So I'm going to withhold some specific details at this point because I'm trying to give the dealership where this happened a chance to fix the situation.
Yesterday, 5/10, I drove to work, mostly highway. My 2011 528i with ~62k miles starts misfiring when I get up to highway speeds (nearly have trouble accelerating to merge). Get a warning on the system - Drivetrain malfunction take to service center. I drop the car off on the way to work. Get a call a few hours later saying they need to replace the plugs. Ok fine. Then get a call another hour later saying they want to do the ignition coils too. Ok fine.
I return at 3:30 pm to pick up my car. I pay, I'm told my car will be brought around to the end of the drop off bay. I wait. 10 minutes goes by. My service advisor comes over and says, "They haven't brought your car yet? I was told it was already brought out." He runs off. 20 minutes goes by. 25 minutes goes by. I'm thinking either they screwed up the repair and notice as they were bringing it around or they didn't wash it or something like that.
I go back into the drop off bay and say, "I've been waiting for my car. What's going on?" Another advisor says you're looking for "John" (name withheld at this point) right? He walks off into the service bays. He comes out a few minutes later and says, "he will be right with you." I wait another 10 minutes. It's now nearly 40 minutes from when I paid.
Finally my advisor comes out and says, we have a small problem. We gave your car to another customer.
W T F? I said you're kidding, right? No. They weren't. They claimed some woman accidentally got into my car thinking it was a service loaner. He hands me my sunglasses (I accidentally left them in the car) and says she returned them to the service department before she drove off. For real?
I am the most anal person with cars, especially this one. I've had this car for almost 6 years and the only other person who has driven it has been my wife. She's driven it *twice*.
How the F does a dealership give my car to someone else? It makes no sense.
First, cars are brought to customers out front. Customers don't go milling around the parking lot of the dealership looking for loaner cars. Which leads me to believe that she got into my car at the back of the lot. I don't think some valet accidentally brought my car out front.
Second, why was my car left in the lot with the keys in it and unlocked?
Third, if she did pick up my car out front, why the F was my car brought out before I came to pay for it?
There seems to be no logical explanation of how this was a accident?
I tried to get the story from the manager and he didn't give any good explanation. Basically what I said above. They gave me a loaner (I had to get home to pick up my son for one of his activities). On my way home they called and said they were bringing my car to me and will exchange it for the loaner.
The manager said they'd compensate me over this. I called them twice today to really express how inappropriate this is and to find out what they are going to do for me. They never returned my calls. I told them they better call me tomorrow or I'm coming by in person to discuss the situation.
Who knows what was going on with my car when this woman had it. They tried to reassure me she was a middle aged woman what wasn't joy riding around in my car. Doesn't matter. She could be the world's worst driver. In any case I think there were maybe only 10-15 additional miles racked up on my car.
I think I should be entitled to at least a year extended warranty and a total CPO level inspection. Imagine what would have happened if my car was wrecked or involved in who knows what, traffic violations, anything illegal, etc.
I want to give them a chance to fix it. Something seems really screwed up. The manager even said something like "we have her on video getting into the wrong car." Which at the time it didn't hit me as an odd thing to say. I was just trying to process what the frick was happening.
Thoughts? Has anyone ever heard of anything like this happening? Everyone I tell this story to can't believe it. Trying to decide if I should file a police report just to get it on the record. I mean someone was driving my car without my permission which to me sounds like grand theft auto?
Two cars were waiting to be picked up. The lady got in the wrong one, drove off and no one noticed. Including the middle aged lady. That is the most interesting aspect of the entire story to me.
I'm not an attorney, but I don't think that you should call the police. They will be wondering what was the crime that was committed.
How does your car run now?
04M3 TiAg 69k slick-top 3 pedal
99M3 Cosmos 61k S50B32 euro 6Spd
88M3 AW 43k miles Project FS
WTB: 3.5" Eurosport/Conforti CAI
Sure, lady got in the wrong car but how does that happen?
Customers don't walk around in the rear parking lot and get into their vehicle.
The cars are delivered to the customer at the service department. You check out and pay in the service drop off bay, then they bring your car out front.
So, how did someone bring my car up as a loaner? The key tags they place on the keys are totally different - yellow vs black. There is paperwork that needs to be done. The service advisor pulls a key and fills out paperwork.
Which leads me to believe she got into my car in the back parking lot which begs the question why was my car left unlocked in their lot with my key in it?
I can't figure out a logical explanation of how it happened
Yeah, its a really weird situation. Id file a police report (if you can) just to have it, or at the very least to light a fire under the dealership...
When I worked at the dealer I had an m5 e39 waiter oil change off the car goes then they go to call it up can't find the key any where tell the customer, take him home to get spare key. Customer drives off, almost every day I check the key board for the missing key, three months later sure enough there is the key hanging on the hook get the key to the customer. I'm telling you know body needs to write a comedy tv show and call it the dealer ship, because you could have a field day with all the shit that happens for years.
Picture this. It's end of day and cars are being brought to the pick up area. Your car and the lady's car looked similar. She got in the wrong car and drove off.
Far as going after them via the police, read the release you signed when you dropped off your car for service. They have themselves covered, minimal liability, etc.
A mistake happened, so clearly it's possible to happen.
04M3 TiAg 69k slick-top 3 pedal
99M3 Cosmos 61k S50B32 euro 6Spd
88M3 AW 43k miles Project FS
WTB: 3.5" Eurosport/Conforti CAI
I can think of lots of ways it could have happened accidentally, because y'know, the alternative is they're all plotting against you...
You can either over react, play it like an American, get a lawyer sue for emotional damage (after reading your post it seems like you're there) and go to indy's the rest of your days. Or you can chalk it up to sh*t happens and ask the dealer to do a free inspection/car wash/detail if you're really paranoid about things and leave it at that. If you don't trust this dealer anymore have the work done somewhere else and ask the dealer to pay for it.
Not so much a signature as a cry for help.
Hold on, saw this in a cartoon once...think I can pull it off.
I'm with this guy.^
Your car isn't crashed, it isn't on fire, and it isn't broken. A year extended warranty for that? What a joke.
You have a 528i, not a gullwing 300SL. It getting 10 extra miles from some lady will not mean anything at the end of the week. If your car was still missing I could understand serious anger and anxiety, but its already confirmed its fine.
Last edited by notMpowered; 05-16-2017 at 11:14 PM.
So where is the car?
Get
A
Lawyer
1999 M3/2/5 - Titanium Silver - Track/Weekend Toy
Bookmarks