My dream BMW has become my M3 Nightmare

[1fastdoc]

For those unaware, I let a friend drive my car in August and he hydroplaned on the highway coming up an onramp at around 60 mph. The car yawed slightly to the right but he over corrected left and put us 180 degree out. We tagged the guardrail along the right side. Pretty light impact. One interesting note, my eyes followed the road, which put them over the dash. The stability control light never came on, which surprised me.

BMW Nashville sent it to Crest Cadillac for the repairs. Original ins estimate was $7600. I got it back after 14 weeks and $25k. I had to take it back to BMW of Nashville with DCT and battery problems. Now we're up over $26k. It's been back at the shop for the last week and here is where the nightmare begins.

It was essentially a DD show car before the accident and looked cleaner than any car BMW had in their showroom. Now it has swirls, a mediocre paint job and etched water spots. Also has 2 repaired wheels that look different and ground/scratched Akra carbon fiber tips. But that is the mild stuff.

The shop, Crest Cadillac, replaced the steering rack and the right sided suspension. Now on tight, quick left turns it groans from the front. There is also an intermittent noise from the right front that sounds like a bearing. It occurs in neutral and matches the engine with the steering straight. It is louder than my Akra Evo exhaust. BMW tech says it is just my exhaust. No, it's not.

So BMW shop foreman says it is NOT a warranty problem. For them to spend the time looking at it they would need to be compensated. Crest Cadillac says for them to look at it they would need to be compensated. My SA has put me in the middle between the 2. He says "stay on top of the body shop until it's right." I have NO advocate on my side and I work 7:30 to 6:30 most days so I can't deal with any of this during the week. Basically, I've been left high and dry by BMW. I didn't give it to Crest Cadillac, they did. But now I'm in the middle.

I love this car. After 2 years, no matter how bad my day was, it always put a smile on my face when I got behind the wheel at the end of the day. Now, I just need to get out from under it. Problem is all the issues that need to be rectified before I can hope to get any decent money for it.

Safe to say, I don't see how I can ever trust BMW again. They state that part of the M experience is being well taken care of. I was, until the shit hit the fan and now they want nothing to do with me.

If you're in the market for one, be careful and look closely at your local dealership. A friend was in a similar situation and recommended calling BMW NA as they have an M division to help. That's not exactly advertised on their site. Anyone know the direct line?

[whats77inaname]

I'd get the insurance company involved again.

[BobS]

Ouch that sucks.

The dealership is to blame here.... not bmw. Definitely get BMW na involved and also go back after your insurance company. I assume they decided not to total it and paid for the repairs, which obviously didn't restore the car to its original condition.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Just another proof (case) that BMW/Dealers realy s@ck !
Realy hope it moves in the right direction for you ...

[V8FunNaturally]

Probably your story will caution many not to let other people (vette owner or not) get behind the wheel of their car. But why is Crest Cadillac doing mechanical repair work on your bmw ?? A bmw dealership with bmw trained mechanic should have worked on it.
Lesson learned: refuse any other shop but a BMW shop working on a M car.

[apollo322]

Your only good option is to get the insurance company to help you resolve these issues. In your state you may even have a legAl right to demand something. Best of luck it sounds like a horrible situation.
I'm not sure why we're all blaming the dealership. They are not supposed to be responsible for body work, that's not warrantied.

[1fastdoc]

Crest Cadillac is the only certified BMW repair center in middle TN.
They did the body work and replaced a quarter panel. Unfortunately, they also did all the suspension and steering rack work. As such, BMW Nashville wants nothing to do with it.

My issues is I took it to BMW. They used Cadillac in partnership. Now I have BMW telling me to make sure they fix everything. The guys at Crest are less than stellar at returning phone calls.

My ins agent has said we'll stay on top of it until it's repaired but I'm still dealing with 2 different shops and it is clearly on my shoulders to keep pushing. I sure as hell am not paying either to "fix" what was improperly done in the first place and my ins co shouldn't have to either. BMW is capable of repairing everything except for the crappy paint. At this point, that is the least of my concerns.

[apollo322]

Ok your right they should have done the suspension work. But don't let the paint go either, it'll drastically affect what you'll be able to get for the car when you sell it- the second your done with all the repairs! Good luck

[///WeissBisBlau]

The only BMW-certified repair center in Nashville is a Cadillac place? Weird. I second what one poster said earlier, to get insurance involved again. Make them aware that you have not been made whole. That is, after all, why you pay their ransom. If it's not right, it's not right. Your insurance company should have somebody that can help you chase this down--perhaps even do the chasing for you. This doesn't feel right. I hope you can get it all straightened out. I know this must be sickening for you. I know how I'd feel. Best wishes, doc.

[V8FunNaturally]

Originally Posted by sunsweet

why is Crest Cadillac doing mechanical repair work on your bmw ??

Originally Posted by apollo322

I'm not sure why we're all blaming the dealership. They are not supposed to be responsible for body work, that's not warrantied.

Before you post, read well what others said before u grasshopper.

[V8FunNaturally]

You have no leverage to do the push work at the shop floor level. Follow the direction of responsabilities backward to the root and strike there (the insurance):

insurance company --> bmw nashville --> crest cadillac

since bmw nashville refuses to do the push work on crest, you have to go to the insurance to push on bmw so they will push crest.
It was a mistake to accept suspension work getting done outside of a bmw shop for an M car. It's easier to say this in hindsight i know but given it's an M car, it's a mistake. Towing the car for a hundred miles to a better dealer isn't that expensive compared to the trouble you're in now.

In the meantime i would locate a european imports indie shop that sees a fair amount of bmw including M cars. They might be able to give the expert counter expertise if work wasn't done right (not for free but probably a little better than that bmw dealer).

In worst case if everything else stalls that would be the right card to play toward building a legal case. Nothing gets insurer moving fast toward resolution again than a call from a lawyer.

sorry to hear and good luck.

[TrevorM3]

lol dealers don't give a shit about anyone.

[1fastdoc]

Originally Posted by TrevorM3

lol dealers don't give a shit about anyone.

Yeah. That's how I feel lately.

So, I went by today and showed a tech the video on my phone about the loud noise. We started it and it was quiet. I felt confident I could reproduce it and took it out for a drive, brought it back 2 minutes later sounding like a banshee.

Air in the power steering lines. Fluid added. Sx better. Took him a minute to listen to me and a minute to fix it. The shop foreman spent much more time deciding I should go back and deal with a Cadillac dealer.

But it looks like I now have an OUT.

I was planning on getting a 2015 F150 or a '14 Raptor. Went by Ford and they had 6k mile 2014 loaded Raptor on the lot. Drove it and it is nice. I was NOT planning on trading my M3 in due to BMW offering me 30k for it.

Ford offered me 40k! I mentioned the accident to the salesman twice. It's an '11 loaded ZCP with 14.5k miles on it. Value pre-accident was about $48k. I'm thinking the $40k offer, with 4 mo left on the warranty and all the remaining bs issues, is too good to pass up. Besides, it also gives a tax break on the newer vehicle.

I want out but at the same time I can't imaging giving up a car in which I've invested so much. I think I have to let it go.

[Amirsm3]

Originally Posted by whats77inaname

I'd get the insurance company involved again.

This. They've got a team of lawyers to help. They dished out a ton of money to get your car fixed. You better believe they're gonna help you out one way or the other to make sure their investment doesn't bite them in the ass later on if a repair wasn't done correctly and you end up claiming again for whatever reason.

[apollo322]

Originally Posted by 1fastdoc

Yeah. That's how I feel lately.

So, I went by today and showed a tech the video on my phone about the loud noise. We started it and it was quiet. I felt confident I could reproduce it and took it out for a drive, brought it back 2 minutes later sounding like a banshee.

Air in the power steering lines. Fluid added. Sx better. Took him a minute to listen to me and a minute to fix it. The shop foreman spent much more time deciding I should go back and deal with a Cadillac dealer.

But it looks like I now have an OUT.

I was planning on getting a 2015 F150 or a '14 Raptor. Went by Ford and they had 6k mile 2014 loaded Raptor on the lot. Drove it and it is nice. I was NOT planning on trading my M3 in due to BMW offering me 30k for it.

Ford offered me 40k! I mentioned the accident to the salesman twice. It's an '11 loaded ZCP with 14.5k miles on it. Value pre-accident was about $48k. I'm thinking the $40k offer, with 4 mo left on the warranty and all the remaining bs issues, is too good to pass up. Besides, it also gives a tax break on the newer vehicle.

I want out but at the same time I can't imaging giving up a car in which I've invested so much. I think I have to let it go.

I would do this right now and never look back. Get away from that car as fast as you can. That's N I credibly fair offer for an 11 with an accident history

[STooK]

Originally Posted by apollo322

I would do this right now and never look back. Get away from that car as fast as you can. That's N I credibly fair offer for an 11 with an accident history

Sorry to hear you are still having issues but I can't say that I'm not surprised. Maybe I don't have too much faith in body shops and repair shops but once a car's in an accident it'll never drive the same again. If I were in your shoes I would definitely get rid of the car at all costs because even if it does miraculously get fixed to the original state you will never be fully happy with the car. $40k does sound like a very fair offer but I just hope they will honor it and didn't just tell you that to lure you in.

It sucks that a nice gesture to let someone else drive your car turned into a nightmare but it's done and over with, nothing you can do now. Hopefully you can get back into another M3 in the future. Good luck with everything!

[Prince_of_Persia]

Originally Posted by apollo322

I would do this right now and never look back. Get away from that car as fast as you can. That's N I credibly fair offer for an 11 with an accident history

I agree. Get rid of the car as soon as you can. And learn a lesson. Remember, all of these started with your mistake of letting someone else driving your car ....
Hopefully you have better luck with your next car.

[PerfM5]

Get a lawyer and drop off the car at the dealer and have them take care of it. document everything and try to record the sounds you hear. Basically build a water tight case, so you can demand compensation for your loss.
You might even need to take it to another shop and have the dealer pay for the repairs.
Either way consult a lawyer and your insurance company

[modkrazy]

Originally Posted by 1fastdoc

Yeah. That's how I feel lately.

So, I went by today and showed a tech the video on my phone about the loud noise. We started it and it was quiet. I felt confident I could reproduce it and took it out for a drive, brought it back 2 minutes later sounding like a banshee.

Air in the power steering lines. Fluid added. Sx better. Took him a minute to listen to me and a minute to fix it. The shop foreman spent much more time deciding I should go back and deal with a Cadillac dealer.

But it looks like I now have an OUT.

I was planning on getting a 2015 F150 or a '14 Raptor. Went by Ford and they had 6k mile 2014 loaded Raptor on the lot. Drove it and it is nice. I was NOT planning on trading my M3 in due to BMW offering me 30k for it.

Ford offered me 40k! I mentioned the accident to the salesman twice. It's an '11 loaded ZCP with 14.5k miles on it. Value pre-accident was about $48k. I'm thinking the $40k offer, with 4 mo left on the warranty and all the remaining bs issues, is too good to pass up. Besides, it also gives a tax break on the newer vehicle.

I want out but at the same time I can't imaging giving up a car in which I've invested so much. I think I have to let it go.

I doubt that offer has much to do with your mods, I would take all your mods off, and trade the car in for the truck. Then you can either get another one and put your mods back on, or sell them to recoup some more costs.

Bearings are an issue, but a solution seems to be forthcoming from Clevite.

[1fastdoc]

Gone. Traded it for $40k for a 2014 Ford Raptor.

I think it's for the best. I knew it would be my last time behind the wheel so I enjoyed the drive down to Murfreesboro. The officer did not. Damn Careless driving ticket for passing a semi on the right. The cop was clearly not in a good mood.

Fortunately he didn't see me doing 120 mph earlier when the road was more open.

I think I need to be in a truck for a while.

They are going to CPO the truck for me as part of the deal tomorrow. I returned my tune to 240E and they are going to put my OEM exhaust back on as well. Then they'll bring me the truck and the Akra Evo tomorrow.

In the meantime, they loaned my a 6 speed 5.0 Mustang GT. That thing has got to be modified because it makes my Akra sound quiet. Fun for the first 20 miles. The novelty quickly wore off.

I'll give it 6 mo and probably start looking for another car. I'm thinking a 1-2 yr old Maserati or Porsche. The BS middle man crap that BMW Nashville put me through is going to keep me away from them for a while.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by 1fastdoc

Gone. Traded it for $40k for a 2014 Ford Raptor.

I think it's for the best. I knew it would be my last time behind the wheel so I enjoyed the drive down to Murfreesboro. The officer did not. Damn Careless driving ticket for passing a semi on the right. The cop was clearly not in a good mood.

Fortunately he didn't see me doing 120 mph earlier when the road was more open.

I think I need to be in a truck for a while.

They are going to CPO the truck for me as part of the deal tomorrow. I returned my tune to 240E and they are going to put my OEM exhaust back on as well. Then they'll bring me the truck and the Akra Evo tomorrow.

In the meantime, they loaned my a 6 speed 5.0 Mustang GT. That thing has got to be modified because it makes my Akra sound quiet. Fun for the first 20 miles. The novelty quickly wore off.

I'll give it 6 mo and probably start looking for another car. I'm thinking a 1-2 yr old Maserati or Porsche. The BS middle man crap that BMW Nashville put me through is going to keep me away from them for a while.

Oh man...What a story !

[mjposner]

Perhaps driving recklessly on the street at 120 mph proves that you should not own a car like this.