Bad start for the week!

[nitrosport2000]

Hey everyone

A few months ago, I leased a new BMW 328i. Last night I drove my car into an alley to park behind my friends house. When I got to the back, I had to wait for him to move his car up. I shut my car off for like 3 minutes to wait. When he moved the car, I tried to start my car but all the electronics just flickered and the car wouldn't start. It turns out one of my battery cells is defective!

After calling BMW road side assistance and waiting 3 hours for the "90 minute max" arrival time, the guy finally came. He tried to jump the car and after like 25 tries, it finally started. He told me to drive home and call them today if it didn't start in the morning so I could take it to the dealership. Sure enough, it didn't start. Another 2 hours of waiting for bmw road side. The guy couldn't jump start the car!! Another few hours of waiting and another guy comes and finally starts it (after the battery started smoking and getting really hot).

We took the car to the dealership. I noticed that after the jump, the engine was making clicking and knocking noises The dealership said they can't check it today so I had to leave it there overnight. I said fine, give me a rental. They told me they are all out of rentals. The only thing they had left was a stinking soccer mom van!!!!!

I took it and parked it at the house. I'm not driving that thing. I'm gonna look rediculous as a 20 year old male driving a socccer mom mini van!

[Andrew32]

really BMW usually has a HUGE inventory of rentals. My brother in law gets a rental every time he gets oil change for his M5.

My pathfinder wouldnt start and the dealership sent me to enterprise, you shoulda demanded they do that

[nitrosport2000]

really BMW usually has a HUGE inventory of rentals. My brother in law gets a rental every time he gets oil change for his M5.

My pathfinder wouldnt start and the dealership sent me to enterprise, you shoulda demanded they do that

If they don't have my car fixed tomorrow morning, I'm gonna insist on them getting me another rental. I can't even use the mini van. It's rediculous.

[cuda_tmaxx]

really BMW usually has a HUGE inventory of rentals. My brother in law gets a rental every time he gets oil change for his M5.

My pathfinder wouldnt start and the dealership sent me to enterprise, you shoulda demanded they do that

BMW might have a huge inventory of rentals, but the dealership may not. When my Pt cruiser was in for repair I got a dodge charger.

[jusleanit]

i guess each dealership is different. when i had a M3 a few yrs back i got various bmw models from a new jersey dealership. in virginia they give out toyotas(when the loaners are low so they said)w/bmw logos all over them. personally ill drive anything. id drive that soccer man van till the wheels came off btw are u getting loaners or rentals??

[vypr2002]

hrmph!
be thankfull you have anything to drive at all!

[smashpede]

Sorry to here that.

Not to sound negative but that kinda give me the wrong impression if they are all out of rentals. Could just be a bad week (for the dealer).

Oh and ah just wait. If you have kidS you will want a "soccer moms" van. I only have one and would love a mini van.
Kenny

[MOPAR MARV]

Hey now,Not all minivan drivers are "soccer moms"!
I am a 51 year old retired mechanic and I own two "90 Caravans[1 driver and 1 for parts] They may not be sexy looking but they serve me very well. They will hold a ton of stuff,helping a friend move,shopping,auctions or whatever. You can haul a small army of friends or a horde of screaming yard apes.

Personally,I don't care what anyone thinks of whatever I'm driving.Its mine and paid for and if they don't like it,thats just too darned bad.

A flashy ride does not make the man [ or woman ] any tougher or better looking or anything better than who they are. So why worry about what it is, as long as its safe and dependable, a ride is just a ride.

[jusleanit]

tru....but i think w/all thats goin on he's really upset! i no id be if my bm just stopped workin

[nitrosport2000]

Hey now,Not all minivan drivers are "soccer moms"!
I am a 51 year old retired mechanic and I own two "90 Caravans[1 driver and 1 for parts] They may not be sexy looking but they serve me very well. They will hold a ton of stuff,helping a friend move,shopping,auctions or whatever. You can haul a small army of friends or a horde of screaming yard apes.

Personally,I don't care what anyone thinks of whatever I'm driving.Its mine and paid for and if they don't like it,thats just too darned bad.

A flashy ride does not make the man [ or woman ] any tougher or better looking or anything better than who they are. So why worry about what it is, as long as its safe and dependable, a ride is just a ride.

LOL... sorry Mopar Marv. Didn't mean to offend you I actually don't have a problem driving our cargo van. I just don't like the mini van they gave me. Anyway, I drove it to college today hehehe. I had no choice in the matter. I'm still waiting on a call from BMW to see what's going on.

BMW might have a huge inventory of rentals, but the dealership may not. When my Pt cruiser was in for repair I got a dodge charger.

I want a charger Thats what they should give me. I'll even settle for a mustang GT.

hrmph!
be thankfull you have anything to drive at all!

I'm thankful that I have a car but you would be upset if you bought a new car and it broke down in just a few months. The whole reason I took on payments is that I don't have to break down all the time like with my old car.

i guess each dealership is different. when i had a M3 a few yrs back i got various bmw models from a new jersey dealership. in virginia they give out toyotas(when the loaners are low so they said)w/bmw logos all over them. personally ill drive anything. id drive that soccer man van till the wheels came off btw are u getting loaners or rentals??

It's a loaner I guess. I don't pay anything for it since my car is still new they said.

[Andrew32]

i guess each dealership is different. when i had a M3 a few yrs back i got various bmw models from a new jersey dealership. in virginia they give out toyotas(when the loaners are low so they said)w/bmw logos all over them. personally ill drive anything. id drive that soccer man van till the wheels came off btw are u getting loaners or rentals??

if the Qis to me- thats the word i was looking for. he gets a loaner

if it to nitro - im SURE its a loaner. cuz thats not what id expect from a new car

[biggregg24]

when my caddie got hit they tried to give me a saturn! i said no!, a kia! no, finnaly i got a mazda speed six, and that thing was very fun to drive, can you say auto stick?

[biggregg24]

he probably did a neutral drop, which is killer on a auto tranny!

[MOPAR MARV]

[QUOTE=nitrosport2000]LOL... sorry Mopar Marv. Didn't mean to offend you I actually don't have a problem driving our cargo van. I just don't like the mini van they gave me. Anyway, I drove it to college today hehehe. I had no choice in the matter. I'm still waiting on a call from BMW to see what's going on.[quote]


Hey,no worries. You'd have to work pretty hard to offend me. It was the "soccer mom" thing that got me going. I've been driving minivans for six or seven years now and unless I'm missing something, I don't fit the soccer mom tag.

In your original post,it sounded like you had it in for all minivans,not the particular unit they loaned you[what is it?]so I felt obliged to take up the defense. I love a good challenge so I almost always back the underdog.

Anyways,good luck on the Beamer problem,hope they get it ironed out for you soon.

[leroycool1]

ok i just need to ask

what is a 20 year old doing with a BMW 328i

i would say its mom and dad money and a VERY picky kid

[nitrosport2000]

ok i just need to ask

what is a 20 year old doing with a BMW 328i

i would say its mom and dad money and a VERY picky kid

And I would say that since you don't know me, you are in no position to come to that conclusion. If you must know, I work for my money just like anyone else and I have the right to be picky when a car (which I paid for) broke down after a few months of use.

[Andrew32]

And I would say that since you don't know me, you are in no position to come to that conclusion. If you must know, I work for my money just like anyone else and I have the right to be picky when a car (which I paid for) broke down after a few months of use.

WORD!! I get that a lot too. i got a paid internship my JR year in HS @$11/h and now work for a big companyfor $32 per appointment and 35% commission

[nitrosport2000]

WORD!! I get that a lot too. i got a paid internship my JR year in HS @$11/h and now work for a big companyfor $32 per appointment and 35% commission

See, age means nothing when someone is dedicated to get ahead. I didn't want to sound mean to that guy but I just get annoyed when I'm judged by someone who doesn't know me.

Good luck with your new internship!!!

By the way guys, I got my car back today. It turns out that the battery cells were defective as I predicted and the hydraulic lifters were damaged when they tried to jump my car. (I don't know how lol)

[nitrosport2000]

Hey,no worries. You'd have to work pretty hard to offend me. It was the "soccer mom" thing that got me going. I've been driving minivans for six or seven years now and unless I'm missing something, I don't fit the soccer mom tag.

In your original post,it sounded like you had it in for all minivans,not the particular unit they loaned you[what is it?]so I felt obliged to take up the defense. I love a good challenge so I almost always back the underdog.

Anyways,good luck on the Beamer problem,hope they get it ironed out for you soon.

The one they gave me was a kia. My father owned a gutted caravan like yours some time ago. We used to load that thing like crazy. It finally gave out on us and we ended up getting a GMC. I might still have a pic of it. I'll try to find it.

[EbayEmaxx]

ok the same thing happened to our Bmw, 2001 525. The car wouldn't start, so we tested the voltage of the battery and it was like 8v or something. We charged it up enough for it to start, and drive straight to to dealer. It was under warranty.

[nitrosport2000]

ok the same thing happened to our Bmw, 2001 525. The car wouldn't start, so we tested the voltage of the battery and it was like 8v or something. We charged it up enough for it to start, and drive straight to to dealer. It was under warranty.

My battery wouldn't hold a charge at all. They literally started my car off of the jumper cables alone. Infact, the battery got extremely hot and started smoking when they were trying to jump it.

[navigator ghost]

How can somebody mess up a jump? I was trying to get my flooded '70 Duster started in 15 degree weather and after cranking off and on for about 10 minutes, I could tell the battery started dying. My dad and I drove to Wally World, got a set of jumper cables, and got the battery charged back up again. Turned out the engine was WAY flooded, and I ended up having to disconnect the choke linkage and have my dad hold the choke open while I cranked the engine. Fired up in 5 seconds! On my way home I thanked God old cars are so simple. These days not everybody carries around an OBD-II reader and codebook and a computer reprogrammer. All I need is a socket wrench set, a screwdriver, and some pliers in a box in my trunk. But really, can it be that complicated, or mechanics that stupid? After two tries one of them should have just taken out a spare battery and hooked it up for you.

[Andrew32]

But really, can it be that complicated, or mechanics that stupid? After two tries one of them should have just taken out a spare battery and hooked it up for you.

you make a point, seeing the car was under warranty id figure they would and shoulda changed the battery right there.

i just thought of this. nitro, make sure the sparks and heating didnt damage anything else. including small thinks like wires, burned spots on body. address is aLL!!!!!

[nitrosport2000]

How can somebody mess up a jump? I was trying to get my flooded '70 Duster started in 15 degree weather and after cranking off and on for about 10 minutes, I could tell the battery started dying. My dad and I drove to Wally World, got a set of jumper cables, and got the battery charged back up again. Turned out the engine was WAY flooded, and I ended up having to disconnect the choke linkage and have my dad hold the choke open while I cranked the engine. Fired up in 5 seconds! On my way home I thanked God old cars are so simple. These days not everybody carries around an OBD-II reader and codebook and a computer reprogrammer. All I need is a socket wrench set, a screwdriver, and some pliers in a box in my trunk. But really, can it be that complicated, or mechanics that stupid? After two tries one of them should have just taken out a spare battery and hooked it up for you.

BMW is sending AAA out now rather than utilizing their own service. They didn't have any batteries on the truck. They couldn't jump it right because the battery was actually defective. One of the cells was damaged and it caused the battery to drop in voltage. Rather than it charging, it was heating up and smoking. It's really weird to see that happen to a fairly new battery. Oh well.... I could have fixed the car myself as I always worked on my old car. I just didn't want to mess with anything and have BMW tell me my warranty is void or something like that. I still don't understand how the hydraulic lifters were damaged.....

Andrew32,

I'm way ahead of you bro. I already double checked under the hood where the battery hub is and in the trunk where the actual battery is palced.

[Boone722]

[QUOTE=nitrosport2000]BMW is sending AAA out now rather than utilizing their own service. They didn't have any batteries on the truck. They couldn't jump it right because the battery was actually defective. One of the cells was damaged and it caused the battery to drop in voltage. Rather than it charging, it was heating up and smoking. It's really weird to see that happen to a fairly new battery. Oh well.... I could have fixed the car myself as I always worked on my old car. I just didn't want to mess with anything and have BMW tell me my warranty is void or something like that. I still don't understand how the hydraulic lifters were damaged.....

^^^ I would be very upset !!! Very expensive car you have indeed.I think I would either have it taken to another dealership(if that's is possible) just to be safe.But maybe from jumping it like that it might have jumped time(engine wise)causing damage to the lifters?? Good luck on your car.Fighting with dealerships can be very tiring.

[navigator ghost]

It's probably an ignition timing thing or an overall engine computer thing, now that I think of it. I think the dealer's pulling a classic "we want more money so we'll purposely throw expensive parts and service at the car until it's fixed or the owner gives up".

[69Malibu]

okay i know having a car not working isnt good. but compared to having someone shoot up a a public place having to drive a minivan for a few days isnt nothing to complain about.

[nitrosport2000]

okay i know having a car not working isnt good. but compared to having someone shoot up a a public place having to drive a minivan for a few days isnt nothing to complain about.

I posted this days before that incident happened plus my annoyance was mostly because a brand new car would break down like that and AAA made me wait 3 times for a multitude of hours, not because of the loaner they gave me (although I was upset). We just somehow got caught up on the loaner rather than on the car and the bad service I got from AAA (not to mention they damaged the hydraulic lifters when they jumped it).

As I said before, I got the car back and it's running fine.

[robert_s]

I really want to know how the hydraulic lifters were damaged when they tried to jump it. I hope you get more details for us.

[nitrosport2000]

I really want to know how the hydraulic lifters were damaged when they tried to jump it. I hope you get more details for us.

I asked the lady why it happened and all she told me was that the problem I was experiencing (the voltage drops and battery short) could effect the hydraulic lifters or as the invoice says, hydraulic vavle adjusters. She didn't know the specifics of it.

[robert_s]

Seems strange to me that a jump would cause such trouble. They don't make things like they used to, I don't understand these new cars. Thanks for the info though.

[69Malibu]

its funny. the bmw has more electronic junk under the hood than the 69 malibu had in the entire car. i mean open up the hood of a brand new car and you got cables and wires everywhere. now open the hood of something like the malibu. got a small bumdle of wires. you dont have a computer or any other teck other than a stereo. also since it has a carb the entire motor is more mechanical than electronic.plus nothing like getting a muscle car to highway speed and feeling the whole car vibrate just a little from the power. i miss that car. used to be able to lift my foot off the brake and the car would move under its own power. the car did have some issues though. liek going to park one day at a parking lot the cable going from the tranny to the shifter got damaged, i couldnt park on any grade at all, the car sometimes didnt want to start and liked to stall if you tried to drive away too soon after starting up, the fuel gauge was an issue, and needed some minor body work. but now i have a car with a weird fuel gauge (hmm not much of a difference), sometimes wants to stall on cold days (well the malibu stalled on hot days. cold days started perfectly), need to install the new convertible top on my mustang (funny that even with pretty good sized holes almost no water gets in. any water damage was probably caused by leaving the top down in a storm. had no choice. top wouldnt go back up), and who knows what else needs to be done to the miustang. but 2 funny things about me and the mustang. first we were both born about the same time. i was born in 85 and since the car is an 86 it was built and or sold in 85. and the other funny bit is i hate fords except for 3 vehicles. the bigfoot monster truck fords, alan kulwicki's ford underbird (1992 nascar champ. drove a thunderbird that was known as the underbird for the final race of 92) and the final ford is my mustang. other than that i am a chevy guy.

[nitrosport2000]

Mods, Please delete this thread because I don't want it starting flame wars. Some members, unfortunately, took this thread the wrong way.

Thanks

Ray

[Nitronaught]

Oh that's what you get for getting some fancy import to impress your college buddies with. j/k

Seriously, Yeah it would stink if your new lease died on you and then they messed up the car cause they don't know what they are doing. It's pretty hard to damage hydraulic lifters jumping a car. Never even heard of that happening before.

But hey, you had transportation and it beats walking. Let them know you want a break on the lease. Say drop 1 payment and be done with it.

I think all 69Malibu was trying to point out is things could be worse. You have every right to get mad, just don't forget about the Big Picture. It'll save you a few years on your life to keep the blood pressure down.

[nitrosport2000]

Oh that's what you get for getting some fancy import to impress your college buddies with. j/k

Yeah it would stink if your new lease died on you and then they messed up the car cause they don't know what they are doing. It's pretty hard to damage hydraulic lifters jumping a car. Never even heard of that happening before.

But hey, you had transportation and it beats walking. Let them know you want a break on the lease. Say drop 1 payment and be done with it.

LOL.... Actually, I got it because I was spending all my money on repairs for my old car. I sold my old car, put that money down on my new lease, and I pay monthly payments from my job and sometimes from my savings account.

[jay_99z]

At least you're not dead. Or homeless. Or missing your pinky finger.

[nitrosport2000]

At least you're not dead. Or homeless. Or missing your pinky finger.

Yes, and I'm thankful for that.

[Nitronaught]

^That's good^ Last October I lost all of my upper teeth and now I'm wearing a denture untill the swelling goes down from the oral surgery. Long story Dental School mishap and no I can't sue them cause I signed a waiver before the treatment or should I say the mis-treatment I was given. My REAL dentist said the instructor should have been shot along with the students.

You get a whole different perspective on food when you can't chew for a month. I hate pasta now!!!!

[nitrosport2000]

^That's good^ Last October I lost all of my upper teeth and now I'm wearing a denture untill the swelling goes down from the oral surgery. Long story Dental School mishap and no I can't sue them cause I signed a waiver before the treatment or should I say the mis-treatment I was given. My REAL dentist said the instructor should have been shot along with the students.

You get a whole different perspective on food when you can't chew for a month. I hate pasta now!!!!

Ouch!
I have a problem with my jaw and I need to have surgery done but the thought of not eating hard foods for 2 months scares me hehehe. My whole jaw is out of place and my teeth don't close right. They need to cut bone out of my jaw on both sides. They also need to pull my jaw over somehow so it falls in the right place. Hope you feel better man!!!!!

[aussiek2000]

It's probably an ignition timing thing or an overall engine computer thing, now that I think of it. I think the dealer's pulling a classic "we want more money so we'll purposely throw expensive parts and service at the car until it's fixed or the owner gives up".

it sickens me that people think of mechanics like that. my dad has been a mechanic for 20+ years and has never tried to screw people out of their hard earned money. and neither has anybody else in the shop he works at.