Copy of email to [email protected]

"Grunff" > wrote in message

> ROFL. You're having a 9 year old base model worth £1500-£2000 tops
> serviced by a main dealer. Priceless.

Until today, I've paid slightly over the odds compared to a 'private' garage
service or even doing it myself, which I am happy to offset against the
supposed advantage of retaining the original maintainer.

It has easily cost me much less than many previous cars of similar age and
I've had a ****ing ball driving it.

Laff it up.

"Julian Edge" > wrote in message
...
> "Jeff Strickland" > wrote in message
>
> > Good luck with this. You are on your own.
>
> Ah, no longer. Thanks, newsnet!
>
> > Your car was manufactured in 1996, so it must be a 1997 model, or I
> > suppose
> > it could be a late model '96. Given we are in '05 now, this makes the
car
> > 9
> > years old, give or take a few months. I would expect a long list of
rubber
> > and plastic parts are looking at replacement now or soon.
>
> Indeed, sir. As I said, I love the car, it's just the attitude / staff /
je
> ne sais quoi / whatever / dare I say principle?
>
> Besides, most of the rubber and plastic bits have been replaced several
> times in the last few years, along with the head gasket and the rear
> suspension arms. I've never been 'shocked' until now.
>
> And fair play, the car has *never* let me down, which is more than I can
say
> for my old Alpha.
>
>

Sorry to have sounded so harsh. Your beef is not with the factory, it's with
the General Manager of the dealership. That is where your letters should be
going.

I forget why you went into the dealership in the first place, but your car
has at least another 140,000 MILES left in it. I have over 200,000 miles on
my '94, and it is in no danger of leaving me stranded anytime soon. I
suspect you are the victim of a service department that works on commission,
and that is your complaint. It would be my complaint if I were in your
shoes.

> wrote:
[...]
> You do know if you don't reach the chequered flag you're allowed to
> change the engine whether it's done two races or not?

Are you allowed to just abandon it at the side of the road and call a
taxi?

--
PGP key ID E85DC776 - finger for full key

Tim S Kemp > wrote:

> Andrew Thomas wrote:
>
> > Note to everyone else: "155" and "75" are four-door Alfa Romeos. You
> > didn't miss much.
>
> 155 was a Tipo in drag. 75 however was a work of art and better to drive
> than its contemporary 3 series.

I wouldn't go as far as a work of art, but it's automotive engineering
at it's best. A car designed by engineers not accountants.

Granted, the narrow body 155 was definitely a Tipo in drag, but the
widebodies were a lot better.
--
Steve H 'You're not a real petrolhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo'
http://www.italiancar.co.uk - Honda VFR800 - MZ ETZ300
VW Golf GL Cabrio - Alfa 75 TS - VW Passat 1.8T 20V SE - COSOC KOTL
BoTAFOT #87 - BoTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #

On 03 Mar 2005 22:02:10 GMT, (Peter
Corlett) wrote:

> wrote:
>[...]
>> You do know if you don't reach the chequered flag you're allowed to
>> change the engine whether it's done two races or not?
>
>Are you allowed to just abandon it at the side of the road and call a
>taxi?

If it's traceable to you, don't.=20

Cheers,
Alex.
--=20
http://www.munted.org.uk

Julian Edge > wrote:
[...]
> It has easily cost me much less than many previous cars of similar
> age and I've had a ****ing ball driving it.

*shrug*

I used to have a whale of a time driving my old Skoda Estelle. It even
had a spare engine in the boot.

The indicators worked too.

--
Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level.
- Quentin Crisp

Costing the net hundreds if not thousands of dollars, Peter Corlett
said:
> > wrote:
> [...]
> > You do know if you don't reach the chequered flag you're allowed to
> > change the engine whether it's done two races or not?
>
> Are you allowed to just abandon it at the side of the road and call a
> taxi?
>
>
No, you have to get on the back of a pizza delivery moped and go and
have a chat with somebody called Stewart, or something.
--
tiger tiger tiger tiger tiger tiger tiger tiger tiger

"Jeff Strickland" > wrote in message
...
>
<snip>
>
> First of all, take your complaints of top posting and blow them out your
> ass.
<snip>

But you still obliged, for which I and others that dislike top-posting,
thank you. Agree with your other comments about independent servicing, and
relative low age and mileage.

To the OP:

Even if your car is only worth the cost of the repairs, that's still cheaper
than buying a new car right? Divide the cost of repairs by 12 months, and
see if it works out less than finance payments on a replacement. Think of
it as an investment in another 4 years of happy motoring.

Good luck!

"Jeff Strickland" > wrote in message

> If I were in the OP's position, my letter would be to the General Manager
> of
> the dealership to express my displeasure at the attempted fleecing, and
> tell
> him that he just lost a valuable client. I would not bother to write BMW.
>
> My advice to the OP stands, get the stuff you can't do yourself done.
> Figure
> out what you can do and do it yourself.
>
> Since the car is 9 years old, perhaps an independant mechanic that
> specializes in BMW would be a better choice than dealer servicing from
> here
> on out.

Thanks Jeff!

I figured that out a few hours before opening a beer and posting to newsnet
but that's the first sane reply I've seen!

"SteveH" > wrote in message

>> for my old Alpha.
>
> What's one of those, then?

Like a cross between a Pherrrarri and a Phord