BMW Approved used car warranty in doubt

Advantages: I have seen none to date
Disadvantages: A BMW approved used car from a main dealer proved to be a nightmare

...Two months ago, I purchased a BMW 323ci convertible from Vines of Guildford who are BMW main dealers. The car is 8 years old and had just over 47000 miles on the clock. It was sold with a BMW used car warranty but with certain exclusions due to its age, explained to me after I had paid a deposit on it. In the last couple of weeks, knocking noises have started coming from the engine which have progressively got worse. I've owned three BMWs and I know these cars well but I've never had one do that before. Very worried I checked the service history booklet 'Evidence of maintenance work' that came with the car and this is what I found ... 09/05/2000 Pre-delivery check No running-in check at 1250 miles 20/11/2002 Oil service at 12632 miles (6 months late) 05/05/2005 Oil/Inspection 1 and 2 at 21055 miles (1 year late) And then no...

cravenh 09.11.2008 (24.11.2008) · Read review
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Review of BMW

BMW 320i soft top, A real drivers car.

Advantages: style, class, powerful and built to last.
Disadvantages: replacement parts can be expensive.

...As a qualified mechanic and the owner of god knows how many cars over the years I have decided the time has come to do an automobile review and what better to review than my one time pride and joy sadly no longer with me my BMW 320i convertible. I bought my BMW in 2003 it was 2 years old and set me back around 12 thousand pounds which was roughly half the cost of buying a new one and was at the time a very good deal. I fell in love with the car after one test drive and just had to have it. Although there have been many different versions of the 320i over the years with very different specs the one I bought was pretty top of the range and had the majority of extras available. I am of course reviewing the car from my own personal opinion so this review will contain information on the extras my BMW had but do not expect to find these...

thebigc1690 11.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of BMW 320i Convertible

Buying a Car - Snows BMW Portsmouth

Advantages: Excellent customer service, nice atmosphere, good value for money, lovely cars!!!
Disadvantages: Made me feel small when enquiring about discounts!!

...Having recently just purchased a BMW and put it through it's 1st service I thought I would share my experience. Upon changing changing jobs I lost my company car and found myself in the position of needing to buy my own car. To my Mums disappointment, I was not considering buying a Nissian Micra, but wanted something a bit better and with a bit more style. 1st stop - a local VW garage in Portsmouth: After visiting this garage 3 times and still not managing to get to see a sales person or in fact get anyone in the showroom to talk to me, I decided that I really did not like VW's and decided to re-think my options. 2nd Stop - a local Audio garage in Portsmouth: No problem with customer service here, in fact could not get away from the guy and before I knew it I was taking a car for a test drive. Verdict here was that I did not like...

Babe90 11.09.2001 · Read review
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Review of BMW

The Car That Saved BMW From Going Bust

Advantages: Unbelievable performance
Disadvantages: Not a lot

...~ ~ In the early 1960’s the BMW company faced a bleak future, full of doom, gloom, and obscurity. There had been no real innovation since the end of the Second World War, and they had little or no market penetration outside of their native Germany. The company was in very dire financial trouble, and there was a very real possibility of them having to shut up shop completely. The BMW 2002 was the car that changed all this and was instrumental in establishing BMW as a leading force in the international car market. The 2002 made its first appearance on the world stage in 1966, labelled as the 1502/1602 series. Then the engine capacity was increased, first to 1766cc, and eventually to 1990cc for the final 2002 engine. The 2002 as such was launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1969, but in fact didn’t hit the U.K. showrooms...

the_mad_cabbie 09.11.2001 · Read review
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Review of BMW 1502

BMW 1 series as an everyday family car

Advantages: Plenty. Residual values are also truely astonishing!
Disadvantages: The rear doors - they don't open very wide and it's hard to manage getting very young children and the elderly in and out

...My wife and I have had our fair share of cars over the past 5 years or so - about 12 in total - and each one was very different to its predecessor. For example, we went from a Ford Escort to a Peugeot 206; a BMW Z3 to a VW Golf; from a LandRover Discovery to Porsche 911; and from a BMW 330d Sport to a Fiant Punto Mia (1.2). Most recent ly we changed from a BMW X3 to a BMW 116i Sport. If asked to choose which of all the cars we have owned I would recommend the most, I would say that depended to whom the recommendation was being made; however, if like us you have a young family and an active lifestyle, although you might imagine the versatility of a 4x4 such as the Discovery would be a good bet to get my vote, I would honestly have to say that, pound for pound, the 1 series has been the best buy by far. Let's start with the most...

Blackdog23 21.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of BMW 116i

A nice car to have---BMW 645Ci coupe

Advantages: Nice technologies, and many more adding to the comfort of driving the car.
Disadvantages: None at all

...The BMW 645Ci is a nice car packed with nice features and modern technology, which was always BMW's benchmark. The car has innovative lightweight construction with an aluminum/steel/composite body, and an all-aluminum suspension. Other features are: #Dynamic Driving Control and Active Roll Stabilization #Available Active Steering and Head-Up display #4.4-liter V8 VALVETRONIC engine for superb performance #Choice of three different six-speed transmission options #Best-in-class and state-of-the-art equipment and generous interior space Sometimes, I always have the impression of taking the 645Ci for a Bentley. The 645Ci's body shape is kind of similar to a Bentley's. The 6 series has bold styling and is also dynamic and elegant. Its curves are neat and sleek. With its smooth and powerful engine, it sure is a car best in its class...

JudgeIronFist 15.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of BMW 645Ci Coupe

BMW Sytner Chigwell

Advantages: Great customer service, aparently no matter who you are.
Disadvantages: Services can be a bit pricey, but not as bad as you would think.

...have more recently had an incident involving an insurance claim & chose to have my old 323ci E46 coupe repaired under the supervision of BMW sytner. The whole claim has been a nightmare & I have become very disgruntled with my insurance company (admiral) & will not be using them again, but BMW Sytner have been a shining star. All communications were rapid & informative. After initially contacting them, for anything that had to do with Sytner, i barely had to lift a finger. They dealt with the insurance companies directly & kept in constant contact with me & promptly delivered a courtesy car (a lovely brand new 3 series) they were also generally far less anal about it all than my insurance company, who like to constantly point out stress inducing legal blockades that do not even apply to me. My car was oddly written off by my insurance...

krslim 23.04.2009 · Read review
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Review of BMW

Halliwell Jones Chester (BMW) - Give Them A Wide Berth

Advantages: Some pretty cars to look at in the showroom
Disadvantages: Poor after-sales, the ability to 'create' problems with your car (then refuse to accept liabilty)

...My wife purchased a 2nd hand Mini Cooper last year (2008) and included with the car was the TLC 5 year servicing plan. The car didn't appear to have been serviced upon collection, and the absence of any service book dealer stamps would seem to confirm this, so in March this year (2009) the car was booked into Halliwell Jones Chester (BMW) for a service. We explained the situation to the service desk advisor who assured us that the car would receive the necessary attention. When the car was collected, the mechanism which operates the drivers' seat sliding back/forth was inoperable - we'd had no previous problems with the seat (or the car at all) until that point. The dealer agreed to replace the seat rails and mechanism under warranty, but argued that they hadn't caused the seat to fail. Coincidence therefore? In the weeks following...

thpba3 19.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of BMW

HR Owen Heathrow BMW & MINI

Advantages: Exceptional Offers - Fantastic Service and Competency of all within the business
Disadvantages: -

...I recently had my vehicle serviced at HR Owen Heathrow BMW in West Drayton and found the overall experience brilliant. I have had numerous BMW's and been to many dealerships but I found them to be very professional and thorough. The pricing was competitive and they advised me on all the extra items my car needed after carrying out a FREE Maintenance Check. The one thing I found unique about them was they offered me a Service While I Fly facility. I dropped my car off to the dealership and the courtesy bus took me straight to the airport for my business flight. When I returned, they collected me, had the car waiting done and cleaned and I killed two birds with one stone. My car was serviced and the storage/parking charges were a damn site chepaer than all the NCP's etc... around the airport. In a nutshell the service was superb...

fashthebash 05.07.2006 · Read review
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Review of BMW

BMW Hexagon is poor

Advantages: convenient N London location
Disadvantages: unresponsive staff, expensive

...Hexagon BMW are hopeless. I had my car serviced at the Kentish Town site in December and they ordered a part for me that needed to be fitted. Have tried to contact the service contact (AR) there on 3 separate occasions during January to get the work done - he won't call back. No-one else I have spoken to seems to have any idea what is going on with this repair. I also visited their sales showroom on great north road recently to look at swapping my 7-series for a newer one, but hardly anyone around to help and the one youngster there had limited interest as he said that they were cutting jobs. BMW Park Lane is owned by BMW and I think I'll stick with them going forward....

m1000 14.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of BMW