Here we go again...never thought the day would come, but it did! BMW field tech has determined that the broken axle on my 2013 BMW M6, should not be covered under warranty. Here is the story, and what I am going to do about it.
I would hope that all of us on this forum know what the car is capable of. I still remember the first time I drove the F12, I was at awe. The power band was amazing and you had no choice but to respect the car. I'm not going to waste time explaining what I personally think the car should be capable of doing or what the M division should stand by, but I believe something is seriously wrong with the way BMW and their dealerships deal with serious warranty situations.
With all the setting turned to Sport Plus (as they should be), I accelerated when the stoplight I was stationary at turned green. Yes, I may have accelerated using the full power output of the car, I have done so before and intend to continue doing so as long as the streets are safe enough to do so and I am not putting anyone at risk. Am I the only person who enjoys feeling the power of the M6, I sure hope not. To my dismay, the rear axle came apart*. The car is unable to move using its powertrain. The car has
no performance tune and
no suspension mods, I purchased this vehicle about three months ago through the BMW lease transfer program (I had the car inspected prior to taking over the lease, and I am certain the previous driver had absolutely nothing to do with this problem). I have been driving with this car for a few months now with no problems, and expected any problems that would arise to be covered under warranty as long as it wasn't my fault. That is what I am trying to find out, was this my fault? Hard to believe I could break the parts without hitting a pothole or doing an insane burnout for minutes on end.
I had the car towed to the nearest BMW dealership. Here is where it gets interesting. The first few conversations with my SA included carefully constructed sentences hinting to the fact that BMW was going to deny my warranty claim based on the premise that "abusive" driving was not covered under their warranty. After hearing this, I knew what to expect. After waiting for a a week for the field advisor to fly in from New Jersey, my SA called me and told me that they had analyzed the "shadow history," and that the party would not be covered under factory warranty due to "outside influence"
-Technician found R/R output shaft came apart under aggressive load. Inspected by BMW engineer, reviewed data and determined this is a non-warrantable repair caused by outside influence. Replace R/R output shaft: $3139.00 +tax
I asked what these "outside influences" where, but my SA did not have an answer, and neither did the floor manager. I called BMW warranty services in Ohio, and they pointed the finger back at the dealer. Sound familiar? The comical aspect of this story is that there was no accident involved, no pebble stuck anywhere (applause to the man who pursued his warranty claim and prevailed), and I wasn't driving on a track. I am very confused as to what they could possibly provide as an explanation to their warranty denial.
I will go see the floor manager tomorrow morning, and I will ask once more to see any type of proof he may have been given or may have to offer. So far, the dealership has been very hesitant to reveal any information about what the field advisor has said, and they refuse to comment on a simple question such as, "do you think this vehicle is made to accelerate at a high rate of speed." Their response to such a simple answer reveals to me that something is not honest about this whole situation, and that is very disappointing considering the fact that this is the BMW M6 we are talking about...they just released the M6 GT3 for crying out loud, do they expect to bolster support for their outstanding performance and "sheer driving pleasure" through denying warranty claims on a M6 with 30,000 miles?
I intend to continue to pursue this matter through the dealership and upper management at BMW NA and their "warranty department". I am going to file a claim against BMW not only through this forum which I believe has a very strong opinion about these matters, but also the BBB Auto-Line complaint resource and the Federal Trade Commission.