Westchester BMW

Reason for Visit: Service

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Westchester BMW:
Having read several terrible reviews of Westchester BMW-MINI's service department, I was pretty worried when I took my 2005 Mini Cooper S in for it's first major service this week. I purchased the car from this dealer and felt obligated to give the dealer an opportunity to service it at least once.

I arrived earlier than my 8AM appointment, found the dealer's service department open, and on approaching their service door in my car, the door opened, I drove into a car/office space, and was greeted by the service manager, Mr. Cammamann who discussed my requirements with me and arranged for the car to be serviced and inspected.

The only wrinkle was that on making the appointment and scheduling service to be done while I waited at the dealer (it's a long drive for me) I had asked for an air conditioning repair (lost cooling, almost certainly due to car having been stored and not run). I was surprised to be told I'd have to return and leave the car for that work - something very inconvenient for me. Perhaps the person taking my service appointment didn't listen - if you call to schedule service with this or any dealer make sure that your requirements are stated clearly and written down by them.

The service was completed, including the air conditioning repair, after all, and it appears that all work was done satisfactorily. The cost of my service was a shocker though. An oil change, brake fluid change, charging A/C refrigerant and leak testing, and visually inspecting a number of points on the car was nearly $800.

I recommend this dealer and their service department and found that the service manager made an extra effort to meet my needs (getting the A/C repaired without another visit to their service department).

To obtain the best service possible I also recommend that you try to establish a personal, friendly relation with the service department personnel - lots of people arrive at car service departments already aggravated with the cost and inconvenience they face. I agree that foulups are too common, but give these people a chance to do the right thing and see what happens.

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Westchester BMW:
Unfortunaly BMW makes a good car but the people they hire are terrible. Everyone I know who used BMW of westchester in the past for sales or service now do not including my wife who recently got a new 5 series and went to the Mt Kisco dealership. I unfortunalty liked the convience of going 5 min from my home so I decided to buy again from Westhcester BMW in early October and it has been one nightmare after another. They never seem to get anything right, they never call you back and often times leave you on hold for long periods of time and sometimes disconnect. I have learned my lesson, no matter how out of the way I have to go, I will avoid using this dealership. By the way my wife seems very pleased with Mt kisco thus far.

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Reason for Visit: Service

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Westchester BMW:
Stay away from this dealer!

I went there for a motorcycle battey and inspection. I gave them the bike and let them install the battery. I was told to wait, that it wouldn't take long.

I waited for hours, during which time the service manager came out and laughed at me, telling me "Zat bike needs alot of work, alot of work". When I asked him what kind of work it needed, he wouldn't elaborate. Then he offerred to buy my bike for $500.00. ( I never brought up the issue of selling my bike, nor had I any intention of considering selling it.}. Then, after waiting some more, he came out and presented me with a bill for $360.00 for the battery and inspection! I asked him if he was charging me the mechanics labor rate for the time he had the battery connected to the charger! - But he just looked at me and wouldn't respond. So I paid, got my bike and left. I do not recommend this dealer and I caution everyone against using their services.

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Reason for Visit: Service

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Westchester BMW:
My husband & I have been BMW owners for decades: this dealership is damaging the BMW reputation for excellence. At first the service reps seemed pleasant, but after dealing with them for over a year: the service department is a joke! For ex: brought our BMW in for what should have been a simple repair & had to bring it back multiple times. After twisting his arm, the rep finally admitted that the work had never been done in the first place. Rather than apologize for the shoddy service, the rep began arguing with me. I had to make the rep physically "feel" the area in question before he would admit that the problem had not been fixed. Then after leaving the car for another lengthy time, W. BMW said it was fixed - again, it wasn't. We began to feel that W. BMW service staff, besides being unprofessional, were playing games to waste our time & further damage our car (water damage was involved.) Our car managed to come back to us with dings & scratches at an alarming rate. (Unfortunately, I was preoccupied with the lack of repair on the other issue that I wasn't watching closely when picking up.) Dings & scratches that the service rep was eager to point out as reasons why we should spend more money to have them fixed. We are extremely disappointed - worse than the terrible quality of the repairs by the service technicians is the attitude on the part of the service manager & his reps. There was no acknowledgment of the inconvenience of having to arrange my schedule multiple times due to their failure to repair & for having to be combative to get the rep to acknowledge the situation. No acknowledgment that meanwhile our car was exposed to more & more damage as the repair went unfixed. When I requested assignment to a different rep, the manager was not at all apologetic. Arrogant, condescending, lack of respect & acknowledgement - this dealership lacks basic customer service skills. When I asked the manager if there was someone, such as a foreman, who checks that repairs are completed satisfactorily before calling customers to pick up their cars, the manager was beligerent & said merely that the technician is responsible for his work. I asked, what about the multiple times that I came in to pick up and the work was not done at all? How did a car leave the service area with no one checking whether the work was done, let alone whether it was done well? The manager snapped & said (after all of my visits & lack of repair) NOW he would call the foreman & make him responsible to check that the repairs were done. Then I discussed bringing the car in one more time, the manager suddenly said that no loaner car was available for the repair & that I would have to use a car from Enterprise!!? When I asked him when a loaner would be available, it sounded like he was making up a date off the top of his head. Again, arrogance & games. If you call them on their horrible service, they play power games on you. Why does anyone need that kind of treatment? If you want to mess with someone's BMW, with their respect for the company, waste enormous amounts of their time, decrease the value of their car, & expose them to disrespectful incompetents then send them here. We are asking ourselves: BMW allows such service, why buy a BMW?

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Reason for Visit: Service

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Westchester BMW:
The service reps are not that bad. The problems lie in the technicians. They are the most incompetent group of clowns I have ever dealt with. To make a long story short, i've gone in 4 times for something that should have taken a few hours to fix. Also, when they claim to have fixed something, you will find that they broke something else in the process.<br>Car Wash? if you like scratch marks all ocer your car, then take it to them to be serviced. I think thy're using brillo pads to wash the car. Took me about 6 hours to buff out all the marks they left. <br>Loaner car? I think they 1 car to give out the the tens of people there who needs it. So they end up giving me a retal car. and what to get? a huge silverado. this wouldn't have been that bad but the first night i park it in front of my house, i get a ticket. turns out the truck had commercial plates. what are these guys doing? I'm not the only one with bad experience. go to any bmw message board (roadfly, bimmerforums) and you will see all the headaches they have caused to the customers.<br>i would not recommend this place to my enemies.

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Westchester BMW:
While I believe that the true test of a dealership is how well they treat you when you need service (I haven't need any service yet), my sales process could not have gone smoother. I told Jay what I wanted to pay for the car I wanted with the options I wanted and he called me back in an hour and said I had a deal. Took a test drive and I was sold. No hidden tricks, hassels or anything. It was the best car buying experience I had ever had. <br><br>I will post again if and when I have to bring the car in for servicing.

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