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Checkered Flag BMW MINI - Service Center
Virginia Beach, VA
35 Reviews
35 Reviews of Checkered Flag BMW MINI - Service Center
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November 13, 2012
Called today, 11/13/12, to schedule an oil change for my MINI. I wasn't able to get an appointment until 12/22/12, over a month into the future. Was told that they only have one technician who services MIN MINI. I wasn't able to get an appointment until 12/22/12, over a month into the future. Was told that they only have one technician who services MINIs. Ridiculous! I miss MINI of Alexandria. They are the best! More
by Harmony1962
Employees Worked With
unknown
Helpful August 27, 2012
I brought my E-46 here back in July for a check engine light and a rough idle. The service rep Jason told me it could take longer than a day and he would let me know. Sure enough he never called me, I cal light and a rough idle. The service rep Jason told me it could take longer than a day and he would let me know. Sure enough he never called me, I called him the next day and left several voicemails, until he finally called me back after lunch. He told me there was a page of faults, and I already informed him I was troubleshooting the car myself and couldn't figure out what was going on so this is why I opted to pay them $200 for them to diagnose it. But this was why I had a page of faults. He told me that the only thing that makes sense is the Intake camshaft position sensor and it would be another $250 to replace and the car would be fixed. I told them to do the work and let me know when it was complete. That night they called and told me it was done and I could pick it up. So that night I came and picked it up and was told the car runs great and there’s no more check engine lights on. So I paid and as soon as I turned on my car I noticed the check engine light was on. I asked Jason why he told me it was clear and he informed me that they didn't know it was on and it would go off in a day or 2. I asked him what happens if it doesn’t; he replied that I'd have to bring it back in. Obviously the Tech didn't test drive my car after replacing the part. So 2 days later the light is still on and I brought it back in to have to re-scan. Jason say's to bring it in after 1pm so I got there at 1:15 and he informed me that everyone was still at lunch and I would have to wait. As I was waiting in the guest lounge Jason came in and said there were 2 problems and briefly explained them and when I asked what does this mean, he told me to drive the car again for another 2 days to see if they come back. The light came back after one day and I ended up having surgery and not being able to drive for 3 weeks, so I let him know the light was still on and Jason told me to schedule an appointment and they would diagnose it for free (I thought I paid $200 the first time I was there for them to do it). So the next day after I brought it in Jason calls me and tells me it’s either a Mass air flow sensor or my aftermarket cold air intake but they don’t know which one it is. Luckily my brother is a BMW tech in MD and I called him and asked him if this sounded right, he told me there were ways of know what the actual problem was and that they needed to figure it out because they were BSing me. So I called Jason and after a very rude one sided conversation being Jason the one who kept talking I asked him if he was done talking, and he said “no I’m not come pick up your car" I'm sorry I’m not into spending $800 on a maybe. I figured a $200 diagnostic fee would cover figuring out what the problem actually is. So I thought hey they've sent me multiple emails with customers review questionnaires and I had already filled them out saying I didn't like the experience and they said they would contact me, funny thing is they didn't. So one of the emails was from the service director saying if I wasn’t 100% satisfied then I should contact him. So I took him up on that offer, after explaining the situation to him he responded with they followed the troubleshooting flow chart and it says go from A to B and replace X. and the X was either the Mass air flow sensor or my aftermarket cold air intake. The intake had been on my car for 4 years now and makes no sense to start having problems. I told him that x normally doesn't stand for 2 parts and that it sounded like they weren't done troubleshooting because they don't have a definite answer. He told me that honesty couldn't allow him to say the MAF was the problem and I asked him how he could say he honestly diagnosed my car if he still has a What-if's. The service director told me he didn’t want to put in a MAF sensor to see if it fixes it because he might damage the part. He told me he understood why his service rep was annoyed with me and he would love to talk with my brother because he would understand. So I had my brother call him, and my brother called me back saying that they were going to troubleshoot some more to figure out if it was the MAF or not. (Turns out my brother didn’t buy in on their BS and said in their shop a car was diagnosed when they knew what was wrong) A couple hours later the Service director called my brother back saying they know for sure it was the MAF and it would be a little over $800. The part on line costs $250 and it’s only about 15minutes of work. No thank you. So I called the service director back and he tells me how they figured it out and the cars going to work 100% for a little over $800. I told him No, I am not paying you all to do any more work on my car with this kind of service, and I couldn’t afford paying $550 over what it would cost me. Then he said that I just made them diagnose my car for free, and I replied with no, I paid you all $200 last month to diagnose my car but you never actually did, you had me spend $250 for a part that wasn't the problem or wasn't the only problem. You knew when I drove my car off the lot with a check engine light there was something else wrong. After a very humorous phone call where he told me I couldn't afford a BMW or their service I could maybe afford my brother or a junkyard car but not them. I informed him that I would spend the $250 for the part and spend the 15 minutes to replace it and be happy with the 550 left in my pocket. And I would happily pick up my car. I know this is a long story but I felt it was needed it to try and explain my frustration. A couple other things to note is that every time with the exception of the last one I had to wait over 25 minutes for my car to be ready when I already had been told over the phone that it was ready. And their customer surveys are useless since they don’t actually follow up with the customer’s complaints except for their automated emails. I thought it was cool they gave me a packet of paper the last time I picked up my car after they told me I couldn’t afford they that was written “Dear Valued Customer, We use the term valued customer because”?????? I felt light a second rate citizen at best, no where’s near a Valued Customer More
by rob.adelman.9
Employees Worked With
Jason, Todd
April 05, 2012
We purchased tww BMWs in the same day! We already have an X5 2011, we will trade in on the X3 adn new X5. Scott Weseleskey has sold and supported our BMW experiences for over three years. He and the deal an X5 2011, we will trade in on the X3 adn new X5. Scott Weseleskey has sold and supported our BMW experiences for over three years. He and the dealer management, supported by the Service Department are without comparison. They are terriffic! Scott's careful addention to detail, follow through, and anticpation of our requriments has made all three of our BMW purcases positive and very significant and enjoyable events in our life. The cars are Top End. So is Scott and the Checkerflag Team in Virginina Beach, VA. Regards, Craig and Linda Norman 757-635-4856 More
by ecnorman
Employees Worked With
Scott Weseleskey
March 28, 2012
Everyone was very courteous and helpful, they helped make the experience go smoothly and maintained good contact with me until the car I ordered arrived, this is my second vehicle purchased here. the experience go smoothly and maintained good contact with me until the car I ordered arrived, this is my second vehicle purchased here. More
by ybriody
Employees Worked With
Brian Fellini
February 06, 2012
Poor service practices seem to be commonplace despite many opportunities and purchases over the years. Time and time again I have been disappointed with the service level that high-line car owners recei many opportunities and purchases over the years. Time and time again I have been disappointed with the service level that high-line car owners receive as compared to other dealers I have experience with. Once again I was let down during a recent scheduled service appointment. I made the appointment and scheduled the time to be on-time with my Porsche service advisor. I arrived early for my appointment and was greeted promptly. After the initial check-in and review of the concerns for which the car was in for service I was asked if it would be OK to keep the car overnight. I inquired as to why and was informed that they were "backed up" and that it was not likely that my car would be seen at all that day. Given that it was a Thursday and no confidence was given for it to even be addressed before the weekend I asked to have the appointment rescheduled for Monday to avoid a similar waste of my valuable time. Upon arrival Monday AM (early once again), I received the "can I help you" blank look only to find that somehow the rescheduled appointment was "not in the system". The fact that I was not called before an appointment that cannot be met (previous week appointment) and then arrive for the reset appointment to have it not scheduled was/is infuriating. After juggling things around the advisor accommodated my vehicle and arranged for a loaner vehicle. Again I was asked if the vehicle could stay and I responded that I would prefer that the conditions be diagnosed during the first day of the appointment so that parts (which will not be in stock) can be ordered and I can reschedule a time to come in to have those items finally addressed. Overall the appointment process is not very effective and seems to rely on the willingness of the customer accommodate the inability to process vehicles in a timely and efficient manner. Additionally the fact that when schedule conflicts arise and no call or attempt to contact the customer so that wasted time and effort could be avoided did not happen demonstrates either an incompetence or complete lack of concern for customer. Extremely disappointing considering the nature of high-line customer needs considering that they can afford to purchase vehicles that exceed 6 figures in cost. More
by djgoodman1
Employees Worked With
Huber
January 03, 2012
They are the absolute worst service department I have ever dealt with. I continue to use them due to the distance to my original dealer in Richmond. They have serviced my car and ignored low oil levels o ever dealt with. I continue to use them due to the distance to my original dealer in Richmond. They have serviced my car and ignored low oil levels only for me to discover my low oil on a road trip a day later. Later, I complained about my car not turning over and they didn't look at the car and tried to sell me a 300 dollar battery. Fast forward two weeks, and my car is dead and the battery is fine. Thank you checkered flag for not taking three seconds to check my vehicle. If you are military, do not take your vehicle here. I am a military officer and they treat us poorly and take our patronage for granted. The only reason I do not go to an indie shop is my free maintenance package, but at this rate, I might be doing myself a disservice by going to this crooked shop. More
by stevedave55
Employees Worked With
ASHLEY
June 11, 2011
I bought a new BMW from Checkered Flag a couple of weeks ago and gave them a good rating. Yesterday (June 10, 2011) a trouble light came on. I took it to Checkered Flag at about 1:30 and they said they we ago and gave them a good rating. Yesterday (June 10, 2011) a trouble light came on. I took it to Checkered Flag at about 1:30 and they said they were too busy to check it then. I asked if I could leave it and get a loaner. They said no-you only get a loaner if you have an appointment. I asked if I could leave it and get a ride home and they said no--I would have to furnish my own transportation. The new car manager, who did not introduce himself, assured that I could drive the car (with the trouble light on)until I could get an apppointment. He said it would not hurt anything and was not dangerous. I left, went home, and logged onto their website to make an appointment. There was none available until later in July. The next closest BMW dealer to me is Casey in Newport News. I called them at 5:00 yesterday, told them I had not bought the car there but was concerned about driving it for weeks with the trouble light on. They gave me an appointment for noon today. The "yaw sensor" in my new car was bad and will be repaired when they get the part on Monday. (No charge-warranty). In the meantime, Casy BMW gave me a new 328i loaner. (No charge-warranty.) If you are thinking about Checkered Flag, ask some BMW owners about their service. I wish I had. More
by VaProsecutor
Employees Worked With
Manager
May 02, 2011
My car was towed in for a failed water pump, Checkered Flag fixed that beautifully. I have had a nagging electrical glitch in my TPM system whenever it gets cold. The car was in during a frigid set of day Flag fixed that beautifully. I have had a nagging electrical glitch in my TPM system whenever it gets cold. The car was in during a frigid set of days. I have been assigned to Jeff Kroener. I told him about the problem (for the third time). He would smile and tell me all he has to do is reset the TPM. I would explain that it was a malfunction. He acted like he listened but did not think I knew what I was talking about, and did not write down on the customer concerns page. The car is an extra car and I let them keep it for a few days to address everything (they do good service). I was here to pick up the car. The service people had just seen that there was a TPM malfunction and wanted to keep the car an extra day because they just saw it after 2 days. I suspected Jeff failed to tell them what I noted. I said no - we can address it next time (I was going out of town). To put icing on the cake the guys that washed the car brought it up to me and said, "Mister you know your TPM malfunction light is on." I responded "yea, I know" More
by angelelli
Employees Worked With
Jeff Kroener
November 29, 2009
I just moved to Virginia Beach from NY. My BMW 745 needed an oil change. Plus, the trunk auto-closing function wasn't working, no biggie. I have an extended warranty. BUT, the female service writer was total an oil change. Plus, the trunk auto-closing function wasn't working, no biggie. I have an extended warranty. BUT, the female service writer was totally nasty to me and condescending. Acted like I didn't know anything about "repairs" on a BMW. I had a 1988 E34 from Italy, Euro specs of course, that I used to repair on my own. All the work, I did on my own. Yes, I'm a girl, a smart one. This woman treated me like a child and then my car came back needing more work. WHICH, I will say now, will not go back to that dealership. She also would not offer to take my payment while waiting for the warranty to pay the dealership back, making the payment process annoying and they ended up keeping my car 10 days for a 2 day repair. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. Maybe they're good at selling, but THEY'RE TERRIBLE at service/repairs. I had to pull tooth and nail to get any information about my vehicle and it was returned with the locks malfunctioning and no heat. Of course, I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO THIS DEALERSHIP EVER AGAIN. Look someplace else. I have. I found Casey in Newport News and plan on visiting them this week (Dec 09). IT HAS TO BE WORTH THE TRIP. Over the phone, the service guy was nicer to me than the girls picking up the phone at CF. BUYER BEWARE. The purchase may go well, but the service S****. M.S.W, PHD More
by LadySultana
Employees Worked With
1
May 05, 2009
I had a great experience at Checkered Flag and could not have worked with any people more knowledgeable or accomodating than Brett Shopsin and John Hall. Even though I knew what I wanted when I walked in th have worked with any people more knowledgeable or accomodating than Brett Shopsin and John Hall. Even though I knew what I wanted when I walked in the door, Brett made the afternoon enjoyable. John Hall was attentive to my needs and it is refreshing to receive first class service and attention when making an expensive car buying decision. Looking forward to many years with BMW. More
by lrbaker
Employees Worked With
Brett Shopsin and John Hall
