Complaint Review: Leith BMW - Raleigh North Carolina

When you had this car, it was 5 or 6 years old. BMW should have given you a new paint job, because it clearly states that you have a 7 year warranty on the body for rust and paint. BMW should have repainted the car no questions asked. I would talk to BMW America about this issue, because the dealership is clearly ripping you off, and now that the warranty is over you have have no choice but to do the job yourself or fight this in court !

When you had this car, it was 5 or 6 years old. BMW should have given you a new paint job, because it clearly states that you have a 7 year warranty on the body for rust and paint. BMW should have repainted the car no questions asked. I would talk to BMW America about this issue, because the dealership is clearly ripping you off, and now that the warranty is over you have have no choice but to do the job yourself or fight this in court !

When you had this car, it was 5 or 6 years old. BMW should have given you a new paint job, because it clearly states that you have a 7 year warranty on the body for rust and paint. BMW should have repainted the car no questions asked. I would talk to BMW America about this issue, because the dealership is clearly ripping you off, and now that the warranty is over you have have no choice but to do the job yourself or fight this in court !

I came across this and a couple of other reported incidents at Leith in Raleigh, N.C.. These problems are generally indicative of franchise ownership health status. Rich from Chicago was right on the money with his comments. Nothing of man lasts forever. It would be nice however to pay more to be assured of reducing the risk of being stuck with a lemon. The paint incident leaves a lot of questions in my mind. Was it a junk repaint by the volumes of seemingly professional body shops? Buying cheaper used stuff flat out carries inherent risk. I can't help but believe there were signs of existing or imminent coating failure with a closer exam at time of purchase. Buyer always Beware. I own a '01 Z3 and would slaughter a neighbor before parting with it (not really). Leith has been servicing the unit exclusively. I noted cold treatment on the new unit sales floor initially. You know, you walk in with a t-shirt and holes in the knees of your Levi's. You are a mark being profiled by commission feeding predators. Period. That's life. You do get the last laugh up when you break out the briefcase and pay cash. Dealers, as with all enterprise are profit obsessed. If not, they are working in public service.

I don't blame you for feeling the way you do about the paint issue. The truth of the matter is, and this applies to all manufacturers, the factory warranty bumper to bumper coverage that comes with the vehicle, in this case BMW, of 4 years 50,000 miles is a guaranty they are giving you by saying "Nothing should ever go wrong with your vehicle within the time/mlg limit of 4years/50k miles but if something goes wrong (mechanical or cosmetic) within that time/mlg period we will correct it at no charge to the customer." I know this vehicle probably cost the customer an eye's worth off his wallet but what you must understand is simply that things break.Things become defective.Nothing man-made lasts forever.Many may consider the purchase of a vehicle to be the 2nd biggest investment compared to buying a home, but in the end it will eventually end up in a crushing yard.Keep this mentality and next time you would have paid to fix the problem when it was small.

RE: Your BMW experience, I tore the muffler off my BMW on a cattle guard and the local dealer replaced it at no charge, under warranty. It would have cost $1000+. The local dealer is outstanding. When I read reports such as this , I wonder what goes through the minds of these people? His vehicle is now 7-8 years old. I have a 16 year old Dodge, do I expect the local Dodge dealer to repaint my vehicle for free. It doesn't say where Ted purchased his vehicle. I doubt it was from Leith BMW. Who does Ted think is going to pay the $ 5000+ to paint his vehicle. I deal with the public all day long and it never ceases to amaze me what they think they are entitled to.

I'm sorry that you feel that you were ripped off. I personally had a good experience with Leith BMW. I also had some clearcoat peeling on a newer BMW and pointed it out right away to the dealer. They immediately took care of it. When it takes a year to discover an issue (particularly one that isn't covered by warranty), I don't think that you really have alot to work with. For all they know, a rock could have chipped the paint seal and it began peeling from there. Also, the car was about 7 years old when you got it. As far as a lawsuit, I think that it would be a waste of time and court resources. It would be significantly cheaper to just get the thing repainted. I'm afraid that this isn't BMW's problem and am sorry that you feel this way.

Hey Ted you might have fun faxing a copy of your Rip Off Report to BMW. They might enjoy knowing that they have a dealer that has made the Rip Off Report. BMW of North America, Inc. Corporate Office 300 Chestnut Ridge Rd. Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07675 201-307-4000 Toll free: 1-800-831-1117 (BMW Customer Service Center) Fax: 1-201-930-8362 Web site: www.bmwusa.com Next, Ted you might have fun sending a fax to BMW's web hosting company. Make sure Bud Smith gets your fax. His fax number is 1-(612) 305-3552 His email is [email protected] Call up Bud Smith and ask him if he will give you contact info of big shots at BMW. Bud's phone number is 1-(612) 321-2552. I am willing to bet big money that Bud Smith will not give you any big shot phone numbers! Ted you notice that no matter what car maker web site you go to that there is never any email addresses or phone numbers posted. Car makers do NOT like to talk to consumers when the consumers are having trouble with a dealer or with the car that they own. It seems that they just want to DUMP you in the deceptive dealer's hands. To all who read my postings. If you have any names, email addresses or phone numbers of car maker big shots, Please send them to the [email protected] at the best consumer web site on the net. The editor will see to it that I get the list that you send. It is my job or calling to help consumers in the auto industry and victims of the credit industry.

Did you actually contact BMW? I mean BMW the manufacturer, not the BMW dealer. Try that. Use a search engine to find out the ZONE OFFICE which services your area. Find out first if there have been any paint related recalls and if not, see if there's something they can do for you. I think you might be on thin ice however. Its a 1996 car probably built in 95, meaning its an eight year old unit. But I do wish you well with it and if you have success, post it here so we all know!

Did you actually contact BMW? I mean BMW the manufacturer, not the BMW dealer. Try that. Use a search engine to find out the ZONE OFFICE which services your area. Find out first if there have been any paint related recalls and if not, see if there's something they can do for you. I think you might be on thin ice however. Its a 1996 car probably built in 95, meaning its an eight year old unit. But I do wish you well with it and if you have success, post it here so we all know!

Did you actually contact BMW? I mean BMW the manufacturer, not the BMW dealer. Try that. Use a search engine to find out the ZONE OFFICE which services your area. Find out first if there have been any paint related recalls and if not, see if there's something they can do for you. I think you might be on thin ice however. Its a 1996 car probably built in 95, meaning its an eight year old unit. But I do wish you well with it and if you have success, post it here so we all know!

Did you actually contact BMW? I mean BMW the manufacturer, not the BMW dealer. Try that. Use a search engine to find out the ZONE OFFICE which services your area. Find out first if there have been any paint related recalls and if not, see if there's something they can do for you. I think you might be on thin ice however. Its a 1996 car probably built in 95, meaning its an eight year old unit. But I do wish you well with it and if you have success, post it here so we all know!