[PappadocX6M50i]

LONG story - oil in coolant that prob started in Jan 2024 (thermostat replaced) and May (therm replaced) before I assumed the lease in June.

In July, CEL light and I go to Fields BMW (Northfield, IL). They are HORRIBLE. Brandon the SM says someone dumped oil in the coolant tank and deny my warranty. Now give us $6K for flushes, hoses, etc. I do it privately for $1,400 (guy says it could be the heat exchanger that flushes won't fix) and the oil comes back the next week. Then Patrick BMW (Schaumburg) and a BMW engineer inspects, and still blame me or aren't sure. They say give us $2,500 for new pumps, 3rd thermostat, hoses, sensors, flushes, etc. and "maybe" we'll warranty it. Takes 5 weeks (give me a shit loaner) and they the service guys drive the car to/from work to put miles on it to test it (while I pay $1,500 per month).

Meanwhile I've been battling with Customer Relations for weeks and they defer to the engineer.

I pay the $2,500, get the car, and 2 weeks later, CEL and oil is back. Patrick takes another 5 weeks (including 1 week with the tech on vacation!) and concludes it was the HEAT EXCHANGER all along and NOT me dumping oil in the coolant tank! They order a 4th thermostat, another water pump, etc. from Germany.

BMW drops the car to my house and an hour later, coolant is leaking on my driveway! BMW tows the car. "Residual" oil in the hoses that ruptured it. Lose the car another week. It seems fine now after a week.

Now, Brian (X1489) in customer relations is WORTHLESS. Takes weeks to call me back, BMW denies my buyback (end lease) and ONLY offers me the $2,500 I paid when they denied my claim. I mean WTF! Bc of a defective heat exchanger, those bastards caused me months of stress, countless hours of time/energy, and months of driving a shit loaner at $1,500 per month that I couldn't drive out of state. Acting like I should be thankful they gave me MY OWN MONEY BACK. Zero inconvenience credit when it was the car and not me that they blamed.

Brian in CR refuses to tell me his manager's name or have someone call me. Patrick doesn't help either. What's to stop this from going on for months and BMW is like F you, keep paying $1,500 per month until your lease expires in a year, and too bad??? I've had 9 BMWs and will never get another.

Thanks!

[BlkGS]

You got your car fixed, right? That's pretty much all you can expect. It sucks you took over a lease on a lemon. But BMW fixed it, and if anything, your beef should be with the previous owner who screwed you with the car.

This is why we don't take over leases or buy cars like this without an inspection.

[GoldfishTX]

Originally Posted by BlkGS

You got your car fixed, right? That's pretty much all you can expect. It sucks you took over a lease on a lemon. But BMW fixed it, and if anything, your beef should be with the previous owner who screwed you with the car.

This is why we don't take over leases or buy cars like this without an inspection.

Not sure I totally agree with this take. Buyer beware is one thing, but it's another to have the dealership and engineer misdiagnose the problem repeatedly.

Based on the OP's tone, I'm not sure anything would have actually resolved this amicably, but I think BMW should have at least offered to cover a payment or two for the hassle. Not because they're required to, but because the situation is pretty screwed up and they played a part in it.

[M-technik-3]

Is the vehicle still on the banned list? Maybe a call to the https://www.illinoisattorneygeneral....er-protection/

Have you made a call to BMWNA yet and if you are a CCA member have you called or emailed the Ombudsman?

[IanH]

My advice to OP

Learn to communicate well and contain your emotions, if you communicate like you do in this post to the people you are dealing with at bmw you will get nowhere.

The rep you are doxxing is probably not the reason you aren't getting more help, but you aren't giving him any reason to go out of his way to help you by presumably chewing him out. I wouldn't return this hypothetical call either.

[BlkGS]

Originally Posted by GoldfishTX

Not sure I totally agree with this take. Buyer beware is one thing, but it's another to have the dealership and engineer misdiagnose the problem repeatedly.

Based on the OP's tone, I'm not sure anything would have actually resolved this amicably, but I think BMW should have at least offered to cover a payment or two for the hassle. Not because they're required to, but because the situation is pretty screwed up and they played a part in it.

I think the issue with the car was it had been flagged before the OP ever got it as I recall. He did a lease takeover, and the car got flagged under the original leaseholder for something, and then they dumped it to get rid of it, and the OP got stuck with it. The first dealership I think basically blew him off, and the second dealership said they'd look into it but he had to pay for a coolant flush first or something like that?

Again, it's been a while since the OP posted (in the same tone) about it before, so I might be misremembering some of it . I got the impression the original leaseholder was trying to get it lemon's out so they got fully refunded, but who knows.

Always do your due diligence when acquiring a car is my take.

[Rafichicago]

Originally Posted by IanH

My advice to OP

Learn to communicate well and contain your emotions, if you communicate like you do in this post to the people you are dealing with at bmw you will get nowhere.

The rep you are doxxing is probably not the reason you aren't getting more help, but you aren't giving him any reason to go out of his way to help you by presumably chewing him out. I wouldn't return this hypothetical call either.

I kind of agree with your statement and there’s a saying that you’ll get everywhere with big ass but nowhere with big mouth. However I either pay or ask. To do both at the same time seems ridiculous.

[LuvMyE92]

Shoot, I think he is lucky that they offered to reimburse the $2500, should take it and walk away happy.

[DavyNM]

(1) who leased the car originally? (friend, family or total stranger?)

(2) who put oil in the coolant? (as someone who had pumped diesel into a brand-new Lexus by stupid accident, I can tell you that anything's possible... the bad fuel filler neck that Lexus used did not help)

(3) will the OP have problems when turning the car in at lease end?

[mjr24]

Your beef should be with whoever you assumed the lease from.

It’s no different than if they had sold you the car without disclosing this stuff. That’s the guy you should be doxxing because he is a shithead. He caused this entire issue it sounds like…..

[PappadocX6M50i]

Originally Posted by Rafichicago

I kind of agree with your statement and there’s a saying that you’ll get everywhere with big ass but nowhere with big mouth. However I either pay or ask. To do both at the same time seems ridiculous.

Totally wrong and don't need a lesson on how to communicate to get help. Just venting here to people who can relate. I could not have been more polite, patient and understanding for 6 months while getting completely screwed over and jerked around. No one dumped oil in the car. BMW admitted as much and that they were wrong. The guy I assumed the lease from only had the thermostats replaced. BMW had no record of oil in the coolant because the dealer failed to check it.

The $2,500 was my money that they stole from me because they blamed me, when it was the defective heat exchanger. BMW doesn't give a crap to do anything for my countless hours of shit they put me through. Heck even a $5 credit off my bill would have been nice considering I drove a 3 series for $1,500 per month. Restaurants do more to retain your business from messing up a burger.

[Rafichicago]

Originally Posted by PappadocX6M50i

Totally wrong and don't need a lesson on how to communicate to get help. I could not have been more polite, patient and understanding for 6 months while getting completely screwed over and jerked around. No one dumped oil in the car. BMW admitted as much and that they were wrong. The guy I assumed the lease from only had the thermostats replaced. BMW had no record of oil in the coolant because the dealer failed to check it.

The $2,500 was my money that they stole from me because they blamed me, when it was the defective heat exchanger. BMW doesn't give a crap to do anything for my countless hours of shit they put me through. $50 credit off my bill would have been considering I drove a 3 series for $1,500 per month.

Of course you don’t. I’ll inform you on one one thing though. You’re not BMW’s customer. The dealer is. What you’ve done is purchased BMW product through dealership that sells product and services it but what do I know. I’ve had many things taken care of on many occasions without problem, but that doesn’t mean crappy service doesn’t happen. It doesn’t cost anything to be polite and with the way you’ve described your ongoing situation I have some doubts

[PappadocX6M50i]

Again, was as calm and polite as one could possibly be after 10 trips to the dealer over 6 months, getting blamed and jerked around while paying all that money to drive a 3 series. Even the Service Manager thanked me for how chill I had been under the circumstances. I have been a loyal customer for 30 years and never again.

[pbonsalb]

The repair process does seem like it was pretty long and inconvenient. BMW misdiagnosed the cause and then flubbed the repair several times. I sure wouldn’t use that dealer again. I also would not assume a lease, at least not without a lot of due diligence, though I have bought 3 CPO BMWs and had good experiences with all.

I know it is no fun to have your fun car in the shop for a long time while making payments and not enjoying it. In my M5, I had an accident in December 2021 and due to Covid supply issues, I did not get the car back for almost 4 months. I usually keep cars about 10 years so I can regain my lost time with the car. The OP’s experience is a downside of leasing — he still has to give the car back. Hopefully he got a great deal when assuming the lease that makes up for some of the loss.

I’d recommend leasing or buying new cars in the future. If you don’t keep them for more than 3 years, leasing makes sense since you are just paying for the 3 years of life you consume. Some play the residual game but few win all the time. If you are flexible about brands and models, you may be able to find a subsidized lease deal where the manufacturer is offering a great deal.

CPO can be risky, and with BMW you now get only 1 year because they know their cars develop expensive problems after 5 years. So with the typical off lease CPO, you get only 2 years of warranty and the CPO does not cover everything. It gives you enough time to get a sense whether the car is reliable or not and whether you should keep it out if warranty, but I’d rather have more time.

Maybe look at Lexus or Genesis or Acura. They have lower cost of repairs and are known for reliability.

[thebmw]

These posts criticizing the OP for venting after dealing with awful customer service, thousands and thousands of dollars of inappropriate expenses, lies, incompetence, and more, for over half a year are simply wrong and uninformed. You don't know the OP or any of the interactions. Jumping to conclusions is not only childish, it's prejudicial and it really reflects on you more than the OP.

You don't know his life and you don't know what he has been going through in this particular situation and throughout his life. These situations cause lasting traumatic memories. I don't know OP either, but I very much understand the science behind how these situations can cause the frustration he is feeling.

Large corporations and their indemnified employees rarely care what kind of trauma they create. Just look at United healthcare. Amazing people still wonder why anger and violence exist in the world. Perhaps they should look in the mirror. OP is not the problem. It's the people he dealt with...the ones you guys are defending.

[thebmw]

PappadocX6M50i It could be worse. I had a S63tu engine that spun bearings, requiring a whole new engine, just a couple thousand miles out of warranty. BMWNA did not help and the BMW dealerships we're quoting repair prices well over $50,000. So you're lucky, your costs were less than 5% of mine!

It is well known that only entitled North Shore people who think that there is status in overpaying go to Fields. I see you're from the North Shore, but I certainly hope you're not one of them (otherwise I'll have to revoke my post above lol). Motorwerks is kind of the same but for the Barrington folks. There are a few Independents in the area that are respected, but some of them are also either incompetent or take advantage of people.

[MaxVO2]

Originally Posted by thebmw

PappadocX6M50i It could be worse. I had a S63tu engine that spun bearings, requiring a whole new engine, just a couple thousand miles out of warranty. BMWNA did not help and the BMW dealerships we're quoting repair prices well over $50,000. So you're lucky, your costs were less than 5% of mine!

It is well known that only entitled North Shore people who think that there is status in overpaying go to Fields. I see you're from the North Shore, but I certainly hope you're not one of them (otherwise I'll have to revoke my post above lol). Motorwerks is kind of the same but for the Barrington folks. There are a few Independents in the area that are respected, but some of them are also either incompetent or take advantage of people.

***Wow! $50k to rebuild/repair for a spun bearing? That's crazy unless the motor ended up looking like one of mine... A tad too much blow. The oil drain pan bolt and air cleaner hold down nut were salavageable on that after cleaning them up a bit....

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by MaxVO2

***Wow! $50k to rebuild/repair for a spun bearing? That's crazy unless the motor ended up looking like one of mine... A tad too much blow. The oil drain pan bolt and air cleaner hold down nut were salavageable on that after cleaning them up a bit....

I'd hazard a guess that their "repair" was replacememt of the whole engine.

[thebmw]

Originally Posted by Suprgnat

I'd hazard a guess that their "repair" was replacememt of the whole engine.

Correct. Replacement of the engine with a "new" rebuilt engine. FYI, the North Shore dealership (won't name the name lol) wanted $64K for the entire job. To add salt to the wound, the engine never seized and was rebuildable.

[shawnhayes]

Originally Posted by DavyNM

(2) who put oil in the coolant? (as someone who had pumped diesel into a brand-new Lexus by stupid accident, I can tell you that anything's possible... the bad fuel filler neck that Lexus used did not help)

I think you kind of missed the point.

NO ONE put oil in the coolant. A bad heat exchanger somehow was getting oil into the coolant (internal leak I suspect). It was the problem all along and suspected by the independent shop that did the work first. BMW shop continually misdiagnosed this as "someone put oil in the coolant" and that's why it kept coming back again and again.

Shawn

[QUiKSR20]

I almost ran into the same issue with my 2018 x3 ( Cracked Oil Filter Housing ), If the crack was in a different spot i would have oil and coolant mixing. $2000+ to repair on a car with less than 80k is insane...

3Months later Radiators leaking, and a few months after that turbo coolant return line as well as the reservoir...

Like pbonsalb said above BMW doesnt even do a long CPO because they know their product is not reliable. These new BMWS are falling apart right after the warranty or lease is up ( some even sooner ). Its sad because even my F30 3 Series was way more reliable than our G01 X3...

Selling the X3 shortly because im not continuing to flush money down the toilet for issues that should not even occur under 5 years old or 100k miles...

[PappadocX6M50i]

Thank u for the replies and support! Spot on. Man that sucks about the S63 engine. I sold my M8 when the warranty was up bc I was terrified of something happening to that engine. That's the risk we take sometimes with these cars. Still sorry u had to go through that.