ISO Good BMW Dealer

[zkhockey10]

I am looking to get my F80 serviced under warranty. I've had a lot of bad dealer experience.

Anyone a service advisor in North Jersey? or know a good service advisor?

[Tommy L Garage]

Open Road BMw - ask for Tom.
Tell him Tom with the blue M3 sent you.

BUT I suggest you tip him BEFORE you leave

[9M71]

Edison

[RElias21]

I have a TON of respect for Tommy, but I've never been able to wrap my head around tipping your service advisor. I had actually never even heard of that before Tommy mentioned it once before. I guess, maybe, if he/she is going above and beyond for you, i.e., doing something under warranty when your car is relatedly modified? Otherwise, having to tip your service advisor to do his job well doesn't sit right with me, nor would I consider that good service.

In general, I find Open Road in Edison to be a mill and will never be back.
I would consider going to a smaller dealership and you may get a bit more personalized treatment. I've been going to Bridgewater which has been a little bit better.

Popular consensus has been Circle BMW, but that's by Longbranch.

[Wmf80]

Originally Posted by RElias21

I have a TON of respect for Tommy, but I've never been able to wrap my head around tipping your service advisor. I had actually never even heard of that before Tommy mentioned it once before. I guess, maybe, if he/she is going above and beyond for you, i.e., doing something under warranty when your car is relatedly modified? Otherwise, having to tip your service advisor to do his job well doesn't sit right with me, nor would I consider that good service.

In general, I find Open Road in Edison to be a mill and will never be back.
I would consider going to a smaller dealership and you may get a bit more personalized treatment. I've been going to Bridgewater which has been a little bit better.

Popular consensus has been Circle BMW, but that's by Longbranch.

Agree with you. Many ppl actually do tip. I never have and won’t, they should be doing their best to please the customer. Them going above will give them my business in the future. Whether it’s a new vehicle or any work needed to be done outside of warranty. The same goes with tipping garbage and mailman. Shouldnt do it. I believe only ppl needed to me tipped are those that work for tips
( bartenders/ waiters).

[Poiseuille]

+1 on Circle BMW, I travel an hour to get there even though there's a dealer 12 mins from my house. The SA there for me is Tim Maritizs but all the SAs I've met there are good. For sales the M-specialist is Danny Wong, very knowledgeable. I'm a relatively new convert to Circle but my brother has been going there for 25 years or so.
Agree with REI's comments regarding Open Road, first met Bill Vince when he had a used car lot and a newly acquired Honda bike franchise in Plainfield. Thanks but no thanks.
For many years JMK in Springfield was very highly regarded but there was a change of ownership several years ago, name changed to BMW of Springfield, and I have no current opinion that would be valid. Maybe someone else does?
I have no personal experience with Paul Miller (closer to you I think) but have frequently seen positive comments, maybe a member from up there will chime in.
Whatever you decide, don't be afraid to travel to get the right people.

Regarding 'tipping': never occurred to me tbh, but cash seems a bit awkward….pizza, donutz, non-vending-machine coffee: absolutely!

[mapster37]

ive heard good things about BMW of Mt. Laurel...

[icebiker]

BMW of Bloomfield. Ask for Ahmed or Ahron. Lot of the techs there own M's and they do a first rate job. Their prices are also considerably less than my local dealer. I travel 30 mins out of my way to have them do my service (warranty and now out of warranty). Small dealer but great service. They also do a full under-car video for you showing condition of the brakes, suspension, differential, tire tread depth , etc. There's a huge window on the waiting area that lets you see them working on the car too. Tell them Greg with the Champagne Quartz F83 referred you.

[M3god]

Bout to check out bmw of Bloomfield lol never heard of a bmw doin the extra

[Tommy L Garage]

I tip because my car is modified and tuned and never had issues with warranty.
If also allows me to get premium loaners.

Had an X5, 7 series, even a z4 as a loaner!

[Ramz88]

Thompson bmw in Doylestown PA

[RowanBuds]

Originally Posted by Tommy L Garage

I tip because my car is modified and tuned and never had issues with warranty.
If also allows me to get premium loaners.

Had an X5, 7 series, even a z4 as a loaner!

Exactly this.

If you want anything done 'outside of schedule' it's a good idea to be on better than "Random Customer" footing with your SA.

Example: You have a car still under OEM warranty/maintenance plan. Every 2 years you're entitled to a free brake fluid flush. If you track your car - you don't have OEM fluid in there. But BMW will ONLY do the service with oem fluid. If you have a good relationship with the SA, you show up with a bottle of SRF in the trunk, and the flush/fill is done with your preferred fluid. Saves you 125+ for the flush right there.

Simple thing, easy example - but all things considered, the SA is someone who can help you in stressful times when things go wrong; it's never a bad idea to be on good terms with that person ahead of time.

I don't tip when in for oil change or basic warranty items, but show up near the holidays with a bottle, and if there's any CEL issues that need 'massaging', a previous tip goes a long way.

YMMV, you do what you think is right.

[Electric]

+1 for Circle BMW - it is my local dealer, but I have been to a couple (Freehold, JMK, Princeton) and I like Circle the best.

[e90post_user]

I’ve had a good experience with BMW of Springfield.
First time I went there when moved to NJ in the fall of 2019, and was hooked up with a loaner without even asking for one. Got some good loaners as well without tipping….
My SA there is Mike G.

[ineedae46m3]

Never heard of tipping an SA, I never even thought of that! I mean what percentage of tipping are we talking about?

Dropping off Donuts/Bagels as a gesture I would think is totally acceptable.

[Soul Coughing]

Had initially done all of my warranty work through BMW of Bridgewater due their location to my home, but they were unable or unwilling to find an issue I had with smelling coolant, so I tried BMW of Morristown and had a much better experience. Every little issue I had was rectified or at least looked into; which I felt didn't happen at Bridgewater.

[zkhockey10]

Originally Posted by Soul Coughing

Had initially done all of my warranty work through BMW of Bridgewater due their location to my home, but they were unable or unwilling to find an issue I had with smelling coolant, so I tried BMW of Morristown and had a much better experience. Every little issue I had was rectified or at least looked into; which I felt didn't happen at Bridgewater.

I actually just had a horrible BMW Morristown experience. I'm about to write a review on it.

[zkhockey10]

Hey guys,

Thank you all for the responses. I ended up at BMW Morristown as it is near my house. I had one of the worst experiences you could have at a dealer. I am writing a review as we speak as well as posting it on the forum.

Stay away from there

[jeff@autocouture]

I worked as a service advisor for quite a few years and was tipped frequently. I in turn have tipped service advisors as well for making my experience comfortable and easy. I tip my garbage man, I tip my mail lady. If someone is making a noticeable effort to try to make my experience the best it can be I tip. Its a gesture/courtesy and shows respect for doing a great job. To each their own.

On topic: Claudio or Eric at Park Ave BMW were very good SA's when I worked there with them. Good Luck!

[zkhockey10]

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1860721

Here is the thread to my review

[RElias21]

Originally Posted by jeff@autocouture

I worked as a service advisor for quite a few years and was tipped frequently. I in turn have tipped service advisors as well for making my experience comfortable and easy. I tip my garbage man, I tip my mail lady. If someone is making a noticeable effort to try to make my experience the best it can be I tip. Its a gesture/courtesy and shows respect for doing a great job. To each their own.

On topic: Claudio or Eric at Park Ave BMW were very good SA's when I worked there with them. Good Luck!

This is good input.

HOWEVER, it is one thing to tip BEFOREHAND, in order to get good service. That's not necessarily good service. It's purchased service or, from a more cynical perspective, bribery.

It's an entirely different thing to tip AFTER receiving good service, as a sign of your appreciation of the good service.

I'm not really commenting on whether one is right or one is wrong. I'm just saying, they're not one in the same, IMHO.

[brocurls]

How much are you guys tipping? 20? 50?

Never heard of tipping your SA