Big Ticket Items

 

Why is it so difficult to get consumer satisfaction from the big players in the automotive industry? In terms of consumer guarantees, malfunctioning vehicles are the big ticket items.

For us it is about whether or not BMW can manufacture a ‘lemon’ and then a BMW dealership puts a band-aid on the problem and it all falls apart for the hapless consumer who buys the vehicle expecting that it will be safe, durable and free from defects.

BMW’s technical campaign to replace timing chains and tensioners was in response to design deficiencies resulting in premature N47 engine major failures across the world, where there are reports, internationally, of thousands of these engines with failing timing chains and some of which have dropped valves.

BBC Watchdog, the UK’s version of Australia’s Choice magazine, on June 12^th, 2013, documented cases of total N47 engine failure that were timing chain related. They also report that the BMW company response is that they will not support any vehicle that has not been regularly serviced at BMW dealers – even with the amount of convincing evidence that this is a design fault. They refer to Principal of Forensic Engineering Associates, John Dabek, who told BBC Watchdog that, he is concerned that there is a manufacturing design fault with the N47 engine.

Steve Baker, of Prestige German Motors, in Peterborough, UK, informed us that he has been rebuilding BMW engines since the 2000s, with 90% of them diesel powered 4 cylinder engines N43 to N47 – 80% of them with timing chain issues. His organisation has repaired ‘thousands ‘of engines and is currently repairing one per day.

Dublin county solicitor Dermot McNamara says, “In a statement to the Irish Independent, (24.10.2016) the company (BMW) has admitted a design fault with chain tensioners – and potentially timing chains – in its N47 engines installed in vehicles manufactured between February 2007 and June 2008.”

On November 16^th, 2016, Neil Briscoe, writes in The Irish Times that,

”The problem dates back to 2007 and the creation of BMW’s hugely popular 2.0-litre diesel engine family, which carried the internal code name of N47. The engine, which was fitted to versions of the 1, 3 and 5 Series, as well as the X1 and X3 SUVs, became a firm favourite with customers, not least because it managed to mix impressive fuel economy with low emissions levels”

and that:

“Then the failures began. BMW owners would report their cars as simply stopping while being driven, thankfully usually at low speeds, but there were some reported high-speed incidents. The dashboard warning lights would come on and there would be no power to the steering, brakes or anything else. This would usually be followed by a visit to a dealer where terminal engine damage would be confirmed. This could lead to a bill as hefty as €6,000 for a replacement engine. Bad enough if you had bought the car from new, but disastrous if you were a second-hand buyer on a tighter budget.

The problem was traced to the engine’s timing chain, which regulates the movements of the pistons, camshafts and valves. If a timing chain works properly, then all is harmonious. If it breaks, or skips a beat, then terrible damage can be caused by the engine’s moving parts literally crashing into one another.”

 

There is a massive amount of anecdotal evidence on large number of Facebook pages devoted to either exposing the injustice of the way BMW are dealing with the defective N47 engine or providing horror stories about the way their vehicle’s engines had major failures. The major failures of the N47engine and the direct link to timing-related malfunctions are just as plentiful on the many BMW driver forums. In the description of the N47 engine on Wikipedia, it actually refers to the engine’s infamy because of the timing chain problems.

Carter and Carter Solicitors, in the UK, are offering legal representation and advice for people with N47 Timing Chain problems, clearly labelling them as faulty product claims.

Why don’t BMW, in Australia, and all over the world, just admit that this was a bad batch?

Warning Lights, Then Nothing!

There’s something exciting and childishly mystical about leaving really early in the morning for a family holiday. The back of the X3 was fully loaded with packs, esky, straw hats, bags of striped, fluffy beach towels, dog bowl; kids with earbuds, phones a fascination, pillows in the back seat, over-excited dog.

After a few hours, the warning lights flash, then nothing!

Then nothing!

We were travelling at 100kmh and there was nothing working. Surrounded by transports and logging trucks and we had no power, brakes or power-assisted steering. Luckily we were off the bridge and on to the road shoulder.

The X3 had died.

We had not even used one tank of fuel since the timing chain campaign work.

The saga began quite innocently and normally. Well, it was normal if you consider that a new transfer case actuator repair for a few thousand dollars and a repair for a new turbo for about $4500 is normal. All in the space of about three months. But the car was still performing poorly. The customer relations guy at the BMW dealership said in all the years he’d worked for them that he’d never seen anything like it. We were very unfortunate and we had his sympathy. Our indie mechanic said there was no point trying to attempt a diagnosis, we needed to go to a BMW Dealership where they could connect to the computer and exactly diagnose the problem.

They couldn’t. They weren’t sure.

One of the options was that it was an extended timing chain. I’m sure this would have thrown them into a bit of panic as they would have known the dire consequences of a stretched timing chain or a snapped chain, so the decision was made to apply the technical campaign and replace the timing chain fully funded by BMW.

Now, the person we were dealing with was an interesting sort of professional. Collar and tie, obviously. (Have a look at Leunig’s necktie decoder cartoon.) His business card explained that his official professional role was “After-Sales Genius”. Could he talk? He could talk. The Service Manager, the Workshop Controller, the Workshop Foreman, the Diagnostic Technician and the Registered Technician were all backstage. They left the customer service to the After-Sales Genius.

Without explaining that they were concerned about the potential horrendous possibilities of extended timing chain issues, the ASG happily informed us that “Auntie BMW would pay for a timing chain replacement because our vehicle qualified for it.” He said it was Christmas present. We were grateful. How good was it that BMW would replace our timing chain, gratis, just because of the age of the car? No mention or discussion about the reasons for the campaign. Now, I can see that a technical campaign seemed to be a cheaper way of addressing this huge problem rather than a total recall of all of these vehicles. They only dealt with the vehicles that were presented to them. Then add to that the necessity to do an inspection inside the cylinder head to make sure there had been no piston to valve crown contact which was likely given the strong possibility that the timing had been advanced due to a stretched timing chain. That could have been very expensive for them.

The ASG was a card. However, he was simply a parrot; simply repeating bits and pieces from the workshop but never quite grasping what he was talking about. And the details he made up.

Back to the problems with the X3’s performance.

The After- Sales Genius called us again. The Eastern Suburbs Dealership had retained the X3 for a week now and had discovered that it was the transfer case – all up this would cost about $5000 to repair. We’d had our Christmas present.

Linda picked up the car and observed to the ASG that it sounded like a truck.

“Oh no,” he said. “Often when they tighten things up in the engine, they sound completely different.”

“What? Like a tractor?”

When she reached the first intersection and stopped at the lights, Linda said that she was worried about what the person in the car thought about the noise that the X3 was making. It was strange that when we took the car to have the transfer case replaced at the well-respected independent BMW specialists, that they didn’t comment on the noise. As the Service Manager at the dealership said, sanctimoniously in a later phone conversation: “We had four technicians drive the car, including Master Technicians, and they didn’t notice anything wrong with the sound of the engine.” Does that stand up against the observations of the woman that drives the car every day?

 

 

Thanks to Michael Leunig

The Marque

When one enters a BMW showroom, it is very glitzy. It is something like a house of mirrors. Everything shines. And there are a lot of reflections. It is like the more times someone can see their reflections in the cars, the windows, the eyes of the staff, the floors, the more satisfied they will be. It is for sheer driving pleasure.

I don’t think that anyone really questions BMW’s engineering capacities, their eye for design or their solidity as a company and manufacturer of high quality motor vehicles over a long period of time. I have had two older BMWs – second and third hand – that have been amazing, wonderful machines.

It is when something goes wrong that eyebrows are raised and something like the shield on the Empire’s Death Star goes up and customer service becomes a shadowy, haughty spectre with an arrogant, ‘we can do no wrong’ attitude to consumers. No problems with manufacturer’s warranties, although one gets the feeling that they would rather blame the consumer than admit to any design or engineering fallibility. But if you expect the application of Australian Consumer Law and consumer guarantees then you might just have a battle on your hands.

This blog is about an Australian experience with the automotive juggernaut, one of their new dealerships and looks at the potency of Australian Consumer Law.