Took my car in for a recall, extremely rude customer service rep the first time round. But to me the 1 star rating goes to them fixing one thing but now, all my keys power door locker/unlocker have been disabled! Can t access the trunk and manually have to open the car through the drivers side. I have been too busy to go back but when I do, they sure as hell better fix this problem. This is absolutely unacceptable. And when the mechanic texted to see if everything was okay after the inspection, I mentioned this problem. No response at all. Bad experience overall...and they try to sneak in hidden costs while inadequately fixing the car...I feel I was worse off taking my car in.
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My experience at SM BMW was outstanding. Artour's technical expertise, enthousiastic driving skills, and gentle attentiveness was a pefect match for me. I have purchased many cars, mostly BMWs, from multiple dealers and have never felt the positive connection that I enjoyed with Artour. His honest and genuine approach to ensuring that I received the best possible service was very refreshing; and in fact, motivated me to purchase my lovely CPO 335i coupe 3 months earler than I had originally planed. I would highly recommend Artour Timerhanov to anyone thinking of purchasing a new or CPO BMW.
The last service appointment with Bill likey decided I'll stick with BMW on my next purchase. This is also my first review ever on Google so that probably means something too.
I must amend this review because when I finally reached the general manager, the whole issue was resolved to my satisfaction:
I had had a bad experience with BMW service wherein I was charged $200 for a diagnosis only to be told when I picked up the car that the "diagnosis" indicated that I needed to pay an additional $900 for further diagnosis (NO REPAIRS). Ray (my service representative) seemed indifferent and unbothered that they took my money and gave me nothing. I took my car and went to an independent shop who found the issue and fixed it same day. Total cost $800. After this I called and spoke to the BMW service manager Jeff who said he would research and get back to me. I didn't hear back and he did not return an additional phone call the following week. So I called and spoke with another manager, Adam. A very reasonable resolution was immediate. So, while I would give my service experience and follow-up with manager Jeff 1 star (or really no stars but that is not allowed), I would give 5 stars to manager Adam and since he resolved my original issue by refunding my money, I will give 3 stars overall, because the car was still undiagnosed.
I bought my X1 in Cincinnati Ohio. Car came with wheel locks. Great, until i tried to use the special key to remove the left front tire. Key was busted. Or lug nut was busted. Not sure. Anyway could not remove the tire. I went to the dealer in Santa Monica hoping they could remove it. They did. And charged me $218. Since I did not ask for the locks, i was hoping BMW would take responsibility and cover the cost. They did not. Hence my rating!
Cesar Pleitez is awesome, accommodating, kind and he got me in and out, for service, incredibly fast. Much appreciation to Cesar and SANTA Monica BMW. GS.
I should have read the reviews before I took my car to get serviced! They didn't have shuttle service available and I had to call a friend to pick me up. My oil warning light went on less than 2 months after I got my car serviced here. The "advisor" I got assigned to when I made my appointment was not responsive regarding a part that she was supposed to order for me. I left her multiple voicemails with no response. I called on her day off and they told me that they wouldn't be able to pull my records without her available. I really don t get why my information wouldn t be in their computer system. I would not recommend this place to any of my friends.
At first I gave one star!, after talking on the phone with the lady that answered, she was very unprofessional and rude, when I explained her the problem with my X1. I called again and asked to talk with the service manager, after 5 minutes leaving him a message, Danny Garcia the service manager called me back, he was very gentle and very professional, he told me to bring the X1 immediately, he was waiting for me, heard the problem,and together with Cesar the service consultant, took care of the car and gave me rental in the mean time. The service was rapid professional and excellent, they have me as a new client.
Love this dealership for service. Manfred is the chillest advisor and always has good advice on my car. I've been to several BMW service centers and I come back to this one because Manfred is the best. The cashier chicks could use a attitude change. Maybe not tell customers they cant afford stuff. But other than that they get 5 stars because their other employees are really nice. They are very accommodating which I really need. They even call uber for you and keep you updated on the time frame for the car to be ready. I really like coming here. But wherever Manfred goes my car will go there.
Cesar is the best! He gets 5 stars Always takes the best care of me. I get great service here. Only complaint is sometimes hard to get someone on the phone to start a service issue. After that amazing service.
I leased my new M850i from santa monica BMW last week. I had an M4 which I also leased from them. Very friendly staff. Go to see Shaun to get the best deal on your next car. I love the M850i
I leased a new 535i 2 weeks ago from Santa Monica BMW. I worked with Andrew Halarewicz - the entire experience was quick, efficient and I drove off with my new car 1.5 hours later!
A BMW dealership service department without loaners is a little surprising. I had to get my car repaired over the thanksgiving weekend. Granted it s a busy weekend, they told me there are no loaners available until dec 25th. That s laughable. At least my car was repaired after the weekend so I didn t have to rely on rental for too long.
It's not a feeling, I have had actually multiple bad experiences at this dealership.
1. Dealership took nearly a month to get a lease funded and held about $10k owed to me. I had to get bmwna involved, car was a couple days away from being returned. Smbmw didn't file properly.
2. My year old car broke and needed repair. Car was fixed after 2 weeks but dealership never called. Checked in at 3 weeks.
3. When I went to return my lease no one would return my calls or emails. Took about 7 calls and 2 weeks to finally get an appointment. Haven't been back since.
The service was excellent. However, I do have a minor complaint. When I took my car in, its was over half full. However, when I got it back it was almost on empty. I would have thought being that low, I might at least have got it filled to close to half full. Regardless, I was very please with the work. I appreciated the Courtesy, professionalism, and great customer service from everyone. I want to give a special SHOUT OUT to Manfred Guzman my Advisor. Thank You so much.
Service department. Horrible customer service, horrible communication, scam artists, slow, etc. I could go on and on and on and on about why. But just trust me, don t waste your time and money!
Horrible, I had my car serviced twice here. First experience was fine with Bill Evans, it went totally smoothly, he is good. I recently had my car serviced a second time with Manfred and it was absolutely horrendous. I bring my car in for the factory 15k service plus I had a leaking tire and there was a noise coming from my exhaust on cold start ups. After coming back they changed both rear tires to fix the issue and balance the car, that was fine, then Manfred calls me and says he never ended up hearing the sound on the exhaust so it is ready for pickup. I pick the car up and see a bunch of exhaust parts have been ordered on the invoice, all on warranty but this is confusing and concerning because he said there was no sound or anything over the phone. When I ask for an explanation I am told he is at lunch, understandable. I call back later to hear what he has to say and a call is never returned until several days have gone by. He leaves a message saying they did end up hearing the noise and ordered parts. I call him several times to get the full story, never a pickup or returned call. Then today the center cap to one of the wheels they worked on was gone, all in all, the reviews are consistent, this place is to be avoided. Too bad because the location is ideal, I will be making the trek to Beverly Hills instead from now on.
Ceasar T Santa Monica BMW is amazing. He returns my calls and works hard to get me what my car needs. He always gives me a loaner if I can make my appointment ahead.
My only complaint is that I bought an suv that had a defective battery and I am not sure when I will see a new one. I am grateful you took the defective battery but not so happy it has been two months. I was hoping to help the environment and use less gas. I have 100 miles of electric use in my car and now I am filling up at the gas station just as I was a few years ago. I love my car and have driven a BMW suv for years. but feel I may have chosen a different car had I known there was a problem. Your letter saying it would come eventually was nice but did not give me a date when I would get this new battery.
No desire to EVER recommend or use your shop again car was in shop for nearly two weeks they also recommended repairs that were already done at another location telling me the parts were old so I brought proof if not cost would have been at a cost of $ 1200.00 , was charged for a diagnostic which had been confirmed already by a independent shop requested more time to confirm complaint then when picking car up was charged additional time which I did not approve and got into argument with service writer telling me " I WAS WRONG " Will be posting a yelp review should report ordeal to the BAR when I have the time to do it ..... Being a previous owner of a repair shop I will not recommend this dealership
I wanted to buy a BMW and get it serviced locally. I bought a 2012 128.i BMW from Santa Monica BMW pre-certified lot 18 months ago. I've have a lot of great cars in my life, but this was not one of them. Spent a lot of time coming to SM BMW service in the short time I had the car, more than I did the whole time I owned my last car. Treatment was so so. I was advised to spend a lot of money out-of-pocket for things not covered in the warranty. I am still waiting for a call back from the service manager after I had to have the car towed. I'd been excited to support a family-owned business but ultimately will not return. I took my car to Carmax yesterday, realizing how much I overpaid in the used lot (where they did not want to take it at back since its recall on driver side airbag), and that BMW pre-certified is not meaningful. Bad experience but happy dance now that it's over. Do not recommend unless you are ok with getting totally ripped off.
I enjoy my BMW I3, but having to deal with the guys in service department at Santa Monica BMW is incredibly painful and unpleasant. My leased i3 had a seat belt malfunction and the earliest appointment I could get was 2 weeks later! I write this as my car sits in their shop on a thursday (was towed there yesterday) and the earliest they can look at it is next Monday! I simply have a flat tire!!!
I've concidered leasing another car specially due to their bad service. The reason I leased a BMW was to get a well-made car and a reliable service. The service here disappoints and a shame to be associated with BMW.
Jeff Liu, the service manager, epitomizes what one would expect from BMW: excellent service with professionalism and integrity. He has always been very quick and responsive to address any issues promptly and fairly. I ve been using BMW s Santa Monica service for many years and was considering taking my car somewhere else but Jeff s excellent service has kept my business.
I recently got my BMW from this location and had excellent service and experience. I typically in the past have gotten my cars through a broker as I did not want to deal with pushy salesmen at dealerships. However, I'm glad I went in to the Santa Monica BMW dealership this time as they were professional with me and I did not feel pushed into a decision at all. Adam Sahyouni (Manager) is very knowledgeable about BMW cars and was very patient with answering all my questions and test driving different cars; making sure I was comfortable with my decision on which car I was going to get. Adam is very knowledgeable, professional and caring and I would highly recommend him! I also met with Nicole when I went to pick up my car and sign the paperwork and she was also very professional and lovely to work with. I would recommend this dealership.
Great service, as always, with Cesar. My car was done in a timely manner , and I was texted. I paid online, so all I needed to do was pick it up. I ve always liked the service at sm bmw, but with covid, I felt self and certain they adhered to all safety measures
Easy to make an appointment, very fast and courteous to check in with my car and the service was done within the promised timeframe and I even got a car wash out of it!!!
I do not know why but their quote is always very expensive and could scare the customer away, plus every time with a bunch of services with unbelievable prices, for example, reset some buttons with a couple of hundreds...
Santa Monica BMW is the best dealership I ve ever been to!! Formerly an Audi owner and I will never go back there after the excellent service and care I received. Incredible attention to detail.
This review is for my experience dealing with Andrew Halarewicz, Marie, and Cesar, who gave me above and beyond five star service when I came in yesterday to end my lease. Andrew noticed that I was having a hard time getting things finalized, so he stepped in and personally saw that I was taken care of. He stayed with me throughout the entire process, making sure everything was straightened out as smoothly as possible. Along with Marie at the front desk and Cesar in service, he made my experience with BMW Santa Monica a positive one.
I had an absolute horrible experience here. Prices are absolutely absurd. If you happen to get Brian as your service adviser I would either ask to be switched or just leave this place all together. All i wanted was to get an estimate emailed to me so I could send it to my dealer and Brian is not capable of that let alone even contacting me back numerous phone call I had to go in just to have another adviser do it with incorrect part numbers. Not to mention the manger never contacted me back.
Manfred Guzman is the best service manager ever. He is proactive to always put the customers needs first! He works with the client s schedule to make the repair as convenient as possible!
They were very helpful and took my car right away. They gave me a rent a car for the time that my car was there and communicated with me as what was wrong and how much time they need to fix the problem. Overall very happy.
Excellent customer service from all staff members, cordial, friendly and professional. Service adviser was extremely helpful, I had questions for the mechanic and I spoke to Jim the mechanic who worked on my car he answered all my questions and concerns, he is truly a master mechanic and is a great representative for Santa Monica BMW. I event got a video of the mechanic working on my car describing details of the work being performed on my car.
Everyone was very nice and especially Achilles who was very knowledgable about the car and was ready and patient to answer all of our questions I would definitely recommend this place!
From my experience earlier today, the whole staff were professional from start to finish. Had a loaner car and it was ready for me, did not have to wait. Wanna thank in particular to Gerrold Babb for letting me know all the information and the extras about my car before and after I dropped it off for service. Free coffee at the lounge was on point!
Acquiring a vehicle from an auto dealership can be a very painful buying process. I ve purchased ~30 vehicles in my lifetime and I have to say that my experience at Santa Monica BMW has been the best yet. I would submit that my review may speak volumes, since I live in the SF Bay Area and went to Santa Monica for my latest purchase. I was looking for a specific vehicle spec, which was quickly located and I had a number of questions relating to the acquisition.
Businesses often tout that they treat their customers like family , however in many cases those are just words. As an independent auto dealership, you are actually treated like extended family here. From my first interaction to the last, I felt as if I were working with a long lost friend with respect, no BS, with all of my questions and concerns answered promptly - the entire buying experience was absolutely stellar!
Dealer Principal/General Sales Mgr. Del Jr. is a true professional and a pleasure to work with. Special shout out to Client Advisor Peter Greenberg and Nicole Elghanian in F&I.
It s a no-brainer in you live anywhere in CA to go to this dealership if you re seeking a great BMW buying experience.
Came in with a dead battery and two flat tires (car had been sitting for a while). Battery was changed but I was told tires just needed air. Took the car home, and next morning, guess what? One completely flat tire and one almost flat tire. Expensive lesson: won't be back.
I had such a great experience at Santa Monica BMW. Specifically in the service department. My car had major problems and was only 6 months out of warrantee. Chris Myers took care of everything. He was so tuned into what was going on with the car, and was so calm and patient with me. He answered all my questions, and the car was finished 2 days before they said it would be! I was so happy. It was so pleasant and easy working with him. As a family with 2 BMW s, we feel so lucky to have someone so knowledgeable and helpful when there is a need.
Terrible service and bizarre sales people. It wasn t until I moved and took my car to a new dealership that I found out the routine service and maintenance my car was getting through SM BMW was beyond sub par.
The service department works smoothly and quickly. They consistently go out of their way to make sure that my car is kept in good working order. Highly recommend. Every time I need service, I am well taken care of and the department is very easy to deal with.
I came on Yelp to get the phone number to service and I could not help but notice all the negative reviews! I think people go on here and post only when they have a negative experience perhaps. I think most people post right away with a poor experience but when there is a good experience it is more or less expected and goes unnoticed and doesn't reach the Yelp posting boards. I had for the most part a lovely experience with Santa Monica BMW. I have purchased one vehicle here, and leased two. Each of my transactions were conducted smoothly and I was treated with high importance and care. When I have had service needs Jeremy has gone above and beyond to smooth things over (for the most part my vehicles have had no issues maybe one issue only one time but given three years that's pretty fair). Hans and Kelly were fantastic. I have worked with multiple sales associates previously Akyllis who was very professional. I am very happy! Thank you and I am not a new customer I appreciate the hard work and dedication from all of you.
I can only speak about my wonderful experience with Andrew Halarewicz.
He smiled & greeted me with a handshake. We test drove a few cars that were within my budget. I needed to look at a few other cars before making my final decision. He handed me his card and said that I can test drive the cars again, anytime and to call if I have questions. He was polite, courteous and very thoughtful.
I've been to many dealerships, and most of the male sales people approach with an attitude of "easy prey", "dumb girl" or full on bull dog aggressive on top of the disrespect.
Andrew spoke with absolute politeness. He is very knowledgeable and made sure I was comfortable while I was test driving the cars.
If you are tired of being treated like a number that walked into the store or looked down upon, then RUN to Andrew for the right car buying experience! He tends to get busy because he's the nicest person there. So be patient, it's worth the wait.
They have the best BMW accessories department in Southern California. Great selection of shirts and hats beyond what you find another BMW locations. Great service to, Gary and parts was very helpful.
I came in and was helped forthwith by my service advisor Mr. Manfred Guzman. My concerns were handled efficiently and with care. I have every confidence in Santa Monica BMW.
Used car dealerships in fifth word countries offer better services than this place. Every single time I took my car in for service they just put me through hell, never really offer loaners they offer to get you an uber as long as it's less than $10, the tire pressures are always off, refuse to change brakes even though it is covered under warranty. I dont leave bad reviews for anyone, but honestly this place and it's unprofessional rude people are just too awful
Dealt with several different dealers service depts over the last 6 years and this place is by far the most arrogant. The entire attitude is that you re lucky to be doing business with them. Charged me $770 to replace a tire and all I got was attitude. Not going back.
Don't waste your time going here. You can make an appointment online, confirm it and still get incredulous looks when you expect your oil change to be done in 3 hours and not kept overnight. They claim to be understaffed and expect you to call first thing in the morning to see if there is an opening. Merely making an appointment isn't enough. I tried three times to utilize my neighborhood BMW service but I will be going back to South Bay were I feel like I am actually respected and the service team is top notch.
I just had a great experience leasing a car from Andrew Halarewicz, one of the client advisors over at SMBMW.
Nice guy who can answer all your questions--when I called other dealerships to create a bidding war, nobody else was nearly as knowledgeable--plus he's the rare salesman who isn't constantly BSing you and running sales game on you.
Also, the finance person I worked with was quite helpful. I believe her name is Nicole although I could be wrong.
I'd highly recommend working with Andrew at SM BMW. I cannot speak for the other client advisors, their service or anything like that, but my experience was a good one.
I took my car in due to check engine light they told me iit was a battery ok I paid 670 for a battery had warranty on some other work done under my customer care service ok fine I picked my car up Friday that Saturday I smelled gas took it back found out one of the parts that replaced was leaking now they want to charge me 160 to replace a hose that wasnt leaking when I 1st took the car in for service ,the service area are a ttrue RIP off tell you one tthing then tell you another will never go there again
Came in to look at the new 3 series. I was never given a hello. Very unwelcoming atmosphere. Maybe they have to display a sense of prestige however at the end of day you are a salesman. All I wanted was a hello.
Friendly service, weren t the best at keeping me up to date. When I took my car in, they said I would hear back that afternoon. I followed up late afternoon after not hearing anything but didn t get a response till noon the next day. That was my only complaint though.
I had visited the SMBMW showroom around 3 months back in June, inquiring about specials, deals, and to really check out different models. Recently 2 weeks back. Artour was my sales advisor back in June and he recognized me right when i came to the dealership. He got me connected to a great vehicle, with fully loaded options and a great price. He took it upon himself to work with the GM and BMW Financial services to get me the best payment plans and pricing on the vehicle. He was very friendly, courteous, and most importantly professional in his approach. I walked away with a great car that very same day and in the last 2 weeks, he has followed up with me periodically.
Since then, i have introduced him (Artour Timerhanov) to some of my other friends who are in the market for cars as well. I'd definitely looking him up when you get to the Santa Monica BMW showroom. His office is the first on the right, right behind the receptionist desk.
First I thought Chris was very professional and on top of my car issue. The two issues I had was. 1. They failed to test drive my car to facilitate the issue. Had they. It would have triggered the issue. Because they didn t drive it (they claimed low gas) it was not repaired and I have to return to have it looked at again. In fact I drove it to the corner of the dealership and it triggered the bulb issue. To me. That is a poor experience and lack of customer service.
2. I had to wait almost an hour to get my car. It was never brought out. Asked twice. And then Chris ran to get it. It was not in getting washed. It was just neglected or ignored. To be honest. I don t think the issue I brought it in for was ever really evaluated based on the fact it was in the lot across the street.
Excellent customer service and outstanding efficiency by sales professional, Andrew Halarewicz and service manager, Chris Myers. I have owned three BMW's all from Santa Monica BMW over the past ten years and by far SM BMW runs a class act. They strive for 100% customer satisfaction every time!
I bought my car and went home, only for them to call me and say I have the wrong "second" key... So I had to drive to one of their clients home in Santa Monica to swap the keys. I had his second key, and he had mine... Yes, this is possible - human error... but I had to mention it. The worst thing was their FINANCE GUY/MANAGER... 2 weeks after I my purchased the car I was surprised to get in the mail a BMW VISA Credit Card - which I didn't sign up for... After several calls, it turned out that the FINANCE GUY/MANAGER signed me up for the card without my knowledge! I am sure he gets some points/credits for signing me up for it, which I cancelled right away... Also worth mentioning that this was my second car from there (what a mistake) and the same FINANCE GUY/MANAGER informed me that the car I am buying (different model) is the second most stolen car in California and that I am better off buying a low-jack or alarm system... which I didnt :-)
Believe the terrible reviews. The service department is rude, unprofessional and overcharges for work they do not do. Expect inflated estimates double that of what a regular mechanic would charge and 25-30% more expensive than the Beverly Hills and South Bay locations. Also, the "service" representatives engage in what is basically hostage taking once they have your car.
On two occasions I have brought my car in for basic service work, only to find that once I have left - which since they do not provide loaner cars is a difficult process in and of itself- that mechanics "discovered" thousands of dollars of work that "had to be done," at wildly inflated estimates that become more and more expensive throughout the day. That is the key to Santa Monica BMW's scam, once they hook you for a few hundred dollars, they will continually inflate the estimate throughout the day. Leaving you with the choice of either agreeing to pay more or picking up your car without having the services performed. Of course, should you opt for the latter, you will still be on the hook for the "labor" they already performed. Rey Silva ( a service rep.) is notorious for pulling this scam (read some of the other reviews on this and other websites).
Its also worth noting that the entire dealership is a disorganized mess. From the time you pull in, only to wait 15-20 minutes to have someone greet you, to the maze you have to negotiate to get to the cashiers office, to when you get your car, by waiting outside on a random sidewalk for a further 15-20 to find your car streaked and smeared from their "free car wash." Its a shame that an otherwise reputable brand like BMW has allowed these crooks to tarnish a great company. I have been to several other service centers and have always had a good experience.
Unless you are positive that the service you require is under warranty, it is worth driving an hour or more out of your way to avoid these clowns!
S.M. BMW Service is my go to service place for my BMW. They're always ahead of schedule and never pressure me into extra services that are not needed. All the employees are always professional and friendly. If you own a BMW this should be your only service destination.
When Southbay BMW failed to assist me with towing my car with dead battery to get it fixed, I recalled that SM BMW had excellent service with my last lease. They took action and connected me to road side assistance and had my car towed to them in a matter of minutes. I felt that SM cares about my experience, comfort, and safety. They treat everyone with class and a high sense of professionalism.
Tacata airbags recall. Booked 2 days in advance and processed in 4 hours as promised. Left with washed car. Pablo and the Santa Monica BMW Team get an A! A+ if they wet-coat dress the tires!!
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