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      01-01-2014, 07:24 AM   #1
thxphil
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Advice Needed - Traveling and F30 stuck at dealership

Happy New Year!

I live in San Francisco and just purchased a 2014 328i (AW M Sport). My fiancé and I decided to take our dog (and new F30 with back seat protective cover of course) on a road trip and visit family for the holidays in Seattle. I went to leave my parents house on Monday and the car stuttered, shook, and died. Called BMW, towed to local dealership (BMW Bellevue). They gave me a loaner and told me they will look at it the next day. Missed the call Yesterday but SA said they need to replace the fuel pump. Closest one is in Germany! SA said 1 week at best to order the part.

Here is where I need advice from anyone who's been in a similar situation or read about another member in one.

I need to get back to SF for work by Monday, fiancé as well. We have a 50lb dog that can't fly. Here are the two options:

1. They let me take the current loaner (X3) down to SF, flatbed my F30 down when finished, and flatbed the loaner back.

2. They take the fuel pump off a new car on their lot and get me the car back by weeks end so I can drive home.

If we didn't have the dog I would just fly and have them flatbed the car to me in SF.

Thanks!

tl;dr
Traveling from SF to SEA
Car won't start
Towed to dealer
Part needed will take 1 week
Need to get back to SF before that for work
What do?
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      01-01-2014, 07:29 AM   #2
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Forgot to mention, the two options are what I am thinking about proposing to the dealership, NOT what has been offered to me.

They are closed today so I will connect with them on Thursday.
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      01-01-2014, 08:06 AM   #3
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BMW needs to stop using blimps to move parts.
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      01-01-2014, 08:07 AM   #4
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I think option 1 will be what will happen. 2 will be in your dreams...

You could always ship the dog via UPS... j/k


To be honest, it should really be up to the dealerships to sort this out - theirs should communicate with yours. What I anticipate will happen:

They will fix your car, drive it down to you, and drive back your loaner.
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      01-01-2014, 11:04 AM   #5
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There is a provision in the warranty for stranded motorists more than 100 or so miles from home. If I'm not mistaken, it pays for things such as hotels, meals etc but it also deals with mechanical breakdown on road trips.

What will likely happen is that BMW will provide you a rental car until yours is repaired and then either air transport back to pick it up plus per diem or flat bedding it to you (whichever is least expensive to them.)
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      01-01-2014, 11:22 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thxphil View Post
...
Called BMW, towed to local dealership (BMW Bellevue). They gave me a loaner and told me they will look at it the next day. Missed the call Yesterday but SA said they need to replace the fuel pump. Closest one is in Germany! SA said 1 week at best to order the part.

Here is where I need advice from anyone who's been in a similar situation or read about another member in one.
Although BMW Bellevue seems to be about as good as a BMW dealer gets, they're probably not going to go for either option; both are quite expensive.

I hope that your advisor is Cliff Newton, who is clearly the best advisor there. Mike Mills is the service manager; you'll probably end up talking to him.

BMW's new parts ordering system is for $hit. Be sure to have them call the other two dealers (Seattle, Tacoma), even the two Portland ones and Spokane and Vancouver BC ones. Or have them expedite it from Germany - there are daily flights from Frankfurt so they should be able to get it here.

NB: In retrospect, it's not good that I know the service manager's name, is it?

Last edited by floydarogers; 01-01-2014 at 11:24 AM.. Reason: humor
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      01-01-2014, 11:41 AM   #7
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My guess, similar to above, is they'll rent you a car on their dime and then flatbed the car down to you after completing repairs. I'd say this is best case scenario and a pretty reasonable solution. Only issue is you might be w/o your car for a while.

No way in hell they "take off" the part from a new car on the lot.
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      01-01-2014, 11:44 AM   #8
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BMW roadside assistance includes a reunite provision if you're located more than 100 miles from your car. In August, I had this same thing happen (got a flat tire in Atlantic City on a Sunday). I caught a ride home with a friend and the next day they flatbeded my truck to my driveway in northern virginia. Done and done. I'm sure they'll give you a loaner and then they'll flatbed your car home.
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      01-02-2014, 02:24 PM   #9
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Thanks for the feedback!

Update: Worked with Roadside Asst and the BMW Dealership to come to the following resolution.

Rent car to drive from SEA to SF
Send receipts for travel up to $1,000 to BMW to reimburse
BMW Dealership will transport car to SF

Overall I am happy with the service from BWM all around.

Pro Tip: Do your own research on BMW programs. If it wasn't for my knowledge (thanks to this forum) about the $1,000 credit for travel expenses when stranded over 100 miles from home, BMW Roadside Asst. was not going to offer it to me based on the customer service rep not knowing about it or not willing to offer it up right away. I had to mention it to them as their original solution was to send me to BMW Concierge and have them book a rental car on my dollar.
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      01-02-2014, 02:41 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thxphil View Post
Thanks for the feedback!

Update: Worked with Roadside Asst and the BMW Dealership to come to the following resolution.

Rent car to drive from SEA to SF
Send receipts for travel up to $1,000 to BMW to reimburse
BMW Dealership will transport car to SF

Overall I am happy with the service from BWM all around.

Pro Tip: Do your own research on BMW programs. If it wasn't for my knowledge (thanks to this forum) about the $1,000 credit for travel expenses when stranded over 100 miles from home, BMW Roadside Asst. was not going to offer it to me based on the customer service rep not knowing about it or not willing to offer it up right away. I had to mention it to them as their original solution was to send me to BMW Concierge and have them book a rental car on my dollar.
Nice job, sometimes knowledge is truly power. Pretty surprising how frequently these guys try to "play dumb" or just flat out don't know how things work. Not trying to be mean, but probably only 5% of all owners would think to go online or post a question to a message board.

Good luck on the car repairs, are they doing them at the initial Seattle dealership or having them done in SF? Would be preferable to do them in SF IMO, so you can check it out and verify things are in satisfactory condition.
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      01-02-2014, 05:01 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drob23
My guess, similar to above, is they'll rent you a car on their dime and then flatbed the car down to you after completing repairs. I'd say this is best case scenario and a pretty reasonable solution. Only issue is you might be w/o your car for a while.

No way in hell they "take off" the part from a new car on the lot.
This happens more than you might imagine. I had an S4 that caught a chunk of metal in one of the tires a week after purchasing it and shredded the tire. I had Audi road hazard and since it was early in the model year and there was ZERO supply of the OEM tires, after 3wks, Audi authorized the dealer to swap a tire with another new, inventory S4.
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      01-02-2014, 05:54 PM   #12
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Swapping wheels and tires is both common and trivial.

This is very different from pulling a mechanical component, such as a starter or similar, off of a new car.
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      01-02-2014, 06:52 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thxphil View Post
Thanks for the feedback!

Update: Worked with Roadside Asst and the BMW Dealership to come to the following resolution.

Rent car to drive from SEA to SF
Send receipts for travel up to $1,000 to BMW to reimburse
BMW Dealership will transport car to SF

Overall I am happy with the service from BWM all around.

Pro Tip: Do your own research on BMW programs. If it wasn't for my knowledge (thanks to this forum) about the $1,000 credit for travel expenses when stranded over 100 miles from home, BMW Roadside Asst. was not going to offer it to me based on the customer service rep not knowing about it or not willing to offer it up right away. I had to mention it to them as their original solution was to send me to BMW Concierge and have them book a rental car on my dollar.
Awesome!
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      01-02-2014, 08:51 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DesertSmokeBBQ View Post
This happens more than you might imagine. I had an S4 that caught a chunk of metal in one of the tires a week after purchasing it and shredded the tire. I had Audi road hazard and since it was early in the model year and there was ZERO supply of the OEM tires, after 3wks, Audi authorized the dealer to swap a tire with another new, inventory S4.
I wouldn't equate a tire or performance cosmetic pieces with a fuel pump like the OP.
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      01-03-2014, 10:07 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drob23
Quote:
Originally Posted by DesertSmokeBBQ View Post
This happens more than you might imagine. I had an S4 that caught a chunk of metal in one of the tires a week after purchasing it and shredded the tire. I had Audi road hazard and since it was early in the model year and there was ZERO supply of the OEM tires, after 3wks, Audi authorized the dealer to swap a tire with another new, inventory S4.
I wouldn't equate a tire or performance cosmetic pieces with a fuel pump like the OP.
Had the same thing happen with the steering angle sensor on an R171 SLK in '04. Also, having worked in dealerships for 13yrs, I could list plenty of examples where this is done.

Also, a fuel pump is as much a "performance" related issue as a tire.
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      01-03-2014, 10:32 AM   #16
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Thanks for letting us know what happened. Good to know.
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      01-09-2014, 06:39 PM   #17
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For the record, there are two fuel pumps on the 328i.

HPFP in the engine bay and a FP in the gas tank. They are replacing the one in the gas tank. I remember having my HPFP replaced twice on the e92 335i, just never thought the one in the tank would go this quick.
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      01-09-2014, 09:33 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thxphil View Post
For the record, there are two fuel pumps on the 328i.

HPFP in the engine bay and a FP in the gas tank. They are replacing the one in the gas tank. I remember having my HPFP replaced twice on the e92 335i, just never thought the one in the tank would go this quick.
Sorry about the debacle, but we all learned some good things here.
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      03-19-2014, 09:06 PM   #19
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Really? BMW did not give me a car when my tire popped and wheel was bent in Virginia. They told me I had to wait until Saturday for a new wheel and tire. BMW Alexandria is 103 Mi from my house in Delaware. I ended up renting a Prius elsewhere and
driving home in that crusty thing.


Should have known
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      03-20-2014, 09:08 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by floydarogers View Post
Although BMW Bellevue seems to be about as good as a BMW dealer gets, they're probably not going to go for either option; both are quite expensive.

I hope that your advisor is Cliff Newton, who is clearly the best advisor there. Mike Mills is the service manager; you'll probably end up talking to him.

BMW's new parts ordering system is for $hit. Be sure to have them call the other two dealers (Seattle, Tacoma), even the two Portland ones and Spokane and Vancouver BC ones. Or have them expedite it from Germany - there are daily flights from Frankfurt so they should be able to get it here.

NB: In retrospect, it's not good that I know the service manager's name, is it?

There is no "expedite out of Germany". If you need something out of Germany it's 7-10 business days and that is if customs plays nicely.
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      03-20-2014, 09:28 AM   #21
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BMW will not swap out mechanical parts from a new car. When my transmission broke, there were only 2 left in the country and the Tech Manager was trying desperately to get one for me. I asked him about swapping from a new car, they said absolutely not.

There is no expediting from Germany. 7-10 days at best....but he told me he's seen parts take as long as 2 weeks.

Dealerships will play dumb big time...especially if you're not their customer. Its weird because its not like the money is coming out of their pocket, they just dont want to do the paper work.

also, dont expect your car to be flatbedded anywhere. they will drive your car to you and drive the loaner back. flat beds cost money
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      03-20-2014, 01:36 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carzaddict View Post
BMW will not swap out mechanical parts from a new car. When my transmission broke, there were only 2 left in the country and the Tech Manager was trying desperately to get one for me. I asked him about swapping from a new car, they said absolutely not.

There is no expediting from Germany. 7-10 days at best....but he told me he's seen parts take as long as 2 weeks.

Dealerships will play dumb big time...especially if you're not their customer. Its weird because its not like the money is coming out of their pocket, they just dont want to do the paper work.

also, dont expect your car to be flatbedded anywhere. they will drive your car to you and drive the loaner back. flat beds cost money
I honestly think it depends how far you escalate the problem. My BMW dealership in Rockville, took a part from a new car while they had the part shipped from Germany because it took about 2 weeks and I really need my car for a long road trip. Hopefully they sort this out for you.
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