BMW of Birmingham - Service Center

I received excellent customer service at Tom Williams BMW! This was my first experience with the service dept. From the initial phone call to make the appointment through the time I picked up my vehicl BMW! This was my first experience with the service dept. From the initial phone call to make the appointment through the time I picked up my vehicle after service, all the staff were extremely helpful and went out of their way to assist me. The appointment setter really went out of her way to give me the information about the service process and the service history on my car. My service advisor was great and kept me informed on the progress on my car at least daily. Everyone was very friendly and it was by far the best experience I have had with an automobile service dept. More

The worst car service ever. My main problems are that they overcharge,are stingy with loaner cars, and are super slow on everything from returning phones calls to the actual service. Also, they NEVER a they overcharge,are stingy with loaner cars, and are super slow on everything from returning phones calls to the actual service. Also, they NEVER answer their phones. I ALWAYS have to leave a message for them to call me back hours later. Then, they wanted to charge me $50 for a light on my car, so I went to another service department and they charged me $8. I've started going to Momentum and I like it better. More

I've owned my 2001 740iL since June of 2003. It was a CPO vehicle and came with 23,477 miles on the odometer. I've only put 13,570 miles on the car since, with most coming in the first two years of ownership vehicle and came with 23,477 miles on the odometer. I've only put 13,570 miles on the car since, with most coming in the first two years of ownership. My wife and I (both retired) use it primary for long road trips. Cosmetically, the car is "showroom new" in appearance. During my ownership, the car has performed quite well. On the open road, it's a dream to drive. So far, the only major problem I've experienced was the A/C compressor going out in Dec. of '04. The compressor was replaced under warranty - no questions asked. If only the dealership would show such a response to my other (minor) complaints, I would be really pleased. You know, things like, driver's door rattle (not fixed), excessive air noise from sunroof (not fixed), poor AM reception and buzz (not fixed) and occasional (but troublesome) failure to start (not fixed). One day, a little over a month ago, the car wouldn't start no matter what I tried (e.g., trickle charged overnight and/or jump-start). The next day, after multiple attempts (key cycles), it started in a perfectly normal fashion. So, again I drove to my local oil change/tire center and had them check the battery, alternator and anything else they could think of. They couldn't find anything wrong. My next stop was the BMW dealership. With my CPO coverage set to expire in a few days, I wanted: 1) My sunroof noise problem looked at again 2) My sunroof to again lay flush with my roof line (Their previous adjustment had raised the trailing edge approx. 5mm above the roof line) 3) My lifter-like clicking noises checked 4) My starting problem analyzed. After a stay of over 20 days, this is what they found and/or serviced. My "seal for sunroof coming apart" was repaired at a cost of $258. This is interesting, since I hadn't opened my sunroof more than once or twice since their previous adjusted for wind noise (back in Jan. of '05). In addition, after leaving their service center, I soon discovered that the inside sun shade wouldn't close. This problem was fixed in about 15 minutes after my U-turn back to the dealership. Service tech stated that "new gasket hadn't been seated properly and sunroof lid was slightly out of adjustment." My complaint of "lifter-like clicking noises" on start-up after sitting. Technician "could not find any noises at this time that were abnormal." My complaint of starting problems was not written into my service request although I had specifically requested that they identify the problem. The service advisor, when asked about this, told me that "my car was started every day and that they hadn't experienced any problems." When I picked the car up that Saturday afternoon, it started fine. I didn't have any starting problems on Sunday either. However, after sitting in the garage through Monday, it wouldn't start on Tuesday or Wednesday. The next morning, I got a call from the tire center asking me to drop by if I was out and about. A few hours later, I was handed a print-out titled: E38 740I, 740IL WITH M62TU: INTERMITTENT "NO-CRANK, NO-START" CONDITION The head mechanic at the tire center hadn't given up on my problem and had done some research on his own. He had found the above titled service bulletin posted on some site they subscribe to. WHY DIDN'T TOM WILLIAMS BMW KNOW ABOUT THIS? More

I have had many service related problems with this dealer. The first one was after 2200 miles the "check engine soon" light came on. They connected my car to the computer and it said it had two bad dealer. The first one was after 2200 miles the "check engine soon" light came on. They connected my car to the computer and it said it had two bad O2 sensors. So they replaced the sensors and the car ran worse. Over the course of two weeks they replaced sensors, replaced a $1100. computer then the car would not even run. Then they read the Factory service bulletin sent to all dealers a full two months before I bought my car and it said to replace the Ignition coils. They did that then it really really ran bad. Finally, they reset the computer (because the Ignition coils were not bad now so the computer correction was wrong) and it has been running fine ever since. 2 1/2 weeks for something that should have only taken 1/2 of a day. The second thing was when they did the 1200 mile oil change the did not change the oil. I had to call BMW NA and have them call the dealer to get them to change it. Along with that process they did not replace the top to the power steering pump. I discovered this about two months later. Needless to say I was kinda disappointed. The top slipped out of my hand when I tried to put it back on. I took it back to the dealer to have them get the top and put it back on. There is a three piece cover panel that is under the front of the car. Instead of removing the panel they used a screwdriver to pry it open. This caused the panel to hang into the wind and slap against the ground at high speeds. I almost had a accident!! I thought the berings were going out at first. Again back to the dealer to fix a problem that should have not happpened. For what it is worth I will never buy from this dealer again. More