BMW's biggest quality problem

[E3 <general@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Below is a copy of a letter sent to the Roundel. I'd like to hear your 
thoughts.

- -Ed

BMW's biggest quality problem

It is no secret that BMW has been taking great strides over the years to 
improve the quality of its cars and recent survey results from J.D. Power 
has shown that, indeed, the initial quality of BMWs today are much better 
than just a few years ago. However, recent service experiences with my 1998 
M3/4 have proven to me that BMW has been focusing too much on initial 
quality and not enough on long-term reliability (and thus perceived 
quality) by seriously neglecting the service departments of it's dealer 
channel. Poorly trained mechanics, tight service time periods, 
unknowledgeable service advisors, low warranty service margins, strict 
warranty part coverage and no loaner car provisions are all contributors to 
a very unpleasant service experience for BMW's customers.

My latest service experience illustrates my point perfectly. Over the past 
year, my dealer has been trying to fix a loud metallic noise that would 
occur at 3800 rpm. During the first service appointment in February of this 
year, I mentioned that it sounded like an alternator bearing. After having 
the car for a week, they said the problem was a cracked honeycomb in the 
catalytic converter and replaced it at a cost of $1200 to BMW. The problem 
remained and continued to get worse.

On the second service call four months later I again mentioned the 
alternator bearing could be the problem but they concluded the sound was 
due to the rear main seal. (After supposedly consulting with the corporate 
BMW TechLine.) After dropping the transmission and replacing the seal 
($800), the problem still remained.

On the third trip about a month later (earliest appointment available), I 
again mentioned that the alternator could be the problem and suggested that 
they remove the serpentine belt when the engine was cold to see of the 
noise went away. They said they would take my suggestion into 
consideration. After two weeks, the dealer called to inform me that they 
had replaced the exhaust ($600) header but the sound still remained. They 
went on to explain they have spent considerable money and time on the car 
and were unwilling to continue working on the problem. Frustrated, I 
reluctantly picked up the car and began to wonder when this "noise" would 
turn into a serious problem.

Within two days of picking up the car, the car failed to start. After 
calling BMW roadside assistance getting the car towed ($400) to the dealer 
(75 miles away), they called to report that there was nothing wrong with 
the car and suggested the "big amplifier" in my car was probably causing 
the problem. After reeling from disbelief of what I heard, I demanded they 
replace the alternator. Reluctantly they did so. I picked up the car only 
to find the battery would completely discharge after an hour of driving. 
The problem remained.

I decided to take matters into my own hands and attempted to find the 
problem myself. Within minutes I found the problem- a loose ground cable. 
During the last "noise repair attempt" when the dealer replaced exhaust 
header, the mechanic failed to tighten the body ground strap bolt. So much 
for the dealers "big amplifier" excuse.

But perhaps even more pathetic was the fact the noise I originally had 
taken the car in for was gone. The culprit? The alternator.

My story isn't much different from others I have talked to in my area. It 
is clear that BMW's dealer service channel is broken. So much so, it is 
affecting not only the long-term quality (from poor repairs) of cars 
brought in for repair, but also the perception of quality (from the owners 
loss-of-use during the repair and the sight of a BMW on a tow truck) by 
BMW's current and future customers.

How many more unneeded $3000 warranty charges and letters like these will 
it take for BMW to take notice? 

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