Automotive - 325i BMW don't take this car to a carwash, it gets damaged

Car Wash problems

BMW Dealers

From: Gary Fowler Email User

Date: Tuesday, June 13, 2000 12:08 PM

Sent To: Email User 6/13/2000 12:07:49 PM

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Do not take your BMW 3 series to a car wash. Better yet, do not buy a BMW 3 series automobile. I own a BWM 325i. A couple of years ago I made a fatal mistake. I took the car through a "brushless" car wash. The car would not start after coming out of the car wash. The car wash manager told me that they see this problem quite often with the 3 series BMW. The DME (computer brain) gets wet and has to be replaced. I took it to Crevier BMW who told me that the DME unit was indeed destroyed from water and it would cost me over $1000 to replace it. This seemed like a major design flaw to me. I should be able to take my car to the car wash. Anyway, although Crevier BMW did not mention it, I did some research on the Internet and found this to be a common problem. BMW had a "bulletin" out for this problem, but not a recall (too cheap, I guess). When I asked Crevier about it they admitted that this was the case and that they would drill a hole in the box that holds the DME for me "free of charge," but they would do nothing else. I then checked with my insurance company and they were going to cover it until they went to Crevier to inspect the car and the technician there told him that "oh yeah, this happens all the time with this car." Because of that, the insurance company denied my claim. A big thank you to Crevier for that one. Not only did they not do anything about the incident, they sabotaged my insurance claim as well. After arguing with Crevier they did finally agree to waive the labor charges - although I found out after the fact that it takes all of about 5 minutes to replace the thing. They proudly told me that they made the "fix" (drilling a hole in the box) so that this would not happen again. Well, paranoid me would not take my car to the car wash anyway and washed it myself for the past couple of years. It is finally time to trade in my car on a new one (I even was considering a new BMW 323). Because of that, I took it to a "brushless" car wash to get a good wash before I took it in. Big mistake. I had the exact same problem happen again. I called Crevier and asked them what they could do. Since it had been more than two years since they did the work, they told me they could not help me, that I should take it up with BMW. I called BMW and explained the situation. They said they would research it and get back to me later that day. Of course they didn't get back to me until the next day (all this time being without a working automobile) and when they get back to me it was to tell me that they couldn't do anything for me. If this were just a freak thing that happened to just me I guess I would be willing to accept it, but it is an extremely common problem that BMW will not accept responsibility for. My complaints are as follows: 1) From a BMW standpoint, this is a major design flaw that needed a better fix than to "drill a hole" in a box. BWM falsey advertises superior engineering when anyone with an electrical/computer experience can tell you that you don't put computer equipment in an area vulnerable to water. It is amazing to me that BMW won't step up more aggressively to this issue. A person should be able to take their car to the car wash. 2) From a dealer standpoint, I feel like Crevier BMW should warranty this work even though the warranty period has expired. They told me that the "drilling" would fix the problem. It did not. I purchased the car at this dealership. I have given them several thousand dollars in repair business over the past 4 years. They boast about their service. They should accept some responsibility in this case. I am including Crevier's email address; I couldn't include one for BMW as their customer service would not give me one. Ironic.

Comment On This

I had the the exact same problem about a year ago where my 1992 325I wouldn't start after a Car Wash. A day later it started up fine likely due to the chamber draining itself. A month ago I wasn't so lucky as the vehicle doesn't start, although it turns over quite nicely, but isn't getting any spark. I did acquire a used ECU from ebay(no garauntee it works) and have the exact same problem with starting(turns over fine, but no spark). I have replace relays, Fuel pump and run more diagnostics than I would prefer to admit. I unfortunately will need to take it in to get fixed and do agree with the original poster of this that this is not the quality a BMW consumer is expecting when they purchase one of these vehicles. After you experience this problem and start searching the Web for answers, you find out that there are a number of people who have experienced this problem and there even is a Do It Yourself (DIY) fix to drill a hole for Drainage and install a hose. These units should have been sealed with silicone to prevent them from taking on water. I can't wait for the bill on this one as it likely will be more than the car is worth. Another Frustrated BMW owner

Comment On This

Maybe your OLDER models have not encountered any problems, but the new ones, are CHEAP! My 2006 325i is garbage. Electronically, it is no good. There is always something wrong with it. The paint is chipping, and forget about the run flat tires. They go out every 8,000 miles. I'm glad my lease is up in 3 months so that I can turn it in and go back to Japanese cars.

Comment On This

Was it the same two car washes?

I own a 1992 bmw 325i and I've been through quite a few car washes. I've never experienced a shorted curcuit board.

Also, 1000$ is steep. You know if you buy the parts before going to the mechanic they can't add their percentage to the item. I've seen dme's sold for 100$

If you want to pay for bmw labour, go ahead, but there are many mechanics who charge less and are experts.

My car is from 1992 and it has the handling and power superior than at least standard vehicles made today if not par with higher class vehicles.

German engineering is superior engineering.