first time at a BMW dealership today. not the happiest of experiences.

[slater]

OK. so, the nearest BMW dealer is about 2h15m from my house, so i had ordered some things 2 weeks ago and planned to pick them up when i was nearby this week.

i walked in and headed for the parts counter. this showroom was gorgeous, albeit absolutely dead silent - with about 25 cars in the showroom. incidentally they had a new 335i with the 19" style 225's that joop was looking at - and man, they DO look nice in person. and not too big on the F30 (such is the way with modern proportions). an elegant car.

anyway. at the parts counter, i had to "ahem" a bit to get the guy there to acknowledge i was there. i'm 6'1" with a biggish beard and my 6- and 10-year old kids with me, so it's not like i'm flying under the radar here. anyway. the parts guy was a bit short with me and it took them a while to find my parts, even though they were actually sitting right next to the counter. anyway.

next, i head over to look for a new M3 - it wasn't there, but i did see the M235i which was gorgeous and actually about the same size as an E46 inside - nice. i chatted with a surprisingly friendly salesguy, who was dressed in a suit (as most are there) and his hair was well-coiffed (mine is not) and he was very knowledgeable, even about older metal like ours. nice.

nice salesguy aside, though....overall, the vibe i got from the place was that i just did not belong here. which is OK - i don't care about image and all of that - but i invariably WILL be coming in for parts now and again, and it would be nice not to have to feel like i'm being stared at with extreme scrutiny when i walk in the door.

anyone else had a similar experience?

peter

[Avetiso]

Welcome to dealerships. Last time I was at my local dealer, the salesguy tried to sell me dad an $80,000 M3. :rofl I guess they are trained to try to sell to anyone, but I, knowing my dad, found it hilarious because he is the last person in the world who would buy such a car.

[stephenkirsh]

Uhhhh no surprise? There's a reason people hate dealerships.

What did you buy from them that had to be picked up there?

[NorCalZman]

I think you should consider finding an online dealership to buy from if you havent already. While the parts counter guys have always been helpful and friendly, I have found the online dealer beat the prices that my local SF dealer quotes. Often by a large percentage, even with shipping. I now only go to the local dealer if I need a part and it is cheap either way or I need it ASAP.

When I first got my car, I took it into the dealer a few times until I got to know the car enough myself. That was a mixed bag. they changed all my fluids and caught that my expansion tank was weeping. That was fine. However, they tried two times to tighten my ebrake and both times still wouldnt hold correctly on SF hills (indie made it perfect). They fixed a window regulator for me but I paid way too much and now I think the vapor barrier might be a little leaky. I am going to check on it this weekend. Now that I know my car better I DIY alot more. If not, then I will take it to an indie.

[328ioc]

Yep same experience here. Minus the parts counter. The guy at my local counter is awesome.

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[johnrando]

Yup, buy online from ecutuning, turner motorsport, getbmwparts or others. If you have to got to the dealer, be friendly with the parts guys and the people who ring up your bill. The parts guys in my opinion do tend to be "short", but I think once they see you a few times and/or it seems like you have a clue, they ease up.

[HokieZHP]

I don't go to the dealer unless it's for something simple that I need that day and there isn't a big price difference. Order your stuff online and it'll be cheaper and you won't have to deal with that stuff.

My parts guy in NC is ok, not super knowledgeable and kinda slow. Sales guys are awesome though and the service guys I've dealt with to get my turbos replaced on my 335 were second to none! Amazing guys to deal with. I never get the vibe that I don't belong though. I'm only 22 but I am usually well dressed and carry myself confidently. I've never been looked down on or brushed away when I am talking with the sales guys or anything. Maybe it was just that dealer...

[danewilson77]

:facepalm

Everytime I go to a dealership......

[derbo]

LOL dealerships are weird. I know. I worked at one for 7 years. In San Francisco, one thing is for sure, the people never look like the belong there but they got moneys #makeitrain

[stephenkirsh]

Yea you never know who has money in the Bay Area.

[midlandtech]

I have some what good experiences at the parts counter but one thing that is blindingly obvious is the profile tactics used by salesmen and the service writers. If I go in wearing a t shirt and jeans I am glanced over treated as if I have leprosy and basically have to piss on someone's desk to get noticed. If I walk in straight from the clinic wearing the standard pressed slacks and shirt with a tie I am helped nearly immediately.

taptalk + Note 3

[Hornung418]

Love my dealer. They know my name and my CCA# and what I drive. They return the favor with freebies like coolant and free nuts and bolts when I need a random one.

BMW of Bel Air and Towson are the best in the area.

Sent from my GS3.

[mLuMaN83]

It really depends on the dealership. I have been in BMW dealers that treated me like I shouldn't be there and I also made close friends with 2 british gents that worked at an Aston Martin dealer in Orlando. The fact that they used to work at another dealership where my ex worked and they knew who she was and who I was through the grape vine helped. Talked some good shit about her lol. They let me drive the same car "E" drove in the Entourage series... they had it there for some reason, let me drive a Vanquish, DBs, and a Gallardo. I would come in, drink the free insanely good swiss coffee and capachinos, talk cars, talk watches, talk golf, and drive them from time to time. Played golf with them also every other week.

[mLuMaN83]

I have some what good experiences at the parts counter but one thing that is blindingly obvious is the profile tactics used by salesmen and the service writers. If I go in wearing a t shirt and jeans I am glanced over treated as if I have leprosy and basically have to piss on someone's desk to get noticed. If I walk in straight from the clinic wearing the standard pressed slacks and shirt with a tie I am helped nearly immediately.

taptalk + Note 3

From experience, this is the opposite of reality in an Aston Martin dealership. The more raggedy a customer looked, the more serious they were about buying a car. Everybody who bought a car there was in shorts and a tee shirt. Then the well dressed guys would come in with a girl, walk around, test drive, act like they have money, and leave in their late model Camry with sports package.

[slater]

OK, sounds like i'm not alone...

i typically buy most everything online, but these were some things i just couldn't get online (and shipping to canada from the states would be ridiculous).

peter

[tkundhi]

Peter,

My dealer is excellent! They do "cost plus" pricing as opposed to retail minus a discount. Since they began this a couple years ago, I haven't found OE parts cheaper. Give them a shot.

bmwmercedesparts.com
BMW of Lincoln

t.

[gmurphy]

Peter,

My dealer is excellent! They do "cost plus" pricing as opposed to retail minus a discount. Since they began this a couple years ago, I haven't found OE parts cheaper. Give them a shot.

bmwmercedesparts.com
BMW of Lincoln

t.

+1 BMW Lincoln has fantastic prices on parts. This is where I get 99.9% of everything.


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[slater]

great tip tkundhi, thanks!

peter

[cakM3]

Peter, I'd like to start out by saying that I'm sorry you had to experience this. I have seen both good and bad dealerships, which usually reflect on the GM's attitude and focus. I saw this first hand when I went to BMW of Newport....my first experience was awesome but when the GM changed out, I could clearly see the direction that dealership was going and I didn't like it. Long story short, I ended up severing ties with that dealership because of the prevelant attitude established by the new GM and went over to BMW of Warwick (INSKIP) where the prevelant attitude of the entire staff was professional and welcoming.

I switched dealerships because of a recent experience I had while at INSKIP. The GM there had just gotten the very first F30 335i in Rhode Island. This was his personal car and not a test drive car. As I was talking to one of the salesman working there (BP was with me for this), he pardoned himself to talk to the GM and came back telling me that the GM was okay with me test driving his personal car. Mind you, the GM has not even taken delivery or driven it yet. I was very impressed by this and this is the reason I ended up going to INSKIP when I switched dealers.

After severing ties with BMW of Newport, I went to INSKIP (BMW of Warwick) and asked to speak to the GM so that I could explain to him why he just got a new customer. What he did next really impressed me because he personally took time out of his busy schedule to take me to every department head (Sales, Parts, and Service) and introduced me to them and told them to take good care of me. To this day, my "dealership experience" has been everything I have expected of any BMW dealership. I have been welcomed and treated with courtesy and respect no matter how I looked. Sometimes when going to the parts department I'm wearing soiled jeans from working on my car and the guys/gals working there look at me and smile...we even joke around but they are always willing to help me out.

I'm probably one of those different cases because because I have established a good working relationship since coming to INSKIP, or at least I think I have... fortunately for me I have a few BMW dealerships I can drive to within an hour's drive. I know you don't have that option and I am sorry you don't. I feel finding a good dealership like the one I have found is like a crap shoot....

[slater]

great story, charlie! i'm sure this was just a fluke. glad you've got a good one!

peter

[cakM3]

Thanks Peter,

I have found that finding a genuinely good dealer is more of luck than anything else... I realize that once this GM transfers, if he does, you never know how the new one will be...so I have focused my efforts in building a good working relationship with my service advisor, the body shop people, parts, and sales staff.

I find it amazing every time I pull into the dealer with my ///M how many sales staff personnel come out to check out my ///M. Also funny is watching some of the customers coming over to see the ///M... seeing this only reinforces to me just how good the E46 BMW is. So much so that I have no desire to look at anything else although there was this nice interlagos blue competition package E92 ///M that really caught my eye...;)

[slater]

ha! yeah, there is something classic and undeniably attractive about the E46 M3. it's just very well-proportioned and timeless.

peter

[Hornung418]

Maybe you should try the same thing, Peter. Introduce yourself to the GM. Since you do drive a ways to get there, it would be nice to have a good experience when you need to go visit. Maybe the next time you are in explain that you would like to be a returning customer because you have family in the area or some other reason (other than informing them that they are the only dealer for two hours). Then they may be interested in treating you well so you do return. But it is also a possibility that they know they are the only dealer for hundreds of miles...who knows. Good luck though.

Sent from my GS3.

[bshovers]

I went to a dealership for the first time today as well. My experience was pleasantly delightful. I was able to get service right away. Someone rang the bell for parts man, he greeted me and took my order. While waiting for less than ten minutes I was able to check out some key chains and car cleaner and just browse. He came back with the parts and then I was rung up by a young lady who was easy on the eyes. I told her to have a nice day and I was on my way! This is not how all experiences go unfortunately. And I do sympathize for those who have had bad experiences.

[gmurphy]

I went to a dealership for the first time today as well. My experience was pleasantly delightful. I was able to get service right away. Someone rang the bell for parts man, he greeted me and took my order. While waiting for less than ten minutes I was able to check out some key chains and car cleaner and just browse. He came back with the parts and then I was rung up by a young lady who was easy on the eyes. I told her to have a nice day and I was on my way! This is not how all experiences go unfortunately. And I do sympathize for those who have had bad experiences.

I am glad you had a good experience. It is always good when the dealer treats ALL of their customers the same and with respect.


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[JupiterBMW]

I'll resonate what others have said... They're not all the same. I've been to two dealers in my time owning BMW, and they're actually part of the same family... But I swear, one of them must be adopted... :rofl They are very different.

The dealer I do all of my business at (luckily, in my town, less than 3 miles from my house) is excellent. In fact, lately, they've been going out of their way and throwing little bennies at me. I helped my client advisor close a deal on a CPO vehicle recently (I brought him the client) and he actually split the commission with me. That was nice.

And also recently, while in the dealer doing the deal for our 328d, I was asked to take a 750Li M-sport on a drive to help fetch a customer car from the tint shop..

The sales staff and I all joke that I need to be on the payroll. :biggrin

[3ZHPGUY]

I'm with Joop and the others in this one. I was very unhappy with the first BMW dealer I purchased my 323I and wife's 325CIc from. The people there where rude and the service department always found something wrong with both CPO's on the first trip to service.

Now the one I purchased the ZHP & 330CIc from is by far the best dealer I've ever worked with. Free new loaner of my choice when I drop the car off for service and they usually valet my or my wife's car back to our work when finished. A few years ago I was working and going to school when my low coolant light started turning on. I made an appointment to have it pressure checked the next Saturday and waited. The service manager came into the lounge area and told me I needed a new water pump and invited me to come out and see. When I got to the car the tech had it torn down to the water pump and showed me the seepage. I asked if it would be a problem to put it back together and put a new pump and coolant in the back seat so I could do it myself. Yep, no problem we can do that for you and my cost was just for the half hour they quoted. Also hat great experiences with the parts department. The parts manager is into club racing and I worked many of the track events at Mid-Ohio and Nelson Ledges. Without asking for anything more than a quote, I found him giving me prices on OEM parts better than I could find on the net.

As for. Tennessee, no problems yet. Nashville BMW told me to pull my car in so the could install the new Roundel for free that I picked up last year. Chattanooga BMW has been good as well, people in the south will go way out of the way for you and are always a pleasure to deal with.

Keep looking, you'll find a good one.



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[slater]

good stories, folks.

unfortunately the nearest dealership is about 2 hours from me. it wasn't the one i visited, so i'm hoping they are a 'good' one. :)

peter

[elsanto]

They're all different unfortunately.. Circle BMW in NJ is great, great parts great service dept, friendly sales people.. JMK which is closer to my house is a joke, very pompous. I find it amusing, but I could see why it would get under someones skin.

[yura]

OK. so, the nearest BMW dealer is about 2h15m from my house, so i had ordered some things 2 weeks ago and planned to pick them up when i was nearby this week.

i walked in and headed for the parts counter. this showroom was gorgeous, albeit absolutely dead silent - with about 25 cars in the showroom. incidentally they had a new 335i with the 19" style 225's that joop was looking at - and man, they DO look nice in person. and not too big on the F30 (such is the way with modern proportions). an elegant car.

anyway. at the parts counter, i had to "ahem" a bit to get the guy there to acknowledge i was there. i'm 6'1" with a biggish beard and my 6- and 10-year old kids with me, so it's not like i'm flying under the radar here. anyway. the parts guy was a bit short with me and it took them a while to find my parts, even though they were actually sitting right next to the counter. anyway.

next, i head over to look for a new M3 - it wasn't there, but i did see the M235i which was gorgeous and actually about the same size as an E46 inside - nice. i chatted with a surprisingly friendly salesguy, who was dressed in a suit (as most are there) and his hair was well-coiffed (mine is not) and he was very knowledgeable, even about older metal like ours. nice.

nice salesguy aside, though....overall, the vibe i got from the place was that i just did not belong here. which is OK - i don't care about image and all of that - but i invariably WILL be coming in for parts now and again, and it would be nice not to have to feel like i'm being stared at with extreme scrutiny when i walk in the door.

anyone else had a similar experience?

peter

Major local dealerships are exactly the same way.

Hell, the one time I popped by BMW of Langley, I had to wait 4-5 minutes before I got any service at the damn parts desk. The staff were too busy chatting among themselves in the back. And then they told me I can't buy just the wiper blade replacement rubber (which is what I wanted), but had to buy the entire windshield wipers... needless to say I'm never going back there.