Has BMW been bad to you? Did you buy a New BMW lemon? Have you spent too long at the service shop, dealing with "technicians" who think you're an idiot? Did the electrics start failing? Did your beautiful New BMW start stalling? What about that transmission? Did BMW tell you it was your imagination? Did your sub-frame crack? Did they promise they'd call you soon to arrange something?

Don't worry you're not the only one who bought a BMTroubleU, but now you can tell the world your real "BMW Experience" by simply emailing your story and images to rayone2.3456 AT blogger.com you need to replace ' AT ' with an '@' cos I get too much spam (privacy statement)

Friday, August 20, 2010

Ox powered BMW protest - China


Miss Ma spent 700,000rmb on buying the BMW 525i in April 2008, she quickly found that the Beemers gearbox would jump out of gear by itself, obviously indicating a possible product defect, then the cars electrical system would die for no reason. Miss Ma claims that one time when the engine cut out when she was in traffic, she nearly crashed into another car. Miss Ma says she has tried to reach an agreement with the dealership, and BMW but both refuse to change her car for a new one, so she feels she was left with no other resort but to take her 5-series to the streets of Guangzhou, outside the dealer she bought the defective car.


At lunch time, two traffic policeman appeared and asked Miss Ma to remove the lettering from the BMW.
Miss Ma later explained her choice of Ox to tow her stricken BMW “I wanted to use a horse, but horses move too quick.” A horse would be symbolic of the Chinese name for BMW, which is lit. ‘Treasure Horse’
Once the Ox and its 5-series train reached the BMW dealership where Miss Ma bought her motor, the workers in the dealership came out to look, people stopped to take a look at the commotion, which eventually forced the BMW dealerships manager to come out and say ‘We need to talk!’, and a few moments later Miss Ma reportedley had reached an agreement with the dealership to fix her 5-series.

However, this approach to getting peoples attention has been done before, by a Mr. Zhao who was also unhappy with his X5

I bought this X5 BMW in 2004. The car cost me almost one million yuan. Because I trusted the BMW brand, I bought the car thinking it would bring convenience to my commute. Instead, it has caused numerous problems over the last three years. The problems have included ignition failure, brake failure, loss of power and loss of directional control of vehicle while driving. These problems have often posted a serious threat to my safety.
These problems have existed since the day I bought the car. I have spent a lot of time and money repairing the car; the car has been repaired in Wenzhou, Nanjing, and Hefei. But each time, the same problem would reappear within a week. I complained to BMW, asking them to justify these repeated problems, and demanded they issue an explanation to affected customers. But my efforts have had no result.
Therefore, in light of BMW’s extreme irresponsibility, I make a formal statement here: I demand a new car or a full refund.
If BMW continues to ignore my requests and refuses to explain themselves, I will call for the public and the media to expose BWM’s behavior and protect my rights as a consumer. I will take following steps since no alternatives exist:
Step one: Buffalo pulling BMW
This stage will last one week. I will use the slogan “BMW is irresponsible to customers, protest against BMW’s poor quality products”. The media (all major newspapers, websites, Phoenix TV , Dagongpao) will be invited to report on the event. I have strong faith in the fairness, justice and trustworthiness of the media. If BMW still doesn’t respond, this activity will be continued for another week with more intense coverage from the media.
Step two: Smashing the car
If the BMW company still doesn’t respond, I will smash the car. The media will report the car smashing in real time to the whole country, the whole of Asia, and the whole world. At this point, I will no longer accept compensation from BMW; I will consider my loss of property the price I paid to keep other potential customers from being fooled as I was fooled.

I call for the consumers of the whole world to protest together: Refuse to buy BMW! Refuse to let BMW enter our countries! BWM is untrustworthy! BMW service is bad!





Wednesday, August 18, 2010

J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Vehicle Dependability Study

The study, which measures problems experienced by original owners of three-year-old (2007 model year) vehicles, includes 198 different problem symptoms across all areas of the vehicle.  Overall dependability is determined by the level of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting higher quality. 



Sunday, August 15, 2010

Stalling follow up

After reading yesterdays post by an unknown reader I google'd and it appears there lots of stalling issues with the GT, not only does it stall but all the lights go off, read some more here:
http://www.aboutautomobile.com/Complaint/2009/BMW/K1300+GT/Engine
http://www.aboutautomobile.com/Complaint/2009/BMW/K1300+GT/Engine+and+Engine+Cooling+System
http://www.aboutautomobile.com/Complaint/2009/BMW/K1300+S/Engine
http://www.aboutautomobile.com/Complaint/2009/BMW/K1300+S/Engine+and+Engine+Cooling+System


I also found a polls on forums.
http://www.i-bmw.com/showthread.php?t=23460

http://www.k-bikes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18977&page=3&pp=10


All I can say is wow! My only complaint with my K1300R is the geometry and engine noise, but the K1300R (not available in the US) shares the engine with the GT and S.


Saturday, August 14, 2010

BMW k1300gt motorcycle stalls

My 2009 BMW k1300gt motorcycle stalls while slowing with the clutch pulled in. Many other owners of BMW k1300 series motorcycles are having the same stalling issues and other stalling issues and BMW is not addressing this issue. My motorcycle stalled while crossing an intersection which of course is very dangerous. Owners are pleading with BMW to recall this dangerous problem and they are doing nothing. We please ask that you to take action with BMW on this ongoing matter.

Friday, August 13, 2010

J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Initial Quality Study

The 2010 Initial Quality Study is based on responses from more than 82,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2010 model-year vehicles surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The study is based on a 228-question battery designed to provide manufacturers with information to facilitate identification of problems and to drive product improvement. The study was fielded between February and May 2010




Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Class Action - BMW Software Causes Engine Problems

A class action filed in California yesterday says that software unilaterally installed by BMW on several turbocharged models led to dangerous turbo lag and other engine problems.
The suit, brought in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, implicates the BMW 1-, 3-, and 5-Series lines, as well as the Z4 convertible, X5 sport utility, and X6 crossover. 
All subject vehicles were manufactured between 2007 and 2010 and are equipped with the "N54" engine, a three-liter six-cylinder motor equipped with a twin turbo.

According to the suit, BMW tried to remedy an "undisclosed defect" with the cars by installing an updated version of its so-called "Engine Control Unit" (ECU) software. The defect allegedly originated in the cars' turbochargers, fuel pumps, gas waste mechanisms, and/or turbo software.
The plaintiffs contend that BMW installed the updated ECU software without customers' permission and, in some cases, without their knowledge. The complaint says that BMW installed the software "whenever one of the vehicles in question appeared in the service department of a BMW dealership, regardless of the reason for the service visit." Thus, consumers who experienced "problems with loud rattling...under the hood," for example, were unwittingly outfitted with updated ECU software and sent on their way.
Shortly after the software update, consumers began to complain of engine problems, specifically "loss of power in the lower RPM [revelations per minute] range, decreased fuel efficiency, and most notably, turbo acceleration lag."
Turbo lag, a little-known but potentially dangerous phenomenon, describes a delay between the time a turbocharged car's accelerator is depressed and the time its engine develops enough power to properly accelerate. Turbo lag presents an especially serious risk if it occurs on a highway on-ramp or other area where traffic is moving quickly.

According to the suit, BMW at first dismissed consumers' complaints, assuring them that their respective experiences were "normal." As the complaints continued to grow in number, BMW allegedly installed more ECU updates in a futile attempt to make the problems go away. The plaintiffs also contend that BMW quietly did away with ads bragging that the automaker "eliminated turbo lag altogether."

The class is being represented by Wayne Barney of Orange County. Barney began experiencing turbo lag after his 2007 BMW 335i was serviced for a faulty fuel pump. Barney communicated his concerns to BMW several times, but was "repeatedly assured that he was mistaken about the existence of any problems."

The suit alleges breach of implied and express warranties; breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing; deceptive trade practices; and breach of the Magnuson-Moss Act, a federal statute that governs consumer product warranties. The plaintiffs accuse BMW of "us[ing] ECU software to deceive its customers and avoid the cost and labor of properly resolving the hardware problems, which required actual engine work and/or part replacement that was covered under BMW's warranty." The class is seeking compensatory damages and an injunction.

Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/12/ca_bmw.html#ixzz0wA4WJEBt

Settlement Achieved on Behalf of BMW 5-Series Owners and Lessees



Girard Gibbs represented owners and lessees of the 2004-2005 model year 5-Series BMW, in a class action lawsuit alleging that BMW concealed a known design defect in the seat occupation detection system in these vehicles. On September, 14, 2007, Judge Wendell Mortimer granted final approval to a settlement agreement providing for the reprogramming of the seat occupation system, free of charge to all class members.
The 2004 5-Series BMW owners manual states that the vehicle contains a seat occupation detection system, which deactivates the front passenger sear airbags when a child occupies that seat. This protects the child from potential injury caused by the impact of inflating airbags. According to the manual, when an adult exceeding a certain weight threshold occupies the front passenger seat, the airbags remain active. The lawsuit contended that, contrary to these representations, the deactivation indicator lit up when adults significantly exceeding the weight threshold occupied the front passenger seat, indicating that the airbag system was deactivated.
The complaint alleged that, by concealing the defective nature of the airbags, BMW was able to sell more vehicles and charge more for the vehicles than they would have otherwise. The complaint further alleged that BMW's failure to implement an effective remedy for this problem, constituted a breach of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty, covering all class vehicles sold or leased in California.
Girard Gibbs negotiated a settlement requiring BMW to reprogram the occupation detection systems at no charge. 

BMW Sub-Frame Settlement Approved

We are pleased to report that the BMW 3 Series (E46) Sub-Frame Settlement has been granted final court approval. In response to allegations that 1999-2006 BMW 3 Series vehicles can suffer from sub-frame cracking that enlarges over time, BMW has agreed to provide the following benefits:

(1) If you paid for a sub-frame repair to your 1999-2006 BMW 3 Series vehicle, you can obtain reimbursement from BMW by submitting a completed claim form and proof of expenditure to the Claims Administrator. Claim forms can be downloaded from
http://www.e46subframeclassactionsettlement.com and should be mailed to the address listed on the claim form. The deadline to postmark you claim is September 9, 2010.

(2) If you currently own or lease a 1999-2006 BMW 3 Series vehicle, you can contact an authorized BMW dealer and make an appointment to receive a free sub-frame inspection. If the inspection reveals any sub-frame cracking, the dealer will provide a free repair as well.
The deadline for free sub-frame inspections is September 9, 2010, for vehicles no longer under warranty. If your vehicle remains under warranty, you will have one year from the expiration of your warranty to receive a free sub-frame inspection.

To learn more about the BMW Sub-Frame Settlement, please visit 
http://www.e46subframeclassactionsettlement.com, where you can download a claim form and read answers to frequently asked questions. Any extensions of the deadlines listed above will be posted on the website as well.

Many thanks to all of the BMW 3 Series owners and lessees who contacted us over the last few years to share their experiences. The relief provided through the BMW Sub-Frame litigation and settlement would not have been possible without the level of consumer involvement and concern that this issue received. 

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Thought this may interest you

Bitter BMW owner's peak-hour protest

A BMW owner filled his convertible with lemons and parked it out the front of a Sylvania dealership from 5am this morning.

The car caused chaos on the Princes Highway as commuters slowed to a standstill to watch the spectacle.

Bryan Wiseman, of Sylvania, said his luxury purchase was plagued with mechanical and electrical faults from the time he bought it new, two years ago.

"It all started not long after I bought the car when the mats rolled up over the pedals, causing me to have an accident because I rode up over a gutter (to avoid an accident)."

"It has broken down in the middle of the night; I had to wait for four hours to get it towed because the thing wouldn't start.

"I've had the window jammed, I got stuck on the side of the M5 midway because the roof wouldn't go back on."

Mr Wiseman said BMW had applied bigger strips of Velcro to the mats but refused to fix a dent to the bottom of the car.

"I never made a claim on my insurance in my life and I'm not about to start now," he said.

He parked the vehicle out the front of the dealership, covered in lemon stickers and filled with real lemons, in a bid to end a two-year battle with manager Anthony Rodriguez.

"I'm not confident in driving this car because it has broken down on me that often," Mr Wiseman said.

"It has been in the shop getting fixed more times than I care to remember, I'm absolutely sick and tired of it."

The BMW 335ci was the third car he had purchased from the dealership.

"They said we can't fix it because we don't know what is wrong with it," Mr Wiseman said.

Sylvania BMW manager Mr Rodriguez refused to respond to Mr Wiseman's prank this morning.

"Sylvania BMW has no comment to make," a spokeswoman said.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

About your name

There is an excellent BMW shop in UK that is called MotorWorks, http://www.motorworks.co.uk/ with a long history and good reputation in Europe
 
While I in no way suspect your intention to mock this company, perhaps a line or two in the header to clearify that your name by no means is connected or intended to harm this company will do everybody (except lawyer) a favour.
 
Sincerely
Knut Klungrehaug