Hello to all. I've been riding BMW roadsters for about 125k miles, and I've been a member of many BMW forums except this one, until this past weekend, so Hello.
I rode my Stella! 2004 R1150r all over the country, she has been a great bike. Now I own a 2009 r1200r, a fine machine, but one with a real Achilles heel. This is my experience with the legendary machine and how BMWNA actually responds to a customer complaint. This is real world.
Fuel Strip Sensor Failure and how BMW Responds
I am not alone in suffering a fuel strip failure on my R1200R 2009. You know who you are; the failure is not subtle and can, as in my case, result in a crash with injury and property damage witnessed by my riding companion.
I bought my 2009 used from an owner of the nearest BMW Motorcycle dealership. It had just over 14k miles when purchased. During negotiations for purchase I specifically asked the seller if the bike had an issue ever with the fuel strip sensor.
He said no.
I asked, thinking as the owner of the dealership he could approve, if he could warrant the bike for a couple of months as a gesture of goodwill, since I have been using their dealership to service my 1150 for 6 years--on work I could not do myself.
He said "No, It's a Used Bike," I just fill up at 180 miles."
Within 3 weeks of purchase the fuel strip failed and I ran dry at 180.8 miles on the odometer. I called the dealer and asked if, since I asked about this issue, and now it's happened, could they help somehow with the repair costs? I truly would have been very satisfied with credit for the part or labor. His response, and since he is an owner I have to believe that this is the philosophy of the dealership, his response was "Tell him it's a used bike, No."
As Don points out " BMW has given them carte-blanche to replace the strips. No documentation needed," and "This REALLY depends on the dealer. One of those hidden secrets of BMW land."
This dealer emphatically said no. True, I was not the original owner, but he sold me the bike and had every convenience to do goodwill and repair it. He choose not to. He did not suggest writing BMW or calling corporate, just No, It's A Used Bike.
I paid $296 for the repair/replacement. That replacement lasted about six weeks then it was responsible for a crash when it failed. The dealership replaced it under warranty from the prev strip. I told them what happened. The owner was there, never spoke to me of the failure, preferred to drink saturday morning coffee with the other old flati that hang there on a Saturday morning.
On the r1200rforum.com forum a member who drove her 2013 roadster out of the dealership only to have the strip fail within 20 miles, encouraged everyone with a failure to report it to the NHTSA.
The efforts to encourage all of you with failures to fill out this simple form has been well documented on this as well as the advrider and bmwsporttouring forums. It is out there on BMWMOA.com also.
What I also did was contact BMW Customer Service reporting my failures as well as putting in links to the various threads around BMW centered forums that discussed the notorious repeated failures of this ill-designed and poorly performing essential component of the dasboard.
I think because I told them that a crash occurred because of this failed essential component, and that property damage also occurred I began to get calls from them. To at least two people I reported the sequence of events of the two failures. I also mentioned that I had a minor sprain to my wrist. They were very concerned about that. After a few calls, they offered to reimburse me for the replacement of the first fuel strip. As there were two failures and the second one with the crash and the sprained wrist damaged beyond repair my Cee Bailey screen and bracket, I asked for replacement of that also. They wanted receipts. I have them receipts. The total cost would be about $520.
Here is where BMW corporate stands behind their customers. Here is where BMWNA stands behind their product.
They deny payment for the windscreen
Hello Mr. XXXXXXXXX
I checked and I will not be able to get payment approved for the windscreen.
Please sign and Notarize the attached release for the fuel level sensor payment. Return this to my address below and I will have a check processed.
Thanks,
Kind Regards,
And check out the "release"
GENERAL RELEASE
IN CONSIDERATION OF a one-time Goodwill payment in the amount of Two-Hundred-Ninety-Six and 28/100 ($296.28) Dollars, the receipt and sufficiency of such, which is hereby acknowledged, the undersigned releases and fully
discharges BMW of North America, LLC ("BMW NA"), BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AG ("BMW AG") and each of their predecessors, successors, subsidiaries and affiliated entities, parents, partners, dealers, officers, directors, shareholders,
agents, servants, employees, representatives, attorneys, heirs, successors and assigns, past and present, and each of them (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "Releasees"), from any and all claims, demands and causes of action of
any and every kind and nature, including, without limitation, claims for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, non-disclosure, fraudulent misrepresentation, negligence, personal injuries, product liability, breach of express and implied
warranty, emotional distress, loss of use of the vehicle, property damages, attorneys fees, damages, costs and expenses, whether known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, which the undersigned now owns or holds or at any time
heretofore has owned or held against the others arising out of, resulting from, or in any way related to the all repairs up to the ?Date? below in the undersigned's 2009 R 1200 R motorcycle, bearing vehicle identification number
WB1039801xxxxxxxxxx.
The undersigned recognizes that in executing this General Release that this instrument shall be effective as a bar to each and every action, claim, demand or cause of action released hereby.
No action taken by the Releasees, either previously or in connection with this General Release, shall be deemed or construed to be an admission of the truth, falsity, fault or liability of the matter pertaining to any action, claim,
demand, or cause of action referred to herein or relating to the subject matter of this General Release.
The undersigned will keep confidential the existence and terms of this General Release. The undersigned agrees not to reveal the facts leading up to, the terms or the conditions of this General Release in any communication form
including, but not limited to, word-of-mouth, print, broadcast or Internet.
By: _____________________________
John XXXXXXX
Date: __________________
State: __________________
Sworn to and subscribed to me
this day of , 20 .
____________________________
Notary Public in and for the
State of __________________.
My Commission Expires _____________.
"Of any and every kind and nature without limitation..."
Really? Anything at all it seems. No mention of a fuel strip, just a release of BMWNA its lawyers, officers, gardeners, crazy aunties and tropical fish from any responsibility for anything related to this bike. And for $296.
No thanks, BMW.
Is this the way to do business? Is this how all those loyal and repeat customers expect they will be treated after they come to the defense of fuel strips and final drives and clutch splines and switches and ABS that others have repeated and expensive problems with?
I hope potential first time BMW buyers see this
This is not your daddy's BMW.
I tell you, I feel sorry for the actual machines to have their reputed quality and reputation, their reliability, thrown under the bus like this. And by such corporate legalese?
Caveat Emptor
John
PS Of course I didn't sign
I rode my Stella! 2004 R1150r all over the country, she has been a great bike. Now I own a 2009 r1200r, a fine machine, but one with a real Achilles heel. This is my experience with the legendary machine and how BMWNA actually responds to a customer complaint. This is real world.
Fuel Strip Sensor Failure and how BMW Responds
I am not alone in suffering a fuel strip failure on my R1200R 2009. You know who you are; the failure is not subtle and can, as in my case, result in a crash with injury and property damage witnessed by my riding companion.
I bought my 2009 used from an owner of the nearest BMW Motorcycle dealership. It had just over 14k miles when purchased. During negotiations for purchase I specifically asked the seller if the bike had an issue ever with the fuel strip sensor.
He said no.
I asked, thinking as the owner of the dealership he could approve, if he could warrant the bike for a couple of months as a gesture of goodwill, since I have been using their dealership to service my 1150 for 6 years--on work I could not do myself.
He said "No, It's a Used Bike," I just fill up at 180 miles."
Within 3 weeks of purchase the fuel strip failed and I ran dry at 180.8 miles on the odometer. I called the dealer and asked if, since I asked about this issue, and now it's happened, could they help somehow with the repair costs? I truly would have been very satisfied with credit for the part or labor. His response, and since he is an owner I have to believe that this is the philosophy of the dealership, his response was "Tell him it's a used bike, No."
As Don points out " BMW has given them carte-blanche to replace the strips. No documentation needed," and "This REALLY depends on the dealer. One of those hidden secrets of BMW land."
This dealer emphatically said no. True, I was not the original owner, but he sold me the bike and had every convenience to do goodwill and repair it. He choose not to. He did not suggest writing BMW or calling corporate, just No, It's A Used Bike.
I paid $296 for the repair/replacement. That replacement lasted about six weeks then it was responsible for a crash when it failed. The dealership replaced it under warranty from the prev strip. I told them what happened. The owner was there, never spoke to me of the failure, preferred to drink saturday morning coffee with the other old flati that hang there on a Saturday morning.
On the r1200rforum.com forum a member who drove her 2013 roadster out of the dealership only to have the strip fail within 20 miles, encouraged everyone with a failure to report it to the NHTSA.
The efforts to encourage all of you with failures to fill out this simple form has been well documented on this as well as the advrider and bmwsporttouring forums. It is out there on BMWMOA.com also.
What I also did was contact BMW Customer Service reporting my failures as well as putting in links to the various threads around BMW centered forums that discussed the notorious repeated failures of this ill-designed and poorly performing essential component of the dasboard.
I think because I told them that a crash occurred because of this failed essential component, and that property damage also occurred I began to get calls from them. To at least two people I reported the sequence of events of the two failures. I also mentioned that I had a minor sprain to my wrist. They were very concerned about that. After a few calls, they offered to reimburse me for the replacement of the first fuel strip. As there were two failures and the second one with the crash and the sprained wrist damaged beyond repair my Cee Bailey screen and bracket, I asked for replacement of that also. They wanted receipts. I have them receipts. The total cost would be about $520.
Here is where BMW corporate stands behind their customers. Here is where BMWNA stands behind their product.
They deny payment for the windscreen
Hello Mr. XXXXXXXXX
I checked and I will not be able to get payment approved for the windscreen.
Please sign and Notarize the attached release for the fuel level sensor payment. Return this to my address below and I will have a check processed.
Thanks,
Kind Regards,
And check out the "release"
GENERAL RELEASE
IN CONSIDERATION OF a one-time Goodwill payment in the amount of Two-Hundred-Ninety-Six and 28/100 ($296.28) Dollars, the receipt and sufficiency of such, which is hereby acknowledged, the undersigned releases and fully
discharges BMW of North America, LLC ("BMW NA"), BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AG ("BMW AG") and each of their predecessors, successors, subsidiaries and affiliated entities, parents, partners, dealers, officers, directors, shareholders,
agents, servants, employees, representatives, attorneys, heirs, successors and assigns, past and present, and each of them (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "Releasees"), from any and all claims, demands and causes of action of
any and every kind and nature, including, without limitation, claims for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, non-disclosure, fraudulent misrepresentation, negligence, personal injuries, product liability, breach of express and implied
warranty, emotional distress, loss of use of the vehicle, property damages, attorneys fees, damages, costs and expenses, whether known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, which the undersigned now owns or holds or at any time
heretofore has owned or held against the others arising out of, resulting from, or in any way related to the all repairs up to the ?Date? below in the undersigned's 2009 R 1200 R motorcycle, bearing vehicle identification number
WB1039801xxxxxxxxxx.
The undersigned recognizes that in executing this General Release that this instrument shall be effective as a bar to each and every action, claim, demand or cause of action released hereby.
No action taken by the Releasees, either previously or in connection with this General Release, shall be deemed or construed to be an admission of the truth, falsity, fault or liability of the matter pertaining to any action, claim,
demand, or cause of action referred to herein or relating to the subject matter of this General Release.
The undersigned will keep confidential the existence and terms of this General Release. The undersigned agrees not to reveal the facts leading up to, the terms or the conditions of this General Release in any communication form
including, but not limited to, word-of-mouth, print, broadcast or Internet.
By: _____________________________
John XXXXXXX
Date: __________________
State: __________________
Sworn to and subscribed to me
this day of , 20 .
____________________________
Notary Public in and for the
State of __________________.
My Commission Expires _____________.
"Of any and every kind and nature without limitation..."
Really? Anything at all it seems. No mention of a fuel strip, just a release of BMWNA its lawyers, officers, gardeners, crazy aunties and tropical fish from any responsibility for anything related to this bike. And for $296.
No thanks, BMW.
Is this the way to do business? Is this how all those loyal and repeat customers expect they will be treated after they come to the defense of fuel strips and final drives and clutch splines and switches and ABS that others have repeated and expensive problems with?
I hope potential first time BMW buyers see this
This is not your daddy's BMW.
I tell you, I feel sorry for the actual machines to have their reputed quality and reputation, their reliability, thrown under the bus like this. And by such corporate legalese?
Caveat Emptor
John
PS Of course I didn't sign