[Ennoch]

Originally Posted by The Lum

I meant we were getting off track from the OP's original issue.

In BMW dealerships the RRP is set by BMW not the dealer. In theory the price of the part should be the same at all BMW dealers. In the case of this caliper call it margin or discount the dealer pays price £x and should be selling it at £645.

Interestingly the price you were quoted for your 335d would be about right as the calipers listed for a 330d and a 335d are actually different part numbers and the 335d carries a higher price so I understand where your pricing comes from.

Fair enough. Is that just the difference between the 340mm and 370mm caliper then? Mental if it is given it's ultimately an almost identical part, with only a minor tooling tweak to the mould to create the bigger tabs. Even more mental if that's the price for 340mm calipers across both cars given they are to all intents and purposes, identical. Either way they're still crap quality parts wrapped up in marketing with a huge markup over the cost to manufacture them, but people love painted 4 pot calipers for the willy waving effect in Tesco carpark.

[danb1979]

Originally Posted by Ennoch

Fair enough. Is that just the difference between the 340mm and 370mm caliper then? Mental if it is given it's ultimately an almost identical part, with only a minor tooling tweak to the mould to create the bigger tabs. Even more mental if that's the price for 340mm calipers across both cars given they are to all intents and purposes, identical. Either way they're still crap quality parts wrapped up in marketing with a huge markup over the cost to manufacture them, but people love painted 4 pot calipers for the willy waving effect in Tesco carpark.

Erm excuse me... Waitrose car parks thank you

Tescos... Pfft

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by Pentland

Pics are quoted in another reply so still visible.

Are they? Oh well, F em'. I'm never going back there again. Inchcape Colchester is said dealer.

I slept on it and realised the service bloke didn't even apologise and just had an apathetic, indifferent tone about him, so I went all scorched earth on them.

The Lum was spot on. A repaint of just the damaged area was all they offered, and they would need the car for 3 days.

I don't trust they will do a good job, or will ruin something else whilst its in their care, so I'm just going to remove the John Carpenter horror looking areas and repaint it myself.

Don't get me wrong, I know its just cosmetic damage. Mistakes happen, I get it. But it's just the indifference and general attitude, which makes it a lot worse, and could easily have been pacified with an apology and some good will.

£645 for one caliper??

Originally Posted by Ennoch

My calipers are pretty corroded away around the pads, to the point that I reckon before the car's ten years old I'll be looking at replacements. That's three years of being in Scotland for you. Sadly even if I keep the warranty up that's not something that's going to be covered by it. Aluminium on cars, unless the whole thing is made from it, is a bad idea for longevity, especially when the designers seem to forget that salty water acts as a great transfer across any thin barrier they put between aluminium and steel components, making it worthless.

Yes I noticed that on mine as well, just on the lower pad sliding areas. So easily avoidable with stainless inserts like what AP Racing et al do, but everyone thinks Brembo are the best for some weird reason. Over priced trash like the car they are bolted to.

[Kendo67]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

so I'm just going to remove the John Carpenter horror looking areas and repaint it myself.

Piss poor response from the MD.

Before doing so i would find out exactly why it is leaking , you mentioned that the nipple wasn`t obviously loose so maybe it has been overtightened and the threads have been damaged which will not bode well for new paint.

K

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by Kendo67

Piss poor response from the MD.

Before doing so i would find out exactly why it is leaking , you mentioned that the nipple wasn`t obviously loose so maybe it has been overtightened and the threads have been damaged which will not bode well for new paint.

K

Aye! Par for the course these days unfortunately.

I nipped it up a bit on Sunday, so I'm now waiting for a dry spell in the weather to check if it's dry or still leaking. If it is still leaking, I'll do that repair myself as well. I'm not handing my car back to a bunch of incompetent imbeciles for 3 days, for something I can do myself in a couple of hours.

[Alscoob]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

I'm not handing my car back to a bunch of incompetent imbeciles for 3 days, for something I can do myself in a couple of hours.

I knd of have the same sentiments recently.

Took the 5 series in for end of warranty inspection, the only thing they told me was the thickness of the pads and tyre tread depths, said everything else was all fine.

I mentioned the tailgate slammed when closing, not soft closing, also asked them to check rear air suspension, it doesn't leak but sometimes loweres itself when on a slope (supposed to be self levelling?)

Couldn't make the suspension do anything they said and also they had up dated the software and fixed the tailgate. Took it home then thought best try the tailgate (yes I know, should have done it there and then), anyways exactly the same as it was when I took it in.

They said bring it back and I'll get the tech out to look at it, so i did. Didn't get the tech bloke out just said we'll just replace the struts and that'll fix it... could have told me that on the phone. Anyway did some research and the struts are just for the glass opener... nothing wrong with that.... the bits for the tailgate are in fact Sprung drive units, so I questioned it and said whey can you just re programme it? oh we did that aleady was the answer??

Anyway to replace those units the whole headlining has to be removed with a lot of trim just to get at them... considering the past experience I have no faith that they would actuall fix the issue and more than likely I'll end up with a creaking roof and even some damaged trim. Needless to say I would rather have a slamming tailgate so I'll either live with it for a bit or find someone else to sort it. It's not an awful slam, just not soft closing as it should.

What is life coming to !!

[TurboWeasel]

/\ Incredible isn't it.

These people are supposed to represent the vehicle maker, and yet pretty much no one has any faith in their dealer at all, unless you're one of the lucky ones who actually has a decent one.....which is rare!

Having seen how absolutely rammed with cars most dealerships are, the potential to get your car back with scratches and dents is high also.

Just for additional amusingments, in spite of Inchcape working on my car in June, which the paper invoice confirms..... they have no record of me or my car on their IT system

And probably the most frustrating thing of all is we have no choice but to use the useless cretins for extended warranty work, and official service records stored in the cloud.

I think consumers should automatically be given the right to not pay in full for services rendered until all snagging points are resolved. This whole business of paying in full for shit workmanship and then having to fight to get some or all of it back.....is completely outmoded. As you say, short of borrowing their ramp on collection day to inspect it, and going round it with a fine tooth comb, how are we to know they've ruined a brake caliper or not adjusted something?

[Alscoob]

When they gave me the courtesy car key, I said right let go and have a look first and you can look at mine as well to see the condition. Guy said no point Sir, we video the car before we move it so we have a record of the condition. I said so what happens if someone hits it in the car park before you go to move it? answer was not very likey Sir!!

I made him walk around my car with a check sheet which we both signed and had a copy each. When I went back I asked for a copy of the video... there wasn't one.

Just winds you up when you have to take it in for warranty work. I paid a lot of money for my car, okay not as much as some people, but was still my hard earned and they treat you like an idiot. Which is the very reason why I always use an independant specialist for everything else.

[ian332isport]

Originally Posted by Alscoob

I made him walk around my car with a check sheet which we both signed and had a copy each.

I always did this when I used the dealer. Just can't trust the clowns.

[Ennoch]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

I suspect as Ennoch said, they might have over tightened it, which would cause a gradual leak over time and not change the pedal feel too much. That hadn't occurred to me yesterday as it wasn't loose as in finger tight, and the more I think about it, that seems the most likely cause.

The standard brake pedal in a BMW is pretty soft and squidgy anyway, and if it's only a minor leak that shows itself under maximum pressure then it's unlikely to be drawing any air back into the system, especially with the weight of fluid in the system pushing against it. And even the fastest of road driving you just aren't using max pressure, only in full blown emergency stop situations and doing that on the BMW makes you feel like you're going to push the pedal through the floor anyway.

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

Are they? Oh well, F em'. I'm never going back there again. Inchcape Colchester is said dealer.

I slept on it and realised the service bloke didn't even apologise and just had an apathetic, indifferent tone about him, so I went all scorched earth on them.

The Lum was spot on. A repaint of just the damaged area was all they offered, and they would need the car for 3 days.

I don't trust they will do a good job, or will ruin something else whilst its in their care, so I'm just going to remove the John Carpenter horror looking areas and repaint it myself.

Don't get me wrong, I know its just cosmetic damage. Mistakes happen, I get it. But it's just the indifference and general attitude, which makes it a lot worse, and could easily have been pacified with an apology and some good will.

£645 for one caliper??

Yes I noticed that on mine as well, just on the lower pad sliding areas. So easily avoidable with stainless inserts like what AP Racing et al do, but everyone thinks Brembo are the best for some weird reason. Over priced trash like the car they are bolted to.

Hopefully it isn't a weakened thread and it was just the nipple not properly tightened. Interesting that the dealer didn't immediately say they'd look at it to make sure the caliper hadn't been compromised though, because at the end of the day that should have been his immediate concern. Or at least it would have been mine if I were in his position. Then again I'm not an excuse maker like BMW seem to employ. The attitude of all but one BMW service manager I've dealt with has been horrendous. The snotty nosed, immature little oik I've dealt with the last few times seems like he could do with a good hard jab in the eye, he's just so smarmy and patronising, even when you point out he's talking utter nonsense. It seems to be in the BMW service manager user manual.

Originally Posted by Alscoob

I knd of have the same sentiments recently.

They said bring it back and I'll get the tech out to look at it, so i did. Didn't get the tech bloke out just said we'll just replace the struts and that'll fix it... could have told me that on the phone. Anyway did some research and the struts are just for the glass opener... nothing wrong with that.... the bits for the tailgate are in fact Sprung drive units, so I questioned it and said whey can you just re programme it? oh we did that aleady was the answer??

Anyway to replace those units the whole headlining has to be removed with a lot of trim just to get at them... considering the past experience I have no faith that they would actuall fix the issue and more than likely I'll end up with a creaking roof and even some damaged trim. Needless to say I would rather have a slamming tailgate so I'll either live with it for a bit or find someone else to sort it. It's not an awful slam, just not soft closing as it should.

What is life coming to !!

It does feel like you need to hold their hand and check their work every single time they do something, as well as expecting you'll need to re-visit for remedial work because they'll have damaged something. I'm still chasing rattles after the bodyshop removed the door cards several years ago. I don't think they encourage their staff to take responsibility for anything, or to use their brains in a way that deviates from their SOP. But none of these main dealers are any better, they all employ the same kids with zero actual mechanic experience, or older guys who just don't care, and the whole workshop payment system is set up to encourage poor workmanship because they pay per job at book time. Beat book time and you either go home early or you take on extra work for extra pay. If you're incentivising speed then unless you're very careful, you're also incentivising corner cutting. Hence brakes not being bled properly, oil changes not done properly etc etc. Every time I get my car back from them (and it's been there a lot) I've had to resolve things not finished, like under trays badly installed, or arch liner covers put back several inches out of alignment. And of course the aforementioned deep clean of the leather to remove all the grubby marks.

You really shouldn't be worrying about the damage a supposed 'expert' is going to do to your nearly new car in fixing something else that's gone wrong!

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

These people are supposed to represent the vehicle maker, and yet pretty much no one has any faith in their dealer at all, unless you're one of the lucky ones who actually has a decent one.....which is rare!

Having seen how absolutely rammed with cars most dealerships are, the potential to get your car back with scratches and dents is high also.

And probably the most frustrating thing of all is we have no choice but to use the useless cretins for extended warranty work, and official service records stored in the cloud.

None of them care. Not one of them. They're simply dealers in appliances for most people as the average person doesn't look after their cars like the average forum member does. The cars will be lucky to go to the local hand wash once a year and so owners will never notice any additional scratches to calipers or wheels etc - my local MD damaged the admittedly refurbed wheel around the nuts and said 'well, it's a crap repair, and anyway we do hundreds of wheels a day sir, we wouldn't have done that. Omitting of course that the more 'things' you do in a period, the greater the likelihood of mistakes being made in that period. Similarly with the interior. I've complained about the state mine comes back in every single time, because it's opal white and you see all the dirt that would be missed on black. That and the average interior is minging so I suspect that a few dirty overalls are unlikely to make any noticeable difference. When they tried to get the valeter out with some strong APC to clean mine I declined on the basis that they'd just strip the dye off the leather, and both service manager and valeted looked offended that I thought they were useless to have even suggested that as a resolution. How are you supposed to win when the entire dealership just doesn't care and goes on a volume basis? They charge Dom Perignon prices (and have the attitude to match) and give budget lemonade service, every single time.

[xenon]

All very true, Ennoch.

[TurboWeasel]

Cheers Ennoch. It would appear it was just not tightened enough as the area around the nipple has remained dry since I tightened it up on Sunday. 10lbft I believe the torque is. I probably got 3/4 of a turn more out of it before the wrench clicked. I think the threads were gritty as it didn't spin in loosely and then stop like they normally do. There was resistance, but not to THAT point where another 1/4 turn strips it out, thankfully.

Granted I haven't stood on the pedal yet as I'm only 300 odd miles into the new pads & discs and don't want to risk more warpage problems. I will stand on them when I can and then check the nipple again.

I also read up on these Brembos and leaking nipples appears to be a thing, regardless of which OEM fits them. Some OEMs use plumbers tape on them, or thread sealer. Amazing

Originally Posted by Alscoob

Just winds you up when you have to take it in for warranty work. I paid a lot of money for my car, okay not as much as some people, but was still my hard earned and they treat you like an idiot. Which is the very reason why I always use an independant specialist for everything else.

I haven't had that joy yet, although the whirring noises from my AC compressor could see me at a dealership soon But not THAT one

There is an excellent German specialist indie 3 miles from me, consisting of ex Audi/VW & BMW master techs, but they're not subscribed to BMW's cloud, so my idrive won't get updated. Given the absolutely jankiness of main dealers, I'm tempted to just say screw all that idrive sheet anyway and just use indies.

Likewise, I plucked £18K out of my savings to buy my 330d outright as I don't like loans, which is a hefty chunk for me. Most expensive car I've ever bought. So things like needlessly damaging my caliper affects me more emotionally than it would if it was a leased car. Maybe that is the way forward?

[Alscoob]

If The AC compressor is wirring get a regas from a specialist. Tell them about it & they will then add a smal drop of oil in the system and that'll shut it up.

Had exactly the same on my 330d styed quiet for the reset of it's life.

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by Alscoob

If The AC compressor is wirring get a regas from a specialist. Tell them about it & they will then add a smal drop of oil in the system and that'll shut it up.

Had exactly the same on my 330d styed quiet for the reset of it's life.

Thanks mate. I was supposed to have had the A/C service done a few weeks back when I took it to my indie for a gearbox fluid refresh and MOT. I suspect they forgot to do it as the HVAC settings were exactly where I left them

I'll get them to check/redo it.