[tim916]

Received a call from my dealer this morning and my car has arrived!

I also saw a transporter loaded with E90's on I-95 while I was driving through Bridgeport this afternoon, so hopefully some others on this board in the NY/CT area will be getting their cars soon. The transporter was heading south which I thought was strange, but it was carrying brand new E90's, no doubt.

[johnfkitchen]

Today my dealer advises that he has been told there will be a further delay in delivery of my car to the dealership. It is still at the VPC, and has a scratched windshield.

A new windshield is being flown in from Germany.

There is NO estimate of a date for completion of this work, so I have no idea when I will get the car I have already paid for.

Looks as if it will be next week if I'm lucky, and based on past history, I'd say I'm SOL, so maybe the week after.

Two (rhetorical) questions come to mind.

1. Why has it taken nearly two weeks to discover that the windshield is damaged, and
2. How come a spare windshield has to come from Germany, and is not stocked locally

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Has BMW done anything extra to improve your happiness?

At least the dealership has provided a nice loaner car. Not as nice as the one I've paid for, but it's a new BMW.

[jubol]

John,
I would not accept it!!!

Fred

[CC 330i]

Originally Posted by tim916

Mine was on the freaking Mignon which arrived on 6/26 and it is still not at the dealer. :mad:

Hey, I used to date a girl named Mignon. How's that for irony (and odd names!).

[Wildcat Jon]

JohnF, what a bummer. But, windshields get cracked and replaced all the time. Just drive it to make sure it is properly sealed and it should be fine. Leased a Lexus GX470 for my wife two months ago, and the first trip we take we get a rock ding in the windshield - 500 miles on the car. The wait is a bigger bummer than a new windshield.

[johnfkitchen]

Originally Posted by Wildcat Jon

JohnF, what a bummer. But, windshields get cracked and replaced all the time. Just drive it to make sure it is properly sealed and it should be fine. <snip>

Here is my worry. When a windshield is replaced, there is the chance of damage to the underlying paint and rustproofing. Our '98 323is has recently gone in for repair to rusting areas under the edge of the windshield. It is my belief that this rust was caused by damage as a result of windshield replacement. I can't prove it, but it seems likely to me.

Fred, you say you would not accept it, and I see your point. I think I'd be happy to take the car so long as I get an assurance that protects me from the rust issue in the longer term. Maybe an extended rust warranty.

I spoke to a BMW representative on the 800 number and there were two strong points made. One is that the VPC is state of the art, and the other is that the work done at the VPC gets added to the warranty and maintenance record, so that if the is a problem in the future, the resolution action will be influenced by this history.

So I'm disappointed , but considering my options carefully.

All opinions from this community are welcomed!

John

[scottz5]

if it were an GM or Ford you would be fighting to get a new window. Sorry!

[silverado]

johnfkitchen,

Sorry to hear that your ordeal is still ongoing. I discovered that my windshield was defective a few hours after taking delivery of my car (it had a dent in it, believe it or not). After the initial disappointment, I let the dealer order the replacement windshield and it came about 2 weeks later. The replacement seems flawless and it was done by a glass contractor that the BMW dealership uses. From the information we have about the VPC, I think your car would probably be in better hands. I would go ahead and take delivery of the car when it arrives, unless they can find you a replacement that you can receive earlier. If you think about it, how many people are receiving vehicles that have been fixed at the VPC and do not know about it? It is technically an extension of BMW manufacturing and is there for a reason.

Here is the thread where I talked about my problem when it first happened:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=982

[johnfkitchen]

silverado , I had completely forgotten about your experience and my response. My mind is going! You know, the good thing is that we have a 12 year rust warranty. If this windshield replacement causes a problem, it will be before 12 years.

PS The other silver lining in this cloud is that by the time I hand the loaner 325xi back to the dealer, it may be properly broken in (it came with only 130 miles on it), and I'll be able to have some fun driving it. I'm being religious about keeping to the break-in rules.

I thank Wagner BMW at Shrewsbury (Massachusetts) each day for looking after me with this loaner.

[bookman2]

I'm beginning to fear that if NYC area owners are waiting this long, I many be in for a REALLY long wait. Mine came off the Trinidad in Charleston SC on 7/8 and my CA really has no idea when it will be loaded on a truck (or train) to the Chicago area.

[agrusczak]

I just spoke with my sales advisor yesterday. The E90s at the processing center are experiencing an unusual delay arriving at the dealerships primarily because a new software update just came out from BMW, but missed this batch of cars while they were being manufactured. So the updates are being applied there. I asked if these were the software updates to expand the memory capabilities of the keyfobs, and he stated that they weren't - those are coming a little later. He was not specific about what the software updates were for.

Since my car is considered already sold, it has been assigned a higher priority at the port. He's pretty confident that it will show up at the dealership (in the Albany, NY area) by Monday 7/18 at the latest.

My car was on the Turandot which was accepted by the processing center at the NY port on 7/5.

[stack]

I just picked mine up last night.

stack

[johnfkitchen]

Originally Posted by stack

I just picked mine up last night.

stack

That's great! Here is how it should be driven! = http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...7626#post17626

[scottz5]

I am beat, my car got to the port on the 8th and now the OC says it is at the VPC and the 1800# says it is waiting for a shipping vessel.

[silverado]

Originally Posted by johnfkitchen

I thank Wagner BMW at Shrewsbury (Massachusetts) each day for looking after me with this loaner.[/B]

They sound great! They have probably won you as a customer for life.

[johnfkitchen]

Originally Posted by silverado

They sound great! They have probably won you as a customer for life.

It would be great if everything went perfectly smoothly regarding products and services, but reality says it won't happen always.

What differentiates one organization from another is how they shape up in problem management. When the going gets tough, how do they perform?

Sure, it is disappointing that things have gone wrong, but Wagner's are managing the situation effectively. I have a nice loaner; they call when there is news; they explain things carefully; they are patient with me when I'm impatient, which is important.

I once worked for a company that had had all sorts of product issues at one particular customer, and we (the vendor) were convinced they would never buy from us again. We were wrong. They chose us next time round, and told us the reason was that they could trust our ability to handle problems.

So, yes, silverado, this foul-up has probably done very good things to this particular business relationship in the long term.

Right now, I'm thinking that had I played hard-ball with the price negotiations, shopped around for a dealer who'd provide larger discounts like I've seen posted here, I might be in a very different position, and in a very unhappy mood.

PS I should also point out that my client advisor is away on a few days vacation and sales management has stepped in to handle the situation while he is away. I appreciate this continuity of support.

[rocky20nm]

I just heard from my dealer, that the car has been assigned to a trucking company. Does that mean I will have the car by the weekend? He does not give me a clear picture, when I would get it now. Is that how all the client advisor are doing? Just keeping us in ambiguity? Except one, who got a loaner car also.

[johnfkitchen]

rocky, the dealerships are pretty much at the mercy of the system. They don't get information about the future, just the past. So it's unlikely that they have an anticipated arrival date for the truck, and they also probably don't know when the Certificate of Origin will arrive. Then they have to do the registration and final preparation of your car. Did you order accessories which have to be installed?

While it might be possible to have it for the weekend, I'm thinking it's a slim chance.

[rocky20nm]

In the case of a european delivery, do they need the certification of origin? No I do not have any dealer accessory to be installed.

You are right, I also believe the delivery of my car over the weekend is really low. But I am glad that atleast it is not weeks away. I probably will have it early next week or later in the week.

[johnfkitchen]

Originally Posted by rocky20nm

In the case of a european delivery, do they need the certification of origin? <snip>

Good question! uzzled-look-smiley:

[tim916]

Originally Posted by rocky20nm

In the case of a european delivery, do they need the certification of origin? No I do not have any dealer accessory to be installed.

You are right, I also believe the delivery of my car over the weekend is really low. But I am glad that atleast it is not weeks away. I probably will have it early next week or later in the week.

According to my dealer, yes.

[Cloud9]

Originally Posted by johnfkitchen

Today my dealer advises that he has been told there will be a further delay in delivery of my car to the dealership. It is still at the VPC, and has a scratched windshield.

A new windshield is being flown in from Germany.

There is NO estimate of a date for completion of this work, so I have no idea when I will get the car I have already paid for.

Looks as if it will be next week if I'm lucky, and based on past history, I'd say I'm SOL, so maybe the week after.

Two (rhetorical) questions come to mind.

1. Why has it taken nearly two weeks to discover that the windshield is damaged, and
2. How come a spare windshield has to come from Germany, and is not stocked locally

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Has BMW done anything extra to improve your happiness?

At least the dealership has provided a nice loaner car. Not as nice as the one I've paid for, but it's a new BMW.

Wow, sorry to hear about that. IMO, the windshield is an easy replacement. Both my E46 has a crack in the windshield it was replaced at the dealership. Never had a problem afterwards. The VPC will do a top notch job.

The E90 is the 1st (possibly last) BMW that I will order. My last 3 BMWs (2 E46, 1 E39) were bought off the lot. Don't get me wrong, the E90 buying experience has been great, my dealer has been upfront and not over promising but the SHEER AGONY of the wait is too much to bear . I have E90 on my brain 24/7!!

I want my car!!