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      12-14-2012, 06:26 PM   #243
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Booked an appointment next week to return to the dealer where they will take pictures of the rust and send them off. Both high up managers will be present when they take the pictures or so I've been told when the appointment was made. Somewhat encouraging, however I'm a bit worried that my rust isn't "serious" enough. Anyway, let's see what happens.
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      12-15-2012, 09:08 AM   #244
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Dealer called me yesterday after inspecting my car an said it's normal. I have rust on both hinges, under both seats and behind the dash. This is unacceptable and I let them know this. My service advisor is going to see what else he can do and get back to me on Monday. That being said, this may not go well. Any advice is appreciated since i'm sure some of you may have gone through the same. I don't want the to be dragged out.
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      12-15-2012, 09:21 AM   #245
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The issue is that: the dealership are not accepting to take responsilities for BMW AG design...

the dealerships will only take action if they are being ordered by the mother house and these actions would be compensated somehow for the time taken to recall all cars.

Imagine if one dealership "volunteer" to correct this rust problem, that dealership would suddenly have the burden to rectify all the cars coming for the seat rust, monopolizing its resources instead of making sales...

So until the dealership receive the words and orders from BMW AG, there isn't much you can do... unless someone else find a loop hole in all this.

But i am just saying: dont be expecting too much until you see a directive directly from BMW AG.
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      12-15-2012, 12:09 PM   #246
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March 2012 built in Munich . Also rust Does anyone here in Turkey have the same problem ? I will contact my dealer next week .
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      12-15-2012, 12:43 PM   #247
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BimmerHJ View Post
Until E90 chassis, all BMW seat frames had 'rust prevention coating', so all the previous BMW cars will not have any rust forever.
It is F30 (& F20) only, because when the seat supplier (I guess it's Lear) for BMW has changed the metal parts for new F30 chassis last year, they skipped the 'rust prevention coating' process (don't know why, but maybe cost reduction purpose?).
And then, when BMW noticed that there are many rusty seats, I guess that BMW has instructed the seat supplier to apply the 'rust prevention coating' again, since Nov.1, 2012 production.
So, BMW NA may offer to replace all the "un-protected' seats with new "protected" seats, as BMW Korea did.
My cars:

BW44 - built Oct 29 to Nov 4
BW48 - built Nov 26 to Dec 2

I do hope neither of them has rust or will rust. I've asked the dealer to check my BW48 car.

The BW44 car seems to be ok ....... so far ...... I think ...... build time/date just by the skin of my teeth ...... maybe!

This problem is serious and extremely upsetting. UK F30 and F20 cars are also showing signs of seat base rust.
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      12-15-2012, 12:49 PM   #248
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Quote:
Originally Posted by matt1034 View Post
Dealer called me yesterday after inspecting my car an said it's normal. I have rust on both hinges, under both seats and behind the dash. This is unacceptable and I let them know this. My service advisor is going to see what else he can do and get back to me on Monday. That being said, this may not go well. Any advice is appreciated since i'm sure some of you may have gone through the same. I don't want the to be dragged out.
Advise dealer you want appointment to meet with BMW rep. They typically visit dealers 1-2 times each month.
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      12-16-2012, 01:57 PM   #249
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DrivenByE30 View Post
The issue is that: the dealership are not accepting to take responsilities for BMW AG design...

the dealerships will only take action if they are being ordered by the mother house and these actions would be compensated somehow for the time taken to recall all cars.

Imagine if one dealership "volunteer" to correct this rust problem, that dealership would suddenly have the burden to rectify all the cars coming for the seat rust, monopolizing its resources instead of making sales...

So until the dealership receive the words and orders from BMW AG, there isn't much you can do... unless someone else find a loop hole in all this.

But i am just saying: dont be expecting too much until you see a directive directly from BMW AG.

This is the most logical post I've seen so far regarding this.

Dealers are not an extension of the manufacturer. They're independent agents. They can't jump in with both feet to correct an issue if they don't know they'll be compensated by the factory. Remember, the manufacturer warrants the cars, not the dealers. ANY issues you have with any car need to be authorized by the manufacturer. While some dealers are quick to blow issues off as normal, that doesn't preclude you from contacting customer service directly to log a complaint. The more complaints received about a given issue, the higher the likeliehood they'll issue a bulletin.

It's only AFTER a bulletin is released (or an individual authorization is granted) that any dealer will commence work. There's zero reason to get lippy with your dealer. They're your ADVOCATE, not the enemy. Bitching and complaining to them will only make them not want to work with you.

Take the car in for assessment. Have them document their findings and contact the regional rep or BMW directly. Then just sit back and wait. These things take time. Your car won't be falling apart anytime soon (at least not because of surface rust on the seat pans).
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      12-17-2012, 04:53 AM   #250
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BavarianFanatic View Post
This is the most logical post I've seen so far regarding this.

Dealers are not an extension of the manufacturer. They're independent agents. They can't jump in with both feet to correct an issue if they don't know they'll be compensated by the factory. Remember, the manufacturer warrants the cars, not the dealers. ANY issues you have with any car need to be authorized by the manufacturer. While some dealers are quick to blow issues off as normal, that doesn't preclude you from contacting customer service directly to log a complaint. The more complaints received about a given issue, the higher the likeliehood they'll issue a bulletin.

It's only AFTER a bulletin is released (or an individual authorization is granted) that any dealer will commence work. There's zero reason to get lippy with your dealer. They're your ADVOCATE, not the enemy. Bitching and complaining to them will only make them not want to work with you.

Take the car in for assessment. Have them document their findings and contact the regional rep or BMW directly. Then just sit back and wait. These things take time. Your car won't be falling apart anytime soon (at least not because of surface rust on the seat pans).
+1
I have rust on both frames and can see rust starting on passenger hinge. I'll be visiting the dealer later this week. My expectation is the dealer will document the situation. I'll also follow up with BMWNA to assure my situation is on record. I don't have any expectation that they'll immediately react by replacing my seat frames. However, since it's rust, I do expect the problem to get worse over time. Hopefully by the time it's looking horribly corroded, BMW will have some sort of remediation in place. Til then, I'll still love driving my ride!
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      12-17-2012, 10:57 AM   #251
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Quote:
Originally Posted by matt1034 View Post
Dealer called me yesterday after inspecting my car an said it's normal. I have rust on both hinges, under both seats and behind the dash. This is unacceptable and I let them know this. My service advisor is going to see what else he can do and get back to me on Monday. That being said, this may not go well. Any advice is appreciated since i'm sure some of you may have gone through the same. I don't want the to be dragged out.
Refer to this post.

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showpo...0&postcount=15

He is getting replacement seat frames from the dealer (@SoCal).
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      12-17-2012, 11:05 AM   #252
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BavarianFanatic View Post
This is the most logical post I've seen so far regarding this.

Dealers are not an extension of the manufacturer. They're independent agents. They can't jump in with both feet to correct an issue if they don't know they'll be compensated by the factory. Remember, the manufacturer warrants the cars, not the dealers. ANY issues you have with any car need to be authorized by the manufacturer. While some dealers are quick to blow issues off as normal, that doesn't preclude you from contacting customer service directly to log a complaint. The more complaints received about a given issue, the higher the likeliehood they'll issue a bulletin.

It's only AFTER a bulletin is released (or an individual authorization is granted) that any dealer will commence work. There's zero reason to get lippy with your dealer. They're your ADVOCATE, not the enemy. Bitching and complaining to them will only make them not want to work with you.

Take the car in for assessment. Have them document their findings and contact the regional rep or BMW directly. Then just sit back and wait. These things take time. Your car won't be falling apart anytime soon (at least not because of surface rust on the seat pans).
I saw some posts saying their dealers (in US) had replaced the rusty seat frames even though BMWNA didn't issue any bulletin. So I guess it's YMMV.
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      12-17-2012, 12:15 PM   #253
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BimmerHJ View Post
I saw some posts saying their dealers (in US) had replaced the rusty seat frames even though BMWNA didn't issue any bulletin. So I guess it's YMMV.
Correct. I'm sure they were handled as "goodwill" claims. Some dealers are better at going to bat for owners than others are. So, yes, results will vary from dealer to dealer. Just don't go in with high expectations or yelling "but I saw that some dealers are replacing them on the internet!". That will do more harm than good in helping your cause.

Even once a bulletin is issued, there are still dealers out there that either don't pay attention to the pipeline or can't be bothered unless you push them.
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      12-18-2012, 11:23 PM   #254
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Just heard from my dealer today.. The seat frames are on back order.. at least a few weeks out... Hmmm, I wonder why....??
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      12-19-2012, 01:06 PM   #255
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Just brought my car into the dealer this morning to have pictures taken. They told me that BMW has changed the protective coating so they can replace the seat frames when they can get a hold on them. They did say that it maybe a long wait coming from Germany. I'm happy though they are going to be replaced! Happy Holidays!
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      12-19-2012, 02:27 PM   #256
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lewishamilton View Post
Just brought my car into the dealer this morning to have pictures taken. They told me that BMW has changed the protective coating so they can replace the seat frames when they can get a hold on them. They did say that it maybe a long wait coming from Germany. I'm happy though they are going to be replaced! Happy Holidays!
Good to hear that.
I also brought my car into the dealer to have photos taken, and send them to BMW Canada.
My seat frames have a few red spots on both sides, and passenger side seat's hinge has some visible rusts on it.
I guess the dealer will send the pictures and leave some notes about hinges.
I don't know if I can get new seat frames later, but will keep an eye on the rusty area.
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      12-19-2012, 03:10 PM   #257
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My dealer service manager is working with BMWNA - taking it in on Friday to sort out. What a process.
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      12-20-2012, 04:10 AM   #258
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Im sorry about the dumb questions, but I have the same isue... What does BMWNA stands for and what is the method of contact ? email ?
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      12-20-2012, 04:43 AM   #259
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BMWNA = BMW of North America
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      12-21-2012, 06:41 PM   #260
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JUST SPOKE WITH BMWNA....

I just got off the phone with a very nice lady at BMWNA. We have been playing phone tag for a couple weeks now and I finally got to speak with her about the rust issue. She said this was the first time that she personally had heard of the issue. I told her about the extent of people this is affecting and that there are still people out there that are being turned down by the dealer saying 'Its Normal'.... ITS NOT NORMAL. She said if anyone else that I know is having this issue with the dealer refusing to fix it, they should contact BMWNA directly. Once they get enough complaints they will release a bulletin about the issue.

Its something that SHOULD be fixed... Dont let this slide! Dont take BS from the dealer! You're 'new' car should NOT have rust in it!

My dealer is replacing both the seat frames. They are, however, on back order right now.. prob because of all the people who are getting them replaced because of the rust.

BMWNA Phone #800-831-1117 (I live in SoCal, so the number may be different depending on where you live) But they can get you to the right place.

PLEASE CALL! The more people they get calling in about this rust issue, the better the chance they will release an official bulletin.

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      12-21-2012, 07:33 PM   #261
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I believe a bulletin has already been released to dealers. Maybe not one that's readily available, but they've been given guidance.
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      12-27-2012, 07:19 AM   #262
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Now I'm going to check my car when I get back to Germany in about a week or so
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      12-27-2012, 01:42 PM   #263
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Quote:
Originally Posted by claykin View Post
I believe a bulletin has already been released to dealers. Maybe not one that's readily available, but they've been given guidance.
That's good to hear!

BMWNA has been working with my dealer, I'm waiting on the car currently...I'm assuming it'll be coordinated eventually.
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      12-27-2012, 02:03 PM   #264
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Is it just seat frames? Is there a chance it's elsewhere in the car?
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