BMWSA voided my powertrain warranty, and now won't cover my brake pads because of it

[JayF80]

Hey Guys, first post here.

I took my car to the dealership yesterday for the driveshaft recall, and at the same time I decided to have them check a few things like brake pads and my ConnectedDrive services being offline.

I got a call from the dealership a couple hours later saying my warranty has been voided because of my downpipes (yes, I was silly enough to not take DPs off). I asked if it is really the entire warranty, and the SA clarified that it is just the drivetrain warranty that is void. He went on to say that BMW is severely cracking down, and dealerships get fined if they support any type of mods, etc. (just repeating what he said).

So, I accept the consequences of pay to play, and continue with my day. This morning I receive a call saying that the brake pads do need to be replaced, but BMWSA (BMW South Africa) are refusing to cover them under warranty because of the downpipes, noting that the extra speed could have been the cause. Damn, that is harsh in my view.

I told them to just finish up with my car, and I will collect. Am I being unreasonable in thinking this is super harsh? I'm not going to cry about the drivetrain warranty being flagged, but is it normal for brake pads to be considered part of the drivetrain?

Best,
Jay

[behindthen0thing]

downpipes do not increase the top speed of your vehicle.
I would be arguing that one to the max.

[mkoesel]

They will most likely not cover the ConnectedDrive issue either. The extra power from the downpipes could probably cause the car to go faster than the speed of radio waves, and also the louder exhaust note may result in harsher vibrations that cause the communications antennas and equipment to be permanently damaged. I'm not a physicist, but I'm pretty sure I'm right about that.

In seriousness, it sounds like BMW SA believes they have the upper hand and are betting you will go away rather than challenging them to a legal battle. Depending on the laws in South Africa, you may not have much recourse. Or, maybe there is some consumer protection statute you could use to fight back. Either way, not a fun situation. I wish you luck.

[JayF80]

Those are exactly my thoughts as well. What would you guys recommend: Contact BMWSA direct to discuss, go to a different dealer, to discuss or just go full aftermarket? I doubt I am going to get anywhere with the dealership who has my car currently, they are stonewalling.

[JayF80]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

They will most likely not cover the ConnectedDrive issue either. The extra power of the downpipes could probably cause the car to go faster than the speed of radio waves, and also the louder exhaust note may result in harsher vibrations that cause the communications antennas and equipment to be permanently damaged. I'm not a physicist, but I'm pretty sure I'm right about that.

In seriousness, it sounds like BMW SA believes they have the upper hand and are betting your will go away rather than challenging them to a legal battle. Depending on the laws in South Africa, you may not have much recourse. Or, maybe there is some consumer protection statute you could use to fight back. Either way, not a fun situation. I wish you luck.

Hahahaha, gave me a good laugh. Thank you, I needed that today. Great advice here, and I will look into our Consumer Protection Act.

[elinstylez]

Mention the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act and say you're lawyering up and see what they say.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by elinstylez

Mention the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act and say you're lawyering up and see what they say.

Irrelevant outside U.S.

[alex2364]

Originally Posted by elinstylez

Mention the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act and say you're lawyering up and see what they say.

Magnuson Moss Warranty Act is a US law. How does this help someone that's not in the US?

[Poiseuille]

sorry to hear you're having these issues OP.
i assume you have steel brakes since you didn't mention CCB.
how many miles (or km) are on this car?
so I'm curious as to how it is that you need brakes on a street driven F8X that's still under warranty (or should be). in North America it's common to go way over 65K miles with these cars before requiring brake replacement. my brother has near 80K on his and he's still within spec. do you track this car a lot?
anyway, if it were me I'd decline the brake service for now, with a thank-you-very-much of course, then get the car onto a lift and measure this myself.
please let us know how this turns out for you.

btw: welcome to the Forum!

[JayF80]

Originally Posted by Poiseuille

sorry to hear you're having these issues OP.
i assume you have steel brakes since you didn't mention CCB.
how many miles (or km) are on this car?
so I'm curious as to how it is that you need brakes on a street driven F8X that's still under warranty (or should be). in North America it's common to go way over 65K miles with these cars before requiring brake replacement. my brother has near 80K on his and he's still within spec. do you track this car a lot?
anyway, if it were me I'd decline the brake service for now, with a thank-you-very-much of course, then get the car onto a lift and measure this myself.
please let us know how this turns out for you.

btw: welcome to the Forum!

Hi Poiseuille. you are correct - steel brakes. The car has 21 500km on so 13 360 Miles. I have never tracked the car and drive it pretty reasonably, under 5 miles a day generally. Never really been hard on the brakes apart from bedding them in. Definitely need to get the car on the lift and have a look with a professional. Since my last post, I had a chat with the Aftersales Manager and he said he is going to look into this as brake pads should definitely still be covered. Will post updates as I receive them, and thanks for the welcome!

[SD ///M4]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

I'm not a physicist, but I'm pretty sure I'm right about that.

Ahh, you must have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night...

[Poiseuille]

Originally Posted by JayF80

Hi Poiseuille. you are correct - steel brakes. The car has 21 500km on so 13 360 Miles. I have never tracked the car and drive it pretty reasonably, under 5 miles a day generally. Never really been hard on the brakes apart from bedding them in. Definitely need to get the car on the lift and have a look with a professional. Since my last post, I had a chat with the Aftersales Manager and he said he is going to look into this as brake pads should definitely still be covered. Will post updates as I receive them, and thanks for the welcome!

21,500km eh? well assuming you've not been using the pedal for a foot rest, THE WHOLE TIME, than this seems pretty fishy....or worse.

[elinstylez]

Originally Posted by alex2364

Magnuson Moss Warranty Act is a US law. How does this help someone that's not in the US?

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Irrelevant outside U.S.

Doh! Reading fail

[Fast4d]

you don't want BMW brake pads anyway.

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

good ole american legal system for you....might not be worth your while to fight it.

damn these car manufacturers are really not giving a fly fuck about customer retention. I know in America it would be a different situation. but brake pads...come on now.

brake pads also get roasted by soccer moms brake-gassing because their x5m is too fast for a 25mph school zone

starting to view car warranties with a grain of salt so many legalities even at the damn manufacturer

[maniz]

Originally Posted by G35POPPEDMYCHERRY

good ole american legal system for you....might not be worth your while to fight it.

damn these car manufacturers are really not giving a fly fuck about customer retention. I know in America it would be a different situation.

These two statements make no sense to me. Are you simultaneously suggesting he is in America and not in America?

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

Originally Posted by maniz

These two statements make no sense to me. Are you simultaneously suggesting he is in America and not in America?

yes he is a double agent.


anyways besides my jumbled thoughts...

OP get some nice aftermarket pads that produce less dust and make some positive out of this situation

[Poochie]

I took my car in to have the brake pads changed at 14,000 miles. The service advisor said it's typically too early for me to be needing pads and they need to inspect my vehicle for track usage. If they find any evidence of such, it would not be covered under the service plan.

I don't track but I drive in NYC with all day stop and go traffic.

They eventually covered it but it confirmed that any hardware mods that could indicate 'hard core usage' would null the warranty or maintenance coverage.

[Jojipoji]

Meh. I told my service advisor that after a track day I was getting a vibration when I press the brake. They replaced the rotors and pads no questions asked. This is totally dealer/service advisor specific.

Originally Posted by Poochie

I took my car in to have the brake pads changed at 14,000 miles. The service advisor said it's typically too early for me to be needing pads and they need to inspect my vehicle for track usage. If they find any evidence of such, it would not be covered under the service plan.

I don't track but I drive in NYC with all day stop and go traffic.

They eventually covered it but it confirmed that any hardware mods that could indicate 'hard core usage' would null the warranty or maintenance coverage.

[overlook637]

Originally Posted by Poochie

I took my car in to have the brake pads changed at 14,000 miles. The service advisor said it's typically too early for me to be needing pads and they need to inspect my vehicle for track usage. If they find any evidence of such, it would not be covered under the service plan.

I don't track but I drive in NYC with all day stop and go traffic.

They eventually covered it but it confirmed that any hardware mods that could indicate 'hard core usage' would null the warranty or maintenance coverage.

That's such BS from the dealership. I've got the common mods and most of the time I drive in efficient settings and watch the MPG per trip. Almost always forecast redlights and stop signs to limit brake use and increase mpg.

One can like to accelerate, occasionally, in a brisk manner and have nothing to do with burning up brakes. Does a dealership think that tinted windows or a bumper sticker indicate a speed race owner?

[overlook637]

Originally Posted by JayF80

13 360 Miles. I have never tracked the car and drive it pretty reasonably, under 5 miles a day generally. Never really been hard on the brakes apart from bedding them in.

I'd bet that you don't need brakes. They are playing you for money.

[Poochie]

Originally Posted by overlook637

That's such BS from the dealership. I've got the common mods and most of the time I drive in efficient settings and watch the MPG per trip. Almost always forecast redlights and stop signs to limit brake use and increase mpg.

One can like to accelerate, occasionally, in a brisk manner and have nothing to do with burning up brakes. Does a dealership think that tinted windows or a bumper sticker indicate a speed race owner?

Maybe they had a bad experience with previous customers and track usage but I don't see any reason why they would refuse potential work except maybe if they're afraid of chargebacks from BMW AG due to not following their guidelines for covered service. :