[harryjfranco]

Hey Guys,

Looking for some advice.

My vehicle is a 435i xDrive coupe. Took delivery of it in May of 2016. For the first year or so, I had minor issues and felt like I was going to the dealer more than I should’ve gone for a brand new 435i.

Second year of owning the car the problems became more and more often. Had issues with a whole list of things. All of the issues I’ve had were not repetitive other than one but still wouldn’t make the car a lemon.

The issues became a burden to me. One week something was wrong, another week another thing. I just couldn’t drive the car for more than a month without having to bring my car in, and have it fixed. One morning woke up and the car didn’t even stay on, car turned on and turned off and stalled. (It’s a auto).
I don’t want to even start listing issues unless you guys really wanna know. But TRUST me. They are some really wacky and ridiculous issues. I also wanna clarify that I’ve brought my car to various dealers since delivery 25+ times for issues.

Well, 3 weeks ago I had new issue - SO surprising right?
My front wheels were vibrating violently after driving for 30-40 minutes or so. If I tapped the accelerator even a tiny bit, the car shook violently and made me really concerned for my own safety.

I brought the vehicle home because the dealer didn’t have any appointments till the following week. So my car was home and had no car for a weekend while I waited for the appointment. Brought the car in that next week and they told me no issues just a wheel balance. I was very very weary about their answer to me. I knew how a car felt if the wheels are not balanced. My vehicle did NOT feel that way. It felt way worse. Anyways I took the car back because I had no patience to not have a car.

I than decide to call BMW NA and explain to them what’s going on. How I’ve had so many issues since I got my car. 25 plus times of going to the dealer for ligitment reasons. Service records that can make a book. They told me they can give me a thousand bucks towards my next BMW. I wasn’t happy because that’s not enough compensation to a customer who bought a 70k car and had to bring it in 25+ times to a dealer. They tell me there’s nothing else they can do and they are closing the case. I blasted them respectfully and told them how frustrated I am that they cannot either take the vehicle back or give me more compensation.

Anyways I’m driving to work the next day and I hit a minor pot hole causing for a bubble in my tire. So I brought the car to a different dealer near my office to get the tire replaced. They lift the car up, tell me my axle boot is cracked. Ofc! I knew there was a bigger issue than the stupid tire balance.

Gets even better
They call me and tell me that my AXLE ITSELF is cracked also and almost fell on the technician

Gets even better
Now they tell me leaking oil in various places. Need to further the investigation.

Gets even BETTER
Calls me next day
Hi sir we need to replace your engine. Engine block is leaking oil

So need two new axles
Driveshaft
And engine
Possibly transmission too

Could YOU believe this?????

I call back my BMW NA customer relations guy handling the case and he reopened the case.

I cannot wait to see what they come back to me with

Why would BMW NA rather pay for all these problems under warranty than just get me out of the lease.... doesn’t make any sense to me.


If I had to count how many days in total I haven’t had my vehicle due to it being with them, I would have to say more than 40 days combined between every time I’ve brought in my car for an issue from the day I got it till today.

Please give any advice, recommendations! Thank you and what a story eh?

[IK6SPEED]

Mileage?

[cfm56d7b]

What are the specifics of NJ lemon law? Anything applicable?

I do sympathize. This is not what anyone expects.

[eluded]

This is a lease ?

[NormanConquest]

In NJ if the car is in the shop for more then 20 days for various reason it a lemon
Or if it in the shop 3 times for the same issue it a lemon

I believe the miliage cap is 23,000 - 2 years

[harryjfranco]

Originally Posted by NormanConquest

In NJ if the car is in the shop for more then 20 days for various reason it a lemon
Or if it in the shop 3 times for the same issue it a lemon

I believe the miliage cap is 23,000 - 2 years

The car is a lease and is up in May 2019.
By the time I file for a lemon, it’ll take 3-4 months to get it done, by that time, I’ll already get a way to get out of this car. Pull ahead or something, I feel like doing the lemon isn’t worth it at this point?

Correct me if I’m wrong, maybe it takes less than that to file for lemon and have that whole process completed

[harryjfranco]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

Mileage?

35,000

[NormanConquest]

Originally Posted by harryjfranco

The car is a lease and is up in May 2019.
By the time I file for a lemon, it’ll take 3-4 months to get it done, by that time, I’ll already get a way to get out of this car. Pull ahead or something, I feel like doing the lemon isn’t worth it at this point?

Correct me if I’m wrong, maybe it takes less than that to file for lemon and have that whole process completed

Well your over the milage limit so lemon not an option but if you did even tho it a lease they would have to compensate a nice sum of money.

[IK6SPEED]

Originally Posted by harryjfranco

The car is a lease and is up in May 2019.
By the time I file for a lemon, it’ll take 3-4 months to get it done, by that time, I’ll already get a way to get out of this car. Pull ahead or something, I feel like doing the lemon isn’t worth it at this point?

Correct me if I’m wrong, maybe it takes less than that to file for lemon and have that whole process completed

Corrected. You were and are wrong. The NJ Lemon law provides a hearing within 20 days of filing and a decision within 20 days of hearing.

This thread is again a reminder to all of how not to handle issues like this.

The NJ law is more generous than most states at it covers a car for 24 months and 24,000 miles, instead of a more typical 12/12,000 or 18 months. It can be filed after only 20 cumulative days total of car out of service instead of the more typical 30.

Yet by putting off repairs, “I’ll get around to it” and not doing a 60 second Google Search, you hosed yourself to not being covered.

Best thing you can do now is contact a lawyer and you made your case self fulfilling....it might be until lease ends before it gets settled.

https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/Ne...f-Brochure.pdf

Originally Posted by harryjfranco

35,000

Sounds like you are most likely over the mileage (or close to it) on your lease anyway.

Probably better to terminate early.

[harryjfranco]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

[/B]

Corrected. You were and are wrong. The NJ Lemon law provides a hearing within 20 days of filing and a decision within 20 days of hearing.

This thread is again a reminder to all of how not to handle issues like this.

The NJ law is more generous than most states at it covers a car for 24 months and 24,000 miles, instead of a more typical 12/12,000 or 18 months. It can be filed after only 20 cumulative days total of car out of service instead of the more typical 30.

Yet by putting off repairs, “I’ll get around to it” and not doing a 60 second Google Search, you hosed yourself to not being covered.

Best thing you can do now is contact a lawyer and you made your case self fulfilling....it might be until lease ends before it gets settled.

https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/Ne...f-Brochure.pdf



Sounds like you are most likely over the mileage (or close to it) on your lease anyway.

Probably better to terminate early.

I’ve spoken to a lemon lawyer last week and he told me I’m still qualified but it will take 3-4 months. Maybe that was just his firm.

I didn’t wanna take that route bc I thought bmw was going to take my car back. If they come back to me this time with a crappy answer and don’t take the car back, than I will file for Lemon.

I am sorry I have never dealt with any car of mine to be close to a lemon. So I’m not very informed on these topics.

[upsidedownfunnel]

You should always document any time you take your car in for service. Keep copies of all your receipts. An excel spreadsheet and a scanner work well for this.

BMW needs to fix your car regardless on whether you keep it or not. They're not just going to throw it away after your lease. If it's really as bad as you say, they should just let you terminate your lease early. However, it sounds like maybe the engine replacement is the root of most of your issues. Your car is a lease, so it's not like you care about depreciation. It might just be easier to take the fixed car and ride the rest of the lease out. I think the real problem here is that the other dealerships were lazy and didn't find the real problem. The broken axle might just be a fluke from when you ran over the pothole.

What type of issues were you having before? Do you think the cracked block could explain most of them?

[harryjfranco]

Originally Posted by upsidedownfunnel

You should always document any time you take your car in for service. Keep copies of all your receipts. An excel spreadsheet and a scanner work well for this.

BMW needs to fix your car regardless on whether you keep it or not. They're not just going to throw it away after your lease. If it's really as bad as you say, they should just let you terminate your lease early. However, it sounds like maybe the engine replacement is the root of most of your issues. Your car is a lease, so it's not like you care about depreciation. It might just be easier to take the fixed car and ride the rest of the lease out. I think the real problem here is that the other dealerships were lazy and didn't find the real problem. The broken axle might just be a fluke from when you ran over the pothole.

What type of issues were you having before? Do you think the cracked block could explain most of them?

They were not related to the engine block. They were different kind of problems, for example I had to bring in my car 3 times to bmw to get the same problem fixed which was behind the front bumper there was a plastic piece that kept on breaking and than dragging on the floor. BMW replaced it 3 times and till this day it’s still broken but I ripped the piece off myself this time and just let it be.

Anyways, that’s one example
I have copies of every service document, all documented by date, in folders. I’m very organized with this stuff. I account for every dollar I’ve spent on the vehicle as well.

I think you are correct where the first dealer was lazy with finding out the exact issue. I don’t think the pothole at to do with the axle because the tech said that the vibration I was feeling was definitely from that.

I loved the car and never wanted to get rid of it so quickly. Every time there was an issue I always said to myself okay this is the last time. Next time in threatening them with lemon, or calling BMW NA. But I never did bc of how much I was in love with the car.

But now, after all of this and the past month or so, I am fed up and now going to go through with all of this

[chiefneil]

There’s some other ways to approach your dealer and BMW with this that might be more fruitful. First sit down with your sales guy to lay out the issues and ask him if he would support you for something like a lease pull-ahead. Basically end your current lease and get you into a new one. That way there’s some upside for both you and BMW, and would be the best and most reasonable outcome to hope for. You could also try BMW NA directly, or the sales manager at your dealer.

Another avenue to explore is asking BMW FS to credit you back the time the car has been in the shop. They have been known to refund/credit lease payments when the car is unusable for long periods of time. So add up all the days the car has been in the shop and see if BMW will credit you for however many months you’ve been denied use of your car. A thousand or two in cash might take some of the sting out of all the crap you’ve been going through.

[harryjfranco]

Originally Posted by chiefneil

There’s some other ways to approach your dealer and BMW with this that might be more fruitful. First sit down with your sales guy to lay out the issues and ask him if he would support you for something like a lease pull-ahead. Basically end your current lease and get you into a new one. That way there’s some upside for both you and BMW, and would be the best and most reasonable outcome to hope for. You could also try BMW NA directly, or the sales manager at your dealer.

Another avenue to explore is asking BMW FS to credit you back the time the car has been in the shop. They have been known to refund/credit lease payments when the car is unusable for long periods of time. So add up all the days the car has been in the shop and see if BMW will credit you for however many months you’ve been denied use of your car. A thousand or two in cash might take some of the sting out of all the crap you’ve been going through.

Appreciate the advice. I think I’m going to sit down with the sales manager. BMW NA is going to be following up with me hopefully this week

Thanks for the helpful and positive advice lol

[BEAR-AvHistory]

I would definitely get reimbursement for the time the car was down. That would be a BMW finance issue.

[kikcaffine]

First off, its a lease you don't own anything, you rent. Secondly turn it in and move on to something else. Why would you possibly try to lemon law out a rental car 2 years into it? That ship has sailed.