BMWs Biggest Quality Problem

Below is a copy of a letter sent to the Roundel and a few BMW digests in November 2001:

It is no secret that BMW has been taking great strides over the years to improve the quality of its cars and recent survey results from J.D. Power has shown that, indeed, the initial quality of BMWs today are much better than just a few years ago. However, recent service experiences with my 1998 M3/4 have proven to me that BMW has been focusing too much on initial quality and not enough on long-term reliability (and thus perceived quality) by seriously neglecting the service departments of it's dealer channel. Poorly trained mechanics, tight service time periods, unknowledgeable service advisors, low warranty service margins, strict warranty part coverage and no loaner car provisions are all contributors to a very unpleasant service experience for BMW's customers.

My latest service experience illustrates my point perfectly. Over the past year, my dealer has been trying to fix a loud metallic noise that would occur at 3800 rpm. During the first service appointment in February of this year, I mentioned that it sounded like an alternator bearing. After having the car for a week, they said the problem was a cracked honeycomb in the catalytic converter and replaced it at a cost of $1200 to BMW. The problem remained and continued to get worse.

On the second service call four months later I again mentioned the alternator bearing could be the problem but they concluded the sound was due to the rear main seal. (After supposedly consulting with the corporate BMW TechLine.) After dropping the transmission and replacing the seal ($800), the problem still remained.

On the third trip about a month later (earliest appointment available), I again mentioned that the alternator could be the problem and suggested that they remove the serpentine belt when the engine was cold to see of the noise went away. They said they would take my suggestion into consideration. After two weeks, the dealer called to inform me that they had replaced the exhaust ($600) header but the sound still remained. They went on to explain they have spent considerable money and time on the car and were unwilling to continue working on the problem. Frustrated, I reluctantly picked up the car and began to wonder when this "noise" would turn into a serious problem.

Within two days of picking up the car, the car failed to start. After calling BMW roadside assistance getting the car towed ($400) to the dealer (75 miles away), they called to report that there was nothing wrong with the car and suggested the "big amplifier" in my car was probably causing the problem. After reeling from disbelief of what I heard, I demanded they replace the alternator. Reluctantly they did so. I picked up the car only to find the battery would completely discharge after an hour of driving. The problem remained.

I decided to take matters into my own hands and attempted to find the problem myself. Within minutes I found the problem- a loose ground cable. During the last "noise repair attempt" when the dealer replaced exhaust header, the mechanic failed to tighten the body ground strap bolt. So much for the dealers "big amplifier" excuse.

But perhaps even more pathetic was the fact the noise I originally had taken the car in for was gone. The culprit? The alternator.

My story isn't much different from others I have talked to in my area. It is clear that BMW's dealer service channel is broken. So much so, it is affecting not only the long-term quality (from poor repairs) of cars brought in for repair, but also the perception of quality (from the owners loss-of-use during the repair and the sight of a BMW on a tow truck) by BMW's current and future customers.

How many more unneeded $3000 warranty charges and letters like these will it take for BMW to take notice?

-Ed