BMW of The Woodlands - Service Center

I had the misfortune of visiting BMW of the Woodlands in December 2022 because my 2020 BMW M550i which was and currently still is under the manufacturer 4YR warranty period because it was making a loud whin December 2022 because my 2020 BMW M550i which was and currently still is under the manufacturer 4YR warranty period because it was making a loud whining noise at idle and the noise would get louder as I depressed the accelerator. The car had approximately 11,541 miles on it at the time. An hour into the visit, the Service Advisor named Bailey, came out to the waiting area and accused me of having tuned the engine in my car and stated therefore it cannot be repaired under warranty. I advised her that there must be a mistake because the engine in my car was never tuned. She became adversarial and even more accusatory because “the car is flagged in the system” she said, so I requested to speak to her supervisor. A man named Honza which I’d never met before, came out and said he remembered me and he’d helped me before. He seemed pleasant and calming. He said the low-pressure fuel pump is getting a higher voltage than it should and that is why it is making a noise. He said other than the noise there is nothing wrong with it however it cannot be replaced under warranty because the BMW diagnostics tool which performs an automated check determined the engine was tuned. I reiterated again that the engine in my car had not been tuned. After a bit of a back in forth he told me not to worry, someone from BMW N.A. will review this warranty claim and the problem will be resolved. I wasn’t given any paperwork to indicate I was there, why I was there and what was the outcome. Baily said I had to wait until someone from BMW told them how to handle the repair and that she would call me but she never called me! When I spoke to Bailey a week later she said “it’s the Holidays and Germany is not responding” but she will follow up and let me know. She didn’t, so I called a week later and Bailey said again, nothing yet, she will check and call me in a couple of days. For the third time now, she said she would call me. I waited patiently and she didn’t, so I called again and this time she was belligerent, rude and accused me of lying because, she claimed, BMW N.A called me and informed me that my drive train warranty is void. I was left speechless. I tried to speak to Honza but he wasn’t there, I left him messages but he too didn’t call me back. BMW N.A. never called me, Bailey was lying to cover her dereliction. Finally, I drove to the dealership to get some answers. I spoke to the service manager in person. He gave me a copy of the diagnostics output that said: The fault memory entry S 077 “Engine tuning by automated check determined” was set. He said there is nothing he can do. In conclusion, based on a BMW diagnostics fault entry, a BMW dealership can deny a warranty claim without any proof or evidence that the engine was tuned, also as far as they are concerned, the case is closed, I am guilty as charged, innocent or not, they don’t care and there is no recourse. Well, warranty laws in the United States clearly state “a manufacturer can only deny warranty coverage if it can demonstrate that a non-original equipment part or related service caused a defect to occur in the original product”. As far as I am concerned, BMW of the Woodland and BMW of North America are conspiring together in order to get out of a warranty repair based on an errant diagnostics tool and most likely they get away with this type of behavior because most customers don’t have the time, energy or the money to confront them legally. Shame on both of them for treating someone like me who has been in a BMW most of my life, whether in one of my father’s BMWs as a child or in one of mine as an adult. So, in conclusion, dear future buyer, if you are in the market for a BMW do yourself a favor and avoid BMW of the Woodlands where they treat you as a liar, never return your calls or help you get resolution for something you didn’t do or cause. Simply go buy a Mercedes or an Audi. You’d be better off. More