Negative experience at Budd's BMW in Oakville!

M Pulse · 05-01-2019, 07:01 PM

Hi everyone, I’m not one to write negative reviews online but I recently experienced such a negative experience at Budd’s that I feel compelled to share with the community.

A little background before I explain the issue. I purchased a brand new 2017 M4 and in the spring of 2017 I installed a set of KW v3 coilovers after much research and even recommended by Budds own Performance division. Alex from Burning Rubber did the installation due to their reputation in the community and recommendations by other M owners.

Fast forward to August 2018, my vehicle was at Budds for a scheduled oil change. At the end of the day, I received a call from my SA that the oil change was complete but unfortunately my vehicle fell off the hoist at the front passenger side. I immediately envisioned in my head that my car was probably five feet in the air and it was sitting sideways on the floor. He mentioned that this happened when the vehicle was only a couple of feet from the ground and the only damage was to my side skirt. They would keep the vehicle overnight and replace the damaged skirt the next day. I immediately went over there to view the damage and pick up a loaner vehicle. Upon my arrival, my vehicle was parked outside in the parking lot and I saw the broken side skirt. I tried taking a look under the vehicle for any other damage and took a few pictures that I could from such a low angle. I asked him if any other damage was made in that area of the vehicle including any suspension components. I asked them if they took a picture of the car at the moment it fell off the hoist, they did not. They assured me that they checked everything and everything was fine. I never even shared this experience with the community last year as mistakes happen and they immediately repaired the broken side skirt.

Now, a couple of months ago I started to experience some clunking from the front passenger side. I took the vehicle to Burning Rubber since they were the ones who installed the coilovers to see if the clunking was related to it. Alex took the car for a short test drive and said it does not feel right and put it up on their hoist. Immediately he discovered that the ball joint on the tension rod was failing. He asked me if the vehicle was under warranty cause a vehicle with 35,xxx km should not have a worn out ball joint. I feel that there is a good possibility the incident from Aug is when the problem started and it took a few months of driving for the problem to become noticeable.

So I made an appointment with Budd’s to have the vehicle inspected and I was fully transparent with them at the time I made the appointment. I even chatted with their main mechanic a couple of days earlier as I was at the dealership to pick up a quart of oil. I clearly explained that my car was lowered on coilovers and Burning Rubber had already inspected the vehicle and the issue was related to the tension rod ball joint. I then reminded them of the incident from Aug 2018 and told them that I feel it’s related.

So I brought the vehicle in for service and explained the entire situation again with them. I even showed them a video that I took with Alex while the car was on the hoist and you can clearly see the movement on the ball joint. After a couple of hours, they even asked me to send them the video. Another couple of hours goes by and received a call back from my SA, at this point she mentioned that they would cover the tension rod under warranty. At this point, I’m pleased that they realized the damage was not caused by the coilovers. My happiness was short lived unfortunately, she phoned me back about 30 mins later and told me that it would not be covered under warranty due to the coilovers that are installed on my vehicle. I asked her why all of a sudden they changed their mind, she said they didn’t realize that I had coilovers installed and that voids my warranty. This was extremely suspicious to me as I had already told them on multiple occasions that I had coilovers installed, I even sent them the video I took at Burning Rubber and at this point in time they had inspected my vehicle for several hours. How is it possible that they didn't "know" my car had coilovers installed. I reminded her again about the Aug incident and that I find it too much of a coincidence that I’m having this issue on the same corner as where my car fell off the hoist. How is it that I’m not having a similar issue on any other corner if it’s related to the coilovers.

Alex also had a great analogy, it’s like going to a clinic complaining about wrist pain and they put a brace on your ankle. At this point they refused to repair the damage under warranty and started to downplay the Aug incident, they wouldn’t even acknowledge the information that was explained to me then and simply said the side skirt just caught a corner of the hoist and it broke a piece off. Well, you can imagine my frustration & anger. They refused to take any accountability and repeatedly said: “you’ve had work done to the suspension”. I asked them to explain to me how the coilovers could have caused the ball joint on the tension rod to fail. These two components are nowhere near each other. Not only that but their own performance division recommends these coilovers to enhance the driving characteristics of the vehicle. These coilovers are made by a reputable company in Germany specifically for the BMW M4. These are not some cheap springs that I just slapped on the car. Anyway, after going back and forth many times they won’t acknowledge that there is a remote possibility that the incident from Aug could have caused the issue and they cannot explain how my KW coilovers could cause damage to the ball joints. Even if the incident from Aug didn’t cause the issues the ball joint must be defective to fail at this stage. It’s frustrating that they just keep repeating that I’ve had work done to the suspension but they cannot explain how the two are related.

Anyway, just wanted to share my story with the community. Quite disappointed with Budds, my wife and I have purchased four bimmers from them over the last decade. This incident has left a very negative impression on me.

-cj- · 05-01-2019, 11:01 PM

I'd take a different approach. Who cares if warranty doesn't cover it - they damaged your car when it was dropped from a hoist. Warranty, their shop insurance or their check book - either way they should cover damage they caused... don't let this become a warranty issue.

FirstF80InSpace · 05-02-2019, 06:58 AM

I feel for you. The reason why Budd's won't pay for it, is they need approval from BMW head office for any warranty work. The minute they see aftermarket parts, the red flags go up. As a result, head office will deny the warranty work without even hearing any back story - in your case, dropping the car off the hoist. I doubt that Budd's even brought that incident up to head office.

As such, Budd's is not authorized to do warranty work on your car, and if they were to do it out of goodwill, head office is certainly not reimbursing them.

You can try filing a complaint with head office, but you're probably shit out of luck. They're the ones that probably denied the warranty work.

Perhaps trying speaking with the GM of Budd's and see if they can meet you half way. Otherwise, just let them know you're never coming back, and when BMW NA calls you for a follow up on your experience taking the car in at Budd's, just give them a very bad rating. Bad ratings kills dealerships. They lose allocations of hot cars like M's.

Type-S · 05-02-2019, 10:36 AM

To be honest, this doesn't surprise me

Unfortunately BMW NA can't/won't help you here and if they denied service and cancelled the work order you won't even get a call for a survey (which is random anyways).

You'll have to be persistent and escalate this within Budds. Do you have any documentation in writing of them admitting to you that the car fell off the hoist and didn't simply get caught on the corner? If not, their staff will deny if when or if the management gets involved.

I had a bad experience with Budds years ago and have not gone back since...

55parallelM3 · 05-03-2019, 09:05 AM

Not BMW, but related just the same. I had bought a diesel truck from a dealer in N. BC and put a tune and deleted egr stuff. The rad developed a tiny leak one day and the dealer insisted it come to them (some 370km away). So I drop it off, the service manager comes out and takes a look under the hood etc then they call me hour later to say the pressure test says it needs a new rad but my warranty is void because of the deletes! Their excuse was I couldn't watch coolant temps because of the chip, even though there was a factory gauge and the chip also read the temps from the ECU. Some dealers will do anything to deny warranty work if you've made any mods it seems. I talked with the SA at the dealer "down the road" and he said he wouldn't have denied it but if it was a direct correlation he might have to, that was reasonable at least. Anyway I tried talking to the manager after and he wouldn't get involved because I hadn't talked to the SA. The SA wouldn't even make eye contact when I went back to get my truck! he was a weasely pos and I couldn't talk to him without hitting him lol.
I sure hope your experience turns out better, but I fear it's not looking so good

bing240sx · 05-04-2019, 12:56 PM

Did you buy the M4 new from Budd's? your post wasn't clear.

also, was this Oakville or Hamilton?

G35POPPEDMYCHERRY · 05-04-2019, 01:17 PM

wtf my dudes car feel off the lift and these people denying warranty work as if the car didnt fall off a hoist. lmaoooooo. the fuck is wrong with this world.

OP you seem to nice....they are feasting on your kindness; as this point they have shown their true colors...burn the dealership down...

but call BMWNA; threaten to call insruance, call police,

M4_GTS · 05-04-2019, 03:09 PM

Your car fell off the hoist and you trust the dealer to tell you there's no damage other than the physical damage you see. Let this be a lesson to you to never trust what these dealerships say. I would havetaken my car directly to an indy shop and also a body shop to have them do an inspection and take note of any damage.

Sorry to say, but you are pretty much shit out of luck now.

zarraz · 05-04-2019, 04:35 PM

all dealerships are the same horrible service everywhere, just find one that works out. Budds are a bunch of %$#@

FreeDarko · 05-05-2019, 06:50 AM

Also another reason for some of us to install dashcam.

OP this isn't a warranty job. Budds is trying to get BMW to foot the bill for their incompetence.

Pls go on the Budds twitter or other social media sites and state the above story.

Reach out to BMW Canada directly as well. I'm sure they'll have something to say about making a warranty claim for a vehicle that was dropped from a hoist.

KCX_335xi · 05-05-2019, 11:01 AM

Sorry to hear about your situation.. Yeah, despite it being our local dealership, we never nor ever will buy from them... Too many brush offs, too many sales people with a chip on their shoulder..

Personally, I would find the executive at BMW Canada that is responsible for service, and escalate to him/her directly via LinkedIn or email..

pokerface · 05-05-2019, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreeDarko

Also another reason for some of us to install dashcam.

OP this isn't a warranty job. Budds is trying to get BMW to foot the bill for their incompetence.

Pls go on the Budds twitter or other social media sites and state the above story.

Reach out to BMW Canada directly as well. I'm sure they'll have something to say about making a warranty claim for a vehicle that was dropped from a hoist.

They unplug dashcams now.

bobblehead · 05-05-2019, 05:13 PM

Speak with your wallet on your next bmw purchase(s) and servicing

M Pulse · 05-06-2019, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bing240sx

Did you buy the M4 new from Budd's? your post wasn't clear.

also, was this Oakville or Hamilton?

Yes, between my wife and I, we have purchased four new BMW's from them over the last 10 years (2009 335i, 2012 M3, 2014 X3, 2017 M4). Evidently denying warranty is more important to them than customer satisfaction and repeat business.

White340 · 05-06-2019, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pokerface

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreeDarko

Also another reason for some of us to install dashcam.

OP this isn't a warranty job. Budds is trying to get BMW to foot the bill for their incompetence.

Pls go on the Budds twitter or other social media sites and state the above story.

Reach out to BMW Canada directly as well. I'm sure they'll have something to say about making a warranty claim for a vehicle that was dropped from a hoist.

They unplug dashcams now.

This. It's really annoying. They unplugged both my front and rear dash cams and even worse they don't plug it back. I drove around for three weeks before noticing my rear cam was unplugged.

BikBlekGui · 07-17-2019, 02:02 AM

Not to revive an old thread, but has this been resolved?

If not, you have until August 2019 (one year from the incident) to file a claim against Budds BMW in a Small Claims Court. This is not a matter that pertains to warranty; it is property damage due to negligence.

9 times out of 10, once you file suit, you are likely to have this matter resolved with a financial settlement prior going to court.

I've dealt with a similar headache with my vehicle at a local BMW dealership, and suing was a lot easier than people think.

Get a free telephone consultation from a Small Claims Lawyer by Googling "Law Society Ontario Referral Service", or by clicking this link: https://lsrs.lso.ca/lsrs/loadCustInfoCollectionForm

It is also helpful to email local media outlets about your story, as it can be worthy of publication.

Good luck! Remember, you only have until next month to do this -- so, if you want to give it a shot, you have to get on it ASAP.

05-01-2019, 07:01 PM	#1
M Pulse First Lieutenant 101 Rep 360 Posts Drives: '17 F82 Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Canada iTrader: (1)	Negative experience at Budd's BMW in Oakville! Hi everyone, I’m not one to write negative reviews online but I recently experienced such a negative experience at Budd’s that I feel compelled to share with the community. A little background before I explain the issue. I purchased a brand new 2017 M4 and in the spring of 2017 I installed a set of KW v3 coilovers after much research and even recommended by Budds own Performance division. Alex from Burning Rubber did the installation due to their reputation in the community and recommendations by other M owners. Fast forward to August 2018, my vehicle was at Budds for a scheduled oil change. At the end of the day, I received a call from my SA that the oil change was complete but unfortunately my vehicle fell off the hoist at the front passenger side. I immediately envisioned in my head that my car was probably five feet in the air and it was sitting sideways on the floor. He mentioned that this happened when the vehicle was only a couple of feet from the ground and the only damage was to my side skirt. They would keep the vehicle overnight and replace the damaged skirt the next day. I immediately went over there to view the damage and pick up a loaner vehicle. Upon my arrival, my vehicle was parked outside in the parking lot and I saw the broken side skirt. I tried taking a look under the vehicle for any other damage and took a few pictures that I could from such a low angle. I asked him if any other damage was made in that area of the vehicle including any suspension components. I asked them if they took a picture of the car at the moment it fell off the hoist, they did not. They assured me that they checked everything and everything was fine. I never even shared this experience with the community last year as mistakes happen and they immediately repaired the broken side skirt. Now, a couple of months ago I started to experience some clunking from the front passenger side. I took the vehicle to Burning Rubber since they were the ones who installed the coilovers to see if the clunking was related to it. Alex took the car for a short test drive and said it does not feel right and put it up on their hoist. Immediately he discovered that the ball joint on the tension rod was failing. He asked me if the vehicle was under warranty cause a vehicle with 35,xxx km should not have a worn out ball joint. I feel that there is a good possibility the incident from Aug is when the problem started and it took a few months of driving for the problem to become noticeable. So I made an appointment with Budd’s to have the vehicle inspected and I was fully transparent with them at the time I made the appointment. I even chatted with their main mechanic a couple of days earlier as I was at the dealership to pick up a quart of oil. I clearly explained that my car was lowered on coilovers and Burning Rubber had already inspected the vehicle and the issue was related to the tension rod ball joint. I then reminded them of the incident from Aug 2018 and told them that I feel it’s related. So I brought the vehicle in for service and explained the entire situation again with them. I even showed them a video that I took with Alex while the car was on the hoist and you can clearly see the movement on the ball joint. After a couple of hours, they even asked me to send them the video. Another couple of hours goes by and received a call back from my SA, at this point she mentioned that they would cover the tension rod under warranty. At this point, I’m pleased that they realized the damage was not caused by the coilovers. My happiness was short lived unfortunately, she phoned me back about 30 mins later and told me that it would not be covered under warranty due to the coilovers that are installed on my vehicle. I asked her why all of a sudden they changed their mind, she said they didn’t realize that I had coilovers installed and that voids my warranty. This was extremely suspicious to me as I had already told them on multiple occasions that I had coilovers installed, I even sent them the video I took at Burning Rubber and at this point in time they had inspected my vehicle for several hours. How is it possible that they didn't "know" my car had coilovers installed. I reminded her again about the Aug incident and that I find it too much of a coincidence that I’m having this issue on the same corner as where my car fell off the hoist. How is it that I’m not having a similar issue on any other corner if it’s related to the coilovers. Alex also had a great analogy, it’s like going to a clinic complaining about wrist pain and they put a brace on your ankle. At this point they refused to repair the damage under warranty and started to downplay the Aug incident, they wouldn’t even acknowledge the information that was explained to me then and simply said the side skirt just caught a corner of the hoist and it broke a piece off. Well, you can imagine my frustration & anger. They refused to take any accountability and repeatedly said: “you’ve had work done to the suspension”. I asked them to explain to me how the coilovers could have caused the ball joint on the tension rod to fail. These two components are nowhere near each other. Not only that but their own performance division recommends these coilovers to enhance the driving characteristics of the vehicle. These coilovers are made by a reputable company in Germany specifically for the BMW M4. These are not some cheap springs that I just slapped on the car. Anyway, after going back and forth many times they won’t acknowledge that there is a remote possibility that the incident from Aug could have caused the issue and they cannot explain how my KW coilovers could cause damage to the ball joints. Even if the incident from Aug didn’t cause the issues the ball joint must be defective to fail at this stage. It’s frustrating that they just keep repeating that I’ve had work done to the suspension but they cannot explain how the two are related. Anyway, just wanted to share my story with the community. Quite disappointed with Budds, my wife and I have purchased four bimmers from them over the last decade. This incident has left a very negative impression on me.
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05-01-2019, 11:01 PM	#2
-cj- Captain 198 Rep 799 Posts Drives: '20 X5MC \| '20 Z4 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Toronto iTrader: (3)	I'd take a different approach. Who cares if warranty doesn't cover it - they damaged your car when it was dropped from a hoist. Warranty, their shop insurance or their check book - either way they should cover damage they caused... don't let this become a warranty issue. __________________ Current: <pending> \| '20 Z4 M40i Past: 09 M3 Coupe DCT (sold) \| 11 1M Coupe MT (sold) \| 15 i3 REX (returned) \| 15 X3 35xi (sold) \| 16 M235xi Vert (returned) \| 18 M3 Comp Ultimate DCT (sold) \| 20 X5 M Comp (totalled)
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05-02-2019, 06:58 AM	#3
FirstF80InSpace ///M You 344 Rep 619 Posts Drives: 2019 Porsche 718 Cayman S Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	I feel for you. The reason why Budd's won't pay for it, is they need approval from BMW head office for any warranty work. The minute they see aftermarket parts, the red flags go up. As a result, head office will deny the warranty work without even hearing any back story - in your case, dropping the car off the hoist. I doubt that Budd's even brought that incident up to head office. As such, Budd's is not authorized to do warranty work on your car, and if they were to do it out of goodwill, head office is certainly not reimbursing them. You can try filing a complaint with head office, but you're probably shit out of luck. They're the ones that probably denied the warranty work. Perhaps trying speaking with the GM of Budd's and see if they can meet you half way. Otherwise, just let them know you're never coming back, and when BMW NA calls you for a follow up on your experience taking the car in at Budd's, just give them a very bad rating. Bad ratings kills dealerships. They lose allocations of hot cars like M's.
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05-02-2019, 10:36 AM	#4
Type-S Private First Class 36 Rep 110 Posts Drives: F82 M4/E92 M3/E82 1M Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	To be honest, this doesn't surprise me Unfortunately BMW NA can't/won't help you here and if they denied service and cancelled the work order you won't even get a call for a survey (which is random anyways). You'll have to be persistent and escalate this within Budds. Do you have any documentation in writing of them admitting to you that the car fell off the hoist and didn't simply get caught on the corner? If not, their staff will deny if when or if the management gets involved. I had a bad experience with Budds years ago and have not gone back since...
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05-03-2019, 09:05 AM	#5
55parallelM3 Enlisted Member 35 Rep 41 Posts Drives: 2018 M3 Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Grande Prairie iTrader: (0)	Not BMW, but related just the same. I had bought a diesel truck from a dealer in N. BC and put a tune and deleted egr stuff. The rad developed a tiny leak one day and the dealer insisted it come to them (some 370km away). So I drop it off, the service manager comes out and takes a look under the hood etc then they call me hour later to say the pressure test says it needs a new rad but my warranty is void because of the deletes! Their excuse was I couldn't watch coolant temps because of the chip, even though there was a factory gauge and the chip also read the temps from the ECU. Some dealers will do anything to deny warranty work if you've made any mods it seems. I talked with the SA at the dealer "down the road" and he said he wouldn't have denied it but if it was a direct correlation he might have to, that was reasonable at least. Anyway I tried talking to the manager after and he wouldn't get involved because I hadn't talked to the SA. The SA wouldn't even make eye contact when I went back to get my truck! he was a weasely pos and I couldn't talk to him without hitting him lol. I sure hope your experience turns out better, but I fear it's not looking so good
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05-04-2019, 12:56 PM	#6
bing240sx Captain 121 Rep 681 Posts Drives: F87 M2C /// E90 M3 ESS-VT2 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Canada iTrader: (2)	Did you buy the M4 new from Budd's? your post wasn't clear. also, was this Oakville or Hamilton? __________________ FACEBOOK GROUPS: Canadian BMW M-Cars /// Ontario Infiniti G & Nissan Z /// WEB: NYSPEED.com Last edited by bing240sx; 05-04-2019 at 02:29 PM..
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05-04-2019, 01:17 PM	#7
G35POPPEDMYCHERRY Banned 4997 Rep 4,139 Posts Drives: F80 Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Philadelphia iTrader: (1)	wtf my dudes car feel off the lift and these people denying warranty work as if the car didnt fall off a hoist. lmaoooooo. the fuck is wrong with this world. OP you seem to nice....they are feasting on your kindness; as this point they have shown their true colors...burn the dealership down... but call BMWNA; threaten to call insruance, call police,
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05-04-2019, 04:35 PM	#9
zarraz Second Lieutenant 57 Rep 205 Posts Drives: 2016 435i gran coupe xdrive Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Cambridge Canada iTrader: (0)	all dealerships are the same horrible service everywhere, just find one that works out. Budds are a bunch of %$#@
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05-05-2019, 06:50 AM	#10
FreeDarko Captain 217 Rep 632 Posts Drives: F80 Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: UpNorth iTrader: (0)	Also another reason for some of us to install dashcam. OP this isn't a warranty job. Budds is trying to get BMW to foot the bill for their incompetence. Pls go on the Budds twitter or other social media sites and state the above story. Reach out to BMW Canada directly as well. I'm sure they'll have something to say about making a warranty claim for a vehicle that was dropped from a hoist.
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05-05-2019, 11:01 AM	#11
KCX_335xi Major 62 Rep 1,196 Posts Drives: 2018 M4 \| 2013 e70 X5 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Oakville, ON iTrader: (14)	Sorry to hear about your situation.. Yeah, despite it being our local dealership, we never nor ever will buy from them... Too many brush offs, too many sales people with a chip on their shoulder.. Personally, I would find the executive at BMW Canada that is responsible for service, and escalate to him/her directly via LinkedIn or email..
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05-05-2019, 05:13 PM	#13
bobblehead Brigadier General 256 Rep 4,721 Posts Drives: warp speed Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Toronto, On iTrader: (0)	Speak with your wallet on your next bmw purchase(s) and servicing
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07-17-2019, 02:02 AM	#16
BikBlekGui Private First Class 28 Rep 103 Posts Drives: 2015 BMW M3 Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	Not to revive an old thread, but has this been resolved? If not, you have until August 2019 (one year from the incident) to file a claim against Budds BMW in a Small Claims Court. This is not a matter that pertains to warranty; it is property damage due to negligence. 9 times out of 10, once you file suit, you are likely to have this matter resolved with a financial settlement prior going to court. I've dealt with a similar headache with my vehicle at a local BMW dealership, and suing was a lot easier than people think. Get a free telephone consultation from a Small Claims Lawyer by Googling "Law Society Ontario Referral Service", or by clicking this link: https://lsrs.lso.ca/lsrs/loadCustInfoCollectionForm It is also helpful to email local media outlets about your story, as it can be worthy of publication. Good luck! Remember, you only have until next month to do this -- so, if you want to give it a shot, you have to get on it ASAP.
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