Safety defect confirmed this AM by BMW

aNoodle

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#21
Re: Re: Safety defect confirmed this AM by BMW

IMPORTERofRECORD said:
Sorry to learn. Have you filed a complaint with NHTSA and contacted an attorney? Seems to me you have an open and shut case. Remember the safety bulletin and know that BMW and the dealer knew about the defect.

Someone else on this board already mentioned a class action suit. This would not only help you but all the others that BMW does not think are worthy of being notified.
I'm confused. An open and shut case for what?

BMW is replacing transmissions for people that don't like the delay in the reverse. Is that what the problems is? What damage have been done to require a law suit?
 
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#22
The delay is actually during right after a cold start after not running the car for at least a day. When you switch from P to D or in my case from P to R to D. The Steptronic will slip and only engage after you rev up to around 2000+ rpm.

Anyway. A friend of mine told me (jokingly) that I should just leave it alone because some racers actually pay a lot of money for a part to intentionally create a delay to achieve faster acceleration from the startline.
 
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#23
Yup, mine was P - R - D also. P - R, back out of the driveway, R - D step on the gas and it just revved with no forward movement. After 3-5 seconds, it would "catch" and start moving forward. Then it would be fine all day after that. Only on the first cold start in the A.M. did it exhibit the problem (which is what the TSB from BMW states).
 

epj3

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#24
LipSmacknGOOd said:
I guess BMW will only replace the transmissions for owners of cars that are smart enough to complain about it. This is not right.
No, it costs them a LOT to replace transmissions in EVERY 3 series they sold -- Not all are bad! They'll only replace it if it's definitely bad.
 
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#25
LipSmacknGOOd said:
Our fears have been realized. BMW confirmed this morning that our new 330Ci needs a transmission. Not a headlight. Not a radio knob. THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION!

Why didn’t my dealer or BMW contact me and tell me of the problem? "On a customer complaint basis only, replace the transmission"? Why is the consumer expected to do ensure the car is safe? I guess BMW will only replace the transmissions for owners of cars that are smart enough to complain about it. This is not right.
Lets be fair, the above was complete quote. Kim, there are many not so shy types that agree with you.[wave]
 
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#26
Re: Re: Safety defect confirmed this AM by BMW

epj3 said:
No, it costs them a LOT to replace transmissions in EVERY 3 series they sold -- Not all are bad! They'll only replace it if it's definitely bad.
I think the point is they can certainly narrow down the suspect cars on the lot before they sell them to ones that have GM trannys manufactured in France. Then, if they problem has truly been corrected as of a certain build date, they can narrow it down even further. The cars that fit this criteria are the ones that are at least suspect. No one is suggesting that they go ahead and replace every tranny in every 3-series.
 
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#28
Re: You're opinion, not fact...

jarelj said:
I think there are only a handful of people (in relative terms) who know about/are concerned about/will remember this issue into the future, and they're all posting on this board. I guess we'll see a few years down the road, but I'd bank on this issue going away after all of the "defective" transmissions have been sold/repaired. I am not concerned at all. To each his/her own.
<<<<<

I respectfully disagree. This type of occurence is exactly what good research will turn
up in a future "Consumer Reports" issue of used car reliability ratings. Not to mention what a
future Google search would show on this particular year/model. I bought my '99 530i knowing EXACTLY what the engine issues were, because I paid the $40 to get the car's complete service records.
Good or bad, the Web leaves no stone unturned IMOHO.
 
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#29
Re: Re: You're opinion, not fact...

Talk2USoon said:
<<<<<

I bought my '99 530i knowing EXACTLY what the engine issues were, because I paid the $40 to get the car's complete service records.
<<<<<<


Whoops! I meant the '94 530i I *purchased* in January of '99[:I]
 
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#31
Re: Re: You're opinion, not fact...

Talk2USoon said:
<<<<<

I respectfully disagree. This type of occurence is exactly what good research will turn
up in a future "Consumer Reports" issue of used car reliability ratings. Not to mention what a
future Google search would show on this particular year/model. I bought my '99 530i knowing EXACTLY what the engine issues were, because I paid the $40 to get the car's complete service records.
Good or bad, the Web leaves no stone unturned IMOHO.
Can you explain to me though ... why, if the tranny has been replaced with successful results, it would detract from the resale value of the car? I understand that a propsective owner can find out that the cars were known to have tranny problems. But wouldn't this impact the value of a car that did NOT have any tranny service as opposed to one that did?
 
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#32
theBMWenthusiast said:
what year 330Ci please...this concerns me...
<<<<

Are you asking me? I'm sorry for any confusion. I was posting about my *other car.
The 5-series (530i) and it's engine issues (most?? engines had to be replaced, as mine was). I bought my
'94 530i used, in 1999. The Consumer Reports Used Car Edition mentioned the engine
issue in my year/model. I paid for the dealer service records so I'd have the "whole" story (the repair records for years prior to my purchasing the car. The dealer charged me $40, but it was well worth it in that I had the car's complete history.....).
 
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#33
Re: Re: Re: You're opinion, not fact...

LarryE said:
Can you explain to me though ... why, if the tranny has been replaced with successful results, it would detract from the resale value of the car? I understand that a propsective owner can find out that the cars were known to have tranny problems. But wouldn't this impact the value of a car that did NOT have any tranny service as opposed to one that did?
<<<<<

It's just like learning someone's had surgery....... are they ever as good as new? I guess
that depends on how skilled the surgeon was.
My view is so skewed by my experience with my 530i.
I was thrilled to learn the engine was replaced at nearly 50,000 miles. I didn't find out until
5 years down the road, that although the engine had been replaced, none of the fittings (cut me some slack, I'm a female ;) were new. The *old ones were used :mad:
That meant I paid for engine mounts (they wore unevenly) and a host of other things my husband can rattle off
in a New York minute. To make matters worse, every time the local BMW certified mechanic touched my car he left parts OFF of it.
He was fired after I and a host of others went to our local Better Business Bureau. BMW just
gave us the runaround.
I shake in my boots to think I might have to have my tranny replaced by a mechanic that finds
himself with extra parts when the job's done.
I think the car, once violated, is only as good as the mechanic doing the replacements.
In my neck of the woods, that means trouble. BIG trouble[paranoid]
 

Stepster

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#35
IMPORTERofRECORD said:
I believe the technical term is fraud.
OK. For those of us who don't quite understand, can you possibly provide a general legal definition for fraud and explain how BMW fits the bill?
 
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#36
Honestly, I don't think I would care if a car I was buying had a defect successfully replaced, as long as it was replaced by BMW.

Many cars have defects that are changed out by the manufacturer. I'm not saying this is a fair or convenient thing that occurs but it's common practice in the industry.

Just my 2 cents...
 
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#37
Felicia68 said:
Honestly, I don't think I would care if a car I was buying had a defect successfully replaced, as long as it was replaced by BMW.

Many cars have defects that are changed out by the manufacturer. I'm not saying this is a fair or convenient thing that occurs but it's common practice in the industry.

Just my 2 cents...
That is exactly what I've been trying to communicate around here, but others are not so accepting. I guess I can understand their point-of-view. You pay 40K for a car ... a car that has a reputation for being a luxury class vehicle ... and there turns out to be a defect with a major component. You end up with a rebuilt part in a car with 1000 miles. Seems very unfair. And then to add insult to injury, you find out that this defect has been known about for some number of months, and BMW dealers have made no attempt to correct it or warn prospective buyers about it in terms of the cars that are on their lots.

None of this is right. But you are also right in saying that this is reality in the automobile industry. Happens all the time.
 

epj3

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#38
IMPORTERofRECORD said:
I believe the technical term is fraud.
Fraud in business is when you KNOWINGLY sell someone a bad product. BMW did not know there was a design/manufacturer flaw, espeically since they absolutely KNEW they would be replacing them anyways!!

Please, THINK before you post!! You have a warranty for a reason - to work out these little flaws!! You KNOW a car is never perfect when you buy it, and that there will be a few repairs done under warranty -- hence the reason FOR a warranty.
 
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#39
LarryE said:


None of this is right. But you are also right in saying that this is reality in the automobile industry. Happens all the time.
I can't agree more -- Even if BMW issues a recall on the transmition, they will probably sell the cars on the lot as is and let you find out about the recall after you have had the car for a while. We found out about a month after we bought my wife's buick rendevous that there was a recall on the side air bags that was issued four months prior to the recall.

Even if there is a recall forced by the NTHSA - it's your choice/responsibility to have the component replaced by the dealer and in a lot of cases, you won't know about the recall untill you have to take your car in to be repaired (especially if you buy the car used).
 
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#40
epj3 said:
Fraud in business is when you KNOWINGLY sell someone a bad product. BMW did not know there was a design/manufacturer flaw, espeically since they absolutely KNEW they would be replacing them anyways!!

Please, THINK before you post!! You have a warranty for a reason - to work out these little flaws!! You KNOW a car is never perfect when you buy it, and that there will be a few repairs done under warranty -- hence the reason FOR a warranty.
They did sell cars with this known defect. There is absolutely no question about that. That constitutes fraud.
 


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