I wonder if anyone on the forum has experienced difficulty in getting BMW to honour the anti corrosion warranty before.
My 330cd has corrosion bubbling through on the rear arches in exactly the same place on both sides .
No problem I thought, take it to Haliwell Jones in Warrington - let them check it out, making sure that the paint depth is correct and has not previously been repaired and hey presto my paintwork should be restored to its former glory.
So part one goes perfectly to plan, technicians check everything to their satisfaction - taking pictures, measuring the paint depth, and confirming that indeed this is a likely candidate for a paint correction warranty claim .
Just a small caveat however, we have to send the pictures off to Bracknell for the BMW Customer Service team to assess first before we can authorise the repair
Not to worry, I expect that we will see you soon, I'm told
Two weeks later I have not received any correspondence from Haliwell Jones, so I thought - they must be pretty busy, I'll give them a quick call.
Imagine my disappointment when told the paint has been damaged by corrosion of the metal, but by 'perforation caused by an 'external source'.
All this from a Customer service manager looking at low res images e-mailed to him.
I wrote a polite letter to BMW Customer Services (see below)
BMW Customers Services
Ellesfield Avenue
Bracknell
Berks
RG12 8TA
Dear Sirs,
BMW 330cd Registration number ********* Chassis number **************************
I am writing to you with following the recent corrosion assessment carried out by Halliwell Jones BMW of Warrington on the above vehicle.
Firstly I was extremely impressed by the level of service afforded to myself by technician Lee Ellis.
His appraisal of the perfectly symmetrical corrosion on the two rear arches, the subsequent measuring of the paint depth and logical conclusion given were entirely in keeping with my own thoughts regarding this unusual occurrence.
It is with disappointment therefore that I feel compelled to write this letter of complaint to your team at BMW Customer Services, following the news that you will not be honouring the corrosion warranty offered by BMW that my vehicle is covered by.
I am lead to believe by Halliwell Jones that in spite of the evidence supported by photographs, and the opinion of a trained technician, that your customer Services manager, Lloyd Truman has formulated the view that this perfectly symmetrical fault in the paintwork is the result of perforation from outside rather than from the metal.
Please forgive me for my tone but I am completely perplexed as to how you have reached this conclusion without a more thorough investigation, and the evidence that is presented.
I want to add that this is my third BMW e46 the first one of which I purchased new in 2000, and would suggest to you that I am a very loyal customer who is about to purchase an e92 M3.
I would therefore respectfully ask you to reconsider your initial verdict and honour the warranty that BMW give with the vehicle, before I have to take this matter further.
I have attached my phone number on the top of this letter and would therefore request a phone call to discuss the matter by return.
Yours faithfully
I received the following response....
Dear Mr ************
Thank you for your email dated November 27, 2012. I am sorry that you have felt the need to contact BMW UK regarding the Anti-corrosion Warranty of your BMW 330Cd. I appreciate that Mr Truman’s response was not what you expected. I tried to call you today on the mobile number provided, however, they was no response; therefore, please accept this letter as our response.
I can confirm that I have contacted Mr Simon Bellis, Service Advisor, Halliwell Jones Warrington, regarding the corrosion of your vehicle. Mr Bellis confirmed that your case was referred to the Technical Manager, Mr Llyod Truman, who provides support for our technicians at the BMW Approved Dealerships. As you are aware, from the evidence submitted to Mr Truman, he concluded that the paintwork had corroded from the outside due to the paint film being damaged by external influences at some point in the vehicle’s lifetime.
Although I acknowledge that you feel Mr Truman should have carried out a more detailed investigate, BMW UK Customer Service can only rely on the information supplied by the technicians and the Technical Manager. Mr Truman’s assessment would be final on this occasion; therefore, his decision still stands.
Thank you for contacting BMW UK. I trust that the above information clarifies our position and that we cannot provide any further assistance with this matter.
Yours sincerely
BMW UK
Katie Bailey
Customer Service Executive
Ellesfield Avenue
Bracknell RG12 8TA
Tel: +44 (0)870 5050 160
Fax: +44 (0)870 5050 205
Mailto: customer.service@bmw.co.uk
My reply....
Dear Katie,
Thank you for your reply.
Sadly, I am thoroughly dissatisfied with your response, and suggest again that you have failed to recognise that the damage is symmetrical and to the same degree on both sides of the car, clearly the corrosion is internal.
From my position, It is clear therefore that the anti corrosion warranty that BMW offer is worthless.
I have written to BMW in Germany and hope that I am taken seriously with my claim before I have to seek legal help in this matter.
I did hope that this could have been resolved in a reasonable manner clearly this will not be the case now.
Yours sincerely
So rant over.....
Pictures below
http://s66.beta.photobucket.com/user/nigeblueflame/library/BMW%20330cd%20e46%20paint%20defectsI might add that from Jan 2004 BMW offered a 12 year anti corrosion paint warranty on their vehicles.
Your comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Nige
