership to small claims court. Please remember that free legal advice is worth excatly what you paid for it but I see no reason why you wouldn't win if you go in with documented evidence.



I've actually taken this approach myself and the dealer ship came through but ...good luck and good luck with the car.
 
By far the worst thing a BMW sales manager could hear is you will be rating him/her as all ones when you are contacted by BMW for the after sale survey. Unlike most dealers there is no "hold back" on a BMW, they really don't keep a percentage of the original sale as is the industry norm. Instead they are paid a figure based on overall customer satisfaction, this explains why they practically beg you to say nice things about them after each sale and even service. If you have not already been contacted by BMW on the sale, just hold tight you will. If you have already been surveyed write a letter to BMW NA and state your case. You can be assured that they will listen, this happens from time to time and they know it, most dealers don't have the best detailer, most customers don't notice, you did, they owe you a swirl free finish. If you keep your cool, emphasize how this has soured the entire experience and that you feel they are not taking your concerns seriously they will act, don't expect it overnight but they do bend over backwards when they are wrong.



When I go back for service I put a sign on the windshield "PLEASE DON'T WASH" guess what, they frickin wash it anyway.



Good Luck



PS if your not a memeber of Bimmerfest.com I highly recomend joining, you might even post there, BMW is even said to contact people who post unhappy experiences there
 
jsoto- I'd make sure the only people who work on the car from now on (in any capacity) are people you TRUST. Get it fixed by someone you know will do a good job and do as the others have suggested to make BMW/the dealer feel your dissatisfaction. I wouldn't take the $80 unless you're gonna give up on pursuing it further. It could be seen as an acceptance of compensation that then lets them off the hook. I WOULD try to get the offer in writing though, so you have something that shows an admission, on their part, that it's their fault.



"$80 to compensate me for THAT?!? Let one of your employees TOUCH my car again?!? Is that a joke? Is there something WRONG with you?"



Heh heh, sorry, :o I just HAD to do that...I feel better now.



I just deleted a looong rant about people getting ill-used by THE PEOPLE TO WHOM THEY PAY THEIR MONEY. Short version: I just won't give my money to people who disrespect me. Refuse delivery (yeah, you bet I've done it!), refuse to pay/patronize shops that ignore your instructions, set the rules and stick to them. I don't mean to blame the victims here, or rub salt in a wound, but this seems to be reaching epidemic proportions. I'm a polite guy, but there's no ambiguity about how my cars are to be treated and the consequences if my instructions aren't adhered to. The guys at the dealerships/shops I patronize think I'm sorta weird/eccentric, but they respect my wishes and appreciate my business. They actually claim to take PRIDE in being good enough to satisfy me.
 
Hey JSOto. Have you called Eddie at Detailing Arts in Mineola. You should get there this summer to at least try his seriveces out. I guarantee your complete satisfaction. I know you like where you are now but if good is not enough for you than Eddie is the person to see.

He will make your car look brand new. You will not find a single swirl or wax in the cracks when he is finished. Trust me, his results will outshine and outlast anyone else. The finish will endure many, many many car washes and STILL look perfect and better than other cars on the road.



So if you are ready and serious about a real detail, give him a call.



If you didnt save the # the first time I sent it to you just Email me and I will reply with the number.



Ryan
 
To be fair, I called a couple of detailers in my area and they are asking anywhere from $100 - $125.



Calling all pros reading this or peeps who are familar with detailing rates. How much would the rate be for just an exterior detail - swirl removal & max. Black SUV - minor dealer swirls.
 
Not yet. I'm getting some aftermarket stuff done on the car and the paint will still be *fresh* on that stuff so I'm taking it all into consideration.



Getting Audio done too, so I figuered once all is said and one on the car, I'll get my baby cleaned up for summertime.



Any BMW owners out there. Brake pads and great and responsive but damm that brake dust.
 
Like the other said, get a few more written estimates, and also rape the he!! out of the dealer on the satisfaction survey. Don't hold back at all and also call the regional office to let them know how upset you are.



I have a customer who bought a BMW 745 Li last summer. He specifically wrote into the contract that no polishing or waxing was to be done and the contract was void if there was a single buffer mark on the car. He made his sales lady and her boss sign it. He got his car swirl free and had me out that week to lay down some S100 on it.



BTW, this guy's sales lady told him a few weeks before, the makeready department skipped a buffer across the hood of a new 745 and the customer refused the car.
 
$100 for a complete five step. That is a steal. Be carefull of what you are getting into. They may be hacks waiting to make a quick buck with their 1 hour detialing turnaround time. You should watch some people detail at these local shops. They waste more time and end up do nothing to your car.



At least, with the detialer I am suggesting in Mineola, you know exactly that you will get perfection, peace of mind and MAXIMUM results. You hafve to trust me on this one...

Besides, why would I waste my time on this if i didnt know for sure. You should forget looking at the rest and risk screwing up your paint. Why waste your time??? Go straight to the greatest.





Ryan

[email protected]
 
I'm not saying I'm going for the $100 detail. I was posting that to be fair, I called and asked around what other detail shops were asking for to have an exterior detail done and told them specifically that it had dealer swirls that needed removing and that the car was black and a SUV. While MY detailer will be charging considerably more, I just wanted to see what was the *average* for the same job in my location.



So what does your guy in Mineola charge..?
 
On the BMW Brakes, they sure do dust a lot, German regs on braking material dictate what they use so we are stuck with it. They do make an aftermarket pad that makes less, info is on Bimmerfest...



Strange home many German regs apply to a car built for the US market
 
Will you be taking your BMW to the same dealer you bought the car from to have your servicing done. You could wind up wth more problems if

your not happy with the service. If it was me I would just bite the bullet

and take it to a good detailer. Putting out that kind of money for a car

whats an extra $100 or so. Good luck.
 
I've considered this also. It may be a 2 sided sword with this issue and I'm taking loaners/service into consideration.......and I may just push to get $125 (half of what the fees would be to get it fixed by MY detailer) and just call it a day.
 
You are getting excellent advice!



As stated, the dealer will be mortified if he thinks that you are going to trash them when contacted by the distributor about your "buying experience".



Threats to call the BBB, etc. are also very effective.



Stick to your guns! Do you really think the dealer is going to risk the bad publicity/low ratings over the additional $120-170 you are requesting?



You might also mention that you will call the local TV consumer advocate and let them put pictures on TV of what the dealership did to your $60,000 car! :eek:



You'll get your money next week.
 
"You might also mention that you will call the local TV consumer advocate and let them put pictures on TV of what the dealership did to your $60,000 car!



You'll get your money next week."



Especially since there is time to squeeze the story in during the May ratings sweeps!
 
Thanks all for all the great input. I sat back and looked at the situation from both the customer and the *service providers* angle and I've decided $120 should be fair. If any mobile detailers are reading in on this, I would LOVE to hear some feedback. I do know Scottwax is following this thread......so please feel free to post away.



I would love to get you thoughts on this.



- The Dealer has offered to make it right and told me to come in to get it detailed. My sales rep knows how I feel since they got it wrong in the first place so I was offered the detail or the option of the $80 which they pay the detailer.



- I run a service based business also, and I would do the same. It would be rude for someone to say NO, I've got a guy that's more expensive than you and you should pay to get it right. I too would say NO, give me a chance to make it right and if it FAILS I would write off time on the initial service + pay for your guy to remedy the issue.



Any feedback or thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
 
Your decisions sounds like your headed in the right direction. It's not always good to sour a relationship with the dealership over a small amount of money, hopefully they realize this as well. Luckily their mistake is easily repairable.



If you do decide to let them do it again you might want to ask to see the equipment and products they plan on using for piece of mind.
 
jsoto - OK, I'm calming down compared to my LAST post on this topic :o . I agree with MBZ 500E, if you're gonna let them do it, check out what they plan to use and even try to get a feel for the competence of the guy who'll be doing it (you should be able to do this without insulting/irritating anyone, just be really polite and friendly). Remember that it isn't just a matter of $ (which isn't all that much compared to the cost of the vehicle anyhow), but rather a matter of how much clearcoat you're gonna be left with. We really are talking "irreparable" here, even if only to a minor degree.



Keep in mind that as an Autopian, you actually possess what's known as "expert knowledge", or at least you have ready access to it. That's more than a lot of dealership prep guys can (honestly) say. They DID mess it up once already, and they either thought it was "good enough" or that you wouldn't notice/care. Find out what they plan to do/use and check back here. You certainly DON'T have to give them an on-the-spot answer.
 
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