ComplaintsforBMW & MINI of Fort Wayne

• Initial Complaint

  07/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 6/15/23, I brought my 2012 Mini ****** S ********** to the ** dealership because my battery charge warning light came on while I was driving to work. On 6/16, I was told that my alternator belt broke, which triggered the light. I was quoted $2750 for the repairs needed. I knew going to the dealership would be pricier, but felt desperate and trusted that they would do the right thing. I was later contacted that I would need a new wheel-bearing and it wasnt safe to drive during the test. That was an additional $719. Before I came in on 6/22 to pick up my car which was "ready", I was told that there may be some electrical glitches, but to wait for a potential recall. After I paid $3469, I discovered that my turn signals didn't work and my windows couldn't roll down when I was leaving the lot. They were working when I dropped my vehicle off, after the belt had broken. Very upset, I explained that my car was completely unsafe to drive in this condition. I was then told that the *** module burned out after the alternator broke. That should have been caught during the test drives, especially before I was called to pick it up. It was $1118 to get that replaced on 6/23. I discussed with other professionals that the mechanics likely made errors causing the electrical issues, on top of over-charging me for all of the parts and labor from the initial invoice. The mechanics knew I couldn't drive my car, so I had no choice but to have the electric diagnosis with them. I called *** to confirm that my car is not on the recall list, so I will not be getting that repair reimbursed by the dealership. I feel taken advantage of, especially because I had no closer options to take in my car when I got my initial warning. I expect the most professional service from the dealership over other shops. They either knew my lights and windows didn't work, or neglected to check. Although I was given a loaner, and got a $200 discount in the second invoice, I think I was gouged and misled.

  

  Business response

  07/19/2023

  On June 15, 2023 **************** brought his 2012 **** ****** vehicle to the **** of Fort Wayne ****************** with a complaint of the battery light being illuminated and hearing noises from the engine compartment. The certified technician determined that the alternator belt had come off due to oil contamination from a previously identified, but unfixed oil leak. That oil leak had been identified by the service technician when ****************** vehicle was at the **** service department in November 2022. (See attached PREWORKORDER 281137B) At that time **************** declined to repair the leak. The results of the unrepaired leak were the alternator belt becoming disengaged, the alternator stopped charging and the belt tensioner was damaged.
  
  Upon diagnosis of the alternator and belt tensioner damage,**** Service quoted **************** the necessary parts and labor to replace the belt and tensioner. The Service technician again revisited the oil leak quote from November 2022. **************** approved those repairs, so the technician repaired the belt and tensioner as well as the crankshaft seal that was the cause of the oil leak. During the repair of the oil leaks, the technician discovered that one of the axle shaft bolts was loose and the nut needed replaced. This discovery is noted by the technician in Invoice 285049B on page 4 of 9, which is attached. The technician replaced the damaged driveshaft nut. After completing the repairs, the technician test drove the vehicle and discovered that the wheel bearing was noisy, most likely due to the axle bolt being loose and needing to be replaced as well as the myriad of electrical issues related to a failed *** module. **************** approved the replacement of the wheel bearing and declined the *** module repairs. (See page 5 of Invoice 285049B) These *** modules have a long history of failures. So much so that **** had two extensions to the warranty coverage of them both of which had expired. The most recent extension had expired on 10/27/2021 a full ten years after the original in-service date. It should be noted that **** did announce an upcoming recall on the *** modules however ****************** vehicle is not in the current list of covered identification number.
  
  **** Fort Wayne did its best to identify the needed repairs as the process played out. The problems did snowball the deeper we got into the repairs. This is not unusual with older ****s. **** of Fort Wayne is very sorry that **************** feels as though someone took advantage of him however that is not the case. To show **************** the companys appreciation for his business, **** of Fort Wayne will offer him one free oil change. He may contact our service team to schedule. 

• Initial Complaint

  05/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I brought my 2019 Mini Countryman on 05/12/2022 because the ** only worked intermittently. This was after having a full service 05/05/2022 and having paid $550.00.Upon inspection, the car appeared to be okay, and I was given an all-clear. However, the ** continued to fail a day later. I made another appointment via phone on 05/22/2022. The next available appointment was 06/06/2022. Due to the length of time and not wanting to drive the car in summer without **, I took the car to a local garage, where they promptly fixed it. Despite wanting to take the car to the *** Dealership and driving an hour to get there, I have an issue with the service. It does not give me confidence in Mini of Fort Wayne, who should know the car better than any other mechanic. They did not, and I appear to have been fobbed off in this instance. I understand that times are difficult for many businesses, my own included. Still, the service you are providing in this respect is sub-par. If you can assure me that you can give the best possible service in the future, I will continue using Mini of Fort Wayne. I would also like to be refunded the $265.00 for repair on the ** Receipts attached.

  

  Business response

  05/24/2022

  To whom it may concern:

  My name is ********************* and I am the Corporate Counsel for Kelley ***************** which includes Fort Wayne ********* hereinafter called *************** I will be the main contact on this matter. In response to ****************** complaint ******** states the following:

  ************** brought his vehicle into the ******** dealership for general maintenance on May 4, 2022. There was no complaint at that time regarding the Air Conditioner and ************** was charged for the services performed.  All services were unrelated to the Air Conditioner.  See attached Repair Order.  On May 12, 2022 ************** returned to the dealership service department and indicated that he was having intermittent A/C issues.  At the time he presented at the dealership, he indicated that the A/C had worked fine all the way from ******, which was from where he had driven.  The trained technician inspected the vehicle but could not replicate the issue.  The technician did calibrate the air distribution flaps as a precaution.  ************** was provided the inspection and the calibration free of charge.  See attached Repair Order. 

  ************** called on May 22, 2022 with additional issues with his air conditioner and was informed that the next available appointment was June 6, 2022.  This was truly the next available appointment.  He took his vehicle to a local service station because he did not want to wait until June 6th for the appointment and be without air conditioning.  ************** he claims they fixed his **.  The local garage did not diagnose any issue with ****************** vehicle.  The garage used by ************** merely flushed the freon and added more. (See repair order attached to ****************** complaint)  This action is not going to fix an issue if there is an issue with the ** system causing freon to leak from the system. There is no indication on the Repair Order if the garage's technician measured the freon that was expelled to determine if there was a freon leak. There is no way to tell if the vehicle was low on freon other than flushing it, measuring what is removed and then replacing.  The course of action taken by the local garage will likely give ************** a temporary fix, but may not get to the root cause of the issue.  

  ************** seeks money from ******** for having his freon flushed and added.  There is no basis for this request.  He was only charged for general maintenance services on May 4 and was never charged for the diagnosis and calibration on May 12.  His repair **** related to flushing and adding freon, and is his own to pay.  

  Kelley Automotive values all customers and does hope ************** will seek their professional guidance provided by highly trained, certified technicians in the future.  They apologize they could not get ************** in for a service appointment before June 6, 2022, but this is due to scheduling of other customers and no reflection on their willingness to assist him with his issue. 

   

  Sincerely, 

  *********************

   

   

  Customer response

  05/24/2022

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  
  

  Thank you.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩