BMW warranty repairs - BMW don't have to provide courtesy ca
Discussion
I've booked in my car for a warranty repair. They've had it approved and arranged a date etc. I then got a call today to tell me that I'll have to pay them £28 to cover the insurance on their courtesy car I'll be using. The dealer is Vines fo Guildford who I've only heard good things about, but this is a joke.
Originally when I turned up, they wanted me to take a Micra. I'm 6ft 7 and the chap could see I'm huge when I arrived and said he could arrange a 1 series. I barely fit in my E46 and have no hope of driving a Micra. He then phoned up a week later and told me they could only do a Micra which is impossible for me to drive.
Have any of you folks had any warranty work done and did you have to fork out to insure your courtesy car?
Originally when I turned up, they wanted me to take a Micra. I'm 6ft 7 and the chap could see I'm huge when I arrived and said he could arrange a 1 series. I barely fit in my E46 and have no hope of driving a Micra. He then phoned up a week later and told me they could only do a Micra which is impossible for me to drive.
Have any of you folks had any warranty work done and did you have to fork out to insure your courtesy car?
My understanding was that you got a BMW courtesy car for booked work and a hire car as a replacment if your car was recovered. I've always had BMWs from my local dealer when mine has been in for booked servicing and once had a Mondeo from Enterprise car hire which was provided after my BMW ground to a halt with a camshaft sensor failure. If they're using non-BMWs as courtesy cars for pre-booked work than that's news to me, usually only cars provided when your BMW brakes down are non-BMWs from a local hire company.
Edited by MitchT on Thursday 24th May 21:43
Loan cars are only free if you break down and use BMW emergency service as has been said.
Every dealer I have worked for have charged customers for the use of there courtesy cars. The reason this was introduced was down to customer complaints over the level of excess that they where liable too under dealerships insurance which would be anywhere between £500 and £3,000. So other policies where introduced and customers now pay for that cover, or you can insure the car yourself I believe the car will then be free.
Every dealer I have worked for have charged customers for the use of there courtesy cars. The reason this was introduced was down to customer complaints over the level of excess that they where liable too under dealerships insurance which would be anywhere between £500 and £3,000. So other policies where introduced and customers now pay for that cover, or you can insure the car yourself I believe the car will then be free.
Bit OT - when I was a kid our car had gone in for a service, they dropped it off and provided a courtesy car. I got it into my head that it was something awesome - an 8-Series, he then drives up in a Montego and says he loves it and wants to keep it. I cried for about an hour until he told me that our car was coming back that afternoon! The other one I remember was a 325 tds E36 - that was great and quite rapid for an old tech diesel.
having just ordered a new BMW, I'm quite alarmed by this
my old Audi A3 has been in for plenty of warranty work over the last couple of years and I always get a spanking new A4 Sportline as a courtesy car (a couple of times a 2.0 petrol turbo version as well)
similarly, when my previous Spider went in for work, I always for a 156 2.0
my old Audi A3 has been in for plenty of warranty work over the last couple of years and I always get a spanking new A4 Sportline as a courtesy car (a couple of times a 2.0 petrol turbo version as well)
similarly, when my previous Spider went in for work, I always for a 156 2.0
I've never had to pay for a loan car whilst mine was booked in for work whether under warranty or not.
I have been asked if I want to pay for the garage's insurance, but as my insurance covers any loan car whilst mine is being worked on, including an SLK for three weeks when my car was off the road after being hit, I just use my own insurance.
I thought this was standard with comprehensive insurance nowadays?
I have been asked if I want to pay for the garage's insurance, but as my insurance covers any loan car whilst mine is being worked on, including an SLK for three weeks when my car was off the road after being hit, I just use my own insurance.
I thought this was standard with comprehensive insurance nowadays?
An interesting response. I've now phoned another lcoal dealer (Barons, original was Vines). Barons provide a 3 series by standard and insure it although there is a £1000 excess, but hey, I don't care about the excess and I think that's fair to encourage people to take care of their car.
In fairness Vines offer a Micra or Corsa but at 6ft 7, the chap said the Micra would be "more spacious".
I think Barons provide insurance out of courtesy and by th sounds of it, this is unusual.
I'm unimpressed that my car should have needed this warranty repair (bubbling paint due to rust by the door lock catch on both sides of car, so not even external) and the car is 4 years old and immaculate otherwise and been well cared for. To then be told that I have to pay for insurance when this problem is covered by warranty is a joke.
If anyone from BMW UK is reading this, I'd be interested to know why a customer of a car can't expect a fully paid for courtesy car if theirs needs a warranty repair.....????
In fairness Vines offer a Micra or Corsa but at 6ft 7, the chap said the Micra would be "more spacious".
I think Barons provide insurance out of courtesy and by th sounds of it, this is unusual.
I'm unimpressed that my car should have needed this warranty repair (bubbling paint due to rust by the door lock catch on both sides of car, so not even external) and the car is 4 years old and immaculate otherwise and been well cared for. To then be told that I have to pay for insurance when this problem is covered by warranty is a joke.
If anyone from BMW UK is reading this, I'd be interested to know why a customer of a car can't expect a fully paid for courtesy car if theirs needs a warranty repair.....????
Another point to consider is did you buy the car from the dealer doing the warranty work?
When having warranty/recall work done buy the dealer I bought the car from I was always given a car to use. When having the car serviced I was always given a car but asked to pay a small insurance fee.
When having warranty work done buy another dealer I was always asked to a small insurance fee.
When having warranty/recall work done buy the dealer I bought the car from I was always given a car to use. When having the car serviced I was always given a car but asked to pay a small insurance fee.
When having warranty work done buy another dealer I was always asked to a small insurance fee.
This must vary from dealer to dealer.
I've had warranty worked carried out by my local dealer on 3 occasions. On all 3 occasions, I had a decent courtesy car, completely free of charge without quibble. They've all been BMW's, ranging from 120d's to 530d Sport's.
This is despite be being 21 the first time I had a car from them, and despite my car being the wrong side of 100,000 miles and originally supplied by a completely different dealer group.
I've had warranty worked carried out by my local dealer on 3 occasions. On all 3 occasions, I had a decent courtesy car, completely free of charge without quibble. They've all been BMW's, ranging from 120d's to 530d Sport's.
This is despite be being 21 the first time I had a car from them, and despite my car being the wrong side of 100,000 miles and originally supplied by a completely different dealer group.
Edited by [TW]Fox on Saturday 2nd June 18:47
From the dealers point of view, they are not legally obliged to provide a car and certainly not a BMW.
Most manufacturers will make the dealer run a certain number of load cars which are loadned out at the dealers discresion.
Given the level of depreciation of a new BMW, which has to be paid for by the service dept and therfore passed on to the customer, the cost of insurance is often passed to the punter or the punter is asked to provide proof of Fully comp for the car they are taking.
When I was Aftersales manager in a dealership I was amazed at customer attitudes to the courtest cars.
car returned out of fuel, customers presenting us with the bill for the fuel they used when using our cars to go about their daily work, A customer who scratched a brand new car, sprayed the wing with an aerosol from halfords and thought that that was acceptable, the customer who peeled off all the dealership signwriting from a car as she didn't like it.
Dealers are often portrayed as the bad guys but some customers really take the P155.
Most manufacturers will make the dealer run a certain number of load cars which are loadned out at the dealers discresion.
Given the level of depreciation of a new BMW, which has to be paid for by the service dept and therfore passed on to the customer, the cost of insurance is often passed to the punter or the punter is asked to provide proof of Fully comp for the car they are taking.
When I was Aftersales manager in a dealership I was amazed at customer attitudes to the courtest cars.
car returned out of fuel, customers presenting us with the bill for the fuel they used when using our cars to go about their daily work, A customer who scratched a brand new car, sprayed the wing with an aerosol from halfords and thought that that was acceptable, the customer who peeled off all the dealership signwriting from a car as she didn't like it.
Dealers are often portrayed as the bad guys but some customers really take the P155.
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