Car Faulty after recall campaign 9 November 2022 at 1:57PM in Motoring 9 replies 604 views

u07jrb

Hi,

I have a BMW that has the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation valve) replaced every 2 or so years under a recall campaign by BMW.  I recently had the second recall and had it in the garage last week.  The EGR valve gets replaced for free.  On receipt of the car, everything was fine but about 10 miles into drive home I got a drivetrain fault.  The car worked fine and got me home where I was going to look into the fault.   I looked into it and it didn't really give me much info from the car so I phoned BMW to explain what happened.  They said that the next appointment was 3 weeks away which I was disappointed at but accepted. 

I then got a after service email about a week later so I explained to the service manager what happened and provided more info as I got a ODB scanner to look at fault codes.
He said bring it in immediately and they will look at it.  On going to start the car I realised that it would not let me change from park to drive so I couldn't drive it.  I explained to the service manger and he said it would need a recovery and asked a few other things.  

I have now gone back and forth to him a few times now but don't really have a resolution and now he is not replying.  

What are my rights here?  should they deal with the issue as it happened after they have touched the car or is it a grey area where it could be something that I might have to address/pay for.

For me I brough a perfectly working car into BMW and got a car with issues out of it.  Ideally I just want them to collect it and fix it.

Here are the issues that I can see on the ODB

ZGM (Central Gateway Module) 801C12 Send Power Down command due to previous sleeping

ICM (Integrated Chassis Management)   D02C67 DCS Interface signal invalid

                                                                  D0157A wheel torque powertrain invalid transmitter

FRM (Footwell Module) E5850F Message data drive train incorrect receiver FRM transmitter

ECM (Engine Control Module) 24A100 Charge Pressure actuator open circuit or short to ground

                                                                298700 Charge Pressure Actuator activation open circuit

                                                                260100 Exhaust gas temp sensor after exhaust gas recirc cooler signal open or short circuit

EPB (Electrical Parking Brake) D3957A Signal (powertrain 4 wheel torque invalid transmitter DME/DDE

Note that they also did a electronic vehicle inspection after the EGR replacement and none of the above are mentioned.

I am going to give him till Friday to put an action plan together and then I will see about the complaint's procedure.  I made contact with him on Monday.

Is this a me problem or are BMW responsible for a botched job?

rigolith

BMW should cover your costs resulting from this. That is things like a hire car if needed, travel costs etc. You should keep a record of your costs and ask them to cover them at the soonest opportunity.

Unfortunately you can't prove that the fault was directly due to their actions. You could get an independent report done, but it's best to ask if they will cover your costs and do any repairs for free first. If they say yes then no problem. If they say no then you should tell them that you want the fault independently investigated with a view to gathering evidence of any necessary legal action if it was their fault.

flashg67

Can only see BMW or the dealer entertaining any repair or other costs unless/until it's confirmed it's their fault. On the face of it, the faults don't seem linked?
For me, this would include getting it to them a your own cost (initially). If they're now ignoring you, I suppose the options are, wait until your appointment date, physically visit the branch for a face to face, or try another dealer?

u07jrb

I think the point for me is that it would be a hell of a coincidence if it wasn't their fault. I have had this car for a number of years and thousands of miles and issues occur less than 10 miles after being in their garage.  No way.

ontheroad1970

Coincidences are more frequent than you might think.  What model and what year is it?

diystarter7

u07jrb said:

I think the point for me is that it would be a hell of a coincidence if it wasn't their fault. I have had this car for a number of years and thousands of miles and issues occur less than 10 miles after being in their garage.  No way.

I can relate to what you have said as one of my cars had a recall and I could swear it was not accelerating as before and had less mpg but i had no hard evidence. In the end after a few weeks, I got used to it. ( I had the car from brand new nd it was a couple of years old on the recall)

Higher-end cars are incredibly complexed and at times they can never put their finger on the pulse.

I wish you luck and I hope it goes in your favour.

rigolith

The only way you will know for sure is if you get it checked independently. But first thing is to ask them to fix it for free and cover you costs. They might just do it.

u07jrb

So, BMW have said I am responsible for getting the car to them.  They don't have recovery vehicles apparently.  They have also said that they will only cover the cost of the repair if it is directly associated with the change they did. i.e. EGR cooler and valve.  I am starting to think I should go to an independent and get them to say what the issue is.  I could put it into BMW and I am sure they can turn things to their favour.  i.e. some bundling could have been disturbed during the changeout.  Because its not directly associated with EGR they could just say It happened randomly.  Too hard to prove otherwise.

Is there anyone official who can actually dish out advice for this?  An ombudsman maybe or consumer advice?

eschaton

Has the drivetrain message appeared again?

I had it on a 3 series in February 2020. At that point I hadn’t got round to getting the recall done. Luckily the car drove fine as it happened in Stornoway when on holiday. 

When I did get the recall done, a leaking diff seal miraculously was then pishing out and cost me nearly £500. First and last BMW. 

When I sold the car 9 months later, the drivetrain warning had never reappeared. 

u07jrb

Yea, It is just permanently on when you unlock the car.