Dealer won't give me loaner car for warranty work

PL99 · 07-10-2008, 08:42 AM

Upon re-delivery of my ED last month, after I returned back to my house I found that the 3rd brake light had a crack right down the middle of it.

I called the dealer where I bought the car and he assured me that it would be taken care of under warranty.

Now I live in the Buffalo area, and when I was ready to purchase my 135, they were very unhelpful and left me hanging for a bit before telling me that the could not get the date I wanted for ED, which was because they claimed they didn't have allocation. I'm not sure how true this is, but I decided to check around at other dealerships in NY to see if they could get me the date I wanted. Sure enough a dealer in Binghamton (Gault Motorsport) jumped on the opportunity and I placed my order that week and everything went very smoothly.

Now, I brought my car to Towne BMW (the local dealer) where they looked at it and ordered the part. As of yesterday, the part is in and I need to schedule a time to get it installed. I was planning on leaving my car there on my way to work, getting the loaner to continue my trip to work (about 5 each way) and dropping it off that night. I was then told that I would not be able to get a loaner cause I didn't purchase my car there.

Is this standard practice? I'm not really happy about this but it puts a major crimp in my plans since now I need someone to drive me out there and take me back and then get a ride back to the dealer. This is my first BMW, I figured from all of the talk that I was going to be treated very well no matter where I went. It just puts a major crimp in my plans and now I need to make special arrangements for something that should never have happened in the first place.

hansenc · 07-10-2008, 08:52 AM

Seems to be standard practice. I hate how they do it this way but they do

.

JTdrivin1 · 07-10-2008, 09:08 AM

I got my 1 from Rich at Gault, and he mentioned a guy in Buffalo that came down and did ED... guess that's you!

My dad had the same problem on Long Island, where he bought it from one dealership because they gave a better deal, and then when he tried to get it serviced at the one closer they were dicks about it. Not much you can do about it....

larryn · 07-10-2008, 10:23 AM

Loaners are a treated as a courtesy to the BMW owner for buying the car through them. They are not required by BMWNA. BMW Centers individually make their own decisions on who gets one or not (some don;t even have any loaners, or rent Thrifty cars for customers).

Since you did not buy your car there, I'm not surprised at them not offering a loaner.

Btw, ED cars do come out of the dealership's allocation, and if they do not have an available slot for a 135i, they cannot arrange for the ED until they do have a slot for a 135i. I'll bet that other dealer you contacted did happen to have an available allocation to commit to ED, which yours did not at the time.

warmtoes · 07-10-2008, 11:46 AM

But, don't dealers make most of their money on servicing and not the sale of cars? By pissing off a service customer you are losing a lucrative part of your business are you not? Even with warranty work they get paid by BMWNA.

S54dan · 07-10-2008, 11:57 AM

BMW loaners are given out to those who purchase the car from the dealership. It very rare circumstances, a loaner is given to a customer without having purchased their vehicle at that particular dealership. It's a practice that many dealerships do because there are only a certain amount of loaners (usually around 60 for some dealers). They let the customers who "remain loyal" to the dealerships have first pick. If a dealership has extra loaners on that particular day, chances are they will release them. Extra loaners is a rare occurance though.

Dealerships do provide rides within a 5 mile radius for those who didn't purchase their vehicle.

S54dan · 07-10-2008, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warmtoes

But, don't dealers make most of their money on servicing and not the sale of cars? By pissing off a service customer you are losing a lucrative part of your business are you not? Even with warranty work they get paid by BMWNA.

Different dealerships make money in different ways. Some dealerships are carried by the Sales Department, some by their Service Department, and many by their Parts Department.

rocketpop · 07-10-2008, 12:29 PM

Shoot, I am a "VIP" (was on my invoice as an extra perk) at my dealer and I still had to postpone my service a week in order to get a loaner car. LOL Its just minor paint issue to its not a big deal to delay in this case.

dma550 · 07-10-2008, 12:40 PM

crap. If I had known this, I would have saved the few hundred dollars and bought locally and not one state away!

warmtoes · 07-10-2008, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan@UnitedBMW

BMW loaners are given out to those who purchase the car from the dealership. It very rare circumstances, a loaner is given to a customer without having purchased their vehicle at that particular dealership. It's a practice that many dealerships do because there are only a certain amount of loaners (usually around 60 for some dealers). They let the customers who "remain loyal" to the dealerships have first pick. If a dealership has extra loaners on that particular day, chances are they will release them. Extra loaners is a rare occurance though.

Dealerships do provide rides within a 5 mile radius for those who didn't purchase their vehicle.

If it's a loyalty thing, I can understand that.

jbenington86 · 07-10-2008, 01:41 PM

Hmm I wonder if dealerships would be more understanding to people like me because I really cant control where I live or stay being in the military.

backtoreality15 · 07-10-2008, 02:27 PM

Oh man, when I need to get my serviced when I'm down in Irvine during the year and they don't give me a loaner car I'm gonna raise hell.

Or just go the sympathy route...

warmtoes · 07-10-2008, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbenington86

Hmm I wonder if dealerships would be more understanding to people like me because I really cant control where I live or stay being in the military.

For your situation, I would hope so.

jraymond · 07-10-2008, 03:57 PM

So, in theory, you buy the most expensive BMW a dealer has, have to move to another area, and are screwed on a loaner?

Hairy · 07-10-2008, 04:16 PM

I live in Ohio. A couple of years ago we were on vacation in SE Idaho when the car broke down. BMW flat bedded us to Salt Lake City, and gave us a loaner for four days while our car was repaired. No fuss, no muss.

x97Melbourne · 01-18-2009, 05:35 PM

thats frustrating. i doubt i'd go back to that dealership. paying $50K for a car....i think you deserve a loaner....
don't forget the dealership is paid big bucks for warranty work.

lib · 01-21-2009, 08:46 PM

My third brake light finally fell out today so I thought I'd check this forum. (It's been cracked for a while and I knew it was a common problem but didn't feel like dealing with it)

The OP's problems are specific to the dealer and not the brand as a whole. (Or, maybe it's just Buffalo. Having grown up there before leaving NY all I can say is... get out while you can :wink

.

As a comparison, my local dealer, BMW of Austin has been great about every issue that's come up. I called my SA today at 4:00pm. He called me back at 4:53pm. I now have an appointment for 9am tomorrow and they're going to change the light while I wait.

If it was going to take a while I'd have a BMW loaner. Regardless of where I bought the car.

mrgoochio · 01-22-2009, 07:01 AM

Hell I was offered a loaner at an Acura dealership when I was 17 but then they realized I wasn't 25 which was their policy for loaning cars. Then they offered to drive me and my lady friend somewhere up to 5 miles if we wanted to go grab a bite. My car was in for a scheduled for a planned maintenance and I did not purchase my car there. I was paying for the maintenance though

j128i · 01-22-2009, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrgoochio

Hell I was offered a loaner at an Acura dealership when I was 17 but then they realized I wasn't 25 which was their policy for loaning cars. Then they offered to drive me and my lady friend somewhere up to 5 miles if we wanted to go grab a bite. My car was in for a scheduled for a planned maintenance and I did not purchase my car there. I was paying for the maintenance though

I believe free loaner car treatment is started by Infiniti dealer. Acura and Lexus also do this. Now with oil change only you will not be able to get a loaner (it was the case a few years ago).
Before I got my 128i coupe, my car is Infiniti G20. I purchased it in NY state and then we moved to New England, the local Infiniti dealer gave us free loaner, usually G30/G35. Then there is a new dealer opened nearby our home so we use it for service, and still get free loaner Infiniti car.
Our MDX is the same case, free loaner TL.
One need to schedule service in advance to get the loaner. If you just drive in, you may get one if it is availale or you just get an Enterprise rental.
I usually return it at the end of work hour, or next day if I cant make it.

For European car, the policy is different. Volvo provide loaner but you have to pay (very cheap since your car usually stay in dealer for days. there is a saying Volvo has a 8-week vacation in dealer every year). The salesperson told me so in volvo dealer (not 8 week vacation part).

For BMW, my CA told me that some center provide BMW loaner for customer who purchased the car from the center. Some of them just provide Enterprise rental (as one of my friend had in Seattle). Seems in my local center one can pay for the loaner if not purchased from the center (I can double check that with my CA).

Breville · 01-22-2009, 11:13 PM

I've had this before and if you're only 5 mins away you should ask the service manager to get one of the sales guys to run you to work. It always works for me as they're never busy first thing or last thing at night. It's worth a try.

Chewyjr15 · 01-22-2009, 11:41 PM

i know that i am not 25, but i have gotten loaners when i had my volvo. Also my ca said when i need service to give him a call and he will set everything up and give me a loaner for a small fee i think like 20-25 bucks or something. But i do not know if this is the case if i go to any of the other local dealerships. Within 10 miles of where i live there are 3 dealerships and i bought my car from a dealership over 30 miles away. so only time will tell if i can get a loaner from the closer dealers. As for the OP o would just ask them to shuttle you to work real quick like you said its only 5 miles away, or schedule your service for a weekend how long can it take for a brake light replacement? On a side note i went in for an oil change with my volvo once i was the first in at 7 am did not leave until 1pm!

Chewyjr15 · 01-23-2009, 01:01 AM

thanks now i know not to go to irvine for service ill stick with bmw of riverside then.

07-10-2008, 08:42 AM	#1
PL99 Enlisted Member 5 Rep 47 Posts Drives: 08 JB 135i Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Buffalo, NY iTrader: (0)	Dealer won't give me loaner car for warranty work Upon re-delivery of my ED last month, after I returned back to my house I found that the 3rd brake light had a crack right down the middle of it. I called the dealer where I bought the car and he assured me that it would be taken care of under warranty. Now I live in the Buffalo area, and when I was ready to purchase my 135, they were very unhelpful and left me hanging for a bit before telling me that the could not get the date I wanted for ED, which was because they claimed they didn't have allocation. I'm not sure how true this is, but I decided to check around at other dealerships in NY to see if they could get me the date I wanted. Sure enough a dealer in Binghamton (Gault Motorsport) jumped on the opportunity and I placed my order that week and everything went very smoothly. Now, I brought my car to Towne BMW (the local dealer) where they looked at it and ordered the part. As of yesterday, the part is in and I need to schedule a time to get it installed. I was planning on leaving my car there on my way to work, getting the loaner to continue my trip to work (about 5 each way) and dropping it off that night. I was then told that I would not be able to get a loaner cause I didn't purchase my car there. Is this standard practice? I'm not really happy about this but it puts a major crimp in my plans since now I need someone to drive me out there and take me back and then get a ride back to the dealer. This is my first BMW, I figured from all of the talk that I was going to be treated very well no matter where I went. It just puts a major crimp in my plans and now I need to make special arrangements for something that should never have happened in the first place.
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07-10-2008, 08:52 AM	#2
hansenc 1addict, and proud 16 Rep 443 Posts Drives: 128i Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Brandon, FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 128i [0.00]	Seems to be standard practice. I hate how they do it this way but they do .
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07-10-2008, 09:08 AM	#3
JTdrivin1 1 Love 5 Rep 255 Posts Drives: 2011 135i 6MT Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: NY iTrader: (0)	I got my 1 from Rich at Gault, and he mentioned a guy in Buffalo that came down and did ED... guess that's you! My dad had the same problem on Long Island, where he bought it from one dealership because they gave a better deal, and then when he tried to get it serviced at the one closer they were dicks about it. Not much you can do about it....
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07-10-2008, 10:23 AM	#4
larryn Lieutenant General 2146 Rep 10,176 Posts Drives: '97 332ti, '21 X5 45e, '16 GT4 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Seattle iTrader: (2)	Loaners are a treated as a courtesy to the BMW owner for buying the car through them. They are not required by BMWNA. BMW Centers individually make their own decisions on who gets one or not (some don;t even have any loaners, or rent Thrifty cars for customers). Since you did not buy your car there, I'm not surprised at them not offering a loaner. Btw, ED cars do come out of the dealership's allocation, and if they do not have an available slot for a 135i, they cannot arrange for the ED until they do have a slot for a 135i. I'll bet that other dealer you contacted did happen to have an available allocation to commit to ED, which yours did not at the time.
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07-10-2008, 11:46 AM	#5
warmtoes Lieutenant Colonel 31 Rep 1,917 Posts Drives: EBII 435i xDrive Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Vancouver iTrader: (1)	But, don't dealers make most of their money on servicing and not the sale of cars? By pissing off a service customer you are losing a lucrative part of your business are you not? Even with warranty work they get paid by BMWNA. __________________ *2014 EBII 435i xDrive M-sport* Gone: 2011 TiAg F25 X3 xDrive35i M-sport Gone: 2008 TiAg w/Coral Red E88 135i Cab M-sport
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07-10-2008, 11:57 AM	#6
S54dan I no longer work for United BMW! 307 Rep 3,330 Posts Drives: E46 M3, E46 330i ZHP, E36 325i Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Atlanta, GA iTrader: (36) Garage List 1994 BMW 325i [8.50] 2005 M3 [9.66] 2005 325i [8.00] 2003 330i ZHP [9.00]	BMW loaners are given out to those who purchase the car from the dealership. It very rare circumstances, a loaner is given to a customer without having purchased their vehicle at that particular dealership. It's a practice that many dealerships do because there are only a certain amount of loaners (usually around 60 for some dealers). They let the customers who "remain loyal" to the dealerships have first pick. If a dealership has extra loaners on that particular day, chances are they will release them. Extra loaners is a rare occurance though. Dealerships do provide rides within a 5 mile radius for those who didn't purchase their vehicle. __________________ BMW CCA, PCA, & CHIN Motorsports Instructor.
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07-10-2008, 12:29 PM	#8
rocketpop Captain 60 Rep 865 Posts Drives: 135i Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Home iTrader: (0)	Shoot, I am a "VIP" (was on my invoice as an extra perk) at my dealer and I still had to postpone my service a week in order to get a loaner car. LOL Its just minor paint issue to its not a big deal to delay in this case. __________________
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07-10-2008, 12:40 PM	#9
dma550 First Lieutenant 10 Rep 310 Posts Drives: 2008 M3 E93 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: CT iTrader: (0)	crap. If I had known this, I would have saved the few hundred dollars and bought locally and not one state away! __________________ 08 E93 M3 \| 06 Lotus Exige
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07-10-2008, 01:41 PM	#11
jbenington86 Major 58 Rep 1,201 Posts Drives: 2015 M235i, 2017 Tundra Join Date: May 2008 Location: TX iTrader: (0) Garage List 2015 M235i [0.00] 2008 128i [0.00]	Hmm I wonder if dealerships would be more understanding to people like me because I really cant control where I live or stay being in the military.
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07-10-2008, 02:27 PM	#12
backtoreality15 Captain 81 Rep 752 Posts Drives: 2019 330i Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Bay Area, CA iTrader: (0)	Oh man, when I need to get my serviced when I'm down in Irvine during the year and they don't give me a loaner car I'm gonna raise hell. Or just go the sympathy route... __________________ 2019 M-Sport 330i \| G20
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07-10-2008, 03:57 PM	#14
jraymond Lieutenant 18 Rep 411 Posts Drives: 135i SGM Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: U.S. iTrader: (0)	So, in theory, you buy the most expensive BMW a dealer has, have to move to another area, and are screwed on a loaner?
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07-10-2008, 04:16 PM	#15
Hairy Private First Class 4 Rep 120 Posts Drives: 2008 135i Black Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Cincinnati iTrader: (1)	I live in Ohio. A couple of years ago we were on vacation in SE Idaho when the car broke down. BMW flat bedded us to Salt Lake City, and gave us a loaner for four days while our car was repaired. No fuss, no muss.
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01-18-2009, 05:35 PM	#16
x97Melbourne Molar World 47 Rep 916 Posts Drives: 2016 435i Coupe Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Florida iTrader: (0)	thats frustrating. i doubt i'd go back to that dealership. paying $50K for a car....i think you deserve a loaner.... don't forget the dealership is paid big bucks for warranty work. __________________ Current: 2016 435i Coupe Previous: 2014 335i Sedan; 2013 328i Cv, 2011 335i Sedan Gone But Not Forgotten: 2008 135i Convertible (my favorite)
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01-21-2009, 08:46 PM	#17
lib Major 141 Rep 1,401 Posts Drives: <This space for rent> Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: ATX iTrader: (0)	My third brake light finally fell out today so I thought I'd check this forum. (It's been cracked for a while and I knew it was a common problem but didn't feel like dealing with it) The OP's problems are specific to the dealer and not the brand as a whole. (Or, maybe it's just Buffalo. Having grown up there before leaving NY all I can say is... get out while you can :wink. As a comparison, my local dealer, BMW of Austin has been great about every issue that's come up. I called my SA today at 4:00pm. He called me back at 4:53pm. I now have an appointment for 9am tomorrow and they're going to change the light while I wait. If it was going to take a while I'd have a BMW loaner. Regardless of where I bought the car.
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01-22-2009, 07:01 AM	#18
mrgoochio 135i Coupe Owner! 46 Rep 1,009 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW 135i Coupe Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	Hell I was offered a loaner at an Acura dealership when I was 17 but then they realized I wasn't 25 which was their policy for loaning cars. Then they offered to drive me and my lady friend somewhere up to 5 miles if we wanted to go grab a bite. My car was in for a scheduled for a planned maintenance and I did not purchase my car there. I was paying for the maintenance though __________________ 2008 BMW 135i Coupe Jet Black Sport Pkg. P1 Lemon Boston Leather High Gloss Black Trim Comfort Access System
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01-22-2009, 11:13 PM	#20
Breville Scum in the sun 30 Rep 938 Posts Drives: 135i Coupe TiAg Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Syndey iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 135i Coupe [0.00]	I've had this before and if you're only 5 mins away you should ask the service manager to get one of the sales guys to run you to work. It always works for me as they're never busy first thing or last thing at night. It's worth a try. __________________ One should love animals. They are so tasty.
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01-22-2009, 11:41 PM	#21
Chewyjr15 1 addict and proud! 42 Rep 570 Posts Drives: jb 135 on order Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: irvine, ca iTrader: (0)	i know that i am not 25, but i have gotten loaners when i had my volvo. Also my ca said when i need service to give him a call and he will set everything up and give me a loaner for a small fee i think like 20-25 bucks or something. But i do not know if this is the case if i go to any of the other local dealerships. Within 10 miles of where i live there are 3 dealerships and i bought my car from a dealership over 30 miles away. so only time will tell if i can get a loaner from the closer dealers. As for the OP o would just ask them to shuttle you to work real quick like you said its only 5 miles away, or schedule your service for a weekend how long can it take for a brake light replacement? On a side note i went in for an oil change with my volvo once i was the first in at 7 am did not leave until 1pm!
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01-23-2009, 01:01 AM	#22
Chewyjr15 1 addict and proud! 42 Rep 570 Posts Drives: jb 135 on order Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: irvine, ca iTrader: (0)	thanks now i know not to go to irvine for service ill stick with bmw of riverside then.
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