BMW of Fairfax

Just left BMW Fairfax this afternoon. Went today with the intent of purchasing a new BMW sometime within the next month - potentially even today depending on their willingess to buy us our of an existing the intent of purchasing a new BMW sometime within the next month - potentially even today depending on their willingess to buy us our of an existing lease that is soon expiring. Sales person (Steve O'Brien) was nice initially. We explained that we were current SUV owners and were undecided as to whether we intended to purchase another SUV or switch to a sedan. Purpose of our visit was to drive both and make a decision. We started with a brief drive of a BMW X3 and then requested to test drive the X5 for comparison. On return to the dealership, we requested to test drive the 5 series Sedan for comparison purposes. At that point, we were informed by Mr. O'Brien that it would be our last test drive for the day "as we were wasting his time on a Saturday and he could tell we weren't seriously in the market for a BMW". He went on to say that "he needed to make some money today". Their internet manager (Amber) was extremely apologetic and eager to make amends, while their General Manager did apologize but acted surprised and defended Mr. O'Brien as having an excellent 15 year employment history. Needless to say we did not leave with a new BMW today. The BMW went from first on our list to last. Regretably, this was our second negative experience with Fairfax BMW. Owned a BMW in 2002 and had horrible customer service experiences with this particular dealer, including one occassion where the car was inoperable and they couldn't fit in a service appointment for 3 weeks -- with no loaner car offer. Took us 5 years to give them another shot - after hearing they opened a revamped maintenance department. Maybe we'll give them a shot in another 5 years when they've revamped the sales Department -- by the looks of it Mr. O'Brien will be retired by then anyway. What a shame that such a nice car can't get their sales and service departments up to snuff. As a senior executive with a major German firm, I'm sure the German executives would be horrified to know how this dealership reflects their product in the marketplace. More

This dealer is AWFUL. I made two "appointments" after being told by the receptionist that they were too busy to "handle walk-ins" Huh? So what about the three lounge lizards standing outside talkin after being told by the receptionist that they were too busy to "handle walk-ins" Huh? So what about the three lounge lizards standing outside talking and smoking? So I make an appointment. I get there (it's not a short drive). He's (sales person) not in that day. So I make another appointment, asking for another sales person. All set. I go back, leaving work early only to find out that he's "unavailable"--only I can see him in the bosses office talking and laughing. So I wait 45 minutes standing. They don't have any customer chairs or sofas in this luxury palace. Still "busy." I leave a message with reception, written down, with my phone number. Never got a call. Arrogant in the extreme. I would never buy a car there. They simply don't value a customer. Why does it have to be an ordeal to buy a car? I get better treatment at McDonald's. I would really like to have the name of sales person and dealer with whom someone had a GOOD experience. Thanks More

This is the worst experience for me to a dealership. I went to the dealership last year with a loaner from VW and was looking for a BMW, apperantly they do not think someone driving a VW will buy a BMW, t went to the dealership last year with a loaner from VW and was looking for a BMW, apperantly they do not think someone driving a VW will buy a BMW, the sales person keep REMINDED me lease will be CHEAPER and when I said that I may want to look for a pre-owned also? Wow, he realy thinks that I do not have funds for a Bimmer. I was looking for a 325 or 330 cic and he told me convertible is expansive and ask me to considered a hard top. So I just stomp out the dealership and I was completely insulted by their arrogant sales person. I did buy a 330CIC afterwards but of course not with this dealership. More

I leased a 2004 325ci from BMW of Fairfax and foolishly agreed to the terms they offered. Having been a recent college grad, I was eager to make some upgrades & fell in love with a 3-series coupe; in trer agreed to the terms they offered. Having been a recent college grad, I was eager to make some upgrades & fell in love with a 3-series coupe; in trerospect, I should've priced around or gone to Sterling. The salesman I dealt with lied to me on several occasions, telling me that I was going to forfit my $1000 deposit if I changed my mind when I was having second thoughts 12 hours after deciding on a car to have shipped to Fairfax, and delayed my receiving the car because he decided to take it out on a joyride the night before (I learned this from a service tech when I went to pick up the car). I was given much less than my trade-in was worth, and in my haste to get in the car, I agreed. Don't get me wrong-- I love the car. Aside from a few minor issues (BMW rondel cracking and falling off, window liner falling off) I've had no problems with the car, but dealing with Fairfax BMW service is a hassle. They only recently started offering BMW loaners (Sterling has been doing this for ages) and gave me a base-model Nissan Altima while they serviced my car. Frankly, I'd opt for a loaner 3-series or Z4; BMW of Sterling would've obliged. In a nutshell: AVOID FAIRFAX BMW!!! BMW of Sterling is 2000% better. More

Worst experience ever. I had to take my car back 5 times (no exaggeration) for the same problem over the course of 2 months. 4 of those 5 times I had to deal with a different service advisor and start all (no exaggeration) for the same problem over the course of 2 months. 4 of those 5 times I had to deal with a different service advisor and start all over because the one previous had quit or been fired. I would never have come back after the 2nd time (I always give a second chance) if they hadn't already charged me $1800 for the "work" they did. Needless to say, I've not gone back since and have suggest others to save themselves the hassle. More

I bought an X5 CPO and paid a $3,500 premium to have all prior deficiencies repaired. I have taken my vehicle back twice within 3 mo. to have the same repair done and it still has not been fixed. I have tri prior deficiencies repaired. I have taken my vehicle back twice within 3 mo. to have the same repair done and it still has not been fixed. I have tried to call Rick twice this week and left messages that I wanted to schedule a service appointment. To date I have not heard back from Rick or anyone in the service department. I will try calling BMW Sterling today but it appears from the reviews that they are not much better. There loaner cars from Enterprise are less than desirable. The first loaner given was a Dodge pickup truck that the former rental person had there long white haired dog shed all over the black interior and Enterprise only vacuumed at my request and never took care of the wet dog smell. The second loaner given was a Dodge Neon! Don't want to appear as a car snob but please, at least a mid-size car! More

The WORST Service department anywhere! The problems The WORST Service department anywhere! The problems started last year. The car must have had a loose sensor because warning lights would intermitt The WORST Service department anywhere! The problems started last year. The car must have had a loose sensor because warning lights would intermittently come on, such as bulb out (even though the bulb worked fine). On 3 separate occaisions we asked them to look at it. They promised they did and found nothing. Finally, several months later, a friend took a look at the car and was able to jiggle the loose sensor back into place! A simple fix - perhaps BMW of Fairfax did not even bother to take a look. Recently, we took the car in for minor work (power window was off track) We made the appointment 4 weeks in advance (it was the earliest they could give us). We were told to drop the car off at 8am. We dropped it off at 8am, and Rick told us that their service person was not going to be in until 11 am!!! By 3pm, we still had not heard from Rick, so we attempted to call ourselves to get an update. We spent 30 minutes trying to get through to the service department but were given the run around by various receptionists and service agents (such as transferring us to the main answering machine). Finally, we heard from Rick and they had not even looked at the car yet! He said they "hoped" to get to it soon! He said the service person was still not in yet! That he was stuck in traffic in PHILADELPHIA but hoped to make it in by 4:30!!! So I asked Rick why they bothered to schedule our appointment on a day that the service person was not in. He said "it's like making an appointment for the doctor - sometimes you never know when they'll see you!" What an idiot! Additionally, BMW of Fairfax has contracted with Enterprise for loaner cars - but only covers 1 day of rental. After reading the other reviewers complaints and my experience, I am inclined to wonder if this is a scam between Enterprise & BMW. They take your car, don't bother looking at it for several days and stick you with a rental for a week (of which you are stuck with the bill for all but 1 day!) STAY AWAY FROM BMW OF FAIRFAX! More

My ordeal with BMW of Fairfax started when I tried to make an appointment with them for service. I called several times but never managed to get through to anyone. I finally scheduled an appointment on make an appointment with them for service. I called several times but never managed to get through to anyone. I finally scheduled an appointment online. I then took my 3-series in for an oil service and to have the windshield wiper motor checked. My service adviser (Rick) was courteous and promised the vehicle would be ready by the end of the day (it was, after all, a very basic service call that should have taken no more than an hour). When 3 PM rolled around and I had not heard from the dealership, I called to get an update. Needless to say, getting anyone on the phone was next to impossible, but I eventually got Rick to return my calls. He said the car was being "worked on" and would be ready at some point later on. He promised to call back in an hour, but didn't. When I got a hold of him again at 5:30, my car was still being "worked on" (very odd...), but Rick told me it would be ready at 7:30. When I went to pick it up at 7:30, the car was not ready for me and the service ticket had not been closed because they were still "working on the car." Rick was long gone. When I finally got my car 30 minutes later, there was no indication that any work had been done on it--the service indicator had not been reset, the car was not clean, the windshield wiper motor had not been looked at, etc. Needless to say, I called Rick and left a message expressing my disappointment, requesting an explanation, and noting that I would contact BMW N.A. regarding the incident. The next day I got a call from Rick, who, to his credit, apologized, but claimed that at least the oil change had been done. Unfortunately, he also tried to pin the blame on me for having insisted on getting updates on the status of my car and for having expected the work to be done in a day. Never mind that I never told him it had to be done that day, or that, by his own admission, he lied to me about the the car being worked on when it was just sitting on the lot. Funny how I'm to blame for him lying to me. I dropped off the car again to have the work done the next week (April '06) and was treated better (I guess my complaints had some impact). Nevertheless, when I returned later in the day it took another 30 minutes for my vehicle to show up once I paid for the work. All I wanted from BMW of Fairfax was that they be relatively easy to get a hold of (not!), that they give me an honest answer about the status of my car (I would have been fine if Rick had told me they were backed up and would not get to work on my car that day), and that they do the work they committed to doing. For this visit, BMW of Fairfax was 0 for 3. To add insult to injury, on a previous visit someone in the service department stole the change out of the coin tray in my car, all $2.15 worth of it. How cheap is that? You'd think this was a used Kia dealership... Oh, wait, I'm being unfair to the Kia guys... More

When I went to buy my BMW in 2003 the sales people were very difficult to work with in terms of price. It was one of those things were you would suggest a resonsible price (like Edmunds TMV) and sales per very difficult to work with in terms of price. It was one of those things were you would suggest a resonsible price (like Edmunds TMV) and sales person would be like no way I can do that, then I get up to leave and then he is like ok, ok, ok, sit down and lets work something out. You are going to get some serious haggling, very time consuming and very annoying. Even after I left and didn't buy the car from them, I would get calls from the sales person like twice a day. I eventually bought from Jeff @ Passport BMW in MD (excellent experience with Jeff and Passport). So I've had my car from Passport since 2003 and live in Fairfax so I go to Fairfax for service. What is really, really annoying with their service dept is that you have to make an appointment to have your car serviced, which is fine, but most of the time you're going to have to make the appointment atleast 30 to 45 days out like a Dr.s appointment. Ridiculous. I realize they are the only BMW dealership located in Fairfax, in a county known to have one BMW for each residence. You would think Fairfax BMW would expand and provide better service . . . . My recommendation is buy from someone other then Fairfax, you'll have what I call a real BMW experience, get your car serviced by a dealership other then Fairfax BMW. Good Luck. BTW, my 3 series is a great car no problems, its just Fairfax's service dept. To their credit the service dept does good work it just takes forever to get appointment. More

I took my 1999 M3 here to get a few simple things fixed before my CPO warranty expired. The check coolant sensor was going off on my OBC even though the coolant level was fine and the sensor was working (e before my CPO warranty expired. The check coolant sensor was going off on my OBC even though the coolant level was fine and the sensor was working (error kept coming on even after replacing the sensor). Also, my transmission has that issue of sticking behind 5th gear in cold weather instead of resting between 3rd and 4th like it should. The only way I've ever heard of truly fixing the issue was by replacing the transmission. I knew they wouldn't be willing to do that, but I figured that I may as well tell them about it since I'm taking it in anyway. So I drop it off on Monday for essentially just a check coolant OBC code. I get a call that Friday that it's all taken care of and is ready for me to come pick up. They claimed all that was necessary to fix the tranny was to replace some bearings. Right. So I go in that Saturday and pick it up. I get out on the beltway and guess what? No 5th gear! Their incompetent “technicians” installed the bearings incorrectly and it won't go into 5th. Now, testing this wouldn't have even required a test drive; all they would've had to do to realize they screwed up is sit there and try putting it into all of the gears. But that was obviously too much of a hassle. So I go back, tell them it's screwed up, and get another loaner. Up until now I had an Enterprise loaner. Now I have a dealer-owned X3. More on this later. Eventually they call and say it's ready (again). But the check engine light is on, they broke an O2 sensor while taking out the exhaust.. And oh so sorry, that's not covered under CPO. But they'd be "willing to eat the labor" and replace that O2 sensor for you for the low low price of.... $450! This part is easily available for ~$120. So I'm driving home and I pull into a gas station. There's smoke pouring out from the centre of the car. It's leaking oil badly and burning up. So I call the CPO roadside assistance and have it towed back. The seal on the dipstick tube was damaged somehow (it was fine when I initially brought it in and when I took it back the first time when the 5th gear was screwed up). Here's the kicker: the service adviser ADMITS that someone told him about this and did NOTHING about it. And this was covered under CPO, which is why the car is there in the first place. When I pick it up a third time, the idle control was screwed up, so I had to wait another 30min for them to fix that. This whole ordeal took about a month. Now here we are in late August. A few days ago, my American Express card was curiously charged $164.95 by Enterprise. Keep in mind I took my car in just a few days shy of four months ago. I first call Enterprise and ask for an explanation. They tell me that BMW of Fairfax refused to pay the Enterprise bill, so they defaulted payment to my Amex. I call them (getting who you need to talk to on the phone is a challenge in and of itself). Finally I get a hold of at least SOMEONE from the service department. She tells me that they only cover the rentals for 24 hours, regardless of how long the car is in for service. This is despite the fact that the car was under warranty and I scheduled an appointment to drop it off in advance. When this happened in May I was told they covered it for a week, which is the whole reason why they gave me a dealer-owned loaner at that point. I explain this and she puts me on hold for a few minutes, then tells me that the person I need to talk to is “on the phone” and that if I leave a voicemail he’ll “call me right back.” HA! Right. Finally I called Amex and disputed the charge. I highly recommend against even the consideration of going to this disgustingly pathetic idea of a dealership. More