[charanpreet10]

Good evening everyone,

I hope this message finds you well. I’m reaching out to share a distressing situation I’m currently facing with my BMW and to seek advice or assistance from fellow forum members who may have experience or insights to offer.

After bringing my vehicle in for a free EGR recall at the end of January, I’ve encountered a series of setbacks and delays that have left me without a car for over a month now. Despite numerous attempts to obtain a courtesy vehicle, I’ve been informed that none are available for me.

Adding to the frustration, I recently received an email detailing additional costs for the repairs, including £1738.83 for small turbo parts and a recommendation to replace both large and small turbos, amounting to a total of £4613.81. These unexpected expenses are placing an immense financial strain on me, especially considering the extended service delay.

To make matters worse, I’ve now lost my job due to the prolonged absence of reliable transportation, exacerbating the already challenging situation for me and my family.

I’m reaching out to the community for any advice, insights, or assistance you may be able to offer. Has anyone else experienced similar delays or financial hardships with BMW service? Are there alternative solutions or resources available that I may not be aware of?

Your support and guidance during this difficult time would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide.

Best regards,
CS

[speedski]

First stop - ring BMW CS directly and explain your problem.

https://www.bmw.co.uk/en/footer/contact/contact-us.html

Click BMW Complaints and go from there.

[MY340i]

https://www.hertz.co.uk/p/car-hire/

[Pond]

There are so many strange things about the first post, I find it difficult to believe it is real TBH.

[Leeg1633]

Originally Posted by MY340i

https://www.hertz.co.uk/p/car-hire/

[charanpreet10]

Originally Posted by Pond

There are so many strange things about the first post, I find it difficult to believe it is real TBH.

It’s definitely quite real, I’m just genuinely stuck in this reality. I’ve complained to BMW and they’ve said they’re going to get back to me in a couple days so I’m just waiting on that now.

They did offer me to get a hire car myself at a discounted price of £25 per day but having one and mainly going to work Monday-Friday I’d be paying way too much for it, which I think is just ridiculous!

I find it hard to believe that because the car was initially in for a free EGR recall they couldn’t give me a courtesy car stating clearly in the EGR recall letter that the car should be ready after 1 day of going into service. They’ve now found out it has oil in the small turbo yet recommend me getting two new ones. I’ve seen other forums that even if some people’s cars go in for a recall they get a courtesy vehicle yet I didn’t?

[Pond]

Originally Posted by charanpreet10

It’s definitely quite real, I’m just genuinely stuck in this reality. I’ve complained to BMW and they’ve said they’re going to get back to me in a couple days so I’m just waiting on that now.

They did offer me to get a hire car myself at a discounted price of £25 per day but having one and mainly going to work Monday-Friday I’d be paying way too much for it, which I think is just ridiculous!

I find it hard to believe that because the car was initially in for a free EGR recall they couldn’t give me a courtesy car stating clearly in the EGR recall letter that the car should be ready after 1 day of going into service. They’ve now found out it has oil in the small turbo yet recommend me getting two new ones. I’ve seen other forums that even if some people’s cars go in for a recall they get a courtesy vehicle yet I didn’t?

This forum isn't the 'citizen's advice bureau', though.
I don't see what you expect the forum to help you with now, after the event.

There are so many things in your posts that you have done wrong here, by either being naive or worse.

Bullet points for me:

why did you allow the dealership to keep your car for a month for an EGR recall?
You should have just taken it back if the parts weren't ready.

Why did they start investigating other faults for an EGR recall? And if they did they should have obtained your consent before doing £1,700 of work.

You say you have lost your job because of this. Seriously? You should have done something (anything) to prevent that from happening. You said they offered a discounted rate for a hire car at £25 a day. Why didn't you take that? You MUST have earned more than £25 a day.

It says in your profile you have a 325 diesel. I'm pretty sure they only have one turbo, not two (could be wrong but doubt it).

It's all odd, very odd!

[charanpreet10]

Originally Posted by Pond

This forum isn't the 'citizen's advice bureau', though.
I don't see what you expect the forum to help you with now, after the event.

There are so many things in your posts that you have done wrong here, by either being naive or worse.

Bullet points for me:

why did you allow the dealership to keep your car for a month for an EGR recall?
You should have just taken it back if the parts weren't ready.

Why did they start investigating other faults for an EGR recall? And if they did they should have obtained your consent before doing £1,700 of work.

You say you have lost your job because of this. Seriously? You should have done something (anything) to prevent that from happening.

It's all odd, very odd!

Thank you for engaging with my post and offering your insights. I appreciate your perspective and would like to provide some additional context to address the points you raised.

1. Concerning the prolonged duration of my car’s stay at the dealership for the EGR recall: Initially, I had confidence that the repair process would proceed swiftly and efficiently, as indicated in the recall letter I received. However, as time passed without resolution, I found myself in a predicament where I relied on the dealership’s assurances regarding the progress of the repairs. Looking back, I realize I should have taken a more proactive approach in seeking updates and exploring alternative solutions to mitigate the inconvenience.

2. Regarding the dealership’s decision to investigate additional faults during the EGR recall process: On the day I received the EGR recall letter, my car began emitting significant amounts of white smoke, signaling underlying issues. I anticipated that the dealership would need to conduct a thorough investigation to address both the recall and the newfound concerns.

3. Concerning the loss of my job: It’s essential to clarify that while the absence of my vehicle certainly contributed to the challenges I faced, the decision to terminate my employment was influenced by a combination of factors. As the situation prolonged, my inability to reliably commute to work and fulfill professional obligations undoubtedly played a role in the outcome. While I understand the importance of taking proactive steps to mitigate such circumstances, the complexity of the situation made it difficult to navigate.

I acknowledge that my experience may appear unconventional, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from the insights shared on this forum. Moving forward, I am committed to advocating for myself and seeking proactive solutions to prevent similar challenges in the future.

Thank you once again for your contribution to this discussion.

[Pond]

Originally Posted by charanpreet10

Thank you for engaging with my post and offering your insights. I appreciate your perspective and would like to provide some additional context to address the points you raised.

1. Concerning the prolonged duration of my car’s stay at the dealership for the EGR recall: Initially, I had confidence that the repair process would proceed swiftly and efficiently, as indicated in the recall letter I received. However, as time passed without resolution, I found myself in a predicament where I relied on the dealership’s assurances regarding the progress of the repairs. Looking back, I realize I should have taken a more proactive approach in seeking updates and exploring alternative solutions to mitigate the inconvenience.

2. Regarding the dealership’s decision to investigate additional faults during the EGR recall process: On the day I received the EGR recall letter, my car began emitting significant amounts of white smoke, signaling underlying issues. I anticipated that the dealership would need to conduct a thorough investigation to address both the recall and the newfound concerns.

3. Concerning the loss of my job: It’s essential to clarify that while the absence of my vehicle certainly contributed to the challenges I faced, the decision to terminate my employment was influenced by a combination of factors. As the situation prolonged, my inability to reliably commute to work and fulfill professional obligations undoubtedly played a role in the outcome. While I understand the importance of taking proactive steps to mitigate such circumstances, the complexity of the situation made it difficult to navigate.

I acknowledge that my experience may appear unconventional, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from the insights shared on this forum. Moving forward, I am committed to advocating for myself and seeking proactive solutions to prevent similar challenges in the future.

Thank you once again for your contribution to this discussion.

You write very eloquently so I presume you are far from stupid.

I personally think you have just been extremely naive in all this which, unfortunately, is no defence when it comes to recourse.

Courtesy cars are hard to get these days from dealerships. It's a fact of life. They don't have an obligation to provide one, generally, especially for recall work.

Good luck and I hope this experience hasn't cost you too much. Main dealerships are legal robbers and offer very poor customer service these days. I think you may have learned that the (very) hard way.

[ade555]

BMW would just do recall unless instructed by owner to investigate or repair something else at extra charge. When customer takes vehicle for recall work from personal experiance they want the car in and out as soon as possible. Had 2 done and both took 1-2h. Courtesy car on both occasions but not on dates that was convenient for my self so opted to sit and wait.

In your situation if you have instructed BMW to investigate other work you will have now two options, get them to do recall and settle bill for investigation or recall and pay the price for repair if you told them to actually repair it . Is that simple. Dont know what else you want them to do. I'm sure you had communication with BMW during that month so find it very strange why that car was there that long but we are not getting told full story.
When I had mine done they asked if there is any collant leaks or anything like that so I can only presume they might have taken your car before EGR was available due to other issue you mention and they might have been worried that faulty EGR cause other faults but again is just my view on this situation.
Not many car owners of used cars will take BMW or any other brand to dealership for repairs unless is under warranty due to costs.

[Watsey]

Originally Posted by ade555

BMW would just do recall unless instructed by owner to investigate or repair something else at extra charge. When customer takes vehicle for recall work from personal experiance they want the car in and out as soon as possible. Had 2 done and both took 1-2h. Courtesy car on both occasions but not on dates that was convenient for my self so opted to sit and wait.

In your situation if you have instructed BMW to investigate other work you will have now two options, get them to do recall and settle bill for investigation or recall and pay the price for repair if you told them to actually repair it . Is that simple. Dont know what else you want them to do. I'm sure you had communication with BMW during that month so find it very strange why that car was there that long but we are not getting told full story.
When I had mine done they asked if there is any collant leaks or anything like that so I can only presume they might have taken your car before EGR was available due to other issue you mention and they might have been worried that faulty EGR cause other faults but again is just my view on this situation.
Not many car owners of used cars will take BMW or any other brand to dealership for repairs unless is under warranty due to costs.

This ^

No workshop, main dealer or Indy, would start removing other components such as turbos as a matter of course when doing an EGR replacement.

My car has been to BMW four times for EGR investigation, cleaning, and replacement (twice), and the EGR is all they touch.

The additional investigations must have been instigated by the OP who now has a decision to make and a bill to settle.

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by charanpreet10

2. Regarding the dealership’s decision to investigate additional faults during the EGR recall process: On the day I received the EGR recall letter, my car began emitting significant amounts of white smoke, signaling underlying issues. I anticipated that the dealership would need to conduct a thorough investigation to address both the recall and the newfound concerns.

You need to be careful with that. Some dealers will take that as verbal consent to proceed with repairs unless you specifically tell them otherwise. There must have been a conversation about investigating the white smoke otherwise they wouldn't have gone anywhere near the turbos?
On the twin turbo engines, the manifold and smaller turbo is one unit, so they would always recommend replacing both the big and small blowers to avoid comebacks and save on labour from rusted bolts etc.

Were you actually billed for that? You said you received an email detailing costs. Was that a quote or an actual invoice? They would never replacing 4 grand's worth of parts without your consent.

It's good in a way that issues were found "whilst they're in there" but it's potentially left you with a big unexpected bill.

[charanpreet10]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

You need to be careful with that. Some dealers will take that as verbal consent to proceed with repairs unless you specifically tell them otherwise. There must have been a conversation about investigating the white smoke otherwise they wouldn't have gone anywhere near the turbos?
On the twin turbo engines, the manifold and smaller turbo is one unit, so they would always recommend replacing both the big and small blowers to avoid comebacks and save on labour from rusted bolts etc.

Were you actually billed for that? You said you received an email detailing costs. Was that a quote or an actual invoice? They would never replacing 4 grand's worth of parts without your consent.

It's good in a way that issues were found "whilst they're in there" but it's potentially left you with a big unexpected bill.

It’s a quote because I’ve told them to wait out until I make a decision on wether or not I should have them do it.

I was wondering wether or not I should proceed with both of them done or just the smaller turbo