BMW Dallas Service Center
Posted by Business_Article5656@reddit | Dallas | View on Reddit | 30 comments
holy crap do i have a bone to pick with the BMW Dallas service center. my X3 had a check engine light pop up, took it into BMW on Lemmon and they said i needed new spark plugs and coils which is under warranty. they also talked me into doing my brake pads while i was there. upon getting my car back, i was not walked through what was done, no video, trunk cover totally broken, etc.
ONE MONTH later, the car started driving funny - i refused to go back to BMW Dallas so i made the trek to BMW Sewell Plano - come to find out, BMW Dallas NEVER reported my car being worked on!!!
has anyone else had this experience? if anything, feel like this is a warning that your car is not being taken care of like they say it is....
soju_shower@reddit
First time at bmw Dallas? If I have to go to the dealer it'll be a Sewell. Otherwise I go to independent. Never would I set foot in Dallas.
TacosNGuns@reddit
I’ve seen two bad consumer reports on local news Sewell for crazy charges and recommendations for unnecessary work from their service writers. Buyer beware https://www.dallasnews.com/news/watchdog/2023/11/22/why-does-it-cost-almost-1000-to-replace-spark-plugs-on-a-bmw-5-series/?dallasnews&fbclid=IwZnRzaAR5akZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xNzM4NDc2NDI2NzAzNzAAAR5KEiXLFC4kll7I6kB-sH63CijRtg-jGq4RX6mROsmaAmePhx3RNltZ7SXWZg_aem_DsjAhtAOFu6EWC5rHUPvRw
Dull_Raspberry_@reddit
Sewell overcharges on the hope you won’t get a second opinion; took my X5 to another shop and got a new quote $5k cheaper. $8k pre tax at Sewell to $3.2K after tax at the new shop. Sewell also reported water pump seal issues, no problems found with numerous leak tests at the new place.
Sewell just looks for easy marks that are happy to pay for things they don’t need.
StormForeign@reddit
The poorly written story leaves out a lot in favor of using most of the story space for a cutesy song they got AI to write and a plethora of advertisements. It is not representative at all of the service one gets at Sewell. It doesn't say if the 5 series is an M or not. The plugs on an M series need to be replaced every 30,000 miles. And they are nearly impossible to get to and that's why the labor is so expensive. This is the cost of owning a high performance or any BMW. My experience with Sewell and about 6-7 cars Lexus and BMW has been nothing short of stellar. Changing the plugs is expensive, but they do it right and they have all the tools needed. The Plano Sewell location shows 4,797 Google reviews with a 4.5 rating. Looking over the one star ratings it's pretty easy to see those people inflicted their poor experience on themselves as usual.
Equivalent-Length216@reddit
I take both of our cars to Sewell for service. I dropped of my 5 series there today. I went to BMW of Dallas twice and had bad experiences. The experience at Sewell is like checking in to a luxury hotel.
BeekeeperZero@reddit
I was driving my GF now wife's car back from Austin. I broke down and called Sewell service. I'm not the owner. My name is on nothing. They had the car towed 3 hrs. It was a bad battery cable, they replaced cables put in a new battery and i was on my way. I went to pay and was basically told "Everybody gets one." Well guess who i bought every car from after.
Business_Article5656@reddit (OP)
$1,000 is nothing for BMW work - especially on the engine
TacosNGuns@reddit
They came in for an oil change. Got an unnecessary tuneup and an $1800 bill. 😂
Business_Article5656@reddit (OP)
UPDATE - sewell just called. the $745.58 i paid for all new brakes and accessories on the back were aftermarket USED parts put on by bmw dallas. engine mount was completely broken as well. bmw dallas is a bunch of scam artists
nickgomez@reddit
Can you post the invoice?
blucivic1@reddit
Wow! What are the next steps?
We've been taking our X5 to Ultimate for the last 6 yrs with no complaints if you'reooking for an indy.
Ok_Foundation2125@reddit
Yes! A few years ago my husband “got his oil changed” at bmw on Lemmon and they forgot to put the cap back on and all the oil leaked out. We got some crazy alert on a road trip that we had no oil and needed to stop the car. The car broke down and we needed to get it towed to the nearest bmw. No reimbursement. Awful!
Sterfrydude@reddit
yeah i’ve never been too keen on BMW of dallas, just several unsavory interactions… i have used sewell in grapevine but found them to be a bit pricey. i’ve gone to arlington quite a bit and been pretty happy. they also used to do valet service which was super convenient.
Usual-Dependent6290@reddit
I’ve been going there for years and never had an issue on any of my cars. I’d be pissed if I encountered something like that. I always receive a text and video walkthrough. Sounds like you had a bad SA + mechanic combo.
Business_Article5656@reddit (OP)
they blamed me not getting video walk through on BMW technology so when i asked for a technician to explain it to me - oh they're all busy! service director is as big a scumbag as the SA - i wouldn't trust a thing done there. sewell did say this isn't the first case of this they've seen coming from that service center
Usual-Dependent6290@reddit
I’m going in tomorrow for a warranty issue. Now I’m anxious. Who was your advisor?
Business_Article5656@reddit (OP)
tyler - the service director is just as bad though
im-buster@reddit
Worst decision you've ever is buying a BMW out of warranty. Sounds like having one in warrenty is no picnic either.
TacosNGuns@reddit
Depends on the model. My 528 is at 120k no leaks, squeaks or codes in 16 years. I’ll drive it until it dies.
Business_Article5656@reddit (OP)
it's under warranty!!! i have had 4 bmw's with no si
too-fun-sidekick@reddit
BMW dallas is awful
frenchezz@reddit
Them and their attached MINI dealership are some of the overall worst customer service I've ever received. I'm still getting texts and emails from them weeks after a service asking for reviews, and I'm like 'guys, read the room. If I haven't sent my review, you probably don't want me to'
Business_Article5656@reddit (OP)
i was so fed up with them i had my fiance talk to the service guy and while it was on speaker i heard the guy say "your fiance must be stupid" like excuse me!!!!! insane "customer service"
ThroawayLeftovers@reddit
I went there for the first year service after buying at the Hendricks BMW in McKinney. Hendricks felt way nicer of an experience and location. It’s so far though so I may give Sewell a try.
Business_Article5656@reddit (OP)
nothing but a great experience - they are insistent on you getting a loaner and you don't have to refuel or pay back for tolls!!!! i'm beyond happy
InjurySuspicious5849@reddit
Man that's absolutely wild they didn't even report the work being done. I work in airline industry and we have to document literally everything for safety reasons - can't imagine car dealership just not logging warranty work. That's like asking for trouble down the line when you need to prove what was covered or not.
The trunk cover thing is just pure laziness too, like how do you break something and not even mention it to customer. At least Plano location seems to have their act together though. I'd probably stick with them going forward even if it's bit of drive - better than dealing with sketchy service records and mystery damage.
Really makes you wonder what else they're cutting corners on if they can't be bothered with basic paperwork
Business_Article5656@reddit (OP)
they tried to say i took the car home, broke the trunk cover, and wanted to place blame. then tried to gaslight me by saying they reviewed all 48 hours of having my car and my trunk was never opened when on my app i can see it was opened and closed multiple times....
No-Net-8290@reddit
BMW Dallas are scum bags. Main reason why I ditched BMW and went with Mercedes. They would want me to sign off on work without actually showing me the issue, then do a poor job.
Business_Article5656@reddit (OP)
i mean they had me sign a "receipt" with nothing on it and i'm starting to wonder if that was part of their scheme
Sirsnacksalot23@reddit
Our Germans get serviced by Blair Auto. 10 year customer