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September 2024 by Jason Lipton
TL;DR MOST INCOMPETENT SERVICE TEAM I’VE EVER SEEN
By far the most incompetent service center I’ve ever been to. My wife and I were bringing our cars there for service every 10,000 miles and we thought everything was going fine. Multiple incidents have happened as a result of their negligence to perform basic checks on standard service and repairs. These incidents could have caused an accident if they happened at the wrong time.
First, one day my wife got an emergency stop notification on her dash. It turned out her brake pads were completely gone. She had brought it in for service no more than 5,000 miles prior- no warning of low brake pads by the service team. You might say “Ok that’s pretty bad but maybe she rode her brakes hard”. Just wait there’s more.
I hit a good sized rock on PCH after the land slides. Popped a tire and cracked a wheel. They took care of it - but apparently never checked alignment which is something obvious to do after an incident like that. I bring it back in for 30,000 mile service and explicitly ask to check all the tires for wear because they’re getting close to their stated life. They say everything is fine. I didn’t investigate further but I now know I should have.
3,000 miles later I pop a rear tire because it’s so worn out. I bring it in to the dealer and they say I need to replace all 4 tires and the wheel. Wait- all 4? I just replaced the one that I hit a rock with. Turns out that the new tire is totally bald on the inside because it was so out of alignment. Again, I had brought it back there for service between these tire incidents and explicitly asked to check the tires.
I told them about all these issues and that I’m bringing the car to a different shop (they said my wheel was fine by the way) and never coming back. Not only did they not apologize or show remorse- they tried to charge me for their complimentary Uber because I didn’t actually get any repairs from them. Truly egregious.
Never come here or you will regret it. It is a safety risk to use this dealer for service. I never write bad reviews I’m just astonished how bad this place is.
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September 2024 by MOHAMMAD ALAM
I call for to make an appointment for service. 08/30/2024 at 8:21. I ask for if they have any special for service or oil change because I normally like to buy packages for x amount of time so that I don’t have worry about handling the payment. Which saves time.
As soon as I ask for special the person who was talking to me, she got mad and tell me “you can check with them when you hear “ and she hang up on me. They are 5 min walk from my office. For that kind of employee I am never coming back here.
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August 2024 by Christian Straka
I recently took my 20-year-old BMW Z4 to BMW Santa Monica to get a couple of issues diagnosed: the roof wasn’t opening, and some dashboard lights were on. Since I wanted an accurate assessment from an official BMW dealer, I opted for their diagnostic service, which costs about $250 per issue. So, I paid around $500 for two diagnoses.
The initial feedback from the dealership was that the roof needed a specific repair costing $900. They mentioned that only after this repair could they assess further issues with the roof. I expressed my concern to the BMW representative, explaining that I was paying for a comprehensive diagnosis to understand the full extent of the necessary repairs, not to keep discovering issues one by one at an additional cost. Despite a 20-minute discussion, I was told there was no other option.
After completing the $900 repair (with a 20% discount, which was appreciated), they found that another repair was required, costing $5,500. This approach of incremental repairs and diagnoses was frustrating.
What is perhaps most disappointing is that this experience has deterred me from considering purchasing a new BMW in the future. I had been contemplating buying another BMW, but this experience highlighted a systemic issue with their diagnostic and repair process that was off-putting. In contrast, I’ve had much smoother experiences with Tesla regarding repairs and analysis.
In summary, while I understand the complexities of car repairs, the lack of transparency and the policy of paying for multiple diagnoses and potentially endless repairs have left me with a negative impression of BMW. It’s unfortunate because this experience has led me to decide against purchasing another BMW in the future.
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August 2024 by Richard Schiller
I love my 2021 X5 so I figured I would extend the warranty. I worked with Henry Hall who was a real gentleman and seemed like a ceo of a big company. He was polite, brought me a cup of coffee and gave me a good deal. Thank you Henry. DKS
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August 2024 by William Lau
My experience at Santa Monica BMW was exceptional thanks to the outstanding team there. From the moment I arrived, Salador, the advisor, provided top-notch service, offering knowledgeable advice and ensuring everything was taken care of efficiently. Javier at the service reception desk was incredibly courteous and helpful, making the entire process smooth and stress-free. Jason, the cashier, was prompt and friendly, handling the transaction seamlessly. Edwin, the porter, was also a pleasure to interact with, ensuring my vehicle was ready and impeccably presented when I left.
Overall, the team at Santa Monica BMW is a breath of fresh air in the automotive service industry. Their professionalism and dedication to customer satisfaction are truly commendable. I highly recommend them for anyone looking for a positive and hassle-free experience
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August 2024 by Dilia Figueroa
Good service
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July 2024 by Everett Prado
Excellent Customer Service ?‼️
Very helpful, Big Thanks ??
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June 2024 by Jaime Gallardo
I showed up at the front desk ask a question to the receptionist, and it felt like I was talking to a wall. Absolutely no communication skills I don’t think I will be purchasing a $60.000 bmw for my daughter.
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May 2024 by rocktman01
Horrible service they have.
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April 2024 by Fred C
The team here is deceitful. Don’t fall for their scam tactics.
I brought my brand new car in for service for a wheel alignment. Bill, the beyond useless service advisor, took 10 minutes to even acknowledge my existence. When he finally graced me with a few words, he grumpily told me that the alignment would be $300 when my car is still well within warranty.
He asked me if I bought the car there, which doesn’t matter because it is BMW policy that you can take your car to any service center, and told me to take the car back to the original dealership.
This guy and his team are unfortunately a disgrace to the general BMW community. My experience was definitely not isolated as most other customers seemed to be going through equally unpleasant experience.
If you must go here, don’t come expecting basic levels of respect and an honest statement of work
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April 2024 by Fariborz
Worst experience. Never going back.
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March 2024 by Michael
Good service experience, if money is no object.
Edit: this place is totally overpriced for service. Always better to go to Beverly hills BMW with your vehicle, ask for Alen. He's been there. Forever is one of the top managers and is an honest man who gave me their quoted price right from their website and didn't try to charge me 2x for the same basic maintenance job (spark plugs) that Santa Monica BMW tried. I even offered Santa Monica the opportunity to match and they still high balled!!!
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March 2024 by Hans Dakhlia
My wife blew a tire on one of these nasty potholes on Sunset and needed assistance right away. The whole team at smbmw bent over backwards to get her sorted out and got her in-and-out like a burger. Special shout out to Del and Danny for the royal treatment.
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March 2024 by Jaweria Tahir
I wish I could leave 0 stars. I had the ABSOLUTE worst experience with this place from start to finish. I don’t even know where to begin. I reside in NY and found a good deal with this place. At first it all seemed great. The issues started after I signed all my documents. I received absolutely NO updates or communication from henry. He took absolutely no interest in helping me out EVERY SINGLE TIME i called him. This BMW uses prestige as a third party company to register the car and do taxes. Everytime I called Henry he told me to contact prestige and that he has nothing to do with titling/registration/taxes. After HARASSING prestige i was told customers aren’t supposed to be in contact with them and that i PAID bmw to avoid all this back and forth to begin with. HENRY was supposed to be communicating with them and getting back to me. on top of that HE NEVER SUBMITTED some of my documents delaying the process by WEEKS/DAYS. Thats absolutely unacceptable. Moving forward, when I got my car delivered it was FILTHY. When I got my car I was in absolute shock. The outside being dirty was one thing but the inside was atrocious. On top of that it smelled like cigarettes. I had told them to let me use my own transportation company and BMW advised me this company that transported my car was trustworthy. Theyre so trustworthy they gave my car looking like it went through Pompeii. I’m not even exaggerating this entire experience left me mentally drained because i was genuinely so patient with them because I didnt care how long it took i just wanted to be kept in the loop. I’m so heartbroken by how this experience was because i was so excited for my new car. I just took the car to BMW in ny to have it serviced turns out it has an ENGINE OIL LEAK which will cost me about $4000 to fix. BMW of santa monica has deflected every single thing after I gave my signatures. I would suggest if you see a car here from out of state, just dont do it. Its not worth it regardless of the deal you’re getting. I’ve purchased from other companies and never experienced something like this. Ive never felt so fed up and disappointed with someone my entire life the way I did. Del Jr the son of the owner of this dealership knew everything that was going on, and didn’t have the decency to give me a call. Instead he had one of his sales associates dismiss the entire situation via call to my husband when they should have had some courtesy to speak to me directly. Before they claim here with a reply that communication was with my husband, i have call logs and texts of them contacting me specifically when they needed something on their end so they could have called me. All I wanted was an open line of communication and occasional updates and honesty. After taking my money and my signatures they literally changed faces. This place has absolutely no knowledge on how to courteous and respectful. Stay away. Also, when I told them about the leak they told me to take it to a different place to try to have it passed there which is completely shady.
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February 2024 by henry Wang
I did oild change today. It was not surprising that the technician also identified a few areas of concerns, since my car is relatively old. Service rep Chris was great. He knew car well and understood customer. I couldn't fix all problems of the old car, but would like to do necessary repairs and replacement. Chris was very helpful. Thank you Chris.
