[rallybull]

My car was with the dealer for about 4 days for some service. I picked it up today afternoon and as soon as I drove off with the car, I realized that the oil temps was above 165 which means the car was probably used recently. I also realized that the car was smelling a bit funny (oily/sweaty).

The repair for which I had taken the car had likely completed a few days ago but they were simply waiting for another (unrelated) part to arrive (which did not arrive so I picked up the car without install of the other part).

Now I take the car to a place that is about 7 miles from the car dealer (8 minutes) and then eventually drive the car back home that is another 17 miles (20-25 minutes). When I come back home, I realize that the trip computer shows:
1) Trip start time : 4:17am (early morning)
2) Trip duration : 2:19 hrs
3) Miles: 54 mls
4) Trip mpg : 18.7 mpg (normally when I drive back from work I get 25 mpg average)
5) Average speed: 24.5mph (normally when I drive back from work I clock 50 -55 mph average)

Now my trip meter is configured to automatically reset (after 4 hours of non-use) which means it resets every morning.

Does this not mean that someone started my car at 4:17am in the morning, drove the car (or kept the engine running) for about 1 hour 50 minutes and got somewhere in the range of 15 to 16 mpg fuel efficiency? All this before I picked up my car in the afternoon

I have taken photographs of my trip computer along with the today's date displayed in the car.

Finally, I just checked my service receipt that they handed over to me when I picked up my car and the Mileage Out minus the Mileage in is only 10 miles !!!

What's going on for heavens sake?

Do you'll think someone in the service department could have used my car as a personal joyride and maybe even taken it to their home? Why is the total mileage in the service receipt not matching in the trip computer? Do shop technicians actually start working on cars as early as 4:17am in the morning? (not that I could imagine what they could be possibly repairing since the repairs were already done). Could someone have simply moved the car from one parking lot to another early in the morning?

I don't want to unnecessarily suspect my car dealer for things that they may not have done and the same I want to be fair to myself.

Finally: there is only this one bmw dealer near my home and if I decide to use another dealer for future services I'll have to travel far (about 25 miles). Not sure what to do.


Side note: I also found some 5-10 drops of some liquid splattered in the rear seat when I reached home. It looked and smelled like oil since when I tried to wipe it off my seat became glossy with a shine. I had to remove that liquid and the smell with some amount of repeated wiping with a damp soapy cloth.

[openwheelracing]

It happens don't sweat it if there is no damage. That's my take. I get back at the dealer by driving the wheels off the loaners.....so...I can't complain..

[rallybull]

Originally Posted by openwheelracing

It happens don't sweat it if there is no damage. That's my take. I get back at the dealer by driving the wheels off the loaners.....so...I can't complain..

Thanks for your input. Really appreciate it. I'll definitely take your input (and that of others' if they post a reply) into consideration while dealing with this situation.

[stormlv]

Wow, that's really weird.
I don't think that anyone starts work that early...
Even moving the car from one parking lot, to another, doesn't make any sense at 4am.

The picture itself won't do anything to incriminate them, unfortunately, since you took it when you got home. They could just say that you set the time to 4am and that you drove for 54 miles

I'd still have a chat with them though - I'd be curious to see what the reason (that they give you) was for this trip computer discrepancy. Moreover, if you do have a dealer that does these kind of things, I'd prefer to know it. If the reason is legitimate and you're not being aggressive with your questions, I don't see why they'd get upset.

Related to the warm engine when you picked it up, I could venture a guess as to why the engine was warm when you picked it up. Depending on what needed repairing, they could have just started the car and let it idle for a bit, before you came into the garage, as to make sure everything was ok...

[Reznick]

That sucks because it might be true,but it's hard to prove.I had that happen to me on 2 different vehicles (neither of them my BMW's) 1st was my new truck. They said they had to keep it over the weekend and I could pick it up Mon evening.The truck had an extra 800 miles on it. 2nd .Sister in laws brand new Ford Focus ST.One small interior piece (air vent) was loose and it was her 1st new car so she just wanted it documented.They told us to come back in a couple hours and it would be all set.It had 30 miles on it and had my Hero strapped in the car. We got the car back with 30 more miles and video of them bouncing the car off the redline.We only got to see about half the "fun" they had before my camera cut.I guess they needed to test drive the car to make sure everything was tight. It sucks but it does happened.I'm a pretty calm person but I raised hell that day.

[BavarianFanatic]

You're over thinking this. It only shows 10 miles differential. They obviously weren't driving it around for 2 hours at 5 MPH. If the service required any sort of software updates it's plausible that the time reporting could be off. I wouldn't sweat it if there's no obvious signs of abuse or damage.

[335BOY]

Originally Posted by rallybull

My car was with the dealer for about 4 days for some service. I picked it up today afternoon and as soon as I drove off with the car, I realized that the oil temps was above 165 which means the car was probably used recently. I also realized that the car was smelling a bit funny (oily/sweaty).

The repair for which I had taken the car had likely completed a few days ago but they were simply waiting for another (unrelated) part to arrive (which did not arrive so I picked up the car without install of the other part).

Now I take the car to a place that is about 7 miles from the car dealer (8 minutes) and then eventually drive the car back home that is another 17 miles (20-25 minutes). When I come back home, I realize that the trip computer shows:
1) Trip start time : 4:17am (early morning)
2) Trip duration : 2:19 hrs
3) Miles: 54 mls
4) Trip mpg : 18.7 mpg (normally when I drive back from work I get 25 mpg average)
5) Average speed: 24.5mph (normally when I drive back from work I clock 50 -55 mph average)

Now my trip meter is configured to automatically reset (after 4 hours of non-use) which means it resets every morning.

Does this not mean that someone started my car at 4:17am in the morning, drove the car (or kept the engine running) for about 1 hour 50 minutes and got somewhere in the range of 15 to 16 mpg fuel efficiency? All this before I picked up my car in the afternoon

I have taken photographs of my trip computer along with the today's date displayed in the car.

Finally, I just checked my service receipt that they handed over to me when I picked up my car and the Mileage Out minus the Mileage in is only 10 miles !!!

What's going on for heavens sake?

Do you'll think someone in the service department could have used my car as a personal joyride and maybe even taken it to their home? Why is the total mileage in the service receipt not matching in the trip computer? Do shop technicians actually start working on cars as early as 4:17am in the morning? (not that I could imagine what they could be possibly repairing since the repairs were already done). Could someone have simply moved the car from one parking lot to another early in the morning?

I don't want to unnecessarily suspect my car dealer for things that they may not have done and the same I want to be fair to myself.

Finally: there is only this one bmw dealer near my home and if I decide to use another dealer for future services I'll have to travel far (about 25 miles). Not sure what to do.


Side note: I also found some 5-10 drops of some liquid splattered in the rear seat when I reached home. It looked and smelled like oil since when I tried to wipe it off my seat became glossy with a shine. I had to remove that liquid and the smell with some amount of repeated wiping with a damp soapy cloth.

Yes you do or you wouldnt be digging into this. Why did you check trip computer? If engine was warm they were probably just making sure repair was complete. If there is nothing wrong with your car Let it die. We all have to trust people and i would bet that 99.9% of all dealers are honest.

[drob23]

Probably a little paranoid here, but it wouldn't be the first time a dealership employee hooned a car. But your information is speculative at best (which won't get you far with any kind of complaint) and much ado about nothing more likely.

Your only real recourse is to write down the mileage beforehand (snap a pic) and install a dash cam. Also take some pictures of the wheels before dropping it off so you know if they curbed them (most probable thing they screw up).

But honestly, all these guys do is sit around with cars and some of them much nicer than ours, so they probably don't really care and want to just get on with their jobs (paid on # jobs completed). I'd be more worried about leaving it with a detailing guy or indy shop for a couple days.

[xG35c]

Tech probably kept your keys and drove your car home, came in early to cover up what he did. I'd say if no damage, serious mileage or real proof, just move on! (if they cover their lot with cameras, than maybe I'd call the service manager to check them...)

[Cup o' Joe]

Originally Posted by rallybull

When I come back home, I realize that the trip computer shows:
1) Trip start time : 4:17am (early morning)
2) Trip duration : 2:19 hrs
3) Miles: 54 mls
4) Trip mpg : 18.7 mpg (normally when I drive back from work I get 25 mpg average)
5) Average speed: 24.5mph (normally when I drive back from work I clock 50 -55 mph average)

Take a picture of the screen or keep this data, as well as a copy of the repair order (which should have the dates they had your car). The reason I say this is in case you get a red light camera ticket or something, you can prove you weren't in possession of the vehicle, and couldn't have been driving.

Otherwise, just let it go. Maybe go to a different dealership if this becomes a chronic issue.

[shivaswrath]

i hope you took a screen shot...unless you authorize a "drive home", they can't do that.

[floydarogers]

Look, guys, there is a reasonable explanation.

Remember, if any work was done on parts of the engine that required re-setting engine adaptations, the car needs to be run for a while to get the ECU to validate the changes. Google "reset ecu pass emissions" for examples.

Not saying that's the reason, but it's entirely plausible.

[OC40]

Originally Posted by floydarogers

Look, guys, there is a reasonable explanation.

Remember, if any work was done on parts of the engine that required re-setting engine adaptations, the car needs to be run for a while to get the ECU to validate the changes. Google "reset ecu pass emissions" for examples.

Not saying that's the reason, but it's entirely plausible.

I am thinking something alone this explanation.

Or, the janitor took it out to perform neutral drops on his neighbors lawn...

[swamy]

Originally Posted by rallybull

My car was with the dealer for about 4 days for some service. I picked it up today afternoon and as soon as I drove off with the car, I realized that the oil temps was above 165 which means the car was probably used recently. I also realized that the car was smelling a bit funny (oily/sweaty).

The repair for which I had taken the car had likely completed a few days ago but they were simply waiting for another (unrelated) part to arrive (which did not arrive so I picked up the car without install of the other part).

Now I take the car to a place that is about 7 miles from the car dealer (8 minutes) and then eventually drive the car back home that is another 17 miles (20-25 minutes). When I come back home, I realize that the trip computer shows:
1) Trip start time : 4:17am (early morning)
2) Trip duration : 2:19 hrs
3) Miles: 54 mls
4) Trip mpg : 18.7 mpg (normally when I drive back from work I get 25 mpg average)
5) Average speed: 24.5mph (normally when I drive back from work I clock 50 -55 mph average)

Now my trip meter is configured to automatically reset (after 4 hours of non-use) which means it resets every morning.

Does this not mean that someone started my car at 4:17am in the morning, drove the car (or kept the engine running) for about 1 hour 50 minutes and got somewhere in the range of 15 to 16 mpg fuel efficiency? All this before I picked up my car in the afternoon

I have taken photographs of my trip computer along with the today's date displayed in the car.

Finally, I just checked my service receipt that they handed over to me when I picked up my car and the Mileage Out minus the Mileage in is only 10 miles !!!

What's going on for heavens sake?

Do you'll think someone in the service department could have used my car as a personal joyride and maybe even taken it to their home? Why is the total mileage in the service receipt not matching in the trip computer? Do shop technicians actually start working on cars as early as 4:17am in the morning? (not that I could imagine what they could be possibly repairing since the repairs were already done). Could someone have simply moved the car from one parking lot to another early in the morning?

I don't want to unnecessarily suspect my car dealer for things that they may not have done and the same I want to be fair to myself.

Finally: there is only this one bmw dealer near my home and if I decide to use another dealer for future services I'll have to travel far (about 25 miles). Not sure what to do.


Side note: I also found some 5-10 drops of some liquid splattered in the rear seat when I reached home. It looked and smelled like oil since when I tried to wipe it off my seat became glossy with a shine. I had to remove that liquid and the smell with some amount of repeated wiping with a damp soapy cloth.

Drop a simple polite email about what you found to the service manager & ask if its something that usually happens since its outside of their office hours for it to be on a test ride with a mechanic. I would be very surprised if this isn't a violation of their policy. Obviously during the day its different. So by emailing you have it on record & let the appropriate person know if its something happening behind their backs.

[Bernard335]

That's unacceptable, there have been stories of cars being crashed while out on "test drives". A few years ago here in Johannesburg a technician took out an Audi RS4 for a drive but he was racing a fellow technician from a neighboring dealership, he crashed the car through a wall and it was a write off. Unfortunately for the owner they had stopped producing that shape RS4, so don't know how it was resolved.
In 2009 I sent my Golf 5 GTI in for a service, but while the car was in the car wash with the keys conveniently in it the car was stolen, never saw that car again, my insurance paid out and 2 months later I got a new Golf 6 GTI at cost price, luckily I could afford to replace the car and the Golf 6 had just been released.
So me personally I am very weary and if possible I wait for the car or collect it on the day, no sleep overs!!! In your case it was different, you had to leave the vehicle there.

Speak to your service manager & get a answers.

[pz619]

So when they reprogrammed my ECU for the last service, I'm pretty sure I lost the time. I have the car synced to the phone and when I got it back it was off by 2 minutes.

I bring this is up because the time might been off when the trip computer recorded the start time. I really don't think 10 miles is a big deal. My preference is that the car comes back to me with zero problems. If that means 25 miles, then that is fine by me. Obviously not everyone will feel this way.

[OC40]

Originally Posted by pz619

So when they reprogrammed my ECU for the last service, I'm pretty sure I lost the time. I have the car synced to the phone and when I got it back it was off by 2 minutes.

I bring this is up because the time might been off when the trip computer recorded the start time. I really don't think 10 miles is a big deal. My preference is that the car comes back to me with zero problems. If that means 25 miles, then that is fine by me. Obviously not everyone will feel this way.

I thought of this after my post above. The time could have been thrown off.

[nicknaz]

If the odometer in and out are accurate with a 10 miles difference, most likely the dealership will say its a legitimate test drive and it will be hard to prove anything.

to me, this is a trust issue (i.e. if you don't trust your dealership not to hoon your car, it is time for a different dealership)

[Philipangoo]

Also keep in mind they service m3's , m5's, m6's and they have an entire fleet of F30's really wouldn't make too much sense for them to joyride our cars when there are tons of better "options" lol.

[PABrian]

Originally Posted by rallybull

My car was with the dealer for about 4 days for some service. I picked it up today afternoon and as soon as I drove off with the car, I realized that the oil temps was above 165 which means the car was probably used recently. I also realized that the car was smelling a bit funny (oily/sweaty).

Sometimes, dealerships will go out and turn a car on before a customer comes to pick up their car so that it's at least a little bit warm before they get there, especially if it's very cold and the car has been sitting out overnight or for a couple of days.

As for the smell, if a technician just drove or moved the car after working for a bit, that could just be from their clothing. Not saying they're all smelly pigs, but that's just a potential source of the smell.

Originally Posted by rallybull

The repair for which I had taken the car had likely completed a few days ago but they were simply waiting for another (unrelated) part to arrive (which did not arrive so I picked up the car without install of the other part).

Do you mind explaining what the car was in for? This might help with determining why the car may have been started in the morning.

Originally Posted by rallybull

Now I take the car to a place that is about 7 miles from the car dealer (8 minutes) and then eventually drive the car back home that is another 17 miles (20-25 minutes). When I come back home, I realize that the trip computer shows:
1) Trip start time : 4:17am (early morning)
2) Trip duration : 2:19 hrs
3) Miles: 54 mls
4) Trip mpg : 18.7 mpg (normally when I drive back from work I get 25 mpg average)
5) Average speed: 24.5mph (normally when I drive back from work I clock 50 -55 mph average)

Now my trip meter is configured to automatically reset (after 4 hours of non-use) which means it resets every morning.

Does this not mean that someone started my car at 4:17am in the morning, drove the car (or kept the engine running) for about 1 hour 50 minutes and got somewhere in the range of 15 to 16 mpg fuel efficiency? All this before I picked up my car in the afternoon

I have taken photographs of my trip computer along with the today's date displayed in the car.

This is good information to have, but it will be a bit more difficult to plead your case now that it''s been some time since you picked the car up. There should be no reason for a dealership to move your car that early in the morning unless someone was driving it. If your repairs were completed, the car should not need to be moved until before you pick it up.

Originally Posted by rallybull

Finally, I just checked my service receipt that they handed over to me when I picked up my car and the Mileage Out minus the Mileage in is only 10 miles !!!

What's going on for heavens sake?

Do you'll think someone in the service department could have used my car as a personal joyride and maybe even taken it to their home? Why is the total mileage in the service receipt not matching in the trip computer? Do shop technicians actually start working on cars as early as 4:17am in the morning? (not that I could imagine what they could be possibly repairing since the repairs were already done). Could someone have simply moved the car from one parking lot to another early in the morning?

The fact that the RO indicates the car only having driven 10 miles means they updated it and closed it out when the repairs were completed. After that point, there's no reason for more miles to be put on your car. If something is being done to the car that requires your car to be driven more than a short drive, you should get a call requesting permission to do so, even if it NEEDS to happen.

Originally Posted by rallybull

Side note: I also found some 5-10 drops of some liquid splattered in the rear seat when I reached home. It looked and smelled like oil since when I tried to wipe it off my seat became glossy with a shine. I had to remove that liquid and the smell with some amount of repeated wiping with a damp soapy cloth.

To me, this is another red flag that someone may have driven it home and back, or at least driven it when it wasn't necessary.

I would definitely bring this to the service manager's attention, but don't do it in an accusatory manner. Just present the information to him/her and ask how you're supposed to rationalize it. IMO your car shouldn't be driven for any purpose other than to diagnose an issue, verify that a repair is successful or not, or to move it around when you drop it off and pick it up...ever.

[DesertSmokeBBQ]

It happens.....

http://jalopnik.com/dealership-total...eal-1498804012

[2blu]

I know MB dealerships in my area have crews work overnight. Drop off the car at 8pm and it's ready at 8am...

Call your dealership and ask they'll be able to answer you much better than anyone of us.