All of us who have Z8 have had, or know of someone who has had issues with their very expensive neon lights failing. Yes, the same neon lights BMW marketed would last the lifetime of the car! Yes, its in their press releases about the Z8. So too are their boasts how their aluminum chassis is so much stronger than other cars, such as the Ferrari 360 (named directly, and yet I've never heard of any bent frame issues on a 360).
I purchased an SDrive35i manual shift twin turbo 6 from a BMW dealer after first contacting BMW NA to learn if there were any issues, such as past defects, recalls, etc. I bought the car based solely on the BMW Dealer's representations and those of BMW NA as well.
When the car arrived it became apparent BMW NA (and the dealer) lied to me and failed to tell me that when the car was new it was repainted with 02 miles on the odometer. Not repainted by BMW in the complex factory paint job process, but by some local paint shop in Massachusetts. The paint job was such that, lets say it was obvious on delivery the car had been repainted.
I learned this when the selling Dealer inadvertently sent me an internal warranty document that showed the car arrived at the U.S. dealer with paint defects. So they had it locally painted and with a substandard paint job. The evidence shows BMW NA knew of this when they lied to me and said there were no such issues.
I contacted BMW NA about this issue, and I also raised the issue of the Z8 neon light failures and how BMW was on something like its fourth different version of those lights.....and how BMW in Europe did basically an unofficial recall and replaced European Z8 owners lights for free.
How BMW in Europe took care of its customers shows us by comparison just how xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxty BMW NA is as they have done nothing to help those of us with failed neon lights.
Long story short BMW NA said screw off and sue us, even though all I was asking for was they have the paint corrected by their own shop (the local BMW dealer's BMW paint shop).
Instead, BMW NA would rather spend (literally) hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting the case rather than do the right thing and remedy their defects.
Not only does BMW not stand behind its product, but even where it is blatantly wrong, they will engage in a war of attrition and try and crush the BMW owner.
We are still in litigation and I made them an offer to settle the case, again, just for the cost to fix the paint issue (and not addressing other issues nor the issue of the neon Z8 lights), and again, BMW NA told me to screw off, they are "not interested" in settling the case.
So often we hear about stories in the news where some guy goes "postal" and wreaks havoc on those who wronged him. In the old days, where justice was swift, people I suspect behaved better if for nothing else, fear of retribution. While I'm a level headed guy, some day they may piss off the wrong person.
Regardless, BMW NA has shown its true colors over and again, whether the issue be our neon lights, E46 M3 engines grenading, bearing failures on the V10 and V8, cars spontaneously combusting, etc. In each instance BMW NA blamed the owners rather than "owning their xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" and remedying their cars' defects.
So I will never by a new BMW again.
BMWZ8.US
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Originally Posted by macfly
BMW 1M Coupe E82
2015 Porsche Targa 4S
Winter car (and summer too) (traded in 2017)