Legal advice - Consumer rights - Used car

jpaul · 1 Feb 2018 at 21:21

Iqbal Mohammad said:
On the subject of cleaning myself, do I need to take out washer bottle by removing wheel and Wing cover?

mine was bacteria/mold, not mixed fluids, and was not completely blocked, but I took tank out which was probbaly overkill, unecessarily breaking the water-tight pump/tubing seals;

but if it is blocked could be stuff in the tubing on the way to the nozzles, for cleaning I have also inserted needle into the jet nozzle, but take care not to break needle

Iqbal Mohammad · 2 Feb 2018 at 10:41

Pyscho_Si said:
Had the same issue many years ago with my 1 series. Cost me a few £100 as I hadn’t been using BMW screenwash. Bought a big container of the stuff and that listed until I part exchanged the car.

To quote the BMW service person from Vines Guildford "using BMW approved liquid is baloney, he himself uses supermarket liquid and no BMW warranty covers clogged washer bottles they don't even cover this for a brand new car, if washer bottle gets clogged and even if they use BMW approved liquid"

Iqbal Mohammad · 2 Feb 2018 at 10:41

Entai said:
You say it i was time consuming, at £80 - £90 an hour labour charges at some garages I have seen, and time consuming meaning couple hours work, plus parts, that could easy rack up close to a £200 bill.

yes the labour charge is for 1 hour 5 minutes

Gaygle · 2 Feb 2018 at 10:47

Unfortunately you'll likely be fighting a losing battle with the dealer.

In the short-term if you want it to start working, you could remove the washer tune running to the jets and put some air down them to blow the gunk from the filter. In the long term, watch a couple of YouTube videos and DIY it as it isnt difficult at all and requires no special tools.

Iqbal Mohammad · 2 Feb 2018 at 10:51

Gaygle said:
Unfortunately you'll likely be fighting a losing battle with the dealer.

In the short-term if you want it to start working, you could remove the washer tune running to the jets and put some air down them to blow the gunk from the filter. In the long term, watch a couple of YouTube videos and DIY it as it isnt difficult at all and requires no special tools.

Thanks, have decided to visit another dealer Barons and they are doing it for lesser amount as I do not want to mess with my warranty (if put too much pressure then there's a risk of leakage) and service pack
But have complained to both BMW customer service and Motor Ombudsman
This looks like a common problem with BMW will try to get more people on board and also share this communication with rivals for BMW so that they can use it to their advantage and counter BMW sales pitch

It is not about money but about principles

Rainmaker · 2 Feb 2018 at 17:17

Dis86 said:
Shouldn't get bacterial build-up in a screen wash tank that's filled with water with the correct level of screenwash. It's bactericidal. Fungus...possibly.

Even supported by bio research.

"the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has said that simply adding screenwash to wiper fluid kills the bacteria"

https://www.nhs.uk/news/lifestyle-and-exercise/legionnaires-risk-from-wiper-water/

Shock news as study finds strong mix of ethanol, methanol and water kills germs. What’s in the gel hand cleaner dispensers in hospitals again?

Havana_UK · 2 Feb 2018 at 17:51

Unfortunately it's a fairly common problem with BMWs and clogged screenwash filters. My old E91 320d used to clog all the time (but I only every really used supermarket premixed screen wash). That was a company car but I just used to throw it at BMW and they fixed it...never got a bill. After a bit of research I found that no-one using BMW's own screen wash had the problem, so I bought a 20L bottle of concentrate from the dealer parts department for £56. I had no problems with blockages in nearly three years on the M135i, and I've still got almost 7L of the concentrate left...pretty decent VFM if you ask me!

Iqbal Mohammad · 3 Feb 2018 at 11:09

Havana_UK said:
Unfortunately it's a fairly common problem with BMWs and clogged screenwash filters. My old E91 320d used to clog all the time (but I only every really used supermarket premixed screen wash). That was a company car but I just used to throw it at BMW and they fixed it...never got a bill. After a bit of research I found that no-one using BMW's own screen wash had the problem, so I bought a 20L bottle of concentrate from the dealer parts department for £56. I had no problems with blockages in nearly three years on the M135i, and I've still got almost 7L of the concentrate left...pretty decent VFM if you ask me!

looks like it is kinda discretionary application of policy, dealer may have decided against ******* off a business account so decided not to bill you, in my case looks like previous owner did not take care, so I have to bill for now - but still have sent out email to BMW customer service and motor ombudsman about the meaning of "approved used car"

Hagar · 3 Feb 2018 at 12:40

Sounds kind on screwy, bad design. A filter should be easily accessible, easy to clean or replace. They are after all the first line of defence and a maintenance item.

Entai · 3 Feb 2018 at 12:41

Filters are wear and tear items, I personally would never expect wear and tear items to be covered under a warranty.

Also "approved used car" means the same to me as MOT certificate, the car is ok on that day at that moment, but even one week later the situation may change, let alone 6 months later, you can never hold a garage liable for things 6 months after purchase in my humble opinion.

Iqbal Mohammad · 3 Feb 2018 at 22:14

Entai said:
Filters are wear and tear items, I personally would never expect wear and tear items to be covered under a warranty.

Also "approved used car" means the same to me as MOT certificate, the car is ok on that day at that moment, but even one week later the situation may change, let alone 6 months later, you can never hold a garage liable for things 6 months after purchase in my humble opinion.

If your mot analogy is correct then BMW claim of providing one year warranty is clear case of miss selling or misrepresenting, they also provide mot failure warranty (they do provide clear list of exclusions though)
There are other dealers who fix this type of problems free of cost if encountered in 6 months, also honestjohn website is of same opinion that the garage is liable as I have followed instructions to the letter

Anyways I'm not going to pursue it beyond a certain point but I am going to make sure that vines of Guildford do not get any business from my acquaintance, and I'll also make sure more and more people know this and avoid same dealer

I am also waiting response from BMW customer service about the quality of their "approved used cars" once I get response where they wash off their hands then I will share that response with their rivals to use that as they see fit!