BMW Service...

Exactly

Doesn't cost £77 to take the car for a 10 min trip round the block. Takes the guy 2/3 minutes to get in the car and move it out of the workshop anyway.

Even if it was part of diagnosis, it should just be part of the labour costs. That service manager needs a good dressing down, so much so he regrets getting out of bed this morning.
 
Removing and cleaning the washer fluid container £121????

What in tarnashin are they smoking - Can you ask for some of it, it must be some goood sheeet :eek:
 
Even if it was part of diagnosis, it should just be part of the labour costs. That service manager needs a good dressing down, so much so he regrets getting out of bed this morning.

lol nicely put

as for the washer fluid - that will be an hours labour. One hour to remove and clean a washer fluid reservoir is probably 20/30 minutes rounded up - another classic dealer trick. At least 1 hours labour for even the smallest of jobs.
 
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Iirc MOT £55,
Removing and cleaning the washer fluid container £121, road test £77, remove drive shaft and lubricate £187?, another road test £44 plus something else and VAT... I'm at the dealers now, waiting to speak to someone...

LMAO.

**** me! I don't know if it's the same as the 3 series but it took me literally 12 seconds to remove the washer bottle on mine and a further 15 mins blasting the insides with a hose to clear it.

Road test £77?!?!?! Then ANOTHER road test for £44? LOL Jesus H. Christ. They've literally charged you £121 for them to drive around the block in your car a couple of times.

Tell them you want to speak to the service manager and don't pay a penny until this is done.

Now i don't want to be accused of being sexist by "The_Abyss" but i think they are trying to do you over because you are a young female.
 
Even if it was part of diagnosis, it should just be part of the labour costs. That service manager needs a good dressing down, so much so he regrets getting out of bed this morning.

Agree fully, that is shocking! I bet for the period of the tests labour charges were also being charged on top.
 
Im gutted im not there to see this. Name and shame them so we can spam the service manager!
 
People have seemingly completely overlooked the fact that the car was booked in with interior rattles ;).

Two road tests are the absolute bare minimum for rattles. One to determine that there is actually rattle and roughly where you think it is coming from and the second after the work has been carried out to confirm that you've actually eliminated it - In many/most cases you need a lot more than just those two tests because more often than not the simplest explanation isn't the correct one (and thus why 99% of techs will say they hate rattles more than any other job).

Charging her twice isn't a blatant attempt of them shafting the customer. This isn't a "quality roadtest", it is diagnostic time, often requiring two members of staff (one driving, one listening/checking panels and trim). And in most cases it isn't a matter of taking it for a spin around the block for 10 minutes. Some rattles can only be heard over certain road surfaces, at certain speeds, with certain weight/loads in certain places.

Even though the road surfaces around our workshop are junk rattles always seem to become apparently on a certain road about 10 minutes drive away. So that's 10 minutes to get there, maybe 5-10 minutes of driving up and down this road with an assistant trying to pin point the noise and checking trim and then 10 minutes to get back to the workshop... Then you've got to repeat pretty much all of that again to confirm that the noise has actually gone. And that's if the job goes well.
 
Ah on the 3 series it's like right there and easily accessible, thought the 1 series would be similar but still, £121 to clean it jeeez, I'm in the wrong business
 
I'd also be interested to know their labour rates. If it's around £80 that means they've spent about an hour and a half just driving around in your car. And for what?

- To check the windscreen washers work (total distance needed to confirm = 0 ft)
- To check the clunking has gone (total distance needed to confirm = 100 ft).

They can even use that 100 ft to confirm the brake squeal has gone away!
 
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So i'm back! Things turned out to be er... much smoother than I expected it to be.

I got there and the same service advisor (he's a complete **** btw) said 'so.. BMW have decided to offer some goodwill... so it's just the MOT to be settled now'.. £54.85 paid, keys handed over.
Don't know what happened after I got off the phone to the service advisor, he must have remembered how badly I bitched last time when they tried to charge me £25 for a loan car so this time decided to do something about it in case I throw a massive bitch fit again? :p

Interior rattling noises are still there - I just have to live with it... it's been with BMW 3 times now and still not sorted, I just can't be bothered anymore...
Metal clunking - fixed
Washer jets - fixed (+ free screenwash put in :D)
Brake squeal - I heard a tiny squeal still, but I can live with that

This is the Cooper Cobham dealers... I would never recommend anyone to go there.. They are rude, expensive and ignorant. :mad:
 
None of it matters she asked to be contacted before any work was carried out to confirm costs. The Garage failed to do this so she is not obliged to pay for the work. They will either have to undo any work done and return the car as she left it or cancel any charges for the unauthorised work done..
 
I could have told you where all the rattles were coming from for free, but if I said where, it might annoy the OP and TBL will be posting in General Discussion calling me a child with no father.

*edit - glad to see they've backed down. Avoid that bunch in the future.
 
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People have seemingly completely overlooked the fact that the car was booked in with interior rattles ;).

Two road tests are the absolute bare minimum for rattles. One to determine that there is actually rattle and roughly where you think it is coming from and the second after the work has been carried out to confirm that you've actually eliminated it - In many/most cases you need a lot more than just those two tests because more often than not the simplest explanation isn't the correct one (and thus why 99% of techs will say they hate rattles more than any other job).

Charging her twice isn't a blatant attempt of them shafting the customer. This isn't a "quality roadtest", it is diagnostic time, often requiring two members of staff (one driving, one listening/checking panels and trim). And in most cases it isn't a matter of taking it for a spin around the block for 10 minutes. Some rattles can only be heard over certain road surfaces, at certain speeds, with certain weight/loads in certain places.

Even though the road surfaces around our workshop are junk rattles always seem to become apparently on a certain road about 10 minutes drive away. So that's 10 minutes to get there, maybe 5-10 minutes of driving up and down this road with an assistant trying to pin point the noise and checking trim and then 10 minutes to get back to the workshop... Then you've got to repeat pretty much all of that again to confirm that the noise has actually gone. And that's if the job goes well.

Listen carefully son, what have i told you about drugs :D
 
People have seemingly completely overlooked the fact that the car was booked in with interior rattles ;).

Two road tests are the absolute bare minimum for rattles. One to determine that there is actually rattle and roughly where you think it is coming from and the second after the work has been carried out to confirm that you've actually eliminated it - In many/most cases you need a lot more than just those two tests because more often than not the simplest explanation isn't the correct one (and thus why 99% of techs will say they hate rattles more than any other job).

Charging her twice isn't a blatant attempt of them shafting the customer. This isn't a "quality roadtest", it is diagnostic time, often requiring two members of staff (one driving, one listening/checking panels and trim). And in most cases it isn't a matter of taking it for a spin around the block for 10 minutes. Some rattles can only be heard over certain road surfaces, at certain speeds, with certain weight/loads in certain places.

Even though the road surfaces around our workshop are junk rattles always seem to become apparently on a certain road about 10 minutes drive away. So that's 10 minutes to get there, maybe 5-10 minutes of driving up and down this road with an assistant trying to pin point the noise and checking trim and then 10 minutes to get back to the workshop... Then you've got to repeat pretty much all of that again to confirm that the noise has actually gone. And that's if the job goes well.

except it should be covered under warranty.

The only excuse for charging would be if it was something that wasn't covered under warranty.
 
So i'm back! Things turned out to be er... much smoother than I expected it to be.

I got there and the same service advisor (he's a complete **** btw) said 'so.. BMW have decided to offer some goodwill... so it's just the MOT to be settled now'.. £54.85 paid, keys handed over.

Rightttt.....so BMW just let go of £500 odd quid out of "goodwill" did they? If they were at all confident that it was legitimate work they wouldn't have just removed the whole bill like that.

Interior rattling noises are still there - I just have to live with it... it's been with BMW 3 times now and still not sorted, I just can't be bothered anymore...

So if you had have just paid £570 for a "quality road test which includes two members of staff test driving it over varying road surfaces, at varying speeds and with difference weight loadings"....you would still have the same rattle... (Y) Good service there BMW.

This is the Cooper Cobham dealers... I would never recommend anyone to go there.. They are rude, expensive and ignorant. [/quote]

I can't believe

BMW Cooper Cobham
18-22 Portsmouth Road
Cobham
Surrey
KT11 1JA
Tel: 0845 129 0819

have given such a poor service. Shame on them.
 
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