XSeries-forum

I'm so annoyed I'm speechless for a change!  My X was in for warranty repairs (wing mirrors were waving in and out and dealer decided to replace them, no 10p microswitches for them) and I asked them to take a look at the tv module as it was getting intermittent reception - watched some Olympics around 2 weeks ago  while waiting for an appointment, then no signal.    I thought the antenna may have come off or broken off or something and as it was going in for the warranty repair, thought they could just take a look. 

The clever clogs spotty-faced yoof at the service desk phoned me today to tell me very firmly that they had "detected that there was a signal problem because the car is very old and has an analogue "screen" so it was "unable" to receive a digital signal now that analogue had been switched off and did I know that analogue had been switched off across the country now?? "     

Apart from the fact that my "very old" X is a late 2005 model , it was getting digital signals only two weeks ago!!!!!  How you wonder was that possible if it is an analogue unit!!  He seemed speechless when I told him the "screen" was not analogue or digital, it was, well, a screen, and the tv tuner was in the boot a long way from the screen........  Didn't really seem to grasp the concept. 

So I told him equally firmly that the facelift X5s were factory fitted with digital modules from late 2003 onwards.  Even my 3.0i which was a 2003 model, had one.    I described quite clearly that it worked in a totally digital signal only area only two weeks ago!! 
He sounded most unconvinced and said he would have to go and "check up" and would phone me back.

Phone call about an hour later - triumphantly announced to me that "the system" had "advised" them that my tv / comms / radio (Comms pack) shows up as "unknown origin" on their "system" and that they can do "nothing about it " and cannot repair or replace it as it is an "unknown part". He then accused me of having an aftermarket system if it wasn't the analogue one that he had first claimed, and said that the matter could not be taken any further as their "hugely experienced" parts guy and service manager had decreed that, and it was "pointless discussing it further" as they refused to repair or replace "unknown systems".
He then banged on about UK made cars and those made for the USA etc etc, so I asked him if he knew where X5s were assembled and he said yes, right here in the UK...........

My X has absolutely no "aftermarket" additions (largely because they are still in boxes and I haven't got around to fitting them yet!!   ) so I am uncertain as to what I should do next - everything about it is a standard factory fit with lots of options boxes ticked..........

If my TV tuner is faulty, then they can surely not weasel out of it by trying to claim it is analogue and then suddenly deciding that it is aftermarket......(said yoof asked after I told him he was talking bollox when he said it was analogue, "well where did you get it then?" which I thought was most odd. "With the car" I told him, along with its AUC Warranty from a BMW Main Dealer.........

I am seriously annoyed about this load of tosh from the dealers - fetching the "fixed" car tomorrow, at least there are new wing mirror motors fitted for no real reason other than the usual microswitch problem, I suspect. They managed to break the glass as well, so are having to replace that too.

This particular main dealer has been ok with service up to now, did the blown oil cooler from 2 Xmas' ago spot on and I have the servicing done there too. But this load of guff has seriously undermined my confidence in them as they are either extremely stupid/incompetent, or dishonest - neither are endearing qualities.

Any ideas as to what I do next to start getting the tv tuner issue solved via warranty?

My '54 plate 4.8is had an anologue tuner. I've still got it and apparently the part number seems to denote an analogue tuner too from the web search I did...hmm.

Best thing to do is get the part number off the unit and then tell them how can it be aftermarket if it is a genuine part with matching number?

My 54 plate is analogue too... my screen however is still just a screen

I remember you saying when you first got your car that it was a digital tuner. I'm sure there is a service somewhere that will tell you exactly what you have fitted on your car from factory if you give the VIN. I thought personally that somewhere in 2005 all X5's got the digital tuner.

My guess is that this is just a very inexperienced guy who is now covering his tracks by saying it has been found to be an unknown part rather than maybe admitting that he has got it wrong or doesn't quite know what he is talking about?!


Turks.

Hi, sorry to hear of your issues with that particular dealer, especially as I bought mine from them!
I have had a couple of warranty issues but as I live in the north east I didn't take it back to them, using a local dealer instead.
As your car is an auc, then that would make your warranty valid at any other BMW main dealer. With this in mind, it may be worth trying elsewhere, although I don't know if they would log the details of your earlier attempt on some sort of system. I am guessing (and it is a guess) that if there's no mention of it on the invoice (they don't always give you one for warranty work, but ask and they will) then it may have just been verbally discussed between your friend on the desk and the workshop, making you free to go elsewhere.
Please keep us informed as I'm interested to see how this pans out.

My X actually came from Hexagon, but as I live in the Midlands have always had warranty work done at another dealers. You can use any BMW dealer for warranty stuff. Its into the extended warranty now, for which I pay handsomely every month. The X started life in NI, from a County Coleraine dealership, and still has the Irish plate on it, but as NI is technically part of the UK I can't see that BMW could suddenly say its not.

I am pretty sure its digital as it was working after the switch off of analogue, in fact only two weeks ago it was getting a good picture in BIrmingham, and an analogue would have been dead there.  Some units were so called hybrid, with both analogue and digital tuners in one unit.  Will get the part number off the unit when I get the car back today and see if I can get the part number recognised.
The idiot at the desk has got the service and workshop characters involved now all braying that its analogue or aftermarket and "unrecognised" . They didn't bother to look at the actual tuner, though, just what they could see on the spec on the computer which is very odd given the spec list on the BMW build would show BMW kit, no one elses, so it makes no sense.
Which module in the boot is the tv tuner again?  The Bluetooth unit has been replaced under warranty already (Soper Lincoln)
with no quibbles, funny how the whole comms system has suddenly become "aftermarket" despite having a BMW bluetooth unit.......

Idiots.  Off to fetch it shortly.

Condor - you'll either have just the 5 channels or loads of them to choose from (if you can remember). That way you'll know if it's analogue/digital.

Mine is an April 2005 build and it is digital, totaly standard from new.

The picture in mine is prity rubbish most of the time.


Rich...

Combined Analogue/Digital TV tuners were first installed from October 2004 builds for the E53.  If your build date is after that then you will have a Freeview receiver.  Note though that the early ones supposedly do have a limited number of channels that can be stored (about 40 I think), though unless you are all over the UK it's unlikely to ever be an issue.

In this area 'Anglian Region' all our local transmitters had a retune in the last week or so as the temporary Olympics set-up was removed again.  You may need to do a re-scan (assuming you haven't already tried this).  I've just had to redo all our household sets.

FYI ...and something to smack said spotted oik with ... Derby are went over to Digital only in August 2011 so no Analogue after that.  The last area was London and that happened in May 2012.

Richard

They are a complete bunch of idiots  >:(  Just collected the car, of course the spotty oik and the service manager et al were "on their Saturday off" .  Mirrors thankfully working, they even had to replace various bits they broke while disassembling, incl the glass,  >:(so thats all shiny new and working.

As for the telly, well I went into the menu before I pulled off from the dealers and retuned and guess what, it came up with a perfect picture.........Sanj, the list is usually about 40 channels or so, maybe one of the older digital jobbies.  I think the one it tuned into was called "Challenge" - ironically, as Stratstone Derby were certainly not up to the challenge of looking at the tuner, just spouting unnecessary bollox.

Annoyingly, there was no-one around I could show the working "analogue" tv to from service.  So it was probably just a glitch in the signal strength - I have noticed with these digital in car tvs that if the signal isn't perfect, there is no picture at all. Quite disappointing.  :blink:

Anyway, not as disappointing as a Main BMW Dealer who has pronounced my digital hybrid tuner to be an analogue one  :blink:  and when challenged then announces its aftermarket..........

Fools, twits, clotz,  >:D >:D >:D

Now that's what I call a good days work! New mirrors and the digital unit has sorted itself out (probably got scared of you)!

I want new mirrors! Some oik broke my gloss black surround! Thank god the mirror was untouched but it's made a mess of the plastic surround. Oh well, I can fix it. ::)

[quote="CondorX5"]
They are a complete bunch of idiots  >:(  Just collected the car, of course the spotty oik and the service manager et al were "on their Saturday off" .  Mirrors thankfully working, they even had to replace various bits they broke while disassembling, incl the glass,  >:(so thats all shiny new and working.

As for the telly, well I went into the menu before I pulled off from the dealers and retuned and guess what, it came up with a perfect picture.........Sanj, the list is usually about 40 channels or so, maybe one of the older digital jobbies.  I think the one it tuned into was called "Challenge" - ironically, as Stratstone Derby were certainly not up to the challenge of looking at the tuner, just spouting unnecessary bollox.

Annoyingly, there was no-one around I could show the working "analogue" tv to from service.  So it was probably just a glitch in the signal strength - I have noticed with these digital in car tvs that if the signal isn't perfect, there is no picture at all. Quite disappointing.  :blink:

Anyway, not as disappointing as a Main BMW Dealer who has pronounced my digital hybrid tuner to be an analogue one  :blink:  and when challenged then announces its aftermarket..........

Fools, twits, clotz,  >:D >:D >:D
[/quote]

i think its worth a complaint.

as said, if you look in the boot and pick up the part number of the tuner (not that i remember which piece of the multi-coloured building blocks  it is but can look it up), look it up on the web it should clarify whether its a digital or analog tuner i would think?

then along with a photo of the dash with the perfectly working tv screen, i think u should make a formal complaint on how you were harassed by the ppl who are supposed to take care of you!

j

[quote="jaynana"]

i think its worth a complaint.

as said, if you look in the boot and pick up the part number of the tuner (not that i remember which piece of the multi-coloured building blocks  it is but can look it up), look it up on the web it should clarify whether its a digital or analog tuner i would think?

then along with a photo of the dash with the perfectly working tv screen, i think u should make a formal complaint on how you were harassed by the ppl who are supposed to take care of you!

j
[/quote]

I agree. I'd get the part number just so you can show them that it is a genuine BMW part which they should not have dismissed as not being without checking themselves.

I would complain on the simple grounds that customer service should dictate that even if they feel you are in the wrong they should not (and never) talk to you in such a way. Part of their job is talk with dignity to those that thy serve.

Oh and I'd be interested to know the part number anyway to check against mine (as I thought it was a digital tuner until someone off here tried it and said it didn't work, so I assumed it was anologue).

[quote="CondorX5"]
So it was probably just a glitch in the signal strength - I have noticed with these digital in car tvs that if the signal isn't perfect, there is no picture at all. Quite disappointing.  :blink:
[/quote]
Welcome to the digital world.  You only need 1/10th of the signal to noise ratio to make it work perfectly, but if you get below that then frozen or no picture.  Analogue gives you a bit of warning, but with digital it's like falling of a cliff!!

Glad it's all sorted.  My impression of the Service Dept in most Dealerships is they have no clue at all.  When the X6 dash failed, service were telling me it was all sorts of different things.  Once I spoke to the techie working on the car it rapidly became clear that to get to the truth I needed to talk to the techie, and not the 'mouthpiece of cr8p' sitting behind a desk marked 'Service Consultant'.  But then they pay peanuts so only get monkeys.....and p!ss poor ones at that.

R

[quote="jaynana"]
then along with a photo of the dash with the perfectly working tv screen, i think u should make a formal complaint on how you were harassed by the ppl who are supposed to take care of you![/quote]

Just to be double clear - take a photo with todays Newspaper in it to prove that the photo was taken on the date you state. They will only say that this could have been taken at any time if you don't...


Turks.

I should make the effort and do it......and copy it to BMW UK as well - does anyone have the BMW UK contact details to hand?

They should really not get away with this poor level of service, it puts me off BMW as a brand, but I haven't found another marque I have enjoyed driving quite so much  >:(    and I do love driving my X, even if its a V8 and gulps petrol at 23mpg........come to think of it, no other brands main dealers are any better - what a bunch of twitz / shower/ shambles!!!  >:D