[GrabEmByTheBimmer]

I'm pretty sick of incompetent shops. It seems like I'm a magnet for them...I went in for an oil change, get the car back to hear this long clicking from under the hood after every lock/unlock action w/ the keyfob (please visit link below as the embed function is broken):

vimeo.com/306716728

This clicking goes on for about 30 seconds before it stops. Never have heard it before. Almost certainly the oil change techs, right? Maybe they disconnected the battery cables up front and put them back on incorrectly? The car drives fine, but this noise can't be good.

What could they have possibly needed to do from a simple oil change that might cause this?

[Billfitz]

Nothing to do with an oil change would cause that. They did screw something up, obviously.

[IraHayes]

Please say that you didn’t take it to gypsy lube.

[GrabEmByTheBimmer]

No - Bmw dealership. Sick of basic incompetence. Really should have changed it myself

[bavarianride]

Is your car still under new car warranty? If so just bring in back. Regardless there should be 2 yr/unlimited miles warranty on any service/repair done at dealer, so u should be covered.

[IraHayes]

Originally Posted by GrabEmByTheBimmer

No - Bmw dealership. Sick of basic incompetence. Really should have changed it myself

Wow, that sucks. Call the service advisor that you dealt with, and explain the situation. Be nice about it and be sincere. I’m sure they will take care of it.

One thing that I will say about oil changes at the dealership. Many, many moons ago, I was a tech at a dealership myself. In my case, I was a tech at a Ford dealer. I don’t know if it is the same case with BMW dealerships, but at the dealership where I worked, and other dealerships where friends of mine worked, the guys that performed the oil changes were not mechanics. The only thing they knew how to do was changing oil, topping off fluids, putting air in tires. That’s it. They would take any guy off the street and train him how to do this within a couple days by having him shadow someone else. I’m assuming it’s the same with any dealership, as the techs are usually busy doing real maintenance and repair work. It would also be a waste of their training and talent to have them performing oil changes, unless of course, it is part of the course of their work on a car they are working on. You would be doing yourself a great service by performing the oil changes yourself, not to mention the satisfaction that comes along with working on your own car, not to also mention being able to inspect the underside of your car while you are down there for potential issues.

I know some people are reluctant to perform their own oil changes and other maintenance while the car is still under warranty for fear of voiding their warranty. As long as you have receipts showing that you purchased the oil and filter, you are protected under the Magnussun-Moss warranty act. There are exceptions of course. Just use common sense and good judgment.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by IraHayes

Wow, that sucks. Call the service advisor that you dealt with, and explain the situation. Be nice about it and be sincere. I’m sure they will take care of it.

One thing that I will say about oil changes at the dealership. Many, many moons ago, I was a tech at a dealership myself. In my case, I was a tech at a Ford dealer. I don’t know if it is the same case with BMW dealerships, but at the dealership where I worked, and other dealerships where friends of mine worked, the guys that performed the oil changes were not mechanics. The only thing they knew how to do was changing oil, topping off fluids, putting air in tires. That’s it. They would take any guy off the street and train him how to do this within a couple days by having him shadow someone else. I’m assuming it’s the same with any dealership, as the techs are usually busy doing real maintenance and repair work. It would also be a waste of their training and talent to have them performing oil changes, unless of course, it is part of the course of their work on a car they are working on. You would be doing yourself a great service by performing the oil changes yourself, not to mention the satisfaction that comes along with working on your own car, not to also mention being able to inspect the underside of your car while you are down there for potential issues.

I know some people are reluctant to perform their own oil changes and other maintenance while the car is still under warranty for fear of voiding their warranty. As long as you have receipts showing that you purchased the oil and filter, you are protected under the Magnussun-Moss warranty act. There are exceptions of course. Just use common sense and good judgment.

This may have changed recently, but BMWNA used to have AVP bonus program that pays 5% of base MSRP(of all cars sold by each dealer) as bonus to dealers, and 20% of total AVP bonus is tied to service tech + foremen training.

There is mandatory % of Level 1-4 certified techs(21%/22%/23%/34%), and if say, Level 1 drops below mandatory %, that % must be made up by Level 2-4 techs.

The local dealers are quite adamant about maximizing AVPs, so in general the service techs + foremen seldom make rookie mistakes nor perform sub-par work.

DIY is always an option, except that OEM LL01FE and LL14FE spec have no aftermarket oils, and online BMW oil kit is $62 minimum.

In comparison, $70-$95 dealer oil change with LL01FE and LL14FE BMW oils are not too bad.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by IraHayes

at the dealership where I worked, and other dealerships where friends of mine worked, the guys that performed the oil changes were not mechanics.

The same where I worked, which was a Mercedes dealership. I wouldn't say they weren't mechanics, just that they weren't highly skilled mechanics. The oil change bay was where they started. If they showed promise they eventually got factory training and moved on up the food chain.

[GrabEmByTheBimmer]

I would change it myself but I worry about the possibility of getting my head crushed. One thing goes wrong under there and I'm f***ed! Not like my truck where I have enough clearance to get under it. I think of stuff like - what if there's an earthquake while it's on jack stands? Or they just slip?

Maybe I need to look into diff types of lifts and just invest in a nice one..

[IraHayes]

Originally Posted by GrabEmByTheBimmer

I would change it myself but I worry about the possibility of getting my head crushed. One thing goes wrong under there and I'm f***ed! Not like my truck where I have enough clearance to get under it. I think of stuff like - what if there's an earthquake while it's on jack stands? Or they just slip?

Maybe I need to look into diff types of lifts and just invest in a nice one..

I have that exact same fear. For that reason, I switched from jack stands to rhino ramps many years ago. I know it’s still possible that the car may come off in the event of an earthquake, but much less likely.

As for the training required for techs at the BMW dealer, that’s great. We had similar mandatory training at Ford, but in our case, it did not apply to the guys manning the lube rack. It has been 20 years since I have worked on cars professionally, so things may have changed since then. I would like to think at a BMW or Benz dealer that even the lube guys are receiving training. It would make me consider taking my car in for an oil change on those rare occasions where I’m too busy to change it on time.

Please let us know if you take it back and how it goes.

[GrabEmByTheBimmer]

At the BMW __________ (name redacted unless they mess up again) dealership right now (same people who did the oil change). The level of not give a fuck in everyone's face, demeanor and tone of voice is incredible. They don't even give a fuck about the video on my phone. I'm gonna ask to speak to a service manager to make sure they hear this shit.

Car not making the noise this morning. I know that bringing it back to this inept dealership is going to probably cause more trouble than it would be to otherwise leave the problem alone...

These people don't care and u can tell.

[Billfitz]

When you get the review to fill out from BMW give them a 1. That review impacts the only thing they care about, their paychecks.

[IraHayes]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

When you get the review to fill out from BMW give them a 1. That review impacts the only thing they care about, their paychecks.

+1

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by GrabEmByTheBimmer

These people don't care and u can tell.

25% of AVP bonus is tied to customer service index of "Premium service". Do (politely) talk to those who care about these, e.g. foremen, service directors, and your issues will be quickly addressed.

[GrabEmByTheBimmer]

From my research so far it seems to be a common issue w the valvetronic motor. Some guys got it replaced and it fixed the issue, some guys got it replace and it returned.

Happens a lot on M models - I've seen 4 or 5 vids here and elsewhere w the same noise. Some guys it only happens a couple times a year. Hoping that's what mine is.

I redacted the dealership name to be fair. The timing is super suspicious but it could have not been their fault.

God, I hope they listen to my 'do not wash' instructions and signs - def do not want to come out of this w paint swirls.

Will keep u guys updated.

[F30ed]

Yepp, this symptom is similar as others reported on valvetronic motor.
What year and mileage is your car?

[GrabEmByTheBimmer]

It's a 2015 w just over 10k miles. As an update, BMW replaced my valvetronics motor under warranty at no cost to me. Haven't heard the noise again, although it was pretty intermittent before.

I take back what I said about my initial impressions of the dealership. I think the SA just has a stoic demeanor. They took care of me well, and manager of dealership even recognized and checked in on me while I was picking up the car.