Normal for Used Dealer to Sent i3 to BMW Before Purchase?

[Skyking6976]

Found a ‘16 REX last Tuesday, right here in my backyard at a big dealer with 5 franchises. After the demo, the sales guy said it had to go back to detail and inspection. I said fine, I’d take it but don’t jerk me around on the fluff or I’ll walk…guaranteed. The only other requirement was a pre-buy at my BMW dealer. He says no problem and go ahead and set it up for Thursday so the car can go to BMW right after they finish. So on Wednesday I email. No pressure, you have the sale, just let me know when I can schedule it to BMW.

Sales guy writes back a day later on Thursday morning saying they have to take it to BMW for service??? The evaluation would be on Wednesday…and they would let me know. Huh??? I just kept thinking about it so on Friday I called asking what’s going on. He says oh…we take all BMW’s and Mercedes to the dealer. Hum… for some reason I don’t believe the guy BUT it could be they bought it right and there’s enough profit for them to do an inspection since they know I’m gonna get one anyway.

So confused….

Thanks in advance.

 

[Anonymous]

If one of the requirement was an inspection by the BMW Dealer, likely they didn't try to schedule the inspection until they were certain you were going to buy it, since the inspection will cost them a minimum of $300. And BMW Dealers are totally jammed up with service right now due to staff shortages. I had to schedule my brake flush service two weeks in advance, and when I took it in, they had dozens of cars parked all over the dealer lot waiting for service or repair, so bet they tried to get it in last-minute, and had to wait for the Dealer to have an opening.

 

[eNate]

I don't buy it. Even brand dealers don't necessarily send their lease returns through their own service before putting them on the lot, unless required for a CPO inspection or to fix something obviously wrong.

As part of the sale you can tell them you want them to request the full service history from BMW. Not guaranteed they'll be able to get it, but worth a try.

 

[Skyking6976]

Firstly, this isn’t a lease return. It has 40,300 miles and has had 4 owners, the last one was only a few months best I can tell, thus I required a pre-buy inspection. The salesman is a nice fella, mid-50’s, heck I’ve even seen and visited with him at charity golf events over the past few years, not knowing what he did.

I initially emailed the dealer expressing interest and asking if I want it, would they object to a pre-buy inspection at a BMW dealer. This fella is the one who wrote back saying no problem. Why didn’t he say at that point, no problem, we ALWAYS take BMW’s to the dealer for inspection prior to sale? His email on Thursday specifically said, “We have to have the vehicle serviced at BMW.” Then when I called Friday and he says, “oh we take all our BMW’s and Mercedes to the dealer” his tone was like it was standard procedure. Problem is, it’s not like the guy is new to the dealership so I’m getting a bad vibe. Yes…it is possible the guy is doing me a favor since I’m not going to nickel and dime on the price.

I guess worse case being they take it to BMW and it needs a bunch of work and I walk. OTOH, the dealer will have to either fix it and eat the loss…it happens, just send it to an auction and get what you get or fix it, raise the price above market value and hope someone stupid buys it because it was loaded and there are few around.

Heck I tried for a week to lease a new one on the $299 deal\4,000 down and every time I’d find out one loaded that we liked I’d call sales telling them we want that sweet lease deal, the car would suddenly have a deposit. That happened at 2 dealerships in the DC area. I talked to one at Passport BMW and he says the “deposit” on the car we really wanted was good until Wednesday…as in September 1st, when the sale is over. One in Boston…sales girl said yep, she had it, told her I wanted it and she asked if I’d be available at 6PM to work the deal with her out of town F & I guy. That was over a week ago…and still waiting for the call…and the car is still there.

Thanks again for your thoughtful input…much appreciated.

 

[Skyking6976]

Thanks MKH. I was thinking dealers had some unspoken arrangement that fellow dealers regardless what they sell have priority. The guy was honest because I tried to schedule service online for our 3 series and the first available was next Wednesday…that’s nuts. I had no idea this craziness extended to service work as well.

I did point out to the sales guy after the demo, that the tires needed replaced and what I’d learned is i3’s go through tires. He said yeah…they’ll take care of that when it goes back to finish detail\inspection. He leaned over and said the windshield looks like it has to be replaced. I thought woah…this Chevy dude has no clue what that involves with the trim, carbon fiber and recalibration. When I talked to the guy on Friday, I mentioned the windshield and I’d read on forums it’s an involved fix. He said oh no…windshield is done. Never gave any details. Maybe they did buy it right, so they could price it right and fix whatever needs to be fixed or at least is paying for my pre-buy. I’m in no way demanding they fix every little thing but I want to know what’s wrong. Maybe nothing and he knows it but wants to “control” the pre-buy.

I plan on calling my own service guy there on Wednesday and ask him to keep an eye on it since it’ll be under his care going forward.

 

[Skyking6976]

Yes Nate, I’m gonna get those service records. Carfax has the service but not details. I’ll get them one way or the other. Either the service guy we use on our current BMW or a neighbor who works for BMW in marketing. The neighbor got all that for our current one. Plus all but the last couple services were right here at the dealership I use so…

 

[eNate]

Maybe that should be your first red flag right there — 4 owners over 40,000 miles. I may not be the best judge, but that alone raises my hackles.

The point I was trying to make is that I don't think it's normal for dealers to have their used inventory inspected, especially by outside shops. It eats profit, even when done internally.

Is there any way you can wait 6 months of this purchase? This market is really scraping bottom and charging a premium. Supply chains are recovering and we might see something resembling normal this winter. I think you should trust your Spidey-sense™ in this situation, and inwardly evaluate whether you're looking for evidence to move ahead with the purchase, versus seeking to confirm that your hesitations are founded and this is one to walk away from.

 

[Skyking6976]

Hey Nate…yeah we just want one…not like I need it for transportation. I think they are remarkable vehicles, a clean slate design, elegant and thoughtful interior…fun to drive. Plus, we are going to get an i4 next year or the next, depending on how the new model issues go.

I can see how EV owner history at this point in time, could be a bit difficult to analyze. I think it’s possible some buyers of the used ones pay just enough that they can drive the car a few months or a year just for the novelty or figure out if it fits their driving demands. It looks like the first owner had only a 2 year lease and barely drove the thing. The next owner did drive it a fair amount and given NJ\DE licensing or registration it looks like a dealer over there had it registered while having it for sale??? Plus it looks like the dealer there may have driven it about 5,000 miles just for the novelty or something.

Regardless, I appreciate the info on what’s out there. My interest for whatever reason started in early August, not realizing BMW stopped sale to the US in July and the used market overall is crazy due to inventory of used vehicles. I’ve looked for hours virtually every day but decided not even look any more till this deal is resolved.

I was a test pilot and sold used airplanes so no emotional attachment to any vehicle. I thought it odd when he wrote it had to be serviced at BMW but didn’t give me details. Then he ends by writing, “I’ll let you know what the (sic) say”. Why didn’t I just ask the guy for details on the phone? Well…I was thinking it’s possible he’s doing us a favor by paying for the pre-buy since it’s going to BMW any way for my pre-buy and didn’t want him to have to say that out loud where some other salesman could hear. OTOH, he did write it HAD to be serviced at BMW.

 

[eNate]

I'm betting you're aware that they next model year, 2017, brought a 50% increase in battery capacity, and 2018 introduced the LCI facelift with remarkably improved headlights and iDrive 6.

My two knocks against the 2016 are not the battery per se, but that normal degradation has a higher impact on what I consider normal daily usability, and also that 3G connectivity is being phased out this year, functionality I find very useful.

Anyhow, please keep this thread updated. I'd like to know what your find out.

 

[Anonymous]

On the 'must be serviced at BMW' thing. I know at least two local non-BMW dealers that do that with at least any i3 that comes in, most electric/hybrids. They are aware that the car has a 440 volt HV battery and wiring harness, and don't want to have one of their mechanics electrocute themselves doing a pre-sale inspection on a car they aren't factory trained for. Almost all dealers also put a 30 to 90 day warranty on the cars they sell, and it's just good business to have the car checked over, and any minor (or major) stuff dealt with up front, before it ends up with a customer.

 

[eNate]

Just as a counterpoint to that, my wife drove a Saturn with an oil burn problem and ran it dry to the point the red oil light came on steady on a commute home.

I'll accept responsibility for not being diligent checking the oil, but anyway, we topped it off and traded it in at Toyota with obvious loud lifter rattle.

The dealer had it advertised on their lot the following week, I'd guess with a few quarts of 60 wt. to quiet things.

I can't help being jaded when it comes to car dealers.

 

[Skyking6976]

Geez Nate…that’s horrible Toyota would do that. I guess selling used airplanes…the thought of doing something like that would never cross my mind. It was just weird that I emailed saying I wouldn’t even consider the car without a pre-buy from BMW, he never said until later, oh…no problem we send all our used BMW’s to the dealer. The salesman’s email and English skills is just above marginal so maybe that’s a factor.

Yes, I looked hard at 2018 and even the BMW lease deal on a new one. The price on 2017’s and up is nuts right now. This one has the interior we wanted, the exterior color we wanted, options and the REX. It’ll be used locally to see how the EV life goes as we watch the i4 go through it’s growing pains. This one the agreed price is 18.5 and an ‘18 we wanted, with one minor accident was $9,000 more…with fewer miles. I wrote 25,000 OTD on his offer sheet and the ‘18 sales guy got up and walked off…so we did too. Lastly, the logic being the lease deal…there really are no $299 lease deals on loaded ones, so $400 x 36 + $4,000 down is less than my out the door price on the ‘16 and I at least have something for trade at BMW on the i4 when the time comes. If this deal falls apart on Wednesday..no problem and I’ll take another look at the newer ones because of the battery.

I’m not wringing my hands because this is the ONE. If BMW finds some expensive, necessary repairs…I’ll smile, thank the guy and move on. The one good thing is the dealership has a excellent reputation from reading reviews, which is not typical for any dealer.

 

[eNate]

Sorry, that was doom and gloom, I'm sure a pre-buy would catch any issues, especially since they're using an out-of-group BMW dealership. Just relating my experience to explain my general suspicion of dealerships. Hopefully it's healthy, not paranoid!

But reiterating my other point, if you can wait a bit longer, I think you'll find improved selection at better prices.

 

[Skyking6976]

Yeah…I’m guessing the Chevy dealer techs found a problem they couldn’t fix. Maybe big….maybe not. Just the fact the sales guy was getting back to me pretty quick before but then it took him over a day to reply that car had to be serviced at a dealer, leaves me feeling the deal is bust and he knows it, save for some miracle.

Like you that’s pretty pessimistic but I’d rather be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Skyking6976]

I just got an email update. “The BMW is going to Ottos BMW today for evaluation tomorrow. You can have your guy look at it as well while it's there”.

I have no clue why he uses the word “evaluation” rather than repair or servicing. I’ve got a feeling he’s gonna let my service guy give me the bad news, rather than him telling me and figuring out if the deal can be salvaged. Routine stuff, wheel alignment or whatever is no problem…I’m just not gonna pay thousands to get the car back to where it needs to be…no way.

 

[Skyking6976]

Okay…I called my BMW service guy and he looked up what they were gonna look at. 1. Charging malfunction 2. “Leak” 3. Back up camera warning??? My service guy did say it wasn’t his assigned job tomorrow and he can’t tell me details on what they find, I’ll have to get that from the dealership…which is BS. A customer deserves transparency.

I’m guessing either of the first 2 could be real expensive or less likely…something minor. It’s an odd situation because the car is gonna be there fo those things but I’m suppose to somehow get a PPI at the same time but the dealership is booked so I don’t know how much time is slotted for all this.

I haven’t research those issues on the forum yet so that’s my next step. I’m probably gonna just go to the dealer tomorrow and babysit this deal.

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds minor. Charging malfunction is likely the charging socket locking pin. They fail/break sometimes and won't lock the charging handle into the socket. If the lock doesn't work, the car won't initiate charging. Sometimes they get out of alignment and work intermittently or when you wiggle around the charge handle to get it to make the connection. Easy fix, other than labor intensive, as they have to take the rear quarter panel off the car to get at the mechanism.

Leak could be anything.

Backup camera, either a loose connection and a faulty camera. Easy to fix/replace.

 

[eNate]

Leak could be as simple as air conditioning condensate. I can't tell you how many times I come out to drive and my car's been climatizing the cabin, and there's a good sized puddle under the car. Hopefully it's that simple / explainable.

 

[Skyking6976]

Sounds good and thanks for your thoughts. I’m surprised the sales guy didn’t just tell me that. Of course you fellas know far more about the car than this salesman, so he may have been hedging his bets to where if it costs too much to fix they’ll send it to auction vs paying for the repair and using up their profit. Since I didn’t haggle over the price, I expect the car to be in excellent shape with nothing outstanding. I won’t pay a dime for any of these repairs. Just won’t…

I’ll give y’all and update when this is finalized one way or the other to help others going through this kind of deal.

 

[Skyking6976]

Well…got the call. $3,000 and 2 week wait. I walked. I honestly didn’t give the guy a chance to say whether they’d pay it all or not because the car was priced at the max I’d pay regardless. Plus I had a bad feeling. What if the 3G worth of work wasn’t everything…just one of the big things that had to work for sale. Hard to believe a dealer has 3G’s of profit in a car these days. To add insult to injury, the sales guy said let me know cause another sales guy has someone who wants the car. I’ll pass…

Kudos to them for taking it to BMW but they may have figured out any buyer other than a complete moron would purchase without a PPI.