And you thought BMW Motorcycle dealer's can be bad....

[Lost Rider]

Like a few other members I also have a BMW car, a 325xiT (E91).

Today while in a snow storm my drivers side windshield wiper broke off the arm. Slightly annoying, but things happen...
After trying unsuccessfully to put in back together - in a stow storm- I took the passenger's side wiper off and installed it on the left side so I could get to a dealer. When I did this it left the right side's wiper arm bare metal exposed, so I took a roll of electrical tape and wrapped it up real good to protect the windshield.
I went to Elmhurst BMW, the nearest dealer. Upon arriving I explained my situation, and what I had done. I clearly pointed out the tape on the wiper arm, and explained how they were swapped. My windshield was not cracked. Period. The SA went to "check" on a few things after asking me if I had ever been there before, no I hadn't thank you. So you didn't buy it from us? No. I went and waked around the showroom, thinking of how nice a place this was. After I wandered back to the service dept. He then told me to have a seat, it would be about 30 minutes. I asked if I could just have a new blade and do it myself, so I could be on my way. No, a warranty claim has to be installed by us. OK, fine. So I have a seat in the waiting room and pick up a magazine. About 8 minute later the SA comes in and says" do you know you have a dent on your front left corner panel, and a scratch on the wheel? Yes I am aware of it, and my car is scheduled to go in for repairs on Monday, thank you. He then also pointed out another scratch on another wheel. Yes I know, thanks.
About 10 minutes after that the SA comes back again, and asked me to follow him, he had a few question, and wanted to show me how the drivers side wiper arm was a little bent (on the tab that the plastic cover goes on). He also asked if I knew where the plastic cover that holds the blade in place was. I pulled it out of my pocket, I had forgotten I had it... As we walk up to the car, he pointed out the slightly bent tab ( that I might have done while changing the blade, trying to get that same cover off)

I immediately noticed the windshield now had a spider web like bunch of cracks, centered on where the now bare metal wiper arm was touching the windshield! The technician had removed the tape, but not installed the new blade, and my windshield is now cracked!
I pointed this out to the SA, telling him this was not like this before. "well, it must have been because we didn't do it" is what he said.

I then asked for the manager, so the SA left for a few minutes, returning without the manager to tell me it must have been like this before, and they were already doing me a favor by replacing the wiper, because the arm in question was bent. Seeing exactly where this was going I told him to stop working on my car and get it out of here, I wanted to leave.

So you mean to tell me with me putting my finger directly onto the taped up right side wiper arm, both of us looking right at the spot where the windshield is now broken, and then in his thorough inspection that he noticed scratches on wheels, he never noticed many cracks on a windshield? But now that it's there, it must have been like that. NO WAY.

He said he had to pull the car around, fine. I went to the service managers office, and waiting until he got off the phone. While waiting thSA came up to me and asked me to sign this paer, just saying your car was worked on here, he said. At the bottom, next to signature line, it had something about them not being liable for damage to the car while it was here. I refused to sign it...
He came out with an bad attitude all over his face. I calmly explained what had just happened, all the while he had a glaze over his eye's, not really paying attention, or acting interested in what I had to say. He said it was like that before, then said," maybe a rock did it on the way here". Yeah, sure I thought.
I asked him if he wanted to go out and look at the car, "no I already did", he said. How could he? No one had "noticed" the cracked windshield until I pointed it out, and right from there I was with the car until it was pulled outside. He was obviously lying right to my face. He said he knows that they didn't do it. I asked how he could possible know that, since he was in his office, not working on my car. Because my techs don't lie, he said. BS
No one had even talked to the tech, the guy who had been working on my car was standing behind me while I talked with the SA, no one even asked him anything. This all went down in a matter of minutes.
He implied I did it myself and that I was now trying to blame them. I if did do it myself I would just turn in into my insurance and let them fix it, I have zero deductible for windshield damage....
Since I was getting nowhere, and just getting madder because I was completely being screwed around, I told him I should have taken it to Perrillo BMW in the first place and that I would take this up with BMW NA.
Elmhurst BMW Broke my windshield.

I'm posting this here to document it while it's fresh in my mind, and get some insight as how to proceed with this. I'll be in contact with BMW NA on Monday...
Besides the obvious things I'd like to do to all parties involved, anyone else had something like this happen? What was the outcome?

[stilldking]

My recomendation is to file a police report (I think I'd have done that while still at the stealership).
Aside from that, you seem to be on the right track to getting this corrected.
Hope it works out well for you.

JC

[boxermania]

Bro....what can I say.....thank God that for the most part I'm self sufficient because when it comes to dealers and their techs the only other ones as low as them are the politicians.

Let me make perfectly clear to all pundits that not all dealers, techs and politicians are lower than snake bellies albeit the bad ones are Summa Scum Laude

As I was saying, there the flockers and the flockees, in this instance care to guess which one you are/......best pick up your marbles, your freedom and move on.......

[iowabeakster]

Stuff like that just makes me wanna .... It's a sad day as stuff like that is becoming more typical.

Definitely get your insurance company contacted. They are your best bet to getting this resolved fast...and hopefully will be able to make those suckers pay. They have the staff of lawyers necessary. Although, it is small potatoes to them. They wouldn't put much effort into an issue like this. I wouldn't put much hope into thinking the responsible party will pay.

I hope your bottle of Jack was not far away. Although, Jack makes me even angrier sometimes.

[wncbmw]

It ain't just BMW dealers either! My wife recently went back to the dealer for the first oil change on our new Mazda3, since supposedly they had some special filter (Yeah, I know the law). Most dealerships around here have put in some sort of express oil change. Not this one. 'Have a seat, we might get to it this afternoon.' She talked to one lady who had an appointment and had been waiting 3 hours.

So the wife calls me and I said get 3 filters and take it our regular oil change guys, since they have already suggested that. The parts guys says 'Is it a 6-cylinder?' (They don't make a 6 in the Mazda3!). When she it is a 4, the parts guy gives her the 'little woman doesn't know what she is talking about' look and goes out to look. Finally gives her the filters after trying to talk her into letting them to do it. Takes it back to the oil change place and they gave her the wrong filters!

As it turns out, the oil change guys had the right ones in stock, she went back to return the filters and the guy claims they couldn't have made a mistake! But she brought the old filter with and made them look like fools. If front of some guy in a suit, that listened intently to her story. When she walked out from the cashier, all the parts guys were gone, apparently in a meeting with the suit!

[DSKYZD]

[CycleRob]

In defense of the parts people, they were prolly distracted by Peggy's natural beauty and soft feminine charm, assuming that's all she has.

BTW, after meeting her twice in the years past and you many times . . . . . was alcohol involved when she said "I Do"?
.

[wncbmw]

Rob - a study I saw posted this week said the secret to a successful marriage was for the woman to marry a man who was uglier than she was!

The secret of my success!

[boxermania]

Ahhhh.....how nice, Robbie and Van, the two founding members of the Mutual Admiration Society.......

[ffafp]

chi town, go up the chain of command,general manager,then dealer principal[owner,owners] if to no avail,good things do not happen to bad people.people are covering up for a lying tech,or he/she is a convincing liar. i worked at a benz dealer,have seen it before.

[Lost Rider]

I just spoke with the GM Brian who was very nice, and explained to me that because of mine and other's experiences that he read about online, it has brought a lot of things to his attention about his dealership that he wasn't happy with.
I now have an appointment next week to have the windshield replaced, and will get a loner while it's being fixed. That's all I ask for. What's right is right.
I'm happy to hear that Elmhurst Auto Group's management cares about how their employee's treat people, and I'd imagine it's not a good day for those involved in all the less than favorable experiences posted here.

Ahh, the power of the internet and http://www.e90post.com!

For the full story and responses from sales people and the GM at Elmhurst Auto Group go here, it's a good read:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128087