# Loaner Service Experience??



## 3PUTT (Dec 31, 2003)

Do service centers only provide loaners for customers who purchased/leased their BMWs from the same dealerships?? Apparently, a bunch of NJ dealerships have been practicing this policy. Doesn't this take away from the whole BMW ownership experience?? What if a customer relocated to a new state, does that mean he/she will never get a loaner ever again?? This is a ridiculous policy which is very annoying. Open Road and Denville seem to be practicing this as we speak. My 2004 530i had a passenger restraint and airbag fault which has to be reset. Open Road will not give me a loaner since I got the car from a better dealer in northern NJ. AAARGGHH!!!


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## sph17 (Oct 5, 2003)

*Loaners*



3PUTT said:


> Do service centers only provide loaners for customers who purchased/leased their BMWs from the same dealerships?? Apparently, a bunch of NJ dealerships have been practicing this policy. Doesn't this take away from the whole BMW ownership experience?? What if a customer relocated to a new state, does that mean he/she will never get a loaner ever again?? This is a ridiculous policy which is very annoying. Open Road and Denville seem to be practicing this as we speak. My 2004 530i had a passenger restraint and airbag fault which has to be reset. Open Road will not give me a loaner since I got the car from a better dealer in northern NJ. AAARGGHH!!!


Dealerships in NYC/LI tend to do the same thing. My wife got to know the SAs at a dealership and they try to give her a loaner when they can.


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## marinakorp (Oct 3, 2003)

YES, this preactice SUCKS... but according to BMW - the dealerships are privately owned and can implement what they want, etc


On the other hand... I have been able to get a loaner on occasion from a new dealer...Had my car in there often enough... I think that he feels sorry for me


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## Ågent99 (Jan 7, 2002)

Highly dealer dependent as other basically pointed out. I didn't buy my car from the dealer I use but they do almost always offer a loaner (not BMW) to me but I rarely accept it.

Chris


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## jeffnin (Jun 30, 2003)

Ågent99 said:


> Highly dealer dependent as other basically pointed out. I didn't buy my car from the dealer I use but they do almost always offer a loaner (not BMW) to me but I rarely accept it.
> 
> Chris


Same with me. I purchased both of my BMW's from different dealers but always have them serviced at the dealer 3 miles from my house. They always give me a free loaner, and even cover the gas. This is in AZ, but I also had a similar experience with 2 different BMW's that I purchased at another dealer when I lived in MI 10 years ago. It just depends on the dealers...guess I've been lucky.


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## DSPTurtle (Oct 4, 2003)

Not just NY... the dealer in Central Florida will not provide a loaner either. However, they will provide a ride to my office. Not a bad deal but living 55 miles from work, overnight service is a major PITA.
JB


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## LDV330i (May 24, 2003)

Even when I would take the 318ti to the selling dealer in Tampa for service they would only give a Passat or a Jetta. They claimed they were saving the BMW's for owners of larger ("real") BMW's. 

When I moved to Houston the servicing dealer never provided me a loaner except when I dropped the big bucks to have major service and all 4 brakes done and the car had to be kept overnight. Then they provided me a Land Rover Freelander. That is there standard loaner. At all other times they would have a driver take me to work (5 miles) and when the service was done I would get them to send a driver to come pick me. No courtesy van for me. It would probably have been cheaper just give a loaner. I did not buy my 330i from them so I guess it will continue to be no loaner car for me.


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## Tiefseeblau F10 (Dec 26, 2001)

I had the same experience with a dealer not giving me a loaner car. I moved to Murrieta from San Diego six months ago. I recently tried to make a service appointment at BMW of Riverside (which was the nearest BMW dealer from Murrieta) to have my Inspection 1 and my brakes flushed. They wouldnt lend me a car for the day, which was a problem since I had no way of going back home to Murrieta, which is 30 minutes away. At first the service advisor said that they were in the process of replacing all their loaner cars and could not lent me a car. I felt that she was BSing me just because I didnt purchase the vehicle from them based on the fact that the first question she asked me was if I purchased my vehicle from them. I ended up taking my car to the delaer the I purchased my car (Cunningham BMW in El Cajon) which they gave me a loner with no problem. It wasnt a big deal going all the way down to El Cajon since I work and go to school down in San Diego. This pratice of dealers giving preferential treatment to people that purchased their vehicle from them has to stop. I mean its not my fault that I moved away.


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## VANF (Oct 2, 2003)

While I find that when a BMW owner that moves away could be a possible exception, I do not believe that it is the responsibility of a dealer to provide every service customer a loaner. I buy a new BMW from my dealer almost every year and no less than every two years. I absolutely expect my dealer to give me a loaner before they give a customer that does not buy their BMW from them a loaner. I have spent a lot of money with my dealer over the years. I expect to be rewarded over someone who does not.

Loaners are a big expense. It is not just the fuel. It is the total costs including all expenses of the loaner including depreciation. I find it easy to put 90 to 100 miles on a loaner in a day. I am sure that some of my service events yield (warranty or non warranty) less revenue to the dealer than the internal costs to the dealer for providing the loaner. Add a loaner to every service customer and that cost has to be covered in the service costs. 

A loaner was never promised by BMW as a condition of the sale. Dealers are independent.
If someone does not like the dealer because they do not provide a loaner to non buying customers, the solution is to vote with your feet and don't do business with that dealer.

If a customer told me (or I knew) he was never going to buy a car from me and I felt that it was not profitable enough to give him or her a loaner during service, as an independent businessman, I would say no loaner.


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## SASTUD (Feb 20, 2004)

*Loaners*



3PUTT said:


> Do service centers only provide loaners for customers who purchased/leased their BMWs from the same dealerships?? Apparently, a bunch of NJ dealerships have been practicing this policy. Doesn't this take away from the whole BMW ownership experience?? What if a customer relocated to a new state, does that mean he/she will never get a loaner ever again?? This is a ridiculous policy which is very annoying. Open Road and Denville seem to be practicing this as we speak. My 2004 530i had a passenger restraint and airbag fault which has to be reset. Open Road will not give me a loaner since I got the car from a better dealer in northern NJ. AAARGGHH!!!


EACH DEALERSHIP CAN SET POLICY. @ JAKE SWEENEY BMW WE GIVE OUT BMW LOANERS TO PEOPLE WHO BUY CARS FROM US. WE PROVIDE LOANERS THRU RENTAL CAR AGENCY TO OTHERS WHO WANT THERE VEHICLES SERVICE BY US. IF WE ARE SLOW, LIKE TODAY & WE HAVE EXTRA BMW LOANER'S WE'LL GIVE THOSE OUT 1ST. SASTUD...CINCY P.S.-IF YOU HAVE TO DRIVE A NON-BMW LOANER FOR A DAY, YOU'LL APPRECIATE YOUR BMW EVEN MORE!


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## LmtdSlip (May 28, 2003)

My local dealer wont give me a loaner as I didnt buy the car from them...

I think it sucks. The local MB dealers give loaners for any merc you bring in for service.


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## jvr826 (Apr 22, 2002)

Just learned that loaner policy at Steven's Creek BMW in San Jose is - buy from us, get a loaner. Bring in any BMW for Inspection 1 or 2, or oil service, get a loaner. Other than that (warranty items) no loaner provided.

I'm going there for the first time on Monday. We'll see how that goes. Inspection 1 and seat click top on my list.


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## Ågent99 (Jan 7, 2002)

Seat-click...mine's still there but it takes a good hard corner to get it to click. I can't wait to hear what they find for you.

Yeah, your loaner diatribe sounds about right if I think about the visits I've made to SCBMW.

Chris


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## jvr826 (Apr 22, 2002)

Ågent99 said:


> Seat-click...mine's still there but it takes a good hard corner to get it to click. I can't wait to hear what they find for you.
> 
> Yeah, your loaner diatribe sounds about right if I think about the visits I've made to SCBMW.
> 
> Chris


I will say one thing, if I get the "cannot reproduce" or "all TSBs have been applied already" bull, I'm gonna blow a gasket like Arnold did in Total Recall. I'll live with poor FM reception and inconsistent display behavior, but this seat thing is driving me batty. I can blink one eye and make it click.


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## Ågent99 (Jan 7, 2002)

Good! You know what might be funny? What if it isn't the seat clicking?? 

I wouldn't be shocked. There have been plenty of squeaks, creaks, and groans that I thought were a certain place (and I was sure!) but turned out to be on the other side of the car!

However, I am _sure_ it is the seat clicking.... 

Chris


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## Don Juan (Apr 2, 2002)

Here isn South Florida (My experience) theyalways give you a loaner. Recently went twice to the dealership 3 miles from my house and they gave me a loaner (frist a tarus rental and after a 330I) eventhought I bough my car 50 miles away. Same experience with other delarships. :dunno: 

:thumbup:


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## sj3 (Feb 25, 2004)

Just to report, I have had very positive loaner experiences at Denville (used to be Gerhardt) BMW in Denville, NJ. I did not purchase the car there (but my new one just ordered is from there!) but that was before I needed loaners. They even agreed to pay for an Enterprise rental when I was disabled by a general control module fault for a week. The car was delivered to Morristown, but sat there for a several days before BMWNA came to my rescue and had the car moved to Denville.

Sam


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## Twenties (Mar 5, 2004)

Most dealers in Southern California I called said they do not provide loaners. Some say only would if bought from them. 

However, there is one dealer, South Bay BMW, that consisently provide loaners with every appointment (2 weeks in advance), regardless of where you bought it, so i take my car there. Loaners range from low-end BMWs to small/midsize SUVs to Infinitis to Nissans to cheap American econoboxes. Just depends on the day and the person behind the counter. If anyone knows another dealer in So. Cal that does this let me know.


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## 540Greg (Nov 22, 2003)

*Allison BMW has always given me a loaner*

Allison replaced my MAF last week. While they had it I was given a Z4 with a 3.0 and 6000 miles. I didn't buy my car from them and they never asked where I bought it. They can probably tell where I bought it when they run the VIN.

Greg S.


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