Edmar Fuentes

Review of Calgary BMW

I visited Calgary BMW on Friday, March 2, 2018. Af...

I visited Calgary BMW on Friday, March 2, 2018. After going through the Mechanical Fitness Assessment, and signing all paperwork in the next few days, I was able to pick up the car on Tuesday, March 6, 2018. However, the interior of the car was not cleaned/detailed properly. It looked virtually the same as when I test drove the car. I appreciated that Darcy took a picture of the interior, saying that this was unacceptable, so I didn t make a fuss about it.

Over the next few weeks, I started to notice a nasty grind when shifting up or down into 2nd gear. At first, I thought it was user error, but when trying numerous ways of shifting, I knew something was wrong. I wasn t going to address it right away, but to my astonishment, I knew I had to book an appointment immediately when my check engine light went off only 2 months after owning the car. The earliest available time was May 24, 2018. However, I dropped of my car on April 30, 2018 for a fit in appointment instead.

I received a call back on May 3, 2018 from one of the service advisors who filled me in on the situation. Turns out the check engine light was caused by the gas cap which they were going to replace at no cost to me because it was covered by the warranty. Unfortunately, they were able to replicate the issue I was experiencing with the 2nd gear. They determined that it was a transmission issue. Thankfully, transmission replacement is covered by the warranty as well. They are keeping my car for the next three weeks to complete the work, so they have provided me with a loaner. The service advisor then recommended that I also replace the clutch, which she said would be much cheaper to do at the same time as the transmission, then to do separately later. However, it is not covered by the warranty.

I would be okay with paying for a clutch replacement (which, might I add, is a hefty $800) if it weren t for the fact that when I signed for the car, the vehicle assessment clearly stated that absolutely EVERYTHING on the list was compliant, INCLUDING the transmission and clutch. This was no fault of Darcy, as he just presented me with information that he was given. Somewhere along the line, someone was extremely dishonest about the state of the car when I purchased it.

Transmission issues are not something that should occur after only two months of driving. Mind you, I purchased a used vehicle, but Calgary BMW is an AMVIC (Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council) dealership. This essentially means that they must provide a Mechanical Fitness Assessment, which they did. Because the MFA is just an assessment, and not a pass/fail inspection, you can still buy a vehicle even if it doesn t fully comply. However, I was not provided with a full description of the non-compliances with the transmission and clutch. Ultimately, I should not have to pay for clutch issues that were not disclosed to me. If something like this was overlooked, how do I trust the rest of the condition of the car?

Darcy and the service advisor were nice, professional, and easy to deal with, but I simply do not trust the service department. For that reason alone, I strongly DO NOT recommend this dealership.