The last time a BMW dealer worked on your 02?

[DerekZ4]

I drove my 02 from 1987-1994 and the one time I tried to bring it to a BMW dealer they sent me away. 

 

I'm curious when they stopped letting the 2002 in the service department.  

[healeyman]

I was having trouble reinstalling the rain gutter roofline trim on my '76 02 earlier this year. The local dealer in Chapel Hill, NC offered to install it - and did at no charge. I haven't gone to them for any mechanical services.

[Dudeland]

When I imported my car into Vancouver Canda, Canadian tire wouldn't change out a leaky wheel cylinder.  They said that thier insurance wouldn't cover any car older than 25 Years. 

 

 

[abe2002tii]

Never... as an owner of an older BMW, MERCEDES, JAGUAR, and PORSCHE.....I have found that todays dealerships have technicians and not real mechanics.  Very few know how to fix anything....they just look at their computer and replace parts and unfortunately the older mechanics are retiring or dying off.

I have an 83 SC air cooled Porsche that is having problems ...hesitations, rough idle.  There are only two good mechanics where I live  in and area of 3 million people that most people  feel comfortable with.  You think a dealership mechanic knows how to fix this when the last air cooled Porsche came of the lot in 1998?

 

Abe

[02Les]

April 1987 at Keystone Garage, Bournemouth, UK. Since then it has been independent BMW shops.

[Jim_75Sahara]

Never.  I have used Independent BMW shops. I have bought a tiny number of parts from the dealer, but that was for the E46 coupe that I owned at the time...

[JerryC]

I've never had any work done at the dealer, but they've been quite helpful (in the past before realoem.com existed) with identifying and sourcing obscure parts. The plastic master cylinder hose fittings come to mind, as well as various trim clips, etc.

[Dudeland]

I had a 2001 740 sport. I brought to the dealer due to a weird idle and start issue. They nailed it as a bad crankcase vent valve (read EGR valve). $1200 later it was fixed. Previously it was diagnosed as 5 different things. It could have cost me many times more to replace good parts. I guess my point is dealers do have their place.

[PaulTWinterton]

1985 - 2000...never.  Mostly because they would scoff and raise their noses in the air when my car approached.  Snooty bunch.

 

2000 - Today...only to pick up parts.  NOW the parts, "technician", and sales guys surround the car with ooowwws and aaawwws.  Still have never had work done at the dealer.

[Preyupy]

Does the fact I used to be a dealership mechanic count?  If so it was about 28 years ago when I left.  If not, it was more than 43 years ago when the previous owner had it.

[iinca]

25 minutes ago, PaulTWinterton said:

1985 - 2000...never.  Mostly because they would scoff and raise their noses in the air when my car approached.  Snooty bunch.

 

2000 - Today...only to pick up parts.  NOW the parts, "technician", and sales guys surround the car with ooowwws and aaawwws.  Still have never had work done at the dealer.

Paul I find this to be true alot. Local dealer guys love the 02'!...well except for the service manager...

[Mike Self]

1979, when I took my '73 in to have the clutch replaced (PO's wife didn't know how to drive stick very well, and wore the clutch out at 46k miles).  

 

While they had the tranny out, they failed to consult the factory bulletin that described badly heat-treated flanges on the coarse spline trans output shaft.  Within the range of VINs  that included my car, it required either re-torquing the nut or replacing the flange.  They did neither, and as a result the flange failed within a few hundred miles.  They wouldn't make good on any part of that repair, so I never bothered 'em again. It's either Mike's garage or an independent shop.  And these days, it it wasn't for the Roundel and kidney grille, the dealer wouldn't know it was a BMW.  

 

mike 

[ColinK]

Maybe back in late 70's and then started going to independents. Century BMW in Alhambra, CA had some old timers but they left and so did I. 

Last time I bought parts from a stealership was when I got 10% discount from the CCA but the dealer had thrown an additional 50% markup on some parts. 

I still buy coolant from the dealership though.... 

[Hodgepodge]

Wow, this is a familiar thread.....   

 

My 2002 has never been to my local BMW dealer.   My other BMWs have been there for various things, but I often get an upsell attempt or am told something ludicrous needs to be fixed.   My newest BMW right now is a 2009.  The other 2, besides the 2002, are 2008s.  The service manager once called my 2008 wagon an "old car".   A couple of years ago I took my '99 E36 convertible to this dealer to get tires mounted and the service guy called me with $4600 worth of stuff it "needed".  Bushings, tie rod ends, struts, etc.,  That was nearly the value of the car at the time!  I said no thanks, got the car inspected at my regular mechanic the next week with no issues (he said it needed nothing) and drove the car for 3 more years before selling it.  It never needed any of the things they said it needed. 

 

Never take your car to a mechanic that does not have the same model and vintage car in the garage or on the lot.  And always read reviews or talk to somebody else.  There is one "older BMW specialist" in my city that advertises a little.  I called him.  From the conversation, I could tell that he has a lot of clients that come to him with a blank check. When I told him I have had 15 BMWs and enjoy working on them myself, he said he fixes a lot of things that shady tree mechanics screw up and that BMW service recommendations should be followed to the letter by professionals.  Nice way to insult me.  He'll never see one of my cars.   

[Steven Hage]

My 02 gets fixed more by me at the VW dealership where I work than the BMW dealership