BMW Drivers side air bag recall July 2015 letter

[yj4x4]

Wow, that's not a great experience.
I made an appointment to have my driver's airbag done. When I showed up, they told me they were out of airbags.... Put me in a loaner (which was fine with me). The guy did a pretty thorough job checking the car for damage. But later that evening, found out the trunk was full of trash.... Don't think they even inspected the car when i brought it back and picked up my car.
On the upside, got to test out a 2017 330i.

[Dave1027]

The guy who gave me the loaner didn't help out at all. He told me to check it.

[san]

My dealer gave me a rental and told me it's fully insured/covered...


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[Sockethead]

The water pump died in my wife's 135 so she had to take my car to work... Made her get the air bag replaced while its at work. No worries with the replacement as she knows all of the mechanics. They guy even transferred my CF stickers on the air bag roundel

[johnrando]

Nice! i have to do my c/f stickers.

[Prestovie]

Finally at the dealership, currently waiting in the lounge(surrounded by M cars). They said it would only take an hour to an hour and a half, I'll let you guys know how it goes!
This gift shop in front of me is taunting to say the least...

[anandoc]

Finally got the driver's side airbag replaced today - but not unless the national media got involved.

My car did not come with the ZHP or ZSP package so it had the regular steering wheel with the square airbag. The vehicle was later retrofitted with the ///M3 steering wheel with the round airbag. For this reason, BMW Canada did not want to honor the recall, stating (and I quote):

Dear Mr. XXX:

Thank you for contacting BMW Canada. We appreciate your inquiry.

We have thoroughly researched your case regarding the recall for the frontal driver's side air bag on your 2004 BMW 330i bearing VIN XXX. Due to vehicle modification, this recall claim was denied, as the vehicle is not per original specification. We apologize for any disappointment that this may cause.

If you have any further comments, please reply to this email or contact the Customer Interaction Centre at 1-800-567-2691. Again, thank you for contacting BMW Canada.

It was interesting how quickly they changed their stance on this issue once the national media (CBC - Canadian Broadcasting Corp) got involved to find out why BMW Canada would deny such a serious recall without providing a more specific reason. Their subsequent email:

Dear Mr. XXX:

Thank you for your response.

We are reviewed this case regarding the recall for your 2004 BMW 330i. Please book a service appointment with Maranello BMW at this time to have the work completed. Maranello BMW can review the options with you.

If you have any further comments, please reply to this email or contact the Customer Interaction Centre at 1-800-567-2691. Again, thank you for contacting BMW Canada.

I really wish it did not have to come down to this to get a serious, safety related recall performed on my car. It has definitely left a bitter taste in my mouth regarding BMW.

[az3579]

It's a liability thing for BMW. If someone makes a modification to a part that is recalled, they can be held legally liable from problems that arise from performing the recall on a part that isn't original. So, in a way, I don't blame them.

On the other hand, they really need to use some common sense here. It may not be original, but it's a genuine BMW part that was fitted on other variants of the same model, and the parts are fully compatible. Too bad the common sense part can't come into play when it comes to legalise. This is one of those situations where they really need to just say "fuck the rules" and do it in recognition for one's safety.

[anandoc]

It's a liability thing for BMW. If someone makes a modification to a part that is recalled, they can be held legally liable from problems that arise from performing the recall on a part that isn't original. So, in a way, I don't blame them.

On the other hand, they really need to use some common sense here. It may not be original, but it's a genuine BMW part that was fitted on other variants of the same model, and the parts are fully compatible. Too bad the common sense part can't come into play when it comes to legalise. This is one of those situations where they really need to just say "fuck the rules" and do it in recognition for one's safety.

I could see your point on the legal side of things - but if it really was a liability thing, would they simple cave to media/bad PR pressure and take on all that legal risk? I don't think so.

[johnrando]

Glad you were able to get it done.

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