Rant about BMW X5 (and service)

[MBizzy]

Nabili ng sister ko X5 niya 2nd hand running less than 500km. We bought it from BMW mismo through their pre-owned car program.

after about a month or so, ayaw na gumana bigla ng ibang windows nung car. thankfully may warranty pa yung car so narepair pa nila. kulang lang daw sa grease (natuyuan daw. labo)

The car was running fine until about 5-7km when its fuel pump malfunctioned.... malas pa nun kasi we were going all the way to batangas when that happened. Stuck kami under 100km/h because of that. (parang nagmmessage yung on-board computer na we cannot exceed that speed) ..... neweiz, at the end of the day pinaayos ng sister ko yung kotse. inabot siyang 16k or 26k. i'm not sure, pero being BMW ofcourse it was really expensive. Syempre nagalit ate ko sa BMW kasi sobrang 'bata' palang ng kotse, ganun na kalala yung sira at sobrang laki na ng babayaran niya, she ended up paying only about 70%

Ok na sana yung kotse (aside from its really stiff suspension), until today. Bigla siyang tumawag sa akin, sabi niya biglang wala na raw battery kotse niya. ayaw na magstart. (What the hell, the X5 should show some kind of warning for that.) Since malayo na ako, di na siya nagpasundo sa akin. Tumawag nalang siya sa BMW, since libis area lang naman siya malapit ang BMW sakanila... Pumunta sakaniya BMW tapos siningil siya 1.3+k para ma-jump start yung car...... after nun no problem na yung pag-start ng kotse. parang wala nang battery failure. Ang labo kasi hindi manlang diniagnose ng BMW technicians yung car niya when they jump started it. They just left it as soon as they got the car to start. eh what if tom. morning di na ulit gumana yung kotse.

I'm really dissapointed sa car ng sister ko, kasi being a BMW, i'm expecting it to be atleast very dependable in its first 2 years. I know it would be very expensive owning this car, pero kalokohan to. I don't think their service is at par with the amount of money we have invested in the car (and brand).

So Question ko lang po, since i'm not really familiar with euro cars.... are these problems common with euro cars? Is there anything i should do? Lemon car kaya yung kotse ng ate ko?

[KCboy]

either lemon, louzy service o d kaya ng car yung climate dito kaya nasisira. yang daw ang problems ng mga u\euro cars. we seldom hear of these problems kasi most of the owners of these cars are either ashamed to complain or seldom use these cars, weekende cars kumbaga. just my opinion.

[Altis6453]

Sad to hear about your experience with your sis' X5. I guess the proper thing to do would be to write the BMW dealership about your experience regarding their "certified pre-owned" program and their after-sales service.

By the way, shouldn't the fuel pump be also covered by the warranty (assuming the malfunction happened during the warranty period, that is)? If that's the case, your sister should not have paid anything anymore. Dang dealers!

[swapcentral.ph]

meron na bang lemon law??? believe it or not, that wouldn't be the first x5 with all sorts of problems that i have heard of

[airshaq20]

The fuel pump should have been covered by the warranty.

I dont know about BMW Phils, but bimmers sold here have free service (oil change, wipers, everything), bumper to bumper warranty and 24 hour road side assistance (should you ever get stuck with drained batts or ran out of gas or flat tire, etc).

[GlennSter]

same comment with swapcentral.may nabasa nga akong automotive journalist, tinirik siya ng x5 niya habang tinetest drive sa north...

[mazdamazda]

same comment with swapcentral.may nabasa nga akong automotive journalist, tinirik siya ng x5 niya habang tinetest drive sa north...

tinirik sila dahil naubusan sila ng krudo. hehe...

===

though, hindi naman ganun na sobrang "lemon" na yung kotse nyo... just because of a window, fuel pump & battery problem.

[RedHorse]

though, hindi naman ganun na sobrang "lemon" na yung kotse nyo... just because of a window, fuel pump & battery problem.

oo nga naman...

while in pagudpud, saw a 316 pina-service sa bmw technician ang sirang window, hanga nga ang wife ko, naka-overall pa yong gumagawa, dala ang service car na bmw din.

[KCboy]

kakahiya sa bmw x5, you paid 4m plus pa naman for that kind of car that easily breaks down. mayaman naman mga bumibili nyan so n.p.

[OTEP]

Madami na din akong narinig na x5 horror stories. Most of them are not limited to drivetrain problems. Kasama electrical, fit and finish, a/c, etc.

[MBizzy]

Ay oo nga pala, door handles niya dami nang "kalmot" marks.... turns out sobrang dali niyang ma-scrape off... sagwa tuloy tignan....

hehe di pala nagiisa ate ko sa mga horror stories... hehe thanks guys!!!

[airshaq20]

As far as the door handle scratches - well, only way to avoid that is to not use your fingernails to open/shut the door. Any painted panel + nails = scratches.

Fit and finish - i do agree. My uncle who owns one had his for a couple of years and since day 1, i've heard creaks and vibrations everywhere - by the way, those are warranted too, so you should ask the dealer to fix it for free.

[zeagle]

Baka naman hindi lang 500kms tinakbo nyan? Baka kinalikot km reading nyan? And bakit 500 kms pa lang binenta na ng previous owner?

[MBizzy]

double post sorry

[MBizzy]

ohh... sorry..... ibig sabihin ko INTERIOR handles......

oh yeah, minsan nga rin kinakatok aircon niya. biglang nasstuck sa mainit na temp. feeling namin nabobobo lang kami sa ka-hightechan niya kaya nagiging ganun hehehe....

sana nga sagot ng warrant lahat...

[airshaq20]

ohh... sorry..... ibig sabihin ko INTERIOR handles......

oh yeah, minsan nga rin kinakatok aircon niya. biglang nasstuck sa mainit na temp. feeling namin nabobobo lang kami sa ka-hightechan niya kaya nagiging ganun hehehe....

sana nga sagot ng warrant lahat...

You just need to go by the book when doing a warranty claim. Your warranty should clearly indicate what is covered and what is not. And if they dont honor their own warranty - then, you can sue them (not sure if you can do that in the Phils but its worth the try).

[GlennSter]

darn..di kaya lemon yan!?!grabe

[GlennSter]

airshaq...mahirap gawin yan dito...grabe ang mga dealers dito when it comes to warranty.they dont know the meaning of the word!!

[airshaq20]

airshaq...mahirap gawin yan dito...grabe ang mga dealers dito when it comes to warranty.they dont know the meaning of the word!!

Then the warranty is useless if they cant even honor it. Warranty is not a word of honor but a contract - these dealers are just after the big bucks. They dont realize that they will make more money from repeat customers (satisfied customers, that is).

Here in the US, they will even give you a loaner car just to have your car fixed/serviced, even if it only take a day to fix it (that is why nobody hangs out in the dealership to wait for their cars to be fixed/serviced).

My point is, the base model X5 3.0i starts around $41Gs (im assuming, thats the one they sell for Php 4million there) gets a very good warranty here and since they are selling an overpriced SUV, the dealer should at least honor the warranty - or you can write a letter to BMW in Germany to complain about this.....this is just something they practice because nobody complains:


This is what you get when you buy a Bimmer in North America
Warranty:

BMW NA (North America) provides limited warranties for any new U.S.-specification Sports Activity Vehicle® distributed by BMW NA or sold through the BMW NA European Delivery program against defects in materials or workmanship to the first retail purchaser and each subsequent purchaser.

The warranty period is for 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever occurs first, and begins on the date of first retail sale or the date the vehicle is placed in service as a demonstrator or company vehicle, whichever is earlier.

BMW provides a limited warranty for its 2004 and newer vehicles against defects in materials or workmanship which will result in rust perforation of the vehicle body for a period of 12 years, without mileage limitation, commencing on the date of first retail sale, or the date the vehicle is first placed in service as a demonstrator or company vehicle, whichever is earlier.

Full Maintenance

Full Maintenance includes items that need replacement due to normal wear and tear, provided wear and tear exceeds BMW specifications. This includes items such as brake pads, brake rotors, and wiper blades that are not covered by the original New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Any adjustments required due to normal operating conditions are also included.

You can also upgrade the warranty/maintenance up to 6 years or 100,000 miles

4/50 BMW Maintenance upgrade to 6/100 MSRP
Model Year 2000 – 2004. 4/50 6/100. 3 Series, Z3 and Z4 Series (except M's) $ 985
Model Year 2000 – 2004. 4/50 6/100.

All other BMW models including M's $1195
3/36 BMW Maintenance upgrade to 6/100

Model Year 2000 – 2002. 3/36 6/100. 6 cylinders (except M's) $1384
Model Year 2000 – 2002. 3/36 6/100. 8 cylinders and M's $1644
3/36 BMW Maintenance upgrade to 4/50

Model Year 2000 – 2002. 3/36 4/50. 6 cylinders (except M's) $ 399
Model Year 2000 – 2002. 3/36 4/50. 8 cylinders and M's $ 449


Estimated maintenance costs over 6 years/100,000 miles
Oil changes $0.00
Windshield wiper blade inserts $0.00
Brakes, including rotors and pads $0.00
Scheduled service inspections $0.00
Belts $0.00
Engine air filters $0.00
Brake fluid service $0.00
Total $0.00

And...you get roadside assistance

This program provides towing and on-site assistance during the original New Vehicle Limited Warranty or Certified Pre-Owned BMW Protection Plan. Additionally, the program provides for towing your vehicle to the nearest authorized BMW center in the event of an accident; custom trip routing services (maps and itineraries); and even provides trip interruption benefits for mechanical breakdowns covered under warranty when you are 100 or more miles from home.

If i was someone who could buy a Php4million - then, it should be worthwhile to hire a lawyer and try to sue these people. Like what i said, a warranty is not a word of honor but a binding contract.

[KCboy]

mga dealers dto, when make a claim, they just say theyll look into it then isososle sa iyo but wala naman ginawa sa sasakyan mo. delaying tactic til ur warranty lapses.