[Turbanator]

When all else fails, you can always rely on the Toyota.

Very true, but I opted to continue my journey on 7. There are more options to get the car checked here in NCR besides if required can involve company engineers if that's an option.

Yesterday despite being a holiday, I got a reply from BMW that they have got the findings from the dealership and the same are pending with their warranty team for approval and they will answer me when they re-open on Monday. I sent them pictures of the battery test on the fresh battery, asking for a complete check of Car, if possible under the supervision of a company official.

Meanwhile, there is no message at dash today, maybe the battery got enough charging on way. If it stays that way then there can be a possibility that the new Battery that Chandigarh Dealership fitted was not completely charged? Will know for sure in a couple of days.

I dealt with this Bird Group 3 years ago in a different industry and found their attitude & practices to be most unprofessional to say the least

Very true Sir, I had an even worst experience at their hotel last year. Last evening their head did call me back, he was definitely sounding differently but I told him politely that I have taken up the issue with BMW India.

My experience as a corporate BMW customer having owned 4 has been great, in fact they even changed my e60’s transmission for free under goodwill warranty in its 6-7th year of ownership even though the car never had BSI

+ 1, they have never let us down in past, but not answering to customers E-Mails for days and then sitting on Dealerships requests for approvals on a breakdown vehicle, something is definitely not correct.

I have only one thing to say : It could be a dealer specific issue, their diagnosis is completely wrong

Agree, Dealership could have surely made the difference. This particular car was not bought from Chandigarh dealership so perhaps they were not much concerned or that's what I feel now. If that's indeed the case then BMW India definitely needs to take up this strictly with dealerships.

It's because of the BMW that these Dealers have a position and we visit them and give them business and not the other way. No Dealers should forget this basic fact that they are an extension of the company they represent and keep up the brand name. They are dealing with BMW warranty team regularly and must be aware of the warranty terms in such cases, there was no reason to hold the claim and raise an Invoice.

Until a day before, it was unimaginable for me to even think that I have to argue with someone to get a battery claim on a 4-month-old car. I don't see any Warnings or a note at the time of delivery that my Car Battery will Fail beyond service if I don't start the car in 4 weeks. Driver profile arguments can be good, say in 3rd Year or later but you cannot charge to a customer of a 4-month-old car, its a basic common sense.

The Bosch C7 (Ownership Review: Bosch C7 Battery Charger)

Thanks, I already have but charging a 4-month-old car, never came to my mind. We use it on other old cars regularly, great gadget.

[Nonstop-driver]

This is really sad, especially for a brand loyal customer driving BMW's flagship product.

In stark contrast, a colleague's new Rapid's battery died after 3-4 days of non-usage within 45 days of purchase. Local Skoda dealer agreed to replace the battery no questions asked. They later discovered that the culprit was an after-market ICE setup but Skoda still let him have the new battery.

I'm more surprised at BMW's inaction than I was at Skoda's response.

[androdev]

Ouch!!! Just one of those days when you find yourself in the wrong room with people without brains. I am sure they will realise their mistake and make amends quickly. I find the dealer extremely incompetent in handling this case. He should have had you at hello

About the batteries, I am very sure these batteries are shipped and stocked without any concern for their shelf life, so you can never be certain about the condition of the battery you bought. I guess the batteries should not be stored without charging for more than six months and these imported replacement batteries or the ones fitted on the cars definitely fail this requirement. It may work for few days or may work for several years.

Can you find out the production month of the old battery and the new battery?

[abhinavsureka]

In indore i have only heard good things about BMW service. But this incident in Chandigarh is quite surprising and you must escalate the matter till they dont compensate you and apologise for the trouble caused.

Of the 3 germans my favourite too is BMW but even BMW India not responding to your issues will make me re-think.

[parth.jain]

That hurts to even read. This is totally unexpected from BMW.
I think the new entrant 'Lexus' in the market for luxury car buyers will provide better service to its customers and I believe their cars might be more reliable too. I have read too many horror stories of the German trio.

Tata changed the battery of my Zest under warranty after 15 months(IIRC it had 18 months warranty) without any hassles. BMW couldn't even change the battery in a 4 month old 7 series, which is their flagship car.

[autobahnjpr]

This is horrible even by worst standards. I would squarely blame the dealer for this pathetic customer service. Once they were able to offload the vehicle lying in the garage, it was like a burden removed. Not checking the oil levels, battery and other essential during delivery is criminal and then providing no response to the customer when his car is stuck is a low.
I suggest that you file a complaint in consumer court and let them pay for it.

[sahiltodankar]

Totally unacceptable from BMW. I own an S-Cross 1.6. After almost 23 months my car refused to start on a cold Mumbai morning. Visited the nearest Maruti service centre and the SA straight away asked me to leave the dead battery with them and get a service battery for a week from outside. After 2-3 days, the SA told me that Panasonic (battery manufacturer) have agreed to replace the battery with a new one . In a week I got a new battery from Panasonic without any issues. What I'd like to say is that it all depends on the attitude of the service centre and manufacturer. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Panasonic and Maruti for the experience. Wish these mighty German so called luxury brands learn something good from common mans' brands .

[Turbanator]

So there is something not correct in Electronics and Chandigarh Dealership have definitely messed up diagnostics.

This is the message I got today when I opened the car.

[Thad E Ginathom]

If I could afford a BMW, I could afford the battery, but that is not the point. As I think the OP has already said, it is not about the money, it is about the principle. I support that a hundred percent. It doesn't matter what the car cost, the thing is simple...

Item failed, under warranty, not caused by owner misuse = Replace.

Right? What's BMW's problem with this?

If this was a battery supplied by some small, local-street dealer, there would probably be less fuss.

Luxury brand, tin-pot service. Very disappointing.

Best wishes for resolution.

[kkg]

One of my known just bought 2016 mfg Tata indigo cs petrol last month. He got a great deal on the price and was obviously very happy.

But only after a week the car refused to start and the local battery wala said the battery is faulty. The car was taken to Tata ASS and the battery was changed the same day under warranty.

So if Tata can do it, why can't BMW?

[hema4saran]

Originally Posted by parth.jain

That hurts to even read. This is totally unexpected from BMW.
I think the new entrant 'Lexus' in the market for luxury car buyers will provide better service to its customers and I believe their cars might be more reliable too. I have read too many horror stories of the German trio.

Tata changed the battery of my Zest under warranty after 15 months(IIRC it had 18 months warranty) without any hassles. BMW couldn't even change the battery in a 4 month old 7 series, which is their flagship car.

Lexus will not be able to crack in our market with their current operating model. With all cars being CBU and with the price 3 times from other markets, they will not find many customers. Volvo can take up this as a challenge and can crack the market. Their cars comes with features loaded and priced well.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

So there is something not correct in Electronics and Chandigarh Dealership have definitely messed up diagnostics.

This is the message I got today when I opened the car.

Definitely they messed up the diagnostics of your car. Hope they will come back with better resolution very soon. Otherwise they might loose one of their premier customers if they repeat the same.

But I don't understand why they will refuse the warranty if the customer is using the car sparse. They can deny if the car is misused or abused.

[CarJunki]

Just based on declining service levels of BMW, I guess people from closed dealership of skoda and GM are finding place at BMW dealerships.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

So there is something not correct in Electronics and Chandigarh Dealership have definitely messed up diagnostics.

Yeah. Your car is draining the battery when parked.

You don't have anything plugged into the 12v socket right? I've noticed the 12v socket in my car continuing to supply power even after the ignition is switched off & doors are locked (don't know for how long though).

[AdiSolEn]

The way this issue has been handled by BMW is completely bonkers!I mean if this is the kind of service they are giving for their flagship, then god help the other customers who have bought a different model from them.

Also, their handling is quite confusing. When I spoke to my neighbour's son yesterday (he had come to our place in a new X3) regarding this, he was quite surprised. His case in particular is a classic case wherein BMW service is simply above its peers. He had purchased a white X3 M-sport about a year and half back. His car had some noise coming from one of the doors (a typical clanky sound). Repeated attempts(7-8 attempts) by BMW to get to the root of the cause of the problem failed, and after he made some noise about it, he was given a brand new car as replacement (they gave a black car instead of a white)!

I guess it is upto the dealer as to how they handle the issues and interact with the company that matters in the end.

[Thad E Ginathom]

In my mother country, fleet buyers are the mainstay of the industry. I think dealers/manufacturers would think give times before upsetting even a small (ie not hundreds) corporate buyer.

Way outside of my experience, but my guess would be that for the individual BMW buyer, there is not an alternative. If one really wants BMW, how could there be? But for commercial buyers, there is always an alternative. Or three. How can the Indian Motor trade lack this basic business skill?

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