BMW AUC Bought. Not a great experience.

OK, sorry for my first post being a negative one but hopefully that'll change as I get used to the new car.

I recently bought an AUC F10 from Stratstone Derby and, whilst the salesman was fine (young and very keen) the buying experience was sadly lacking. The dealership seems more car supermarket than premium car dealer. This, I suspect is a function of management priority than individual salesmans actions with the apparent emphasis on get em in and out asap and maximise margin at the expense of service. My car was poorly prepared (easily the worst prepped AUC car I've bought), paperwork was/is incomplete, MoT I've since noticed is the balance from the previous owner not 12 months (should have checked but never expected that!).

All in all not great. Cannot recommend except the cars seem keenly priced for an AUC but still more than independent dealers.

 

Not good on all counts Zed

Ultimately, and if I could make the next sentence gracefully, why on earth did you accept the car on handover
The blinkers & emotions of new car day take over mind and matter and it effects us all sadly.
I have however heard about The Derby branch, likewise enquires about an Auc car only to be violated over the phone, so very unpleasant to see the customer satisfaction hasn't moved

I support Singovels statement above as we share the same dealer, regardless of work carried out, I receive follow up satisfaction call, then a text, then an e mail.
The last time car was in BMW having Pano roof repair, I received 3 calls during the day with updates, each call they requested I change my mind on post work valet, sadly I declined and on collection I regretted my decision, with them having the roof lining down a lot of mess was made, though they placed two valet kits on the rear seat (I checked the invoice to see if this was free gratis or charged)
The follow up call, was primarily an apology against my decision not to let them valet, in a sick way it' a personal touch

Similarly On that occasion they did decline my request for the I8 as a courtesy car which frustrated me,

 

I bought the car effectively over the phone due to the distance involved in seeing it in the flesh - the AUC website is a dangerous place! I love the car but was disappointed with the experience. I've bought a few BMWs this way and this is the first time I've not been completely satisfied.

I'll giving the car a damn good going over tomorrow and will enjoy doing so (sad I know though I suspect I'm not the only person on this site who'd be the same!). Pics will follow.

As far as the dealership is concerned I have the car now and that's what matters though I suspect I wouldn't of bought it had I walked into the showroom off the street.

 

I guess the truth, in that we're all guilty of!
Is that for every bad car there's probably several good delighted owners!
Seldom do we shout from the roof tops about our good experiences.

Personally I gave up on Main dealers in favour of a "particular" small dealer some 100+ miles away from home, he offers a very personal service and unrealistic service that's second to none!
Depending on the route I take next car change, I'll most probably have him source the car for me!
He offers very fair trade ins, unquestionable warranty, excellent presentation & open book transaction, if asked he even goes the extra mile and supports and informs of profit margins my claim is supported by his high turnover, so I'm more than sure others feel the same (the fact he mainly deals in BMW's & porkers is a plus)

 

The thing is you can't really beat the BMW AUC Warranty (as I found out in my search - even Lexus don't offer as competitive a warranty!) and I think many dealers take advantage of this (and become very lazy in the process). BMW really needs to come down very hard on those who don't meet the very high standards you would expect of a premium brand.

 

Yes I remember reading it, bloody awful situation I think he may of ended up out of pocket? I know he gave them it back but my last recall was they refused to cancel off the finance

 

Zed, how are you getting on with the car? I've only just seen this post as Zoom updated it, otherwise I would have contributed earlier.

I too have bought AUC from a distance, one that sticks in my mind was in Feb 2004 when I bought a 2 year old 525i sport touring from 'up north'. It was delivered to me down south by a boy racer who knew nothing about the car, he tried to open the auto tailgate with a firm pull and made it seize, then when I pointed out that two wheels were scuffed and two tyres were almost bald he didn't know how to answer. Anyhow, like you I accepted the car with some notes written on the acceptance form about all the faults, there were many including a wet rear footwell and scratches.
My course of action was to register a complaint with BMW UK, they took care of the dealer and arranged for me to have a courtesy car whilst the faults were sorted. So back to the dealer the car went (on a low loader this time) and a week later the car was returned in a pristine condition, new tyres and the leak sorted out.

Was of the outcome of your experience?

 

My AUC experience was naff from BMW Milton Keynes nobody bothers to check anything properly anymore In to much of a hurry to sell it on! Won't be going back

 

Surely not

 

I have to say the car has been outstanding. It's not missed a beat since buying it 11 months ago and the only issue was a creaky suspension bush that was replaced under warranty without question.

I suspect we may keep this car a while which, given my past record of changing every 6-9 months must say something about the car.