XSeries-forum

They are brilliant

Even with a few niggles with ours still a superb motor

Soaked up several hundred miles this weekend with the young family to peppa pig world lol

Mix of motorway, a roads was effortless and space for all requirements

[quote="x6edge"]
Ask to see the completed BMW AUC checklist as proof that it has actually been done.
[/quote]

+1 although it still doesn't prove they actually did it.  After I brought my E53 AUC I took it in to my local dealers to be looked at under warranty as the handbrake barely worked.  They said they weren't able to remove the drums without replacing them due to severe corrosion.  I pointed out that there should have been a brake check as part of AUC checks and issues rectified if required before being sold as an approved car.  Supplying dealer send over the AUC checklist apparently completed for the car.  Local dealer agreed with me that there was no way that corrosion could have gotten that bad in the few weeks I'd had it and looks like checks weren't actually done (there was also no cap on the washer fluid reservoir).  Supplying dealer eventually gave in and covered the cost of the local dealer replacing drums/shoes.

I'm shopping for a 2012/13 LCI now.  I mentioned to a dealer recently that I'd want a 2 year AUC warranty with any car before I'd consider closing a deal due to my past experience.  He admitted sometimes dealers won't do full checks.  I was more surprised to hear him suggest some dealers might ignore issues because they don't want to incur the cost of doing the work themselves.  They might leave it and let the warranty pick up the cost of the work (so that means the customer if the issue comes to light later on and the extended warranty hasn't kept picked up). 

I had always suspected this was the case but pretty shocked to hear a dealer suggest it.  Not sure what he was thinking - perhaps that he was putting me off going to other dealerships while I would trust his one implicitly.  It had the opposite effect. 

Went to see an AUC car yesterday mentally ready to make a purchase if the car was 'as described'.  Was very disappointed to find it extremely scruffy inside - every seat had visible marks, every al trim panel was scratched.  The outside was better but still had scratches which could have been machine polished out if they could be bothered.  Drove nicely but I told him I wouldn't even make an offer.  He could have knocked £5k off the price and I wouldn't have considered it.  I'm starting to consider cars from independent specialists if they are clean with the right spec and FBMWSH.  Will need to buy a BMW-Insured comprehensive warranty in place of whatever junk warranty the indy provides which will add to the cost.

It certainly is hard work finding a good car at a reasonable price right now..

I have seen the AUC checklist and car has only done 22400 miles since sept 2012. So if anything crops up i have 2 years to get it sorted. There were 2-4 chip marks and they said they will touch them. Should I ask them to fill and polish them?

What should i ask them to reset,  things like adaptive drive, gearbox idrive, satnav etc?

I can see no reason why you shouldn't ask for blemishes such as paintwork chips or dings to be treated before you take delivery so they are invisible.  Similarly any corrosion on the wheels should be put right. 22500 miles - how much life is left on the tyres as some cars run them off at about 23-24000 miles depending on how they are driven (some only last 14000 if the car is driven in a spirited way)?  Check to see if the rears have worn excessively on the inside and the fronts on the outside - it could mean the tracking should be reset both front and rear (yes, the rear tracking does go out of alignment if potholes and speed ramps are hit frequently, and it can be reset).  When was the car last put through an MOT and serviced?  If an MOT is due soon perhaps you should ask for it to be done...

I'm not sure what you mean by resetting adaptive drive - on mine, which has the adaptive drive option fitted, it is set by a simple push switch near the gearlever marked sport - and a tell-tale on the instrument panel shows when sport mode is engaged. When sport is selected the adaptive drive slightly alters the ride making it firmer with less lean on windy roads.  Most of the time I leave it unset as it's a more comfortable ride.

There is no Idrive setting for the gearbox on mine. The ability to use the normal changeup/down mode, sport changes or manual is made with the gear stick and/or paddles if they are a fitted option. Sport mode on the gearbox makes the car hold gears to higher revs before changing up - a so-called more exhilarating drive that comes at the expense of fuel consumption!

The "throttle memory" can be reset by switching on the ignition but not starting the car then pressing the accelerator fully for 30s.  After that it remembers the driving style of the owner ands alters the change up points once the car is warmed up.

Get the dealer to demonstrate how to use the satnav (it may have the previous owner's history of places "inputted" to it so you could have them erased from its memory) and the way to pair a telephone with the car if it has that option.  In fact, get the dealer to demonstrate all the controls or you will have to spend a good couple of hours reading the manual and setting it to your personal tastes, eg the radio presets. Note to that the presets can also be used to recall favourite satnav settings and phone numbers - I have both set on mine for home.  Don't forget too the seat and steering wheel positions can be altered and memorised.  Whichever key is used at the time will reset them when used again - swap the keys and they will go to that key's memory. Handy for his and hers keys!!!  Get the dealer to show you how the wallet key works.

These are complex cars with an enormous amount of computer controlled facilities.  They take a long time to set up for all personal tastes and once done that is part of the enjoyment of driving them.

The above is excellent advice 

If you are going to spend time setting everything up, get a battery charger.  Playing for 20 mins without the engine is likely to result in an 'Excess Discharge' warning on the iDrive - posh way of telling you "your battery is flat mate!" - so beware.

A 2012 car will have a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) which means you need to be careful if doing lots of short journeys.  If it blocks and won't regenerate then it's a £1,500 part.  Get the dealer to check the status of the device, when it last regenerated and the 'ash level'.  It is only significant on low mileage, short journey cars.  Given the age/mileage of your one, that suggests it might fall into this category.

The dealer can force a regen, and I would ask them to do it.  The car should regen automatically every 300 miles or so, depending on driving style.  You'll know it's doing it because all the fans under the bonnet will be running flat out - it er stops the car setting itself alight - when you switch off.

As above, within 3 months ownership of my Z4 Coupe, I found I had a knocking sound coming from the rear underside of the car over speed bumps and uneven surfaces. After speaking to the dealer that sold me the car (based 44 miles from my house) they advised me to take it to my local dealer and have it checked out. They did so and didnt find anything but found that my washer fluid tank seal had perished and needed replacing so this was done under AUC.

I took it back to them a week later to report the same issue (knocking sound) only for them to finally diagnose the handbrake cable fouling against the body and needing to be re-routed. This was also covered under AUC and in both cases the supplying dealer had to cover the cost of the work as it so soon after purchase.

Excellent advice above

Here is the list of things I am asking them to do by Thursday as per advice:

Valet inside out
Tracking
Remove all chips and scuffs
Include Paint pen/kit as agreed
Reset idrive, satnav- old data
Check Auc extra 1 year
12 months MoT
Attach Auc checklist and Print off all work done
Dpf and ash level check and regenerate if required

Please let me know anything else to add as they are delivering car on Thursday!

I'm interested to know what people's experiences are in terms of the asking price for an AUC in the current climate.  It's impressive to hear how much running around people are able to have the dealer doing (rectifying blemishes, tracking, updating maps, sorting out alloy corrosion etc) and getting a second year of AUC seems like an achievement but are people getting all of this sorted and then paying the asking price or also beating that down a bit?  I imagine it will be very difficult to get cosmetic blemishes rectified, a second year of warranty and wipe £1000-1500 off the asking price?

Further to my advice on tracking - as well as the fronts, the rear wheels especially should be checked and adjusted for both tracking (toe in/out) and for camber angle.  It's the latter than causes more wear on the inside of the rear tyre if the alignment is out.  It's adjusted by turning a bolt with an acentric cam washer (They rust and often need heat to free them for adjustment).  Simple alignment measuring equipment will only check toe in/out - it needs to be done with a more complex laser measuring tool that checks toe in and camber for all wheels and also measures the "offset" (the alignment of the front and rear axles in case the car is crabbing down the road).  All in all the check and adjustment is a specialist job that takes about an hour.

Graeme

[quote="JF1980"]
I'm interested to know what people's experiences are in terms of the asking price for an AUC in the current climate.  It's impressive to hear how much running around people are able to have the dealer doing (rectifying blemishes, tracking, updating maps, sorting out alloy corrosion etc) and getting a second year of AUC seems like an achievement but are people getting all of this sorted and then paying the asking price or also beating that down a bit?  I imagine it will be very difficult to get cosmetic blemishes rectified, a second year of warranty and wipe £1000-1500 off the asking price?
[/quote]

Cosmetic blemishes should be rectified before any purchase, you're buying from BMW not joe bloggs so I dont expect to see stone chips, scratches, dings,  etc. A second year warranty is negotiable but harder to achieve IMO especially when combined with a £1000-1500 discount. Those levels of discount are feasible but depend on several factors.
1) How long has it sat on their books.
2) How overpriced is it
3) How quickly do they need to shift it
4) How bad are their numbers this month

I would never pay the asking price to BMW unless I truely felt the car had been underpriced and believe you me, I've only ever seen that about twice in BMW dealers (and the cars in question sold virtually on the day of listing or the price was immediately amended).

I got about £1300 worth of discount on a very reasonable priced car compared to other independents and dealers.
I sent them an email earlier today with list of things to be done and they have replied back in writing so fingers crossed they do all these things as agreed.

Baby got delivered today, really enjoyed the ride and they gave extra 1 year warranty for no charge as goodwill!!! Theay also did all the work I asked with proof. Really pleased my 1st SUV.

Sheesh sounds like a good deal; which dealership is that I'll have to keep an eye for 40d's with them 

Rybrook Shrewsbury

Thanks I'll keep an eye out for them.  Hope you enjoy your new car.  Can't wait to find 'the one'...