In June 2010 I purchased a CPO 2007 328i with 20k miles with original warranty until March 17, 2011. Today I was informed by the dealership that the peeling and bubbling of the vinyl on the center section of the steering wheel is considered a 'wear and tear' item after 15k miles and not covered by the warranty. The car now has 36k miles. You can see that the peeling is close to where your thumb would rest and the pucker is on the lower edge where no contact occurs. When I contacted Customer Relations they advised I contact the dealership GM where I might get some pricing relief while they filed a 'formal complaint' on my behalf to be reviewed by 'executives'. This is a design issue at the least, a materials issue certainly. If the peeling of the vinyl after 15k miles is acceptable then the quality standards have indeed fallen. I am so very disappointed, this could have been so easy.
Sorry to hear about your troubles. That black coating on the steering wheel is some type of special rubber "soft touch" paint. It doesn't appear to be very durable and can look like crap if it gets scratched or maybe some chemical attacks it. A lot of car companies are using this stuff now. I don't know why black plastic needs to be painted black. My e30 with all black interior as none of this and it looks as good as it did the day i bought it 24 years ago. One option would be to have a leather/vinyl repair person have a look at it. I bet your dealer uses someone for these type of repairs to the cars that come back from lease for resale as CPO cars. Its worth a try as these guys can do a very clean job.
I think the dealer is jerking you around. We had the exact same thing on our X3 (M sport package) at around 40,000 miles and our dealer replaced the part no questions asked. It was nothing more than the faceplate and they even had it in stock. I'd elevate it.
same thing happened to my E92 M3 in the same spot no less upper left hand side....and for some sick reason..my eyes always make a bee-line for that spot...LOL
For sure. The materials issue is one thing but your short-sighted dealer made the experience worse. I hope you have a choice there. Reward a better dealer with your loyalty.
Makes you wonder sometimes, doesn't it? We all have a certain expectation for quality. After all it's been said many times that "quality is job #1" or something to that effect. One theory I have heard is that there are several levels of engineers utilized by these car companies. The design center comes up with a new design, say, the next great thing. Then in order to build it the car company assigns resources to the many different systems that all have to come together in the final product. The most knowledgeable engineers are assigned for some systems and components, and other folks are assigned to the other systems and components. The gentleman that explained this to me implied that the highest level people are assigned to the most critical features and, well, the rest somehow put together the rest. What we end up with is the very opposite of one quality standard. In this case it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the surfaces gripped by hands e.g., the steering wheel, shouldn't be covered with flimsy coatings. I guess they figure we either wear gloves or don't don't touch the wheel that much while driving. But then again maybe they think our hands are less than 100% on the wheel, say 50:50 with the cell phone, coffee cups, gps, etc.?
Here's what it tells JD Power: J.D. Power Releases 2010 Initial Quality Rankings By Erin Riches | June 17, 2010 This is the 24th year J.D. Power has conducted its Initial Quality Study, which tracks problems in vehicles over the first 90 days of ownership. The big revelation this year is that traditional U.S. domestic brands averaged 108 problems per 100 vehicles versus 109 problems per 100 vehicles for import brands. This is the first time in all 24 years that domestic brands have been rated better for initial quality. You can see the full chart of how the automakers stack up in problems per 100 vehicles after the jump. You can also see which vehicle models have the highest initial quality ratings in each class. 2010 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study Auto Observer -- J.D. Power: Domestics Lead Imports in Quality for First Time http://blogs.insideline.com/straigh...r-releases-2010-initial-quality-rankings.html
I sure cheer for us (US). My first new car was a 1981 Ford Mustang. It was missing wheel nuts, trim pieces and blew its slushbox 3 times in 60,000 miles. I vowed I would never, ever, ever, ever buy a piece of Detroit iron again. But quality did become "job #1", and I am again hopeful. (My second new car was a 5 speed manual 1991 Honda Accord Wagon, which I still own and has cost me virtually nothing in terms of repair despite 220,000 miles.) Ford is no longer "telling us" what we will like ("you will like a soft bouncy ride", "you will like flashy outlandish styling", "you will like land yachts") (oops, on the last one) and has begun to build International models. It is BMW now who is "telling us" what we will like, "you will like flashy outlandish styling", "you will like land yachts" (okay 1974 Grand Marquis = 2011 X5xDrive35i), "you will like rolling temples to technology". It seems to me that BMW has become the Ford of yesteryear. ... end of rant.
From my own personal experience here is what Ford has told me personally over the last 20 years: You will like your Mustangs (4 of them). They will take all the abuse you give them and never ask for anything other than scheduled maintenance. I even made the dumb mistake of buying an extended warranty on one of them, never used it. I'd buy another Mustang in a heartbeat without blinking an eye, my experience has been second to none.
Interesting indeed! Seems it took a near-death experience for the US automakers to understand that the old business model didn't work. Now Ford, GM and to some degree Chrysler have woken up and realized that they need to deliver well-designed, economical global cars that have good driving dynamics and customer appeal. The only non-German car I ever owned was a 93 Pontiac Grand Am. Worst car out of any I've had! And I vowed I'd never buy another American car again. However, never before have so many US models appealed to me, at least in passing, than now. BMW does seem to have focused all attention on the people who buy the badge and not the car, while abandoning the enthusiasts who helped them get where they are now. Lack of a spare tire option, over-burdened with tech, high entry prices, and making it difficult to own/maintain past the warranty are all keeping me away from buying my next new BMW. Maybe Europe has been drinking too much of the American Cool Aid. Case in point: VW is making cars specifically for the US market that are de-contented, soft, bloated and Americanized (the new Jetta and the US version of the Passat.) That's exactly the mentality that nearly killed the US makers.
I'll have to agree too, Ed... I had two 5.0 Mustangs (89 and a 93). Drove the crap out of them and they held up just like yours did with only standard maintenance. Now handling and braking was an entirely different matter....
The new Jetta is back to torsion beam rear suspension, gone is the rear independent setup! VW has stated the goal of becoming the worlds largest auto maker, I guess dumbing down the product is how you get there! Sad, so sad, American Cool Aid is right.
Except for the spare tire part, I think I've been hearing folks say that in one form or another about each BMW model which succeeds its predecessor for the last 25 years! Which tells us some things never change: BMW's always seem comparatively & relatively expensive, and BMW incorporates ever-advancing technology in new models, making the cars ever-more complicated machines. As long as BMW generally meets it sales & profitability goals, and doesn't want to forfeit its perception as a premium brand here in the U.S., sumtin' tells me we ain't goin' back regardless of what us illuminati want!
Garrison is right. . . . . . plus you have to remember that "what we want" may vary; with 70,000 members, universal agreement on which BMW is the REAL one, and which technologies are terrific and which are a waste of time and money, can vary greatly from opinion to opinion. Now, take the idea of old-school pin-striping all over the back of a roadster: You may find it hard to believe, but there are people who are shocked, SHOCKED at the very idea. . . On the other hand, my mother-in-law, who just bought a white 328i, was dead set against white---until I pointed out how nifty tough and bitchin' it would look with M-color pinstripes down the side. . . . That sold her on the car.
So Satch, Have you ever considered a Trans Am screamin' chicken all over that roadster hood? In M colors, that is?
The Screaming Chicken Alas, I don't think it would fit: [FLOATLEFT] View attachment 3360 [/FLOATLEFT]
I understand and agree. BMW has goals in mind for how it perceives the future of its cars. They will be technically advanced premium things. But it's a shame that they ignore some of the quibbles the most ardent fans of the brand complain about. Like the run-flats. Yes, we're the minority. But it's been known for manufacturers to cater to the minority before. Even BMW has done so in the past.
