$2000 spent at BMW dealer, bike still not running

[AndyCap]

Any update on this? Figure it out yet?

[KMC1]

Originally Posted by ebohnet1

Charged me for labor and parts (that clearly was not needed). I contacted BMW north america, and shall proceed there.

I'm actually angry FOR YOU..... This is BS....a dealer is the place you go when YOU can't figure it out. To charge you for basically wasting your time and money like that is ridiculous. A good dealer would have sent a pickup out to get you, and would have made a hotel reservation for you, and would have gotten this obvious electrical problem FIXED for you.

To just take your money for basically doing what an untrained mechanic would do, after costing you the time and money to travel home and then back, without resolution ( not to mention that HUGE towing charge - holy crap ) is just BS. I wouldn't expect that kind of treatment from any dealer - never mind a premium brand like BMW.

[def]

Originally Posted by KMC1

I'm actually angry FOR YOU..... This is BS....a dealer is the place you go when YOU can't figure it out. To charge you for basically wasting your time and money like that is ridiculous. A good dealer would have sent a pickup out to get you, and would have made a hotel reservation for you, and would have gotten this obvious electrical problem FIXED for you.

To just take your money for basically doing what an untrained mechanic would do, after costing you the time and money to travel home and then back, without resolution ( not to mention that HUGE towing charge - holy crap ) is just BS. I wouldn't expect that kind of treatment from any dealer - never mind a premium brand like BMW.

I'm not surprised by the dealer's actions. Many motorcycle dealers out there are dolts...poor businesspeople, poorly trained staff and inept service technicians. Many people are just not savvy when it comes to running a business; A motorcycle shop, an ice cream parlor, a lemon aid stand or President of the United States. I am a bit surprised that the dealer was unable to identify and fix the problem.

[rdwalker]

Originally Posted by def

I'm not surprised by the dealer's actions. ...

I am.
I know the dealership in question; I had some (admittedly routine) service done there and the place felt professional.

Then again, it was 4 years ago - things change.

That's a really rough deal for the OP. I do sympathize. Please keep us posted on any further findings n the quest to diagnose the trouble.

[KMC1]

Originally Posted by def

I'm not surprised by the dealer's actions. Many motorcycle dealers out there are dolts...poor businesspeople, poorly trained staff and inept service technicians. Many people are just not savvy when it comes to running a business; A motorcycle shop, an ice cream parlor, a lemon aid stand or President of the United States. I am a bit surprised that the dealer was unable to identify and fix the problem.

I'm really not sure I would have paid this dealer after putting me through the time and expense of traveling back and forth and being without my bike like that. Had they fixed it, then at least they could say they took care of the problem - even if they were very inefficient at doing so.
It's just not right. And now what? Send the guy home (which he could have just done at the time it happened) on the bike, not even knowing if its going to leave him stranded? What kind of dealer would do that? Not one who is a true motorcyclist, anyway. And then to take two trucking grand on the fiasco?! Just obscene. I'd be burning up the phone line with BMWNA I can tell ya that. That dealer is obviously not meeting the standards to be a dealer and have the franchise.

And I agree with you, a kid who ran a lemonade stand would at least understand a privileged upbringing combined with some unicorn farts and rainbows don't negate the damage and ignoramus can do to a business.... Or a country.....

[slartidbartfast]

I went back and read your early emails and the following (highlighted in yellow) stood out:

Originally Posted by ebohnet1

Okay, so here is the background. I have a 00 1150 GS with just over 63k. I was in Nova Scotia having a great vacation until my bike died on the side of the road on a rainy day. ...

Originally Posted by ebohnet1

Here is the email i got back from the dealer.

... (FINAL TEST WAS REPLACE THE ECM) DID SO WITH A DONOR BIKE. BIKE FIRED UP AND RAN GOOD. RE-INSTALLED OLD ECM AND BIKE RAN FINE AS WELL. NEXT DAY ROUTED THE WIRING HARNESS AND ZIP TIED. RE-INSTALLED THE FUEL TANK WOULD NOT START. REMOVED THE TANK AND STARTED TO OPEN THE WIRING HARNESS TO FIND A BROKEN OR CHAFED WIRE (NOTHING) TO COMPLETELY CHECK THE HARNESS THE BIKE WOULD NEED TO BE DISMANTLED TO REACH THE WIRES INDER THE BATTERY BOX...

The above symptoms make me think it could be water in the fuel. You would hope the mechanic would have checked for that early in the process and/or fixed it by default if they drained the tank to remove/inspect the fuel pump - but you never know... possibly they got so wrapped up in their computer diagnostic tests, they ignored the basics.

The other possibility that comes to mind would be a chafed plug wire arcing out to the underside of the tank (another thing that should have been relatively easy to find and fix).

I understand how the dealer could run up a big bill with lots of time spent troubleshooting - but they should have capped the charges well before $2000 and persevered until they found the problem. I realize the (potentially inept) mechanic still needs to be paid but the dealer certainly should not be making ANY profit from you, and if they have real integrity, they will be taking the financial hit, simply because it is the right thing to do. Only if they had to replace something really pricey such as the ECM or complete wiring harness (and it actually fixed the problem) could there be any justification for a bill approaching that magnitude.

Do you have the itemized bill?

[ebohnet1]

Okay, so I contacted BMW North America and their response was a hearty "That is terrible, but we can not help you. Your bike is out of warranty so we can not help you."

What do I do now? Can I do something? Anyone have ideas for me? Keep e-mailing them? Face it that BMW has terrible customer service?

Any advice would be helpful.

[fasterlaster]

Originally Posted by ebohnet1

Okay, so I contacted BMW North America and their response was a hearty "That is terrible, but we can not help you. Your bike is out of warranty so we can not help you." .

I'm sure others have dealt with BMWNA on this, and can likely help with how to proceed. Your gripe isn't that the dealer didn't fix your motorbike under warranty. The issue seems more along the lines of a BMW dealer who didn't uphold the standards expected of a dealer, and because of such essentially wasted your time and money. I'd keep at them, and good luck.

[marty hill]

Originally Posted by ebohnet1

Face it that BMW has terrible customer service?

Any advice would be helpful.

That's on hell of an over reach. Lousy dealer, not BMW! I just had 2 expensive parts replaced by a good dealer and BMW.
And yes, my bike is and was out of wty. If your going to throw rocks, work on your aim.

[slartidbartfast]

Originally Posted by marty hill

That's on hell of an over reach. Lousy dealer, not BMW! I just had 2 expensive parts replaced by a good dealer and BMW.
And yes, my bike is and was out of wty. If your going to throw rocks, work on your aim.

I don't think it's an over-reach at all. Whomever was contacted at BMW, rather than saying something like "I'll pass your concern on to the local rep." or "We'll look into it", or having the balls to say "We stand by our dealerships and parts-swapping is the preferred troubleshooting method because (insert excuse here), no matter what the outcome or expense.", chose to divert the answer to something totally irrelevant. The issue is not that the bike broke down, or whether it is under warranty, it's that the dealer charged $2000 for not fixing it. The customer service rep with BMW NA is either too stupid to understand the issue or too much of a pussy to try and address it.

Personally, I DO think the OP should pay something, even if the dealer missed an obvious issue. It certainly seems like the mechanic did a fair amount of work on the bike. It wasn't clear to me whether the dealer said they would keep plugging away at it in their spare time or whether the OP said "No more work unless you do it for free." - at which point the bike was pushed to the back of the shop and ignored.

Not fixing the bike is an annoyance which may or may not point to incompetent mechanics but the size of the bill is the potential injustice IMO. I would probably have paid with a credit card when I picked the bike up, then disputed the charge and used that as leverage to get the dealer to cut back his bill - but only after having a chat with the GM to get his position on why he believes the charge is justified - The answer to that question (or how it was dodged) is what would show the dealer's true character.

[marty hill]

Your 100% right if if fact he talked to a CS Rep. Normally you have to go thru the dealer to do that. As I'm sure you know if you just call BMW in NJ, you usually get some kid who finds a way to tell you to work thru the dealer who will then go to the rep.

[dancerdave]

Your fuel filter inside your tank is cracked..my 1100 rs did the same thing. The pump just pumps the fuel right back in the tank and only a small amount goes to thru your hose. Same set up as the rs.. Good luck

[luckyjr]

I maintained a fleet of BMW's for a large police dept. Eighteen bikes. We also had Harleys. The warrenty work went on forever. Day one = one engine replacement+ two transmission replacements. Finally they recalled all of them due to a brake issue. BMW grounded them (do not ride), and came for them with a trailer. When they came back they were the most expensive bikes we ever had. Harleys were not much better. The old KZ Kawasaki was the best.

[Rockmuncher]

LAWYER!! Sometimes when you're being bullied, you just need a bigger bully. Sue their asses.

[scooteraug02]

Originally Posted by dancerdave

Your fuel filter inside your tank is cracked..my 1100 rs did the same thing. The pump just pumps the fuel right back in the tank and only a small amount goes to thru your hose. Same set up as the rs.. Good luck

Couldn't that be easily checked by hooking up male/female end of a quick disconnect to some fuel line. Hook that fuel line to the fuel tank quick disconnect, turn the key on and see if fuel pumps out steady? Put the other end of the hose in a catch tank.

Cycle-Tech Motorsports
Rich George This guy is 90 miles from Granby Others in NH and CT

I want you to get it running and tell us what the problem was.