Re: 4.8 iS Misery
Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 10:42 am
Guys sorry to here about yours issues. Its never nice to have issues soon after buying a car and even more so when you are spending the sort money these 4.8iS cost. However from what I can see these vehicles have all been purchased as used examples so calling them 'Friday' cars is a bit childish. Most X5 4.8iS were registered to dealers or BMW GB and then sold on as via the AUC system. Any issues in the veichles from new would have been ironed out well and truly before the first year.
That being said I have long been of the opinion that the quality of AUC workshop check has been sliding down hill for some years now. Mainly driven by dealers trying to maximise ever smaller profit margins, the cost of putting an 4.8iS through the workshop just for an Insp I has a cost of say £350ish at internal prices add to this a couple of tyres and they are quickly up to the £1000 mark before any rectification starts. I would also add that vehicle appraisals or also poorly done by both salesmen and buyers. A lot of the issues in your vehicles were clearly present at the point of purchase by the dealer (Is this why the previous owners sold the cars in the first place?)
Clearly buying a 4.8iS is a big deal its a very special car and the closest thing the an 'M' version and in my opinion should be purchase as if buying an 'M' vehicle additional checks should be done to confirm all is well both at time of striking the deal and at handover. All electrical components that can be checked should be. You should also see the workshop invoice for the AUC and if possible get a copy of this, very helpful should issues arise later on. All to often buyers of BMW's have already made up there mind to buy a car before seeing it in the flesh often purchased over the phone and in some cases only seeing the car for the first time when the dealer delivers it to there door. Sadly many people have lost the art of buying a car, not just the dealing part but the inspection part, to me the most important part. Whats the history of the car, did you see the V5/previous MOT's, look at BMW's internal system to check the vehicle workshop history and so on. Buyers just seem to rely to heavily on the AUC name expecting this to mean that there new purchase is in 100% top condition. Most are but sadly some do slip through leaving you the buyer with headache after headache. Also as pointed out above is when things do go wrong the dealers shear inability to sort things first time round is shocking all this adds to the melting pot of disappointment and loss of faith with the car.
I would urge anybody buying an AUC car to check all the history out, check the car out and be 100% happy that what you are buying is the real thing don't just take the dealers say so that all is well.
Finally to the guys above - you have bought fantastic cars but make sure you get all the issues sorted out under the AUC warranty. Hopefully you will get the car to a position that is as it should have been when you purchased it. I would also say that both Ricko and Nat should contact BMW GB listing out all you issues that have arisen since purchase, I would be wanting a least a 1 year extension to the warranty given FOC from the dealer who supplied your individual cars.
That being said I have long been of the opinion that the quality of AUC workshop check has been sliding down hill for some years now. Mainly driven by dealers trying to maximise ever smaller profit margins, the cost of putting an 4.8iS through the workshop just for an Insp I has a cost of say £350ish at internal prices add to this a couple of tyres and they are quickly up to the £1000 mark before any rectification starts. I would also add that vehicle appraisals or also poorly done by both salesmen and buyers. A lot of the issues in your vehicles were clearly present at the point of purchase by the dealer (Is this why the previous owners sold the cars in the first place?)
Clearly buying a 4.8iS is a big deal its a very special car and the closest thing the an 'M' version and in my opinion should be purchase as if buying an 'M' vehicle additional checks should be done to confirm all is well both at time of striking the deal and at handover. All electrical components that can be checked should be. You should also see the workshop invoice for the AUC and if possible get a copy of this, very helpful should issues arise later on. All to often buyers of BMW's have already made up there mind to buy a car before seeing it in the flesh often purchased over the phone and in some cases only seeing the car for the first time when the dealer delivers it to there door. Sadly many people have lost the art of buying a car, not just the dealing part but the inspection part, to me the most important part. Whats the history of the car, did you see the V5/previous MOT's, look at BMW's internal system to check the vehicle workshop history and so on. Buyers just seem to rely to heavily on the AUC name expecting this to mean that there new purchase is in 100% top condition. Most are but sadly some do slip through leaving you the buyer with headache after headache. Also as pointed out above is when things do go wrong the dealers shear inability to sort things first time round is shocking all this adds to the melting pot of disappointment and loss of faith with the car.
I would urge anybody buying an AUC car to check all the history out, check the car out and be 100% happy that what you are buying is the real thing don't just take the dealers say so that all is well.
Finally to the guys above - you have bought fantastic cars but make sure you get all the issues sorted out under the AUC warranty. Hopefully you will get the car to a position that is as it should have been when you purchased it. I would also say that both Ricko and Nat should contact BMW GB listing out all you issues that have arisen since purchase, I would be wanting a least a 1 year extension to the warranty given FOC from the dealer who supplied your individual cars.