• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

  • Beginning April 1st, and running through April 30th, there is a new 2024 BMW MOA Election discussion area within The Club section of the forum. Within this forum area is also a sticky post that provides the ground rules for participating in the Election forum area. Also, the candidates statements are provided. Please read before joining the conversation, because the rules are very specific to maintain civility.

    The Election forum is here: Election Forum

Should I be paying for a brake bleed six weeks after buying a new BMW?

H

henksijgers

New member
ETA: the dealership has apologized and refunded the charge.

I bought a 2021 F750GS as a new bike on April 30 with 17 miles on the odometer. The dealership made a point of telling me those 17 miles were from a loop their service techs ride each of their bikes after setup in order to verify the bike is in proper working order.

Less than six weeks (and about 1,500 miles) later I had to pay to have the brakes bled (they claimed the soft brakes were an annual maintenance item). Based on the significantly improved feel and performance of the brakes since being bled I'm of the opinion my bike was not originally set up properly and was delivered to me with air in the front brake line. BMW Customer Relations hasn't been responsive beyond one voicemail they left me asking to discuss the parameters of my case (they've ignored three attempts on my part to talk to the assigned agent)

Am I out of line to expect that a brand new BMW should come with properly working brakes? Has anyone else here been charged for 'annual' maintenance six weeks into ownership of a new motorcycle? How long is reasonable for a BMW agent to return my calls?
 
Last edited:
Odd! Unless the brake fluid was old and stale, why would you have to flush it so soon?!

Am I missing something?
 
2021 F750GS -new bike -on April 30

Less than six weeks (and about 1,500 miles) this doesn’t add up less than 2weeks.
I had to pay to have the brakes bled (they claimed the soft brakes were an annual maintenance item).
Based on the significantly improved feel and performance of the brakes since being bled I'm of the opinion my bike was not originally set up properly and was delivered to me with air in the front brake line.

BMW Customer Relations hasn't been responsive beyond one voicemail they left me asking to discuss the parameters of my case (they've ignored three attempts on my part to talk to the assigned agent).
From my experience the dealer drives the level of service they provide by providing the information about your complaint.

Am I out of line to expect that a brand new BMW should come with properly working brakes?
No, brakes are a critical element of safety if they are not working properly at that stage of the bikes lifecycle I would expect a warranty claim to be filed by the dealer with no charges for anything else.
Has anyone else here been charged for 'annual' maintenance six weeks into ownership of a new motorcycle?
Can you please attach a copy of the service invoice including the dealership information to your post so we can all see who the dealer is and know who this is.

How long is reasonable for a BMW agent to return my calls? Dealer drives these conversations, the MOA has a liaison that might be able to assist you.

This treatment does not seem appropriate under the circumstances you have listed, please get a copy of your warranty book and determine what action you can take.

Best regards,

Chris
 
kevinsclo said:
Odd! Unless the brake fluid was old and stale, why would you have to flush it so soon?!

Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

That's sort of my question too. It's hard to imagine a 2021 model has old enough brake fluid to be stale. It's been soft since day one, but I made the assumption this was just a characteristic of the bike. But the brakes were so different after the flush I realized my original assumption was wrong.
 
I’m thinking a customer complaint about soft brakes on a new bike, remedied by a brake fluid flush, is a warranty item.
(If I understand what went on correctly)
OM
 
ETA: based on conversation with the dealer's GM I don't believe that BMW Customer Relations contacted them. The service writer has admitted he could've better handled our original conversation and the GM explained to me the unique circumstances of how unscheduled Saturday service is handled and why try to avoid handling diagnoses of bike issues in order to maximize the service provided.

REDC650GT said:
2021 F750GS -new bike -on April 30

Less than six weeks (and about 1,500 miles) this doesn’t add up less than 2weeks.
I had to pay to have the brakes bled (they claimed the soft brakes were an annual maintenance item).
Based on the significantly improved feel and performance of the brakes since being bled I'm of the opinion my bike was not originally set up properly and was delivered to me with air in the front brake line.

BMW Customer Relations hasn't been responsive beyond one voicemail they left me asking to discuss the parameters of my case (they've ignored three attempts on my part to talk to the assigned agent).
From my experience the dealer drives the level of service they provide by providing the information about your complaint.

Am I out of line to expect that a brand new BMW should come with properly working brakes?
No, brakes are a critical element of safety if they are not working properly at that stage of the bikes lifecycle I would expect a warranty claim to be filed by the dealer with no charges for anything else.
Has anyone else here been charged for 'annual' maintenance six weeks into ownership of a new motorcycle?
Can you please attach a copy of the service invoice including the dealership information to your post so we can all see who the dealer is and know who this is.

How long is reasonable for a BMW agent to return my calls? Dealer drives these conversations, the MOA has a liaison that might be able to assist you.

This treatment does not seem appropriate under the circumstances you have listed, please get a copy of your warranty book and determine what action you can take.

Best regards,

Chris
Click to expand...

Thanks Chris: I reviewed my warranty book and that was why I contacted BMW Customer Relations. If the dealer is driving the conversation that would explain why the agent is unresponsive, given the attitude of the service writer. Talking to some local BMW riders last Sunday I got the impression I'm not the first to run into issues with their service department and they gave me recommendations on alternate BMW dealerships (that said, the alternatives are far less convenient than my current one). I'm disappointed that the agent appears to be avoiding speaking to me: it doesn't bode well for my BMW ownership experience.

I've been riding for sixteen years, and this is the fifteenth bike I've bought over the years (I've had anywhere from one to three in the garage at any given time) across eleven brands. This is the first time I've ever encountered a situation like this.

How can I get help from the MOA Liaison?
 
Last edited:
henksijgers said:
Am I out of line to expect that a brand new BMW should come with properly working brakes? Has anyone else here been charged for 'annual' maintenance six weeks into ownership of a new motorcycle? How long is reasonable for a BMW agent to return my calls?
Click to expand...


I would have told them to pack sand. There is no way you should need to bleed brakes in 1,500 miles. It should have been a warranty item. I would have argued there is either an issue with the brakes, or the bike wasn't set up properly.

I bleed brakes ever couple years just to flush out the old fluid and remove moisture, but years ago before I paid attention to brake service I might got several years without touching the brakes.
 
Which dealership are you working with? This certainly sounds like it should have been handled as a warranty issue or customer goodwill issue by a good dealer. Doesn’t sound like you are having any luck getting through to the service manager; have you tried speaking directly to the dealer principal/owner? That might be faster and more effective than BMW customer Service or even the BMWMOA liaison.

Definitely would like to know which dealer is involved, tho.

Best,
DeVern
 
henksijgers said:
That's sort of my question too. It's hard to imagine a 2021 model has old enough brake fluid to be stale. It's been soft since day one, but I made the assumption this was just a characteristic of the bike. But the brakes were so different after the flush I realized my original assumption was wrong.
Click to expand...

When your bike was put together from the crate, bet you they filled the brakes with an opened bottle of brake fluid that had been sitting on a bench.
 
kevinsclo said:
When your bike was put together from the crate, bet you they filled the brakes with an opened bottle of brake fluid that had been sitting on a bench.
Click to expand...

Unless I am missing something, the bike comes fully assembled. A few items need to be adjusted, maybe a few items need to be bolted on, but the brakes were filled and bleed at the factory. The dealer tech doing his set up ride should have caught it and dealt with it then.
 
I can understand that things happen, that the fluid could be stale or someone failed to do their job, but you should be able to confidently ride that bike out of the dealership knowing that it's ready to go. If it's not, that's their fault. Period. They should have been happy to bleed the brakes, replace the fluid, and send you on your way knowing that they've done their job in keeping their customer safe and happy. At NO charge to you.

Just my opinion. A good business would have done that.
 
Makes no sense. If your bike is like my R bike (1200GSA), the maintenance schedule calls for the brakes to be bled initially after one year, then every two years thereafter. There's no way that bleeding the brakes after so little time, and so few miles, can be considered normal maintenance. What does the service schedule say about initial brake blleed on your bike?
 
There is a lot of confusing opinion being shared here. Many of the replies are mistaking flushing the brakes to replace the fluid with bleeding the brakes to remove air. These are two very different service issues, neither of which should have been required on a new motorcycle with low mileage.

What the OP describes is an issue with soft brakes due to air in the system which was corrected by bleeding the brakes to remove the air. The question as to whether or not this is a warranty issue would relate to how the air came to be in the brakes as that is not a common occurrence with properly functioning brakes. So, either the air was in the system from the time the owner received the bike new from the dealer, or someone did something to the brakes afterwards to introduce the air. From the information provided it would seem that the first scenario is correct and as such the dealer should either submit this as a warranty issue to BMW as the brakes were not correctly bled at the factory or the dealer should absorb the cost as it may have been their own technicians who caused it during set up of the bike.
 
ETA: it was ten days before a BMW Customer Relations agent discussed the matter with me, and they were not at all helpful. Following the failure of BMW Customer Relations I later spoke to my salesman and then the dealership GM, who fortunately were far more interested in resolving the issue than the BMW Customer Relations agent.

Stebe said:
I can understand that things happen, that the fluid could be stale or someone failed to do their job, but you should be able to confidently ride that bike out of the dealership knowing that it's ready to go. If it's not, that's their fault. Period. They should have been happy to bleed the brakes, replace the fluid, and send you on your way knowing that they've done their job in keeping their customer safe and happy. At NO charge to you.

Just my opinion. A good business would have done that.
Click to expand...

Thank you. This is what I expected them to do, and it was disconcerting/disappointing that they did not. It's doubly disappointing that BMW Customer Relations doesn't seem interested in discussing the matter with me. This is not the treatment I expected when purchasing a premium brand.
 
Last edited:
mcmxcivrs said:
There is a lot of confusing opinion being shared here. Many of the replies are mistaking flushing the brakes to replace the fluid with bleeding the brakes to remove air. These are two very different service issues, neither of which should have been required on a new motorcycle with low mileage.

What the OP describes is an issue with soft brakes due to air in the system which was corrected by bleeding the brakes to remove the air. The question as to whether or not this is a warranty issue would relate to how the air came to be in the brakes as that is not a common occurrence with properly functioning brakes. So, either the air was in the system from the time the owner received the bike new from the dealer, or someone did something to the brakes afterwards to introduce the air. From the information provided it would seem that the first scenario is correct and as such the dealer should either submit this as a warranty issue to BMW as the brakes were not correctly bled at the factory or the dealer should absorb the cost as it may have been their own technicians who caused it during set up of the bike.
Click to expand...

This is a good analysis. I can't imagine what I could have done to introduce air into the system (e.g. I haven't dropped the bike, I haven't opened either brake fluid reservoir, and I'm basically a fairly sedate rider), and the service writer didn't say anything to indicate he thought I did: he merely took the position that this is annual maintenance based on the manufacture date. I politely made the point (twice) that I've never previously experienced such soft brake feel/performance on such a new bike in the past and asked that he submit a warranty claim, as I didn't (don't) think it fair that I pay for this. His response was that he doubted BMW would approve the claim, and I said that nevertheless I'd appreciate it if he'd submit it.

I'll need to track down my service receipt to verify whether a flush or full bleed was performed, but I distinctly recall the service writer stating that my bike would require a flush due to the 'annual maintenance requirement'. Interestingly, in looking at my owner's manual I only see an (every) 18,000 mile requirement to replace brake fluid. I've always treated this as something to do every other year if I'm handling maintenance myself (generally after the warranty expires).
 
henksijgers said:
I bought a 2021 F750GS as a new bike on April 30 with 17 miles on the odometer. The dealership made a point of telling me those 17 miles were from a loop their service techs ride each of their bikes after setup in order to verify the bike is in proper working order.

Less than six weeks (and about 1,500 miles) later I had to pay to have the brakes bled (they claimed the soft brakes were an annual maintenance item). Based on the significantly improved feel and performance of the brakes since being bled I'm of the opinion my bike was not originally set up properly and was delivered to me with air in the front brake line. BMW Customer Relations hasn't been responsive beyond one voicemail they left me asking to discuss the parameters of my case (they've ignored three attempts on my part to talk to the assigned agent)

Am I out of line to expect that a brand new BMW should come with properly working brakes? Has anyone else here been charged for 'annual' maintenance six weeks into ownership of a new motorcycle? How long is reasonable for a BMW agent to return my calls?
Click to expand...

What is the name of the dealership?

E.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Omega Man
Dealership Tales- You Can Order It? So Can I!
2
Replies
35
Views
3K
gsinnc
gsinnc
B
Integral ABS. System Flushing/Bleeding
Replies
3
Views
2K
pglaves
pglaves
L
1994 R1100RS - good crashbars for this bike? Also a question about this bike's rubber brake lines [US]
2
Replies
21
Views
685
lukaspriest
L
A
2004 R1150RT: iABS issues, Bubbles in the Funnel tool...
Replies
6
Views
2K
adriancw
A
G
New (to me) K1300GT owner
Replies
5
Views
1K
HSVPhil
HSVPhil
Back
Top