Independents, New Car Warranty, Self Provided Parts

[BlackrazorNZ 83]

Hi there,

Has anyone had experience with using a qualified independent mechanic to fit upgraded parts to a new-ish BMW, and whether it had any impact on the warranty for the rest of the vehicle?

Also, has anyone attempted to get an authorised BMW dealership to fit genuine BMW parts you've sourced yourself rather than via them? Did they refuse to or are they prepared to do so if you're prepared to pay for their time?

Thanks, Dan.

[KwS 2425]

Have you thought about asking the warranty and service advisors at your chosen dealer?

[GorGasm 563]

Don't be silly KwS

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

What parts are you talking about Dan ? 

[BlackrazorNZ 83]

22 hours ago, KwS said:

Have you thought about asking the warranty and service advisors at your chosen dealer?

I’m deeply and irreparably distrustful of the advice of anyone who stands to make money by giving it. In any industry. Almost to the point of believing that all dealer advice is wrong until proven otherwise  

Very much prefer to get feedback and advice from those who are only in it for the love. 

[Olaf 3317]

16 minutes ago, BlackrazorNZ said:

Very much prefer to get feedback and advice from those who are only in it for the love. 

You know what they say about free advice.  In most cases, It's usually worth what you paid for it!

[Gaz 1061]

Each dealer will have their own rules about fitting aftermarket parts, we do but others do not. As to the warranty, yes it can affect it but also depends on the scenario. 

16 minutes ago, BlackrazorNZ said:

I’m deeply and irreparably distrustful of the advice of anyone who stands to make money by giving it. In any industry. Almost to the point of believing that all dealer advice is wrong until proven otherwise  

Very much prefer to get feedback and advice from those who are only in it for the love. 

But if the car fails you'd expect them to bend over backwards for you no? I think you'll find most people who work in the industry do it because they enjoy and have a passion for the brand. Just because we work for the dealer doesn't change why we work there

[Olaf 3317]

yep.  something here about about genuine professionals can be found in professional roles throughout the automotive industry; dealerships, independents, parts, etc etc, and accepting money for it is a fact of life!

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2956]

1 hour ago, BlackrazorNZ said:

I’m deeply and irreparably distrustful of the advice of anyone who stands to make money by giving it. In any industry. Almost to the point of believing that all dealer advice is wrong until proven otherwise  

Very much prefer to get feedback and advice from those who are only in it for the love. 

So if some random comes on here and posts "yeah,  Joe Bloggs garage will do that for you, no problems. Warranty will still be sweet mate." You'd take your car to them and then expect your factory warranty to be honoured, just because they said so..? Strange.

I think you mentioned on another thread that you were leasing the car, would the lease agreement have any conditions around 'modifying" the vehicle?

[KwS 2425]

1 hour ago, BlackrazorNZ said:

I’m deeply and irreparably distrustful of the advice of anyone who stands to make money by giving it. In any industry. Almost to the point of believing that all dealer advice is wrong until proven otherwise  

Very much prefer to get feedback and advice from those who are only in it for the love. 

That may be, as misguided as it is, but the only people that will be able to yay or nay what you're asking, is the dealer you intend to use. 

Do you seriously think all independent workshops are in it just for the love and not money? If they were, they wouldn't be open anymore. 

[Olaf 3317]

2 hours ago, BlackrazorNZ said:

I’m deeply and irreparably distrustful of the advice of anyone who stands to make money by giving it. In any industry. Almost to the point of believing that all dealer advice is wrong until proven otherwise  

Having had a little time to digest your statement, I have the following comment.  

During my time in sales, I found it was important to quickly qualify the few potential customers in this category.  Best you could do was to be professional.  They were usually powered by internet "experts", magazines, and unusual theories.  They needed guidance, but you couldn't tell them anything.  None of the internet "experts" were professionals in this field, yet they held sway... and were more often than not, well off-base.  These customers were rarely likely to spend any money with you.  By qualifying early, you could be polite, professional, treat them with respect as a potential customer, but still concentrate your efforts on servicing existing customers and new prospects with an open mind, to whom you could actually prove value and service, and even sell products and services to and create or grow satisfied and loyal customers.

I can only suggest you've had some really bad experiences to generate this start position.  I hope you can find a provider that works for you.

Good luck with your search.

Edited March 9, 2019 by Olaf

[kwhelan 241]

I share your distrust and treat a lot of dealers with caution ,sometimes you have no choice especially regarding warranty but I 've caught them out too many times for them to just be all believed as straight up honest.

My nissan warrant for example was passed ok, but needed new rear pads supposedly, odd I thought so never did anything about it and 3 years later still sailing thru warrants at the same nissan dealer

I used to work at a holden dealer in the parts dept myself so I know full well how often wiper blades and things were changed on customers cars.

[BlackrazorNZ 83]

Wow... that generated a response and a half!

10 hours ago, Olaf said:

You know what they say about free advice.  In most cases, It's usually worth what you paid for it!

To be fair, on this matter I'm not so much looking for advice as I am for multiple data points from people who have been in a similar situation.

I certainly don't think that dealers/retailers, in any industry, set out to deceive (Hanlon's Razor - 'Never attribute to malice anything adequately explainable by either ignorance or incompetence'), however it has most definitely been my experience that dealers/retailers are, on average, little more reliable as a source of fact and truth than educated members of the general public. At times you'll be lucky and bump into the long serving team member who knows everything about the subject matter and is amazing to deal with. Unfortunately, those seem to be rarer and rarer in the current retail environment.

Take my recent 'car hunt' before I decided on the BMW. One sales guy at the Volkswagen dealership told me that the difference between the Golf GTI and the Golf R was that the Golf R was a turbo. Another told me the new Polo GTI handles well because it has a limited slip diff. The lady at the Hyundai dealership told me that the soon-to-arrive i30N was all wheel drive. 

All of which was bollocks ? So forgive my somewhat jaded cynicism.

10 hours ago, Gaz said:

I think you'll find most people who work in the industry do it because they enjoy and have a passion for the brand. Just because we work for the dealer doesn't change why we work there

I don't dispute that. And to be fair, my comment was on my general approach to dealers for anything, not just BMW or even cars. Ever walked into an IT store and asked for specific technical advice recently? You're 10% likely to get a correct answer, 30% likely to get a wrong answer, and 60% likely to get a blank stare.

9 hours ago, E30 325i Rag-Top said:

So if some random comes on here and posts "yeah,  Joe Bloggs garage will do that for you, no problems. Warranty will still be sweet mate." You'd take your car to them and then expect your factory warranty to be honoured, just because they said so..? Strange.

No, of course I wouldn't. But there is wisdom in crowds, and so the more responses and data points you get, the more likely you are to be able to weed out the outlying / incorrect / misleading responses, whatever their source. 

9 hours ago, KwS said:

Do you seriously think all independent workshops are in it just for the love and not money? If they were, they wouldn't be open anymore. 

I haven't asked the question of an independent workshop, either, nor would I necessarily be any more trusting of their response (in isolation).

8 hours ago, Olaf said:

I can only suggest you've had some really bad experiences to generate this start position.  

Yeh, I don't know exactly where that view comes from. Perhaps it's a little bit of the ol' Reagan philosophy of 'Trust, but Verify'

 

Edited March 9, 2019 by BlackrazorNZ

[BlackrazorNZ 83]

On 3/8/2019 at 12:51 PM, KwS said:

Have you thought about asking the warranty and service advisors at your chosen dealer?

Let me answer this again, but with a more specific thought process behind it.

I am reluctant to ask the warranty and service advisors at my chosen dealer (and it wouldn't matter one iota to my thought process which dealer that was), as I would not have sufficient trust that I would get a factually honest answer as opposed to a company line slanted to generate business in their favour, if the true answer was one that mitigated or reduced their ability to make money off me.

I realise that sounds paranoid and I'm probably damaged goods, but per examples mentioned above, I've never had the best luck with dealers and factual accuracy.

Perhaps after I've dealt with a dealer I like for a few years and built up some trust, that'll dissipate somewhat.

Edited March 9, 2019 by BlackrazorNZ

[KwS 2425]

Whether you hate dealers or not, they are the ONLY ones that can yay or nay the questions you have.

Get over yourself, or do it yourself and warranty be damned.

[Gaz 1061]

Sales people have it easy as people will buy a car based on a number of things, none of which are how much the sales person knows. Most people these days know more than the sales person. Service and in particular warranty advisors have to deal with the black and white rulebook that the Germans have created (which often changes so bear that in mind when asking for peoples experiences) so are more likey to get an accurate answer from one of them. 

What is it you are wanting to do exactly?

[Olaf 3317]

10 hours ago, BlackrazorNZ said:

I am reluctant to ask the warranty and service advisors at my chosen dealer (and it wouldn't matter one iota to my thought process which dealer that was), as I would not have sufficient trust that I would get a factually honest answer as opposed to a company line slanted to generate business in their favour, if the true answer was one that mitigated or reduced their ability to make money off me.

Seriously man, how do you get on with your dentist?     Builder?  Architect?  Physiotherapist?  Doctor?  What happens when you go out to dinner; do you take the waiter/waitress to pieces if they recommend a dish or wine to you?  ?

Edited March 9, 2019 by Olaf

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2956]

12 hours ago, BlackrazorNZ said:

I am reluctant to ask the warranty and service advisors at my chosen dealer (and it wouldn't matter one iota to my thought process which dealer that was), as I would not have sufficient trust that I would get a factually honest answer as opposed to a company line slanted to generate business in their favour, if the true answer was one that mitigated or reduced their ability to make money off me.

Tbh, the service / warranty advisors are stuck in the middle, it all comes down to whether the factory approves the work as being covered by warranty.

There are always grey areas with this, and dealers have very little room to move in terms of “good will”. In such cases it will often come down to how good a relationship you have with the dealership.

[BlackrazorNZ 83]

2 hours ago, Olaf said:

Seriously man, how do you get on with your dentist?     Builder?  Architect?  Physiotherapist?  Doctor?  What happens when you go out to dinner; do you take the waiter/waitress to pieces if they recommend a dish or wine to you?  ?

I don’t think I’ve ever asked a waiter for a recommendation in my life, but it’s a good point about the others. Odd that I’ll accept advice re professional services but struggle with accepting dealer advice on a physical purchase. I’m sure there’s a deep rooted issue there somewhere. Or maybe it’s because I can generally learn lots about a physical item pre-purchase, but I’m never gonna be a dentist. 

[M3AN 4016]

 Recently it seems that it doesn't take much for people to get really upset around here... 

Answer to your first question (warranty) = don't risk it, do everything by the book and pay the price or be prepared to be disappointed.

Second question (supplied parts) = it doesn't hurt to ask, I've been successful with supplying my own parts (by prior arrangement) with Bellars (North Shore), BM Workshop (Grey Lynn),  Kayne Barrie (North Auckland) and a couple of other randoms. I've been turned down at every BMW dealer but that doesn't surprise me.

As for advice, I tend to value it based on the amount of time the professionals are prepared to give - if I get a short or curt answer I assume it's BS, if somebody really spends the time to help me understand why something costs what it does (and it makes sense) then I value that highly. As a result I've spent thousands at each of those places I mention above and have zero regrets.

Edit: it's fun to get a quote for a fitted part from a BMW dealer here in NZ then ask if they'll fit exactly the same part, brand new, if you supply it ex. BMW AG with the BMW label attached (for half the price). Watch them try and wriggle out of that one... they won't fold though, they just won't do it.

Edited March 10, 2019 by M3AN

[kiwi535 538]

10 hours ago, BlackrazorNZ said:

I don’t think I’ve ever asked a waiter for a recommendation in my life, but it’s a good point about the others. Odd that I’ll accept advice re professional services but struggle with accepting dealer advice on a physical purchase. I’m sure there’s a deep rooted issue there somewhere. Or maybe it’s because I can generally learn lots about a physical item pre-purchase, but I’m never gonna be a dentist. 

well surely the dealer can be another"data point " if nothing else.

[BlackrazorNZ 83]

19 hours ago, M3AN said:

 Recently it seems that it doesn't take much for people to get really upset around here... 

Answer to your first question (warranty) = don't risk it, do everything by the book and pay the price or be prepared to be disappointed.

Second question (supplied parts) = it doesn't hurt to ask, I've been successful with supplying my own parts (by prior arrangement) with Bellars (North Shore), BM Workshop (Grey Lynn),  Kayne Barrie (North Auckland) and a couple of other randoms. I've been turned down at every BMW dealer but that doesn't surprise me.

As for advice, I tend to value it based on the amount of time the professionals are prepared to give - if I get a short or curt answer I assume it's BS, if somebody really spends the time to help me understand why something costs what it does (and it makes sense) then I value that highly. As a result I've spent thousands at each of those places I mention above and have zero regrets.

Edit: it's fun to get a quote for a fitted part from a BMW dealer here in NZ then ask if they'll fit exactly the same part, brand new, if you supply it ex. BMW AG with the BMW label attached (for half the price). Watch them try and wriggle out of that one... they won't fold though, they just won't do it.

Thank you, exact sort of response I was looking for, appreciate it.

I think based on this and other comments I'll stick with the car as stock until I decide whether to keep it long term or not, and if I do I'll worry about the additional parts and fitment then.

Might be better off just to save up what I would have spent on extras, and then just look at a 'proper' M in 3-4 years that come with all the bits I want fitted as standard.

Edited March 11, 2019 by BlackrazorNZ

[Olaf 3317]

8 minutes ago, BlackrazorNZ said:

Thank you, exact sort of response I was looking for, appreciate it.

I think based on this and other comments I'll stick with the car as stock until I decide whether to keep it long term or not, and if I do I'll worry about the additional parts and fitment then.

Might be better off just to save up what I would have spent on extras, and then just look at a 'proper' M in 3-4 years that come with all the bits I want fitted as standard.

Strangely enough, your chosen strategy is to not speak with the people who have the ultimate power to say yea or nay the dealership service advisers), and you’ve found complimentary advice that confirms your own bias.  Result!

[Gaz 1061]

19 hours ago, M3AN said:

Answer to your first question (warranty) = don't risk it, do everything by the book and pay the price or be prepared to be disappointed.

 

He doesn't know what the chapter to read if he doesn't ask the dealer which book to read from. 

 

20 hours ago, M3AN said:

As for advice, I tend to value it based on the amount of time the professionals are prepared to give - if I get a short or curt answer I assume it's BS, if somebody really spends the time to help me understand why something costs what it does (and it makes sense) then I value that highly. As a result I've spent thousands at each of those places I mention above and have zero regrets.

 

20 hours ago, M3AN said:

Edit: it's fun to get a quote for a fitted part from a BMW dealer here in NZ then ask if they'll fit exactly the same part, brand new, if you supply it ex. BMW AG with the BMW label attached (for half the price). Watch them try and wriggle out of that one... they won't fold though, they just won't do it.

 It goes both ways, they can also tell if you are going to waste their time as you clearly state you do for fun

[M3AN 4016]

I wouldn't have thought asking for a quote from a BMW dealer to fit a BMW part to a BMW was a waste of their time. Each to their own I suppose.

You guys are all mean. I'm getting used to it but it isn't a good look for new members.