Used Approved BMW and they did not even check the oil? Gritty sludge caused big end failure after 5 000kms

<p>I have had a couple of months to calm down about this and now I am ready to start letting people know what a Used Approved BMW badge is actually worth.</p> <p>This a letter (a combination of two or three letters) I wrote to BMW Fors****s and the customer care department after having to pay a R 30 000.00 bill for an engine rebuild after 7 months and only 5000kms.</p> <p>Dear Sir,</p> <p>I have owned 11 BMWs of which three have been Used Approved, and until now I believed it came with a stamp of approval from BMW. So much so I bought this car unseen.<br />I am sending you this email regarding the BMW 320i E90 that I bought from you in September last year.</p> <p>I recently began getting some engine noises, so I took it to Mouton Motors who is our local aftermarket BMW specialist (well respected by Lynn Schroeder BMW).<br />He has had to split the motor as the engine has shot the bearings. It needs a new con rods and bearings among other parts,at massive expense to me.</p> <p>The reason I am emailing you is:</p> <p>1. Mouton Motors tell me that the oil in the engine was so thick and gritty that is what caused the damage. <br />2. The Vehicle showed 9000kms to service when I received it and I asked if it should have been serviced as part of the sale procedure and was told it was not necessary.<br />3. I believe that you guys do a 100 point test to check the vehicle is in great shape, yet no one looked at the condition of the oil?</p> <p>There is no way that 5000kms is going to destroy the quality of this oil to the point it was at. <br />I had no warning lights of low oil … the oil level did not get low.<br />Truth is the damage was already done long before I bought the vehicle.</p> <p>I am extremely disappointed that I have bought a quality car from a quality company and because of poor pre-sales checks, I have inherited a huge problem.</p> <p>Regards,</p> <p>Stuart Marshall.</p> <p>I had a very helpful response from Nick Curry at BMW Tyger Valley. But in the end he could not make anything happen. Maybe it was just Fors****s BMW (who have now changed hands) that were incompetent.<br />But the response from BMW Customer Care was pathetic:</p> <p>From: ********** ********** />Sent: Friday, 26 May 2017 8:03 AM<br />To: ********** />Subject: Cust Service Case: ********** 294, Engine Seized / SMG Tygervalley</p> <p>Good day Mr Marshall</p> <p>Upon liaising with the dealership and being provided with the feedback from the dealership, BMW SA can confirm the following findings:</p> <p>1. At the time of purchase, your vehicle was already outside of the New Vehicle Warranty and Motorplan parameters (5 years or 100 000km). <br />2. The vehicle is currently being attended to by a non-approved BMW repair centre.<br />3. The risk assessment inspection conducted by the dealership at the time of purchase does not include oil quality inspection. <br />4. We can confirm that your vehicle had a full service history done by BMW approved dealerships prior to your taking ownership of the vehicle.</p> <p>I trust the above is in order and we assure you of our best attention at all times.</p> <p>Kind Regards</p> <p>BMW Group<br />Financial Services<br />Mr Mohammed Seedat<br />Joint Customer Interaction Centre (SF1-ZA-S-2)<br />Customer Services: Aftersales <br />1 Bavaria Avenue, Randjespark, 1685</p> <p>I replied to the insensitivity of the response and the pathetic argument that they did not feel the need to check the oil. That is like a doctor not feeling the need to check your blood pressure!<br />And guess what? I got the same copy and pasted email back!!</p> <p>So, the log book showed the last service was done almost 3 YEARS before the sale... on 76 000 kms... I got the vehicle almost 24 000 kms later and BMW do not think that it would be due diligence to service the vehicle.</p> <p>So people, if you buy a Used Approved BMW, do yourself a favour, go get an AA check done on it too, as the BMW check seems to not be worth the paper it is written on. <br />This weekend BMW are having a big push on the radio regarding their Used Approved Vehicles and it just made me so angry. They are no better than any side street secondhand car dealer, but you pay a premium for the "peace of mind".</p> <p>Again, I do not want to tarnish BMW dealerships that are doing a stellar job, but I do take issue with Fors****s and BMW South Africa for this brush off of a response.</p>