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| 10-13-2009, 06:26 PM | #1 |
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Will never be the same again!! Lesson learned!
Hi All..! I would just like to share our experience with a light reading for you guys. Got our 35d Space Grey in March but unfortunately after a mere 5++ miles had a totally minor accident! Lady driver in a 1 series blindly turned right without noticing us. Suprisingly we came out worse than the 1 series (only a small scuff on the front bumper!)
No worries..all will be solved by the insurance...agreed for the car to be repaired by Insurance "recommended" garage! Was informed repairs would take 2 weeks max. Car was picked up and naively thinking the garage would be of high standards to be approved by Insurance company! Eventhough the repairs took longer, I didnt mind as we got a coutersy car! The delay was mainly awaiting a new front grill (which was not at all damaged by the initial accident) damaged from "polishing' by the garage! At first it didnt occur to me to feel fishy as long as they replaced the part. Ok..car was delivered by a recovery truck after 2 weeks plus..asked the delivery guy what was done..he replied..Dont know..I just deliver the car..then went off! My nightmare begins!!! 1) Immediately realised there was no longer that 'new BMW leather interior smell'..quickly noticed brand new black leather was off colour! Apparently they have used some sort of leather cream (or a very wet cloth or alcohol) to wipe clean the interior!! There was visibly whitish marks & one could easily notice the diffrence where lower areas were not affected!! 2) A small part of the left front wing was scratched visibly with fingers by someone who tried to scratch off something! 3) The new right front wing was not fitted properly! Visibly not in place! 4) The paintwork was very poor! Had little grains all the way to the top! Eagle eye to notice! 5) Paint was damaged!! Apparently they had used a very strong polishing machine! Parts of the paintwork were polished off and was now rough..very visible! Swirls were very visible in the sunlight! 6) Front bonnet was damaged (apparently someone had left working tools and closed the bonnet) I have to admit that I have a fussy sharp eye for details as a car enthusiast! --------------------------------- Immediately called the insurers..they advised to call the gargage directly to complain and bearing in mind that I have an OBLIGATION to give them a chance to rectify the problem! (b**S**!). Made a complain..took them a few days to get back to me and another week after that to reinspect the car!! The supervisor came on to me on all cylinders trying to sweet talk and bluff his way out of it! Blah blah blah..offered to take the car back stating that they have 1st right to rectify..I told him ..sorry ..its going directly to BMW now and they have to foot the bill!! Apparently that really ticked him off and I politely said goodbye to him! Insurers were not a great help and had to contact my insurance broker to make an executive complaint! Finally arranged meeting with insurers / garage representative at BMW after several weeks. Garage guy tried to disclaim paintwork damage but BMW bodyshop manager had this digital reader that measures paint thickness...behold..while some parts were 'polished off' but suprisingly some were heavily repainted!! Case closed - the garage apologised and sympathised admitting liability but took another few weeks to finally agree for repairs and other rectification! Body work repaint, new bonnet, right wing refitted and leather valet by BMW. LUCKILY, due to the garage own negligence - when they originally picked up the car, they had failed to make a full body check to make sure what condition they car was in..so they can dispute! They just came & drove it away! So in a way they cant dispute any other damages that I can claim while the car was in their not so good care! But never I dare to be dishonest..  While the paintwork has now been done by BMW and has given me a piece of mind but however, deep inside I know that I would never get that factory assembly line painted quality especially ONLY recently bought the car in MARCH! The leather valet only solved little of the problem and I'm considering to claim for two new front seats! I was told by someone at the courtesy car company that insurance approved garages are generally pressured to finish repairs by insurers to limit the cost of courtesy cars!! Lesson learned..Since you're paying for the insurance premium, GOD forbid when you have an accident..always insist on the dealership repairs!! Thats my 2 cents!! |
| 10-14-2009, 12:55 AM | #3 |
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Private
 
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Next time NEVER accept reparing your 80K+ $ vehicle anywhere outside BMW garage..no matter how the garage was good...come on..your car is still brand new...why would you accept someone do experiments on it ! ! !
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| 10-14-2009, 04:05 AM | #4 |
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Yup..Lesson learned..was too busy to go to BMW to get an estimate. Thought the repairs were just going to be 'snap on' - replace the damaged parts. Forgot that the new parts had to be painted first.
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| 10-14-2009, 10:37 AM | #5 |
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Lieutenant Colonel
 
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Wow you went through that and nobody died,impressive. I know with my insurance ( haven't used it for X6) I can take car to one of several they recommend or to any other I want. In the future I would go to dealer and ask your SA to recommend one.
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| 10-14-2009, 04:03 PM | #6 |
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incredible that they'd send the car back in that condition - real amateur hour job.
good luck in getting the seats sorted - it's something you'll see every day, so need to get it right for your own piece of mind. |
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| 12-15-2009, 09:11 AM | #8 |
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Finally after months of waiting, our insurers have offered to replace the leather covers for both front seats - fair enough. They concluded the interior was wiped down by a detergent based solution (which should have been properly diluted?!) and hence the discolouring.
On another note, the insurers initially argued that the softening of the leather seat (saggy) should be flagged as a warranty issue but BMW insisted that any problems arising was due to the fact that damage was originally done by the approved garage! So the insurers were trying their luck to minimise payout! OMG!! Not again..BMW & the insurers were again arguing!! Even though the 'approved' garage has admitted liability and agreed to foot the bill - the garage & I share the same insurers hence why they were being difficult! The guys at BMW showed me similar interiors from 08 BMW models at the bodyshop and the leather seats were still 'glossy' with a rich feel to it! In fact the whole interior of our X6 was affected (including the side leathers at the doors) but I have only stressed out the two main front seats as an issue. Since I first complained about the issue, the car was brand new and just did over 600 miles hence why the insurers honoured to replace the leathers instead of offering to professionally valet the seats. The insurers are also giving us the option for a cash settlement of £xxxx for the cost of the interior instead. Since the issue has been dragging on for months, we'll probably just settle for the cash just to close matters! |
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| 12-15-2009, 01:22 PM | #9 |
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Captain
 
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Be Careful Out There!
The x6 is only about 18 months old since some of the very first batch, mostly 3.5i's were delivered.
So how many body shops would have the tools & had the experience of taking one apart & putting it back together according to factory procedures & specifications? Even if you take it to someone trained at the BMW factory, how many times have they worked on one since the training?? Like the new Jaguars, built with all aluminium & aircraft type rivets, would you think just anyone can do body repairs on it. Special cars require special treatment, If u take cared enuf to factory order ur vehicle & paid hard earned after tax $$$$$$'s, would u give the keys to just anybody?? You have the privilege to damage ur own car, they should have the responsibility & repair garage insurance coverage while the vehicle is in their care. |
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| 02-15-2010, 07:01 PM | #10 |
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CASE CLOSED!! Received settlement instead from the insurers..all the months of waiting and driving in & out of the dealership garage has taken its toll! It does help if you have a very good insurance broker!
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| 02-16-2010, 02:32 PM | #12 |
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What's your insurance co? The problem is that in the UK, almost any insurance company has an approved garage and insists on using it. My insurance company is Direct Line and I'll be changing it for BMW Insurance just to have peace of mind in case I need to use the bodyshop.
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| 02-16-2010, 06:25 PM | #13 |
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I'm insured with Royal Sun Alliance via an insurance broker. I probably had to pay a little extra but the customer service is excellent when in times like these! Everything was taken care of and they even insisted on a new customer service manager when things were going slow!! Agreed, I rather pay a little extra just for the extra piece of mind!
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