€440 battery for nearly new BMW 218

D

Duke of Marmalade

Registered User
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I have a 6 months old BMW 218.
It needs a new battery!!
It costs €440 for part and fitting and is not covered by warranty.
Can that price be real?
 
Is the battery covered by the warranty? If so, tell them to give you the new battery and you'll get it fitted by someone who is not trying to rob you!!!

They will tell you the warranty won't extend if not fitted by a BMW dealer.

That is scandalous that the battery needs replacing after 6 months and that they are trying to charge you that much!

Green Auto in Kilternan may be able to help. They are authorised to stamp services books. they aren't the cheapest but may not be that expensive.
 
Take a look to see how easy/difficult it's to remove battery.. I had a hyundai ix20 and it was a complete pain to remove.

If easy to change, buy a battery from an auto factory and replace it yourself.

Was curious so took a look on utube... Seems a pain to replace
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
I have a 6 months old BMW 218.
It needs a new battery!!
It costs €440 for part and fitting and is not covered by warranty.
Can that price be real?
Click to expand...
That seems very strange. Their website says that:
We’re confident in our precision and quality. That’s why we offer excellent warranty on our vehicles and Genuine BMW Parts. From a two year warranty on all genuine parts, to a three year warranty on any of our new vehicles and even a six year warranty on our PHEV high voltage batteries, we’re here to let you know we’re with you every step of the way.

Since when is a battery not a part of your car?
 
Screw it up and you can potentially damage the ECU.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
I have a 6 months old BMW 218.
It needs a new battery!!
It costs €440 for part and fitting and is not covered by warranty.
Can that price be real?
Click to expand...
Unless it’s knackered because of some error on your part, surely it’s covered by warranty?

It’s 6 months old for heaven’s sake!

Is their argument that you did something to wreck it?
 
Forget about main stealers "warranties", you have rights as a consumer enshrined in law.

I know the old SIMI order form, "only for the VAT and VRT returns innit mate, eh, eh", tried excluding batteries, tyres, brake components, and other consumables from warranties, we have hopefully moved on to more consumer-oriented vehicle purchasing from the days of the Del Boys and Arfur Dalys.

Your consumer rights

Consumer laws give you strong rights when you buy a product or service. Find out about your rights.
www.citizensinformation.ie

"Sale of Goods and Associated Guarantees

Consumers’ rights are further strengthened by the Sale of Goods and Associated Guarantees Directive 1999/44/EC. S.I. No. 11/2003 gives effect to the Directive in Ireland.

Under the regulations, products must be ‘in conformity’ with the contract. To be in conformity, the products must meet specific conditions about quality. The conditions are mostly the same as in the Sale of Goods Act.

You are entitled to certain remedies, that is, repair, replacement or refund when products do not meet the specific quality standards. If you find a problem within 6 months, it is presumed that it was there at the time of delivery. It is up to the seller to prove otherwise.

The right to a remedy applies for at least 2 years across the EU. Member States are allowed to set longer time limits (known as limitation periods). In Ireland, the limitation period is 6 years. This means you are entitled to raise a problem about a product for up to 6 years from the date of buying.

Find out more about your rights to repair, replacement or refunds."
 
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Hi guys (and any gals) thanks a lot.
I just got a phone call from the garage saying there is no problem with the battery - that I had run it down and it is now fit to go. I really don't understand that. I gave out to them when they told me about the €440 not under warranty, now I feel a bit embarrassed going to pick it up.
 
There is obviously a problem somewhere if the battery has run-down unless you left the lights on or ...
 
It is they who should be embarrassed.
 
jpd said:
There is obviously a problem somewhere if the battery has run-down unless you left the lights on or ...
Click to expand...
That's what I just don't understand. I travelled 200 miles from Dingle on Saturday. At 6.30 I drove locally for a Chinese carry out. Stopped at lights and that infuriating automatic start/stop thing kicked in. But it never kicked back leaving me stranded at the lights. An hour and a half later a BMW assistance guy arrived. He was able to jump start it. That got me home but it didn't start after that and didn't respond to the Duchess' jump leads. And a Bank Holiday ahead of me!! So I have now picked it up but I don't understand the explanation they gave me that I had run down the battery though the emergency assistance sort of works. My confidence in BMW is badly shaken. Thanks all.
 
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Duke of Marmalade said:
@mathepac useful info for future. It was actually a 212 reg demo car which was picked up by me in January. The six months bit would have just finished.
Click to expand...
You still have consumer protection, enforceable for up to 6 years after purchase against the seller; any manufacturer's warranties are extra over and above that
Duke of Marmalade said:
My confidence in BMW is badly shaken.
Click to expand...

Herr Arfur und Herr Del Boy?
 
Sounds like a more serious problem than letting the battery run down. When the computer detects low voltage from the (a rundown) battery it will not cut the engine out when stopped at lights. If you are lucky it may have been a loose connection in the battery terminal.
 
When you eventually need a new battery it's still an awful price. I heard stories of BMW being very expensive on a regular service /oil change
 
So at what stage did they suggest you ran the battery down? That sounds like they wanted to get a few bob from you and now they might have patched things up. I wouldn't trust them enough to buy another car from them. You can bring your car to any BMW garage to get it serviced under warranty. I'd go elsewhere in future.
 
That seems very strange, bought a 520d new in 2007 and kept it for 13 years, same battery for the entire duration
 
Hi Folks, a little off topic but relevant...
I've seen it mentioned above and in other motoring threads about the SIMI sales contract being used as some kind of get out of consumer protection card for car dealerships.

I've never really seen the implications, perceived or otherwise of this spelt out explicitly. Anyone know what's the story there explicitly?

Anecdotally or factually?
Cheers.
 
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