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      06-14-2019, 08:40 PM   #1
wichitagreg
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I am pretty upset about my dealer experience (oil change)

So I've had my new-to-me M235i since November 2018. About 7,000 miles. I had the oil changed the day I bought it but not at a BMW dealer (used the best full syn Castrol EDGE 5W-40. But I just don't like going that long on oil, so after I finished a 2200 mile trip I sent an email to my "service advisor" requesting an appointment for "an oil change, just an oil change."

I was on time for my appointment today and as I left the car with her I repeated, "just an oil change, any thing else and I'll need a phone call." I waited in the waiting room after drooling over a yellow M5 Competition. or M5 CS or some such $130K car.

So when finished she tells me $155, and I looked at her sheet - they had charged me $15 to top off my washer fluid (which was already full) and $15 for "disk brake cleaner". I was having none of that. So off she goes and after some time she comes back and shows me on her sheet where the cost of the oil was "only $.65" so they made up the difference by adding the $30 on those other two lines. Yeah....I'm still having none of that so she goes and gets her boss. He says the same thing. So I wanted the paper and said I would be contacting BMW about his....wait they said, and took the $30 off, but I have no receipt for the oil change, they kept the paper. Something fishy going on here.

I don't have the sheet, but I remember 1 of oil filter (at a lot of money), 1 of washer fluid at $15, 1 of disk brake cleaner at $15, and 65 of oil at $.65. 65 of $.65 is $42, probably about right. Labor was under $50. Oil filter was very expensive if you ask me. Working backwards...
$45 labor
$15 washer fluid
$15 brake cleaner
$42 oil
$38 oil filter.
These numbers are from memory so are pretty close, but the $42 oil was not listed, it was listed as 65 at $.65.

The reason I went there is I got an email from BMW for $25 off a genuine BMW Oil change, and last time I was in there I asked how much an oil change was and was told about $120. So with $25 off not too bad.

So I ended up getting out of there for about $100, and a really bad taste in my mouth about how they do business. I purchased a very expensive extended warranty and they are my closest dealer, now I'm afraid If I need a claim, they will screw me.

I'll not mention any names but I'll bet you can figure it out. I live in Kerrville TX.
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      06-14-2019, 09:30 PM   #2
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That sucks. Learn to change your own oil. Problem solved.

Seriously though, nothing beats knowing you did it all properly yourself. You don't really know if the dealerships are fully draining the oil, whether they remembered to unscrew the filter housing cap before draining, filling up the exact number of liters required, lubing all the filter o-rings on the new filter, properly torquing the drain plug to 25 Nm or even using a new sealing ring/crush washer, etc. etc. I know it's "just an oil change," but the fact is there are plenty of places to take shortcuts even with an oil change. Why take the chance with such an easy, but important maintenance procedure? Just my 2 cents...
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      06-14-2019, 09:45 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by CP911 View Post
That sucks. Learn to change your own oil. Problem solved.
Yeah, I know, it is still in the primary warranty period, and one would think the dealer would do it right. It's not a learn thing, more of a don't want to do it myself thing.

I live in an RV park, gravel driveway, no garage, no jack that would work on this car. I do all my own work on my Harley, and other kinds of work like brakes and such, but I figured one on the perks of living the good life, saving my money and buying a nice car is not having to change the oil myself.

I probably will in the future, it's not the mechanic that I mistrust now, it's the service management. Hell of a way to run a business.
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      06-14-2019, 10:09 PM   #4
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I hear you, but whether it's frustration from the service experience or the risk of having someone do it incorrectly (case in point - my wife's Honda Pilot has come home with oil leaking or the wrong oil used the last 3 times we paid someone to change it for us...good skilled labor is damn near impossible to find anymore in this country!), it's just plain easier and less stressful to do it yourself. Invest in a torque wrench, oil filter housing socket, and some jack stands and go find yourself a paved parking lot that you can "borrow" for an hour!

FYI - I believe the oil change procedure, including filter cover and drain bolt tightening torques for your car/engine is located here.
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      06-14-2019, 11:54 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wichitagreg View Post
So I've had my new-to-me M235i since November 2018. About 7,000 miles. I had the oil changed the day I bought it but not at a BMW dealer (used the best full syn Castrol EDGE 5W-40. But I just don't like going that long on oil, so after I finished a 2200 mile trip I sent an email to my "service advisor" requesting an appointment for "an oil change, just an oil change."

I was on time for my appointment today and as I left the car with her I repeated, "just an oil change, any thing else and I'll need a phone call." I waited in the waiting room after drooling over a yellow M5 Competition. or M5 CS or some such $130K car.

So when finished she tells me $155, and I looked at her sheet - they had charged me $15 to top off my washer fluid (which was already full) and $15 for "disk brake cleaner". I was having none of that. So off she goes and after some time she comes back and shows me on her sheet where the cost of the oil was "only $.65" so they made up the difference by adding the $30 on those other two lines. Yeah....I'm still having none of that so she goes and gets her boss. He says the same thing. So I wanted the paper and said I would be contacting BMW about his....wait they said, and took the $30 off, but I have no receipt for the oil change, they kept the paper. Something fishy going on here.

I don't have the sheet, but I remember 1 of oil filter (at a lot of money), 1 of washer fluid at $15, 1 of disk brake cleaner at $15, and 65 of oil at $.65. 65 of $.65 is $42, probably about right. Labor was under $50. Oil filter was very expensive if you ask me. Working backwards...
$45 labor
$15 washer fluid
$15 brake cleaner
$42 oil
$38 oil filter.
These numbers are from memory so are pretty close, but the $42 oil was not listed, it was listed as 65 at $.65.

The reason I went there is I got an email from BMW for $25 off a genuine BMW Oil change, and last time I was in there I asked how much an oil change was and was told about $120. So with $25 off not too bad.

So I ended up getting out of there for about $100, and a really bad taste in my mouth about how they do business. I purchased a very expensive extended warranty and they are my closest dealer, now I'm afraid If I need a claim, they will screw me.

I'll not mention any names but I'll bet you can figure it out. I live in Kerrville TX.
Call the dealer and ask them to mail, e-mail or fax you the receipt.
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      06-15-2019, 08:43 AM   #6
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check out Yelp

Have a look on yelp at the reviews for BMW of San Antonio. Not pretty.

I am originally from TX and lived in San Antonio for awhile years ago. Purchased a couple of cars from this dealer, but they were in a different location and I think had different ownership than now.

BMW of South Austin appears to have better reviews though some of their service reviews are rough as well.
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      06-15-2019, 01:25 PM   #7
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Anyone else think the $155 fee isn’t so outrageous? I understand about the topping off fee’s but I wouldn’t knock the dealership too hard.
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      06-15-2019, 01:29 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottSinger View Post
Anyone else think the $155 fee isn't so outrageous? I understand about the topping off fee's but I wouldn't knock the dealership too hard.
Most dealers in NYC charge $120 for an oil change, so $155 is within the realm of being reasonable when you consider their labor rate is $130 an hour.
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      06-15-2019, 03:04 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottSinger View Post
Anyone else think the $155 fee isn’t so outrageous? I understand about the topping off fee’s but I wouldn’t knock the dealership too hard.
That's the dealer price here. I'm okay with that, although I haven't had to pay it yet. IIRC, they've offered it for $95 a couple of times in the last year.

My indy charges me $30 labor to do the oil change when I have it done before going to the track.
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      06-17-2019, 10:47 AM   #10
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It's like an annual oil change... $150 is about right.

The shifting of the charges around makes it seem like they were trying to get around some internal mechanism where they'd have to give a portion back to BMW which is probably why they freaked out.

No BMW dealership I've ever heard of charges for windshield fluid.
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      06-17-2019, 11:51 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottSinger View Post
Anyone else think the $155 fee isn’t so outrageous? I understand about the topping off fee’s but I wouldn’t knock the dealership too hard.
I do not seeing that it costs $70-80 to get an oil change kit (7 qts of BMW oil, filter, and necessary o-ring and drain plug washer) from a reputable online BMW parts vendor. Keep in mind that BMW oil per qt is over $14 if you got it at your dealer and most any quality synthetic oil you find in the store is over $12/qt now. Less than an hours labor is reasonable, especially considering BMW labor rates.

As for the OP's experience, yeah, I'd probably be a bit pissed as he didn't ask for those things.
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      06-17-2019, 12:26 PM   #12
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That sounds like a pretty shitty experience and you have every right to be angry.

I recently went to Crevier BMW in southern CA and they were great. We went over everything they planned on doing to my car. I signed off the papers and that was it. They didn't add any services or change any of the prices. They did ask if I wanted an oil change ($80ish) and transmission fluid flush ($120). He wasn't being pushy and the prices were reasonable so I agreed. They also washed my car.
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      06-25-2019, 07:47 AM   #13
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Finally got a copy of my service order.

This is ridiculous. I specifically said "just an oil change, anything else call me." They stand by their explanation, but did refund me back to just over $100 because I had a $25 off coupon.
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      06-25-2019, 11:20 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wichitagreg View Post
Finally got a copy of my service order.

This is ridiculous. I specifically said "just an oil change, anything else call me." They stand by their explanation, but did refund me back to just over $100 because I had a $25 off coupon.
Damn. How much windshield washer fluid do these 2 series hold? 🤦*♂️
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      06-25-2019, 11:25 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wichitagreg View Post
Finally got a copy of my service order.

This is ridiculous. I specifically said "just an oil change, anything else call me." They stand by their explanation, but did refund me back to just over $100 because I had a $25 off coupon.
$64 for an oil filter?! Isn't that a $12 part?
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      06-25-2019, 12:36 PM   #16
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It was probably the cost of the complimentary car wash they were trying to recapture. https://www.2addicts.com/forums/imag...s/rolleyes.gif Like other's have said, I have never been charged to top off windshield washer fluid. The positive out of this is the total price is what you would normally pay at a dealer, but the breakdown of charges is ridiculous.
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      06-25-2019, 02:25 PM   #17
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I'd bring my own oil and filter if I were you. $65 for a filter is ridiculous. I do my own oil change and get my kit from ECP Euro for $55 shipped (7 qts + filter).
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      06-25-2019, 03:55 PM   #18
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It looks like they charged $64 for both oil and filter, since there is no separate breakdown for the oil. That is not crazy.The labor charges are in line with normal dealer pricing.
But $15 for washer fluid is insane. They gotta make up the $25 discount somehow.
As for DIY, yeah sure if you are that kind of guy. Me, not so much. I used to do oil changes on my 1970 VW Beetle. That was easy but it needed to be done every 3000 miles and was a long time ago.
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      06-25-2019, 04:58 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Multi21_Seb View Post
I'd bring my own oil and filter if I were you. $65 for a filter is ridiculous. I do my own oil change and get my kit from ECP Euro for $55 shipped (7 qts + filter).
The dealership wouldn't allow this. Many independent shop don't allow it as there could be a liability issue if the part you supplied crapped out, plus the shop sees a profit from parts sales.
Hopefully the OP has another dealer option near him to perform work during the warranty phase.
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      06-25-2019, 05:04 PM   #20
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Many independent shop don't allow it as there could be a liability issue if the part you supplied crapped out, plus the shop sees a profit from parts sales.
The independents I've used that allowed me to bring my own parts adjusted their hourly labor rate to compensate. With those shops, sometimes I've found it economical to bring my own parts, and sometimes not.
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      06-26-2019, 06:28 AM   #21
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The independents I've used that allowed me to bring my own parts adjusted their hourly labor rate to compensate. With those shops, sometimes I've found it economical to bring my own parts, and sometimes not.
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      06-26-2019, 10:07 PM   #22
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My dealer in North Jersey charged $185 for an oil change and checkup. Local guy still charged $140 last week.

Being once a year I'll just go to the dealer for the free snacks and piece of mind that its done right.
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