door seal replacement under warranty?

[xc17pilot]

Noticed today that the driver side door seal has split. Has anyone had the same problem? If so, were you able to get it replaced under factory warranty? I have 11 months to go on my warranty and want to push to have this done under that warranty.

Am I about to fight an uphill battle?

[IVM3]

That seems like a clear defect in materials and I don't see how they could blame you for it. I would expect it to be covered under warranty.

[TopJimmy]

I had a door seal covered under CPO warranty coverage.

[Fat Goose]

My dealership of course denied it under warranty, so I purchased one off of FCP Euro for not too much and can replace it it if it happens again.

[xc17pilot]

Appreciate the replies. I made an appointment at my dealer for later in the month and will report back good or bad result. I know I can replace it myself, but agree it should be warranty. My M4 has only 22k miles.

Thanks again!

[hC1001]

Looks like wear and tear to me... Hope you get it warrantied but you would probably have better luck if it split somewhere else besides the most heavily contacted area of the door sill.

[N1rve]

Good luck on your replacement, I know some SAs will be like that's normal wear and tear. So hopefully you and your SA have a good relationship.

I'm surprised you have to wait so long for an appointment, usually I just make an appointment within a few days during the middle of the week, drop of my car like a day prior after work and pick up my loaner and drive it around until they're done with the car, and then if they finish early enough then I will stop by after work and get my back, if they finish it late and it's inconvenient to me, I just drop by the day after.

If I'm really lazy, I just schedule a tow service (a perk of the dealership)

[M3fan8ic]

I have exact same issue in my f80 driver seal, I took it in to see if it can be covered under CPO warranty. My SA spoke with his manager and they will not cover this under warranty.

[xc17pilot]

Reporting back outcome as I had delayed the appointment due to work travel schedule. My dealer replaced the door seal under the original warranty. Did not have to argue at all.

[khoa@x-ph.com]

Looks like wear & tear. But it doesn't hurt to try if dealership would cover it under warranty.

[M4Dutch]

I had this same issue, dealer in Newport Beach considered it normal wear & tear thus no warranty .

[N1rve]

Originally Posted by M4Dutch

I had this same issue, dealer in Newport Beach considered it normal wear & tear thus no warranty .

Doesn't hurt to try another dealership. Worst they can say is no.

Crevier, Soutbay, Mckenna are near youish.

[Dking078]

Normal wear. It happens due to abrasion from exit/entry. Most of the time you don't notice.

Happens more often than you think.

[SD ///M4]

Anyone who gets denied when others are being covered under warranty should just go to a different dealer and try again. In San Diego County we have four BMW dealers within 30 miles of each other and another 45 miles away. I would go to every other dealer if I got turned down by my dealer. I realize that other people may live in less populous areas or areas where there aren't as many BMW dealers, but I wouldn't accept a no from one without checking the others.

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Originally Posted by SD ///M4

Anyone who gets denied when others are being covered under warranty should just go to a different dealer and try again. In San Diego County we have four BMW dealers within 30 miles of each other and another 45 miles away. I would go to every other dealer if I got turned down by my dealer. I realize that other people may live in less populous areas or areas where there aren't as many BMW dealers, but I wouldn't accept a no from one without checking the others.

True but wrong..... why is it right that someone gets something replaced due to their abuse and another does not? That is miss use of a warranty. The seal damage is clearly owner wear and tear damage and should not be covered. So I take the car to the mountains and drive the shit out of it every weekend and wear the camber edges out on the tires quickly and claim warranty? I will try to get things for free but it is still the wrong use of a warranty...... what a contradiction I would say

[SD ///M4]

Originally Posted by horsepower_and_hounds

True but wrong..... why is it right that someone gets something replaced due to their abuse and another does not? That is miss use of a warranty. The seal damage is clearly owner wear and tear damage and should not be covered. So I take the car to the mountains and drive the shit out of it every weekend and wear the camber edges out on the tires quickly and claim warranty? I will try to get things for free but it is still the wrong use of a warranty...... what a contradiction I would say

Why does one SA determine it's wear and tear and another determines that it's replaceable under warranty, as indicated by the different results that other owners have indicated?

If I go to SA #1 and he replaces it under warranty, I'm happy. But if I had gone to SA #2 first and he says it isn't covered under warranty, I'm mad at that SA, so I go to SA #1 and he replaces it under warranty. The results are the same to me, the only difference is that I picked the wrong SA to go to first in the second example. Did I cheat the system or do I feel that I got cheated by SA #2? Also, if I went to SA #1 first, I would have no idea that another SA would not replace it under warranty.

If replacing something under warranty seems like it's completely arbitrary, why wouldn't I take advantage of that? Why not find an SA that will do it under warranty? The dealer gets paid by BMW to do warranty work, which is why some will replace things under warranty, whereas if you walk away and do it yourself, or go to an independent, they've lost income. Also, some dealers will do minor things as complimentary, which makes the customer feel good and they'll come back for future service.

You can't compare tires with a seal, that's an apples and oranges comparison.

And as far as "wrong", that's just your opinion.

P.S. It's "misuse"...

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Originally Posted by SD ///M4

Why does one SA determine it's wear and tear and another determines that it's replaceable under warranty, as indicated by the different results that other owners have indicated?

If I go to SA #1 and he replaces it under warranty, I'm happy. But if I had gone to SA #2 first and he says it isn't covered under warranty, I'm mad at that SA, so I go to SA #1 and he replaces it under warranty. The results are the same to me, the only difference is that I picked the wrong SA to go to first in the second example. Did I cheat the system or do I feel that I got cheated by SA #2? Also, if I went to SA #1 first, I would have no idea that another SA would not replace it under warranty.

If replacing something under warranty seems like it's completely arbitrary, why wouldn't I take advantage of that? Why not find an SA that will do it under warranty? The dealer gets paid by BMW to do warranty work, which is why some will replace things under warranty, whereas if you walk away and do it yourself, or go to an independent, they've lost income. Also, some dealers will do minor things as complimentary, which makes the customer feel good and they'll come back for future service.

You can't compare tires with a seal, that's an apples and oranges comparison.

And as far as "wrong", that's just your opinion.

P.S. It's "misuse"...

Thanks for correcting my spelling I was actually just stating a factual opinion but agree with you at the same time. Also many warranty items are apples & oranges I just picked a common wear item that they do not cover and can easily be abused. I would try and get it covered myself, not sure I would go too far out of my way or too many dealers to try and find someone to cover it. if it was a larger item then maybe yes. Also if I got turn down I would not be so butt hurt about it since as i mentioned it is more wear and poor treatment from the owner. Butt anyway...carry on

[N1rve]

Originally Posted by SD ///M4

Why does one SA determine it's wear and tear and another determines that it's replaceable under warranty, as indicated by the different results that other owners have indicated?

If I go to SA #1 and he replaces it under warranty, I'm happy. But if I had gone to SA #2 first and he says it isn't covered under warranty, I'm mad at that SA, so I go to SA #1 and he replaces it under warranty. The results are the same to me, the only difference is that I picked the wrong SA to go to first in the second example. Did I cheat the system or do I feel that I got cheated by SA #2? Also, if I went to SA #1 first, I would have no idea that another SA would not replace it under warranty.

If replacing something under warranty seems like it's completely arbitrary, why wouldn't I take advantage of that? Why not find an SA that will do it under warranty? The dealer gets paid by BMW to do warranty work, which is why some will replace things under warranty, whereas if you walk away and do it yourself, or go to an independent, they've lost income. Also, some dealers will do minor things as complimentary, which makes the customer feel good and they'll come back for future service.

You can't compare tires with a seal, that's an apples and oranges comparison.

And as far as "wrong", that's just your opinion.

P.S. It's "misuse"...

I completely agree with this. It also helps to build a friendship with your SA. Bring them a cookie once in a while or a box of donuts.

Always be fair, friendly, and firm.

[xc17pilot]

Originally Posted by N1rve

I completely agree with this. It also helps to build a friendship with your SA. Bring them a cookie once in a while or a box of donuts.

Always be fair, friendly, and firm.

I agree with you 100%. As I'm the OP, let me clarify that my M4 has 22000 miles and the door seal should be more robust, there was no abuse. I have several Porsches and none of their driver door seals are showing any wear and tear, all are older than the M4 and have higher mileage than this. I also had known the SA and dealership through other used BMW purchases (M5, M3) which probably helped. It was worth a shot and if they denied, I would have complained and then likely replaced myself. It was more the principle of it that a low mileage, non-abused car should not require this seal to be replaced this early.

[Reddevils7]

how are you guys arguing that this is wear and tear? he has less than 25k miles. I'm more than double and all my seals look just fine. the picture shows a clear crack in the middle of the seal. I would argue it's defective. if it's wear and tear than why would those that have double the use show no signs at all??