[BM57]

My car's factory warranty is about to expire and I was wondering if anyone knows of a good place to get a pre purchase inspection in metro Vancouver B.C. area.

Here are the recommendations I've received so far:

1. BCAA (B.C. equivalent of AAA). I called them but they said they no longer offer the service.


2. Nixon Automotive in Burnaby. They charge $195. Anyone know them?
http://nixonautomotive.com/


3. German Auto Sports in Surrey. Anyone know them?
http://www.germanautosports.com/


4. Would an authorized BMW dealer do a proper/thorough inspection knowing that it is to see if there are any issues that may need to be addressed under warranty?

[613Bimmer]

To be honest, I have no clue about questions 1-3. I've never been out to BC before so I couldn't tell you. My gut feel would be to just look them up on Google and read their reviews.

For #4, I'd have no issue believing that a BMW authorized dealer would do a thorough inspection of the car. From what I understand, they're payed by BMW for parts and labour under warranty whereas they're payed out of the customer's pocket out of warranty. To me, I'd be troubled to find a reason why they'd rush an inspection to miss out on potential high-payout fixes.

Hope this helps!

[x986]

Assuming Canada is the same as US, the dealer makes a lot of money from BMW on warranty repairs. I had no known problems with a Porsche about to come off warranty. I took it to the dealer; he found & fixed about $1600 worth of stuff. There was no charge for the 'inspection'.

[S4NoMore]

Originally Posted by x986

Assuming Canada is the same as US, the dealer makes a lot of money from BMW on warranty repairs. I had no known problems with a Porsche about to come off warranty. I took it to the dealer; he found & fixed about $1600 worth of stuff. There was no charge for the 'inspection'.

Dealer service departments get paid less for warranty repairs, that is they book a different time. If you walk in off the street you might get an estimate for 3 hours of labor, versus the 2 hours BMW would pay if you're under warranty for the same job. I have a friend who is a dealer tech, I'm sure this is partly a mechanism to prevent people and service departments from taking excessive advantage of BMW. Hence "could not replicate." For jobs that are particularly painful, your typical service advisor might try to dissuade you from pushing for the repair.

My advice is to speak directly with the technician when you drop the car off, or perhaps the foreman or lead tech. Introduce yourself, explain that you're only looking to maximize your warranty value and you're not going to be a pain in the ass with little nitpicks. This will go a long way to separate you from the average customer.

Realistically though, what could be found that you wouldn't have noticed in your daily driving? Even if you go to an independent mechanic for a PPI, any problems found need to be real and reproducible or discernible visually.

[BM57]

Thanks guys for all the tips. Greatly appreciated .

Originally Posted by S4NoMore

...Realistically though, what could be found that you wouldn't have noticed in your daily driving? Even if you go to an independent mechanic for a PPI, any problems found need to be real and reproducible or discernible visually.

I was thinking for example possible oil/fluid leaks and anything that may not be really noticeable unless one actually takes a good look on a lift.

[S4NoMore]

Originally Posted by BM57

I was thinking for example possible oil/fluid leaks and anything that may not be really noticeable unless one actually takes a good look on a lift.

Can't hurt. I would be comfortable asking the dealer. Good luck!