# Problems Fuel gauge, A/C odor and BMWNA reply!



## sj330ciclvr (Mar 11, 2003)

I submitted an email through the BMWNA Owners Circle regarding Pricing,
faulty fuel gauge, and a/c odor. 2002 330cic July production. My email is directly below, and their reply is below that..


1. Why is there such a deviance in the price of service, parts, and
accessories between dealers. The dealer that is most convenient to me
charges $150 for an oil change at 8K miles, and the dealer 8 miles away
wants $95 for the same service? The same dealer that has the high price,
was almost three times as much when it came to key programming!


2. I have an issue with my fuel gauge that IÕve noticed a number of
other owners have had. The gauge will not read correctly once in a while
(every two weeks or so). IÕll drive 120 miles or so, and it still reads
full as opposed to the normal reading of less than 3/4 of a tank. Then
while the car is running and stopped, the fuel guage needle will bounce
up and down for a minute or two (maybe 10-30 a minute). I know that this
is a known issue, and that there is a TSB on this. I called the dealer
to make an appointment to have this fixed, and the dealer replied: Òwe
cannot fix it until we visually see it malfunctioning.Ó OK, so a couple
of weeks go by and it starts acting up, so I turn around and head for
the dealer. IÕm almost to the dealer, and it starts acting fine. I feel
that this is craziness. I canÕt make an appointment to have the senders
(the TSB states that the senders are at fault) replaced without having
the intermittent problem visually seen by the dealer! Maybe, IÕll wait
till I have had a couple of tow truck rides billed to BMW, and then try
to have it fixed!

3. Last, and of least importance at this point. When I turn the air
conditioner on, the smell is really offensive. IÕve had many cars with
a/c, and IÕve had issues with the mold that forms.......no problem....I
understand and accept it. My BMW smells sort of like I stepped in some
dog p**h, itÕs pretty foul. I also know that there is a TSB (640891) on
this as well. IÕve also heard that some dealers have cleaned the system
and replaced the filter for free. My local dealerÕs service advisor
says, Òbe sure to drive the last 5 minutes with the fan on and the a/c
compressor off before shutting the car off. This will help stop this
odor.Ó OK, so when summer comes, and itÕs 105 degrees, I turn the a/c
off for the last 5 minutes of my drive......I would imagine that the
vehicle is gonna get pretty warm.....doesnÕt sound like a good solution
to me.

Any suggestions leading to a solution would be greatly appreciated.

It just seems to me, when you spend around 50k for a car, that service
for these kinds of issues would not be expected, especially when they
are known issues!


HERE'S THE REPLY FROM BMWNA CUSTOMER RELATIONS

I am with BMW of North America, LLC and your Owners' Circle inquiry has
been forwarded to me for a response.

1. BMW dealerships are independently owned and operated. All pricing at
the dealership including vehicles, parts, and service are set by the
management at that dealership. Automobile manufacturers establish the
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). The dealer determines the
transaction price.

2. Intermittent problems are the most difficult issues for service
centers to handle. The reason for this is because the dealership cannot
repair/replace an item based on customer say so alone, they must have
documented evidence of the part failure. I understand and apologize for
your frustration with this issue, unfortunately, the dealership would
need to duplicate the issue before they can act on it.

3. As you have mentioned in your letter, this issue with the A/C odor is
not exclusive to BMWs. The odor is an environmental issue, not a
manufacture defect, and therefore is not a warrantable item. The costs
associated with cleaning the A/C system and replacing the filter are set
by the management at the BMW dealership. Please contact the Service
Manager at your local dealership for the cost, if any, of this service.

If you need any further assistance on any of the issues above, please
feel free to contact BMW Customer Relations at 1-800-831-1117, Monday
through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 9.m. EST.


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

:dunno: 

Seems to me to be the right response from BMWNA...Everything they said was true.


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## vern (Apr 19, 2002)

sj330ciclvr said:


> *I submitted an email through the BMWNA Owners Circle regarding Pricing,
> faulty fuel gauge, and a/c odor. 2002 330cic July production. My email is directly below, and their reply is below that..
> 
> 1. Why is there such a deviance in the price of service, parts, and
> ...


What is the name of the BMW Centers you are dealing with????????????
vern


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## xspeedy (Apr 10, 2003)

*Options*

Point 1: Shop around. Dealers for all makes charge different prices. Just make sure the dealer doesn't tack on additional maintenance that is not required per the owners manual. This can be a pain if you only have one dealer in your town.

Point 2: Visit another dealer. Perhaps the new dealer won't be so hesitant to require evidence of the problem. Maybe the policy is that the problem must be replicated, but then again, maybe the dealer doesn't care about policy.

Point 3: If your AC smells really bad, then run a special disinfectant through the air intake while running the AC and fan to kill off the mold. To prevent the recurrence of the problem, you need to do as the dealer says. Running the fan with the AC off for the last few minutes of your drive allows the innards to warm up, to prevent the accumulation of condensation once the car is parked.

Hope this helps.


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## mwette (Sep 16, 2002)

*Re: Options*



xspeedy said:


> Point 3: If your AC smells really bad, then run a special disinfectant through the air intake while running the AC and fan to kill off the mold.[/B]


Where is the inlet?


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## Artslinger (Sep 2, 2002)

"BMW dealerships are independently owned and operated. So we can do nothing about your problem, but thanks for Emailing BMW of North America, LLC." 

That is the response I receive to any question or inquires about my dealer. I made the last part up, but that is basically what BMWNA is saying, they just are a little more wordy with the response.


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## F1Crazy (Dec 11, 2002)

This should help to find air intake vents: http://www.bmw325i.net/maint_microfilter_replmt.shtml .

There is a special treatment made by Wurth that can help, here is the link: Wurth A/C & Heating System Cleaner .
I haven't tried it yet but I've heard that it works and is sometimes used by dealerships.


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## akula57 (Apr 12, 2003)

*You're getting screwed....*

The free "800" line isn't worth beans. Some years ago, those who answered might actually give some helpful advice. The BMWNA of today steadfastly gives no advice and tells you to go to your dealer.

"Premium car" customer service has taken a back seat to cost control and making non-warranty work a profit center. If they choose to not build a car with less than Japanese level reliability, the least they can do it fix it when it is under warranty.


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## Artslinger (Sep 2, 2002)

F1Crazy said:


> *This should help to find air intake vents: http://www.bmw325i.net/maint_microfilter_replmt.shtml .
> 
> There is a special treatment made by Wurth that can help, here is the link: Wurth A/C & Heating System Cleaner .
> I haven't tried it yet but I've heard that it works and is sometimes used by dealerships. *


Thanks for the tip, I'm going to give the Spray Wurth A/C & Heating System Cleaner a try.


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## F1Crazy (Dec 11, 2002)

Artslinger said:


> *Thanks for the tip, I'm going to give the Spray Wurth A/C & Heating System Cleaner a try. *


Keep us posted, others may need it as well.


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## Raffi (May 18, 2002)

You may also try to spray some Lysol through the air inlets (on the hood) while the AC is running.


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