Brake rotors, Dinan Mods voiding my warranty? - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

lrattner · 25th March 2003, 03:34

I was having some sensations that I needed some brake work so I took my 2000 M Coupe to Don Rosen BMW in Philly. They asertained that I not only needed brake pads but rotors as well. They refused to warranty the rotors because the front ones were blue from overheating. They claimed it was the result of "overly aggressive driving". This was determined because I had dinan cai and software mods done to the car (by an authorized bmw-dinan dealer). Thye also claimed that the rear rotors where burned out because the hand brake was pulled up when the car was moving. This the service manager admitted occurs "all the time". He said the brake can be up one click and the brake light will not go on. This burns out the rear rotors.
Of course my retort was that I bought the M coupe for sporty (not aggressive) driving and the fact that I had dinan cai and software should have nothing to do with the integrity of the front rotors. I drive with alot of heel and toe downshifts and use the transmission to do most of the braking.
As far as the parking brake was concerned I said that since the brake can be engaged without any indication through a light or other thing, there was a defect in the braking indicator system and it really should be fixed by BMW.
He reiterated that since the car had been modified, the warranty expressly mentioned that it is voided under those conditions. I asked how BMW dealers and the Dinan company can advertise the fact that any mods done under the dinan name by a authorized dealer is covered under hte bmw warranty.
He said he will have to check with BMW again.

To be continued.......

PhilSeastrand · 25th March 2003, 03:48

The dealer is trying to blow blue smoke up your ...

Can you try another dealer?

Reflex55 · 25th March 2003, 03:56

Yeah, that sounds like a poor excuse to try to not honor your warranty. Some dealers will try everything. For instace, once I was out of town and the speedo dial started to act like crazy. So I hurried to the nearest BMW dealership(obviously not my regular one) and at first they tried to refuse my warranty because I had aftermarket brakes.

Of course, a call to the regional manager sorted everything out, but the a******* did try.

MThis · 25th March 2003, 04:17

I bought a new 1994 325is M-Tech...500 made in the U.S. I put a remus exhaust and Racing Dynamics Chip in the car...Let a buddy of mine drive it and he blew the a piston. When I towed the car back to BMW they ripped up my warranty up in my face. Understandable.\

Now Dinan is accepted under the warranty of BMW, DO NOT let them play you. Go all the way....I dont care if you drive the car down a set of stairs.. Warranty is warrenty.....These people pull S@@T of of their A@@..........

Teutonaddict · 25th March 2003, 04:19

Quote:

Originally posted by lrattner
They refused to warranty the rotors because the front ones were blue from overheating. They claimed it was the result of "overly aggressive driving". This was determined because I had dinan cai and software mods done to the car (by an authorized bmw-dinan dealer).

Bullsh*t! Man, do I hate when $tealers try this nonsense. Tell him you want a meeting with the BMWNA Regional Tech Rep. Blue rotors do not equal voided warranties!! Dinan engine modifications do not void brake coverage on warranties!!

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that dealers cannot refuse warranty coverage for aftermarket parts that did not cause the problem. Cold air intakes do not cause brake vibrations!!

Here's a good resource to surf:
http://www.sema.org/content/?ID=22238

Quote:

Originally posted by lrattner
He reiterated that since the car had been modified, the warranty expressly mentioned that it is voided under those conditions.

Ask to see that in writing. That is categorically untrue. And when he cannot show it to you in writing, ask him to kiss your arse. Or fix your rotors.

Good luck! And let us know how it goes. B*stards like this should be castrated.

-Dave

Need4Spd · 25th March 2003, 05:59

BS. Among other things, the parking brake uses shoes inside the rotor hubs doesn't it? AFAIK, it does not work by having the caliper clamp the pads down on the rotor, so the "burning" of the rear rotor surfaces CAN'T be from the parking brake!

DZeckhausen · 25th March 2003, 06:15

I was going to point you to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act as well as the SEMA page. I was also going to mention that the parking brake could not have caused your rear rotors to turn blue. But others have beaten me to it. The advice they have posted is good. So I will merely throw in my support for your position. The BMW dealer is breaking the law by denying you warranty coverage. Don't give up!

There is one thing you could mention to the dealer. That is the fact that properly bedded in rotors do have a blue tint to them. You can print out my instructions for bedding pads and rotors and underline the part in Step 7 about blue tint being a good thing: http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

MIB · 25th March 2003, 10:48

Yeah and if Magnuson-Moss doesn't work, you could try Magnum 45.

J/K.

It should be called Weasel Warranty, because they always try to Weasel their way out of it.

Although it does tend to depend on the dealership and your relationship with them.

I had an Airbag light come on my 540. I took it in and it appears to be a loose or faulty connection under the passenger seat which logs a seatbelt error, and causes the airbag light to come on.

The car is now 3 years old, almost a full year out of warranty, and they are covering it.

Might have something to do with my current order with them.

NJ M5 · 25th March 2003, 13:09

Now this really gets me pisse d off, what's up with these dealers?
it's like they are paying for the service, wont BMW pay them back?

Teutonaddict · 25th March 2003, 17:20

Quote:

Originally posted by NJ M5
Now this really gets me pisse d off, what's up with these dealers?
it's like they are paying for the service, wont BMW pay them back?

This is the ONE element of BMW Service that in my 11-year ownership experience has varied the most. Some dealers--and I do my best to have a friendly relationship with each one I've used--have bent over backwards and covered items that I thought for sure I'd end up buying (e.g., E34 M5 seat side bolsters due to 'butt-rub,' replacing door seals after 4/50, nagging trim parts here and there....

Other dealers have bent me the other way and tried to deny coverage for clearly BS reasons. One dealer charged me for windshield wiper inserts at 24K miles, when the BMW Full Maintenance Protection Program explicitly mentions wiper blade inserts as included. I had one dealer refuse to replace front rotors that were worn below spec thickness at 35K miles b/c I had installed Mintex Red Box pads. He never mentioned voiding warranty when I paid the dealership to install those same pads 25K miles earlier!

That dealer's service manager told me that BMWNA frequently audits customer files looking for reasons to deny warranty coverage. He also told me that, if they were to find a reason to deny coverage (e.g., my non-OEM brake pads), that they not only would debit his account for my rotor replacement, but for every single similar job that dealer had performed in recent months. So, he further explained, his performing a $350 brake job could cost the dealership $7000 if they had performed 20 such jobs in recent history.

I told him that sounded like his problem, and not my problem, since he had never informed me when taking my money the first time that it would later void my coverage. He refused, and I took my business elsewhere.

I have no way to know whether his claim is true or false, but something has caused dealers to curtail their willingness to cover warranty items that clearly should be covered. So I do not doubt that BMWNA's enforcement of some policy would create this consistent pattern of dealer behaviors.

The pisser is, that when it is clear that they WILL get paid for warranty work (VANOS, catalyst replacements) they'll go to the opposite extreme in performing very expensive service work. When my OBD-II diagnostic read 'cat fault,' I encouraged them to check first the MAFS since other board members had experienced similar trouble with that part failure. I even took in print outs of threads from the board describing contacts at other dealers that had already been down the same road.

Instead, they replaced BOTH catalysts under warranty (price tag: $4500), without resolving the problem. I took the still rough-running Beast to another dealer and they strapped a volt-meter across the MAFS and instantly knew it was faulty. $300 warranty part replacement, and I was good to go! $4500 in warranty work at the earlier dealership with no impact whatsoever.

Keep up the fight! Walk in there informed, and don't leave until they provide the service they're obligated to give you!