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BMW Of San Francisco
Rating Details »
Categories: Car Dealers, Auto Repair [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMA1675 Howard St
(between 12th St & Van Ness Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 863-9000
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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188 reviews for BMW Of San Francisco
Great Car Buying Experience!! This is not the same old BMW SF dealership!!
I bought a new BMW here several weeks ago and it was the best experience I have had with no hassles. This is third BMW and 6th car I have bought. The first I bought at BMW SF. I dropped in on a Saturday just to take a look at a few cars and to discuss my end of lease options. I was greeted at the door and asked if anyone could help me. (this is a big change from my experience years before, where no one even talked to me and I had to ask for assistance. I ended up going all the way to Mountain View to purchase the car even though I live in SF)
Carlos Moralejo was my client advisor and he was fantastic!! He is very knowledgeable about their products, friendly, professional, patient and not pushy!! He spent a great deal of time searching for the exact car I wanted. I love the fact that he used email and texts correspond with me along with calling.
The Sales Manager Susan Daniero was also very friendly and great!
I would highly recommend BMW SF. For those of you like me that had negative experiences in the past, it's time to return....they have made a lot of changes to the business after listening to their customers!!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/12/2009
Rating on Service:
I have been bringing my BMWs here for the past 6 years. With mixed results I might… Read more »
This is not a review on service and just on sales.
Okay, so I've been here many times to see what they would sell me and have always gone somewhere else after giving them first dibs because I live in the city and they are based in the city.
This is by far the most dishonest dealer I have ever experienced. They have Bait and Switch down to a science, even though it's a poorly executed science. Quotes from them include, the national offer must be a typo because the URL has the numbers 2010 in it even though the content and fine print clearly has 2009 all over it. This was when we asked what "basic" vehicles on the lot qualified for the promo, when the fine print mentioned Premium Package, Premium Sound as a minimum. So you're telling me that a national site is willing to let this big FU go over for over a month on their site???
Yes, I'm filing a big ass complaint so no one else would have to go through this crap. In fact. I will post online the e-mail trail for everyone to see. I wonder if the local TV stations will want to hear this too!
I had BMWSF service my '04 coupe, and I leased a '07 Z4 M Roadster (yes I know, very douchey) from them. I am currently bimmerless due to a job switch, which reduced my car driving down to nonce a week. Making a payment for a car which just sits in a garage got pretty pointless pretty quick.
Service was always no problem. No issues, nada. Car light come on, bring in, get ride to work, pick-up car, car work good.
Leasing was fine as well. The staff was friendly. The price was more than fair. They tried to lowball me on my trade, but I upballed them back to the price I wanted. That's how negotiations work, and also various games involving balls.
I'd go back if I was in the market. For right now, my old junker on standby and the free entertainment on MUNI suits me just fine.
huh!! I really dont know what to start because I really dont understand the sale stuffs here.
First I put my info and request the info with the internet department ( Alex) for 2 weeks and never hear back from him... ok may be he busy.
Second, two weeks later I called the office and request to speak with someone to help me out because I really want to buy a car not just call around. Finally, someone picked up the phone and asked what color, what package that I look for. After gave all my info she said someone will get back to me..............................................
Third, wait for couple hrs, some guy call me back and I spoke with him and gave all my info again which i let him know that I want to buy it by the end of this month and i need a price quote. He said he's going to call me back the following day to let me know which car that he have in inventory. ........................... I said ok and hope he's get back to me as promise.
Fourth, 1 week passed by I'm still waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting and waiting....................................... it's no call, no email and no nothing.
now I know why they got many bad reviews here. Because they suck and if you want to work as a Salesman and you dont give a shit about customer then you should not be a Sales...
Worst customer service ever !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to buy from somewhere else where they know how to treat clients.
I took my car in last week for its annual oil change. Tyler was my service advisor. He was super friendly and a pleasure to work with. I had a lot of questions, but he didn't rush me. I don't know too much about cars and my questions were probably very stupid, but he made me feel very comfortable. Based on my car's maintenance history, he informed me that my car was due for other services above and beyond the standard oil change I originally went there for, but he did not pressure me into getting these services done. My car is no longer under warranty, so he was sensitive to the fact that I may not have been prepared to pay for any additional services. He gave me a detailed quote for each of the additional services and let me go home to think about it.
When I picked up my car later that evening, I was a little surprised to find out that they didn't clean the interior. Whenever I brought my car to other dealers for service, they would vacuum the interior and wipe down the dashboard and seats. They did, however, wash the exterior, which I expected.
I picked up my car 5 minutes before they closed at 6pm. The woman at the cashier was a little rude. I think she was either really in a hurry to go home or on her period. Or both.
Final update. The service department here really ruins the experience. Some of the sales people are okay but most of the people who work here are unfriendly, careless, rude or some combination of those. I had been told I could get 1 'free' oil change done on the maintenance plan by multiple people at this dealership, and this turned out to be untrue. Worse, I was talking to one of the service managers (Chris) whose tone was curt and completely uninterested in being helpful.
When you buy something really top notch, you don't expect to be poorly treated by the representatives of that company. Especially when you buy their flagship M cars, I feel like there should be a real sense that they're interested and happy to help you. When even management doesn't want your business, it's time to go someplace else, which is what I'll be doing from now on.
3 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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9/14/2009
Alright, I'm done being a smartass about this place. This is a good dealership overall. The parts… Read more »
If you enjoy the items listed below after dropping 60K on a car, then perhaps you should do business elsewhere.
-a phone call from your service representative when he says he'll call you to let you know what will be going on with your vehicle's service
-a return phone call when you've waited until 4pm and didn't have any call (see point 1)
-finally getting a call to tell you that your car is ready only to show up and have the car be "misplaced"
-waiting almost an hour for your car to be located
-and numerous other bitchy ass attitudes from the staff
The only people who offer a friendly voice or greeting seem to be the people answering the initial phone calls, making the service appointments or saying hello as you walk in the door. Otherwise, these guys are arrogant, unhelpful, and sometimes plain rude.
I purchased my car from Crevier BMW in Orange County a few years ago where they know what good service is all about. Maybe BMW of SF should take the time to look at their customer service model in order to take advantage of some definite opportunities.
I can't say how disappointed I am in my continued BMW experience. I absolutely love my car, loved my purchasing experience and HATE that I feel as if I HAVE to go through these people to service my vehicle. I'm making the Audi switch come 2010 just because I can't leave the City just to get my car serviced. I hear the Audi folk are much better to work with in this town...
I'm having an ongoing, terrible experience with BMW of San Francisco. I recently purchased a car from them. My salesperson, Michael Wu, promised me that "within 48 hours" I would have my car detailed and my Sirius radio installed in my car. It's been weeks now and nothing. Everytime I email Michael I get a promise that "someone from the service department will contact you immediately" but it's never happened, and at this point I'm despairing that it will ever happen. He lied to me. They all lied. How can I expect them to honor any of the promises they made to me? I recommend that YOU DO NOT bring your business to BMW of San Francisco or Michael Wu.
I'm never moved to the point of writing about my customer service experience but I had to share my great news with the world and tell them all about my sales experience at BMW of San Francisco.
Luis Chinchilla at BMW of San Francisco is a miracle worker!!
If there's anyone out there looking to become a BMW owner or they've received bad customer service from other dealerships PLEASE pay a visit to Luis before giving up on your hopes and dreams. I know it was one of the best decisions I made. I'm still floating on cloud 9 and looking damn good in my new black BMW also.
Some wanted to say my want for a BMW was a bit much but I begged to differ. I went to Weatherford BMW and they practically kicked me out the door, I'll admit I had a 13yr old car in bad condition (yes, I wanted to trade it in) with mediocre credit but I make great money so I thought that was all I needed. Nope! I just wasn't good enough for that location. I left with my tail between my legs feeling less than human. It was my birthday weekend too; I was turning 40 and was feeling like a loser..not a good combo
Well a week went by and I decided not to give up that easy so I took a trip to the BMW of SF location before giving up on my dream. October 24th was the day my life changed for the better. I was in and out with a spectacular deal in 3 hours flat and all the while I was there I received superb customer service, I actually had to pinch myself a few times because I thought I was dreaming. I even felt like a celebrity the service was so great. Luis is well groomed, a fantastic listener (this is very important when your spending lots of money) dedicated, and hard working plus he gave me some great brotherly advice and suggestions on how to better my credit. I should also point out that he LOVES his job; you can see it in that salesman's smile of his LOL!!
He's a wonderful client advisor, I couldn't have been any luckier having him assigned to me.
Trust me on this people!! BMW of San Francisco is the BEST!!
Luis Chinchilla you ROCK!
Sincerely,
Dee Dee Hamilton
Someone claiming to be from BMW of San Francisco sent Taylor B. and I several very harassing messages via Yelp's messaging program. This was all shortly after our reviews here. My previous update was flagged & removed because it didn't have "substantial evidence."
Well now it does: http://static3.px.yelp...
Oh and obviously someone does care, because BMW's executive offices and I are in discussion. He "DOBLE" dared me.
I bought my 08' 135i coupe here. The other day I had my buddy install a bmw alarm, but you still have to go to the dealer to program it. I called the service department to see how much this would cost. The guy on the phone said it would be $190. I said " everywhere I look on the internet it says people pay $100 for the programing of their already installed alarm." he said " Well that's the internet, here in REAL LIFE, it's $190." That kind of arrogant attitude is just typical for this service department. Is he suggesting that I trust San Francisco BMW over my forum buddies? HAHA! When I pay $50 grand for a car I expect a mutual respect for each other on the phone at LEAST. I hear so many bad things about this place what a joke. I also heard that a bunch of 18 year olds that just got out of tech school were getting jobs in the service department, though I can't really validate that claim it's just what I heard but I wouldn't be surprised if it were true.
From the bad rep this place has I take my baby to Sonnen BMW in Marin, my experience there has been good. I may also try the new Burlingame service department, Peter Pan I think, I am sure they will take a lot of SFBMW's business due to their lack of good customer service.
My friend needed to get oil for his 2009 328i, so we stopped here to find out what type he should put in. When we asked what type of oil he should use and where we could get it (since the service department is closed on weekends), the lady replied "I wouldn't know".
Before we could ask her to find out, she took a call from her cell phone. Well in that case, I consult Google. After learning that the car takes fully-synthetic 5W-30 oil, I also found that the woman who helped us is named Shannon McGinnis. Since this woman is a Finance Manager at BMW of San Francisco, I would at least expect her to be capable of referring us to someone to answer our questions.
Terrible.
BMW=Bumbling Mechanic named Waldo
Do not buy or service any vehicle here, period! I've done both, trust me.
(One star for the free car wash with purchase)
2.5 stars.
Please don't expect friendly chit-chat from your service advisor when you come here. My bf was sitting in front of his for a full ten minutes even before he got acknowledged. Yes, his person happened to be on the phone helping out another customer, but a simple nod would do.
Yes, his car had to be stuck there for a good 5 hours because of some "computer" recall. But with overstuffed leather chairs to sit on, different magazines to peruse, a flat screen TV with surround sound, and self-serve coffee for you, it's not a bad wait. (yeah, right)
Too bad their shuttle service only runs from 7a-11a. Unless you specifically get a loaner, plan your ride accordingly.
RUDE! All I have to say is the sales guy was extremely rude and a major a$$hole!
I was deciding on my next car and really wanted the BMW coup. I decided to come with my brother, who actually works in the car sales industry, to test drive some cars. The car sales guy took us on some test drives and then sat us down to discuss our options. This is when we blew him away ... we knew more than he did! This pissed him off! He even stop us in the middle to ask if we were just fu*king around and not going to purchase a car. HOW RUDE! This is when he pissed us off, so we decided to leave and not give him our business. My brother attempted to shake his hand to thank him (even though he didn't deserve it but my brother is a bigger and better person than he is) and the car salesman just ignored my brother and stormed off ... so not professional at all.
I have been a customer of BMW of San Francisco since 1999. I purchased a new 740iL and two BMW K1200-RS motorcycles (one new and one used). I currently own a BMW X5 4.8i SAV which I purchased in Southern California only because BMW of SF did not have a used X5 with the combination of options that I wanted.
I have always taken my BMWs to BMW of SF for service and been totally satisfied.
I have zero complaints with BMW of SF's sales and service. I have always been treated with respect and feel that these guys get it! They listen to their customers! WOW! How many car dealers care about their customers after a sale or care about their customers who didn't have an opportunity to purchase with them? BMW of SF does!
In summary, I recommend BMW of SF. They are a class act!
I am a new owner of a pre-owned BMW.
I had one bad experience at Weatherford and switched over to SF. The attention to detail was over the top. Chris was a great service advisor and I can't recommend Sf BMW and Chris any higher.
I've been meaning to Yelp about BMW of SF for a while and the time has finally come to put words to paper (er, 'puter). Anyway, I bought my BMW from another dealer two years ago and was given Jeff, the sales manager's name, to go to for an inspection. This dealer and Jeff apparently went "way back" and I was told I'd be in good hands with Jeff because he'd been with BMW SF for a very long time and knew what he was doing. Yeah, he knew what he was doing all right. He watched me (single, young, female) walk into his showroom and saw dollar signs.
My BMW was clean. Spotless in fact. I was only doing my "due diligence" by swinging by to introduce myself and establish what I thought would be a long term relationship. I left my car and was phoned several hours later with the news that I needed two new tires. Huh. The tires hadn't shown any signs of worn tread or major wear and tear but, trusting that this man only had my best interests in mind, I agreed to swap out the tires.
$1000 dollars later (YES, $1000 for TWO TIRES!!) I left BMW SF feeling really concerned about the outcome of my visit. And in fact, when I phoned the dealer I'd purchased my car from and gave him the overview of what had transpired, he was speechless. He called Jeff and asked him how he could do that to someone he'd sent his way and Jeff said "look, I also threw in some extras that wouldn't have been covered by warranty, so it all came out a wash." A wash my arse. Even my industry insider confirmed that $1000 for two tires is outrageous. Jeff had absolutely taken advantage of the situation and the dealer who'd sold me my car said he's never send someone to Jeff again.
That's all well and good but in the meantime I had to pay the price of figuring out Jeff's duplicitous nature. Buh.
I've never been back - instead I've gone to Phaedrus and experienced exceptional service and even better (FAIR) pricing.
BMW SF had an opportunity to make a loyal customer out of me and failed miserably.
I bought my BMW there about a year ago and am finally getting around to writing a review. When I first got there I wasn't pressured at all by the usual salesmen, I actually had to go up to customer service and ask for a salesperson to help me. At first I was a little offended bc I thought maybe I dont fit the typical BMW buyer mold (I'm younger looking and I was in a hoodie and jeans) thats why I wasnt approached but I was later told this is how they do it at this dealership bc they dont want anyone feeling pressured. That made sense to me. I worked with Carlos M. who is by far the best salesman I have ever worked with, this is my 4th new car purchase. He was very patient with me and did a nationwide inventory search for the specific BMW that I wanted. He was also very accommodating when it came to my trade in. After initially talking to Carlos I went to 3 other local BMW dealerships but did not receive the same customer service as I did at BMWSF. I eventually purchased my BMW from Carlos, the process was quick and painless. No bait and switch or hidden charges. I still text message Carlos with any technical questions regarding my BMW and he always has a quick response.
I just purchased my BMW 330CiC in Nov2008 and brought in my car for servicing and maintenance 3 times and thank goodness that Cedric was randomly assigned to me the very first visit. He is friendly and makes his customer feel assure that your car will be taken care of. And because it is still under the warranty/maintenance period, nothing has cost me a dollar yet.
Cedric will always give me a call if there's any delay because of a lack of part for my car. And when I pickup my car, it's always clean with their courtesy handwash. Thanks for watching out for my car and never rushing me off because you're busy. You definitely make the customer feel important... which they are. LoL
After I took delivery of my cute little Bimmer, Al Gore unexpectedly came to my house and declared Global Warming was cured wherever I drove my car.
There was perfect weather on the drive home. Torrential rains ceased world wide, murderous hurricanes stopped in their tracks, all economy destroying earthquakes promised to stop shaking, Berkeley protesters shut up, and Satanic locust swarms were eaten by birds.
California reservoirs mysteriously filled up with the right amount of water to combat the drought and the Bay water cleaned itself.
To top it off, I now breath the perfect combination of carbon dioxide and oxygen, sustaining plant life and rain forests for miles, while nurturing schools of ocean fish.
That's one heckuva car.
However, the $25 overdraft charge from depositing my check on the wrong date, especially when I told them not to, reverted all of the miracle weather changes back to the way it is now, and as a result, we still face the same global crisis that scientists scream bloody murder about.
Don't blame me for our environmental woes. Blame the dealership.
Aside from that, Alek is a really easy to work with. Just don't ask him for a miracle.
hm....I really can't relate to all these bad comments about BMW SF here!
I've bought my car here since 3 years ago, and they have provided excellent service ever since!
From the moment I bought my car to going back to service my car (I service very often because I bring it back if I notice any small issue), I was never disappointed because they would always get it done for me!
The only downside now is that they cut off a lot of services, like rental cars and taxi vouchers, but overall, the service is great and everyone is nice there!
This review is solely for their service department.
It stinks.
We (read as the "Lady K" ) have a BMW and we wanted to trade it in and see what we could get.... well we're upside down (we knew that) so we still have the car but I did get a free cup of coffee - see my photo.
Service A+++. Coffee F-.
An interesting thing just happened to me. I was given a message by a fellow yelper, telling me (literally) "to grow up" because I wrote the following. I was told that I wasn't being fair, was generalizing, and that my thoughts on salespersons was totally wrong because they were commissioned and not salary based. The aforementioned yelper then went on to state that I didn't deserve to be served at all during those hours. I'm sad. I'll give them 2 stars instead of 1. Because, after all, the cars are really nice. I hope that makes people happy. I feel so much better!
----
There's something about BMW dealerships that I don't appreciate.
1. sleazy salespersons-- yes, I know, the stereotypical clients just bring that side out of them. But they don't have to resort to the lowest common denominator.
2. when throwing money somehow arbitrarily makes your car better than it really is. "We'll run a diagnostic for $350 and 'maybe' we'll find out what is wrong with your expensive and therefore thoroughly complicated ultimately complicated driving machine." I mean, they aren't exactly a PPO for a boutique medical office trying to save lives. But, they make you feel like you have no other choice when it comes to life saving procedures for you beloved four wheeled vehicle.
3. When customer service takes a back burner to the brand.
A friend of mine just moved back from NYC and, not only wants, but needs a car. We show up at 6pm (shop is still full of people) wanting to get a car only to find out that they were closed. Naomi told us that we could not test drive vehicles because the manager would disapprove. Instead of giving us an alternative, like giving us brochures or setting up an appointment for a future drive while taking the desired specs on the future vehicle, she just left it at that and stood at her desk with a sarcastic apology.
Didn't appreciate it. Not one bit. This is why the economy is in the hole: there are lazy people who clock in and out of work knowing that they can get away with the perpetual sleaze because they sit on money.
I think they're trying. Really, I do. But (to put my Simon Cowell face on for a second) it just may not be enough.
I appreciate their service center calling me to keep me informed and to get approval for extra repairs before doing them. But why did they wait until three hours before the close of their business to call me? And then put me on voicemail when I returned the call?? And follow up an hour later??? And then (because it was now two hours before the close of their business) tell me that my car wouldn't be ready until tomorrow???
Well, that blows!
It's times like this when I miss my old dealer - whom I would still be visiting for service had I not decided to move up here. Those guys gave me a free loaner car every visit, updated me no later than 12 noon for repair approvals - especially when those repairs require more than one business day to complete, paid my tow once when my battery died AND recharged it for FREE after that,
and ...
and ...
their service department is open on Saturday.
That, my friends, is why I give BMW of San Franciso 2 "meh, I've experienced better" stars.
Update
You're no one until someone hates you! Already got hate mail on this one. Sweet.
==
My BMWs themselves were great cars to drive. They handled well. This review is solely for this dealership and their service. In buying the car, all is well... just pray that nothing goes wrong with your BMW. Ever. Good luck getting them to really get down to the root of the problem. The service here is just utterly ridiculous. Perhaps it is b/c BMWs are like Hondas in the Bay Area and so they know they'll always be bringing in money but this just sucks.
After my last BMW had more problems than the dealership even knew how to deal with, I bought an Audi. And I couldn't be happier. Good riddance.
Service department here is the worst I've ever had to deal with on both coasts. The worst.
I can't speak for Sales but if those folks are anything like the service department, you can expect to have to maneuver through a bunch of conniving assholes one after another, trying hard not to get skinned. If you really *must* go to a dealer - and take a cold hard look in the mirror and ask yourself why you really must go to a dealer - then any other BMW in the bay area must be worth traveling to than to give your money over to this place.
I can't speak for their service department so this review only pertains to the sales department.
Buyer beware if trying to buy a pre-owned car here. After nearly an hour of runaround I discovered they had another customer who was interested in the same car. They were playing us off each other. Absolutely sleazy behavior and not what should be expected from BMW used car or not.
I recently went to BMW of SF to have my 2006 325i serviced. I had never been there before. I had just bought this car used a week ago and it is still under warranty for another nine months. The front headlight was out.
There was a misunderstanding as when I came back to pick up my car, at 6:20, I was told I needed to be there by 6 at the latest and I could not get my car. I told them (Gina, specifically) that I was told I could pick up the car until 7. They said there was no way I was told this, that there must have been a misunderstanding. I'll have to believe them on this as I can't believe that they would not know their policy regarding this, although it was now a hassle. Gina basically dismissed me saying that I simply could not have my car. The keys were locked up and all the valets had left. I asked to speak with a manger, she barely lifted her head, pointing in a direction and said "try him." So I talked to a guy with a German accent who was a little perplexed that Gina had left me "hanging", so to speak. He managed to get my car with little hassle and all was fine.
Additionally, I told them that the car was reading out "check engine soon" and that it was not the check engine light. I even wrote this on the envelope I left with them with my phone number, etc. I wrote "check engine soon." When I read the paperwork it said "Technician drove car for over one mile and check engine light did not come on. Cannot reproduce problem." Really!!!?? That's because it is not coming on at all.
At least they fixed the headlight and other than Gina they seemed pretty nice.
I finally got the check yesterday.
Time elapsed since BMW was notified of ticket/ demand for reimbursement to actual reimbursement = 62 days
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/10/2009
I purchaed my 2007 335 from Alex at BMW SF. He was great.
I got pulled over by the popo for having… Read more »
GM and Chrysler are in Bankruptcy, and Ford is hanging on by their short and curlys. Why? Because they build crappy cars that can't compete with my BMW 3 series.
I have consistently **7 years now** received excellent service and support from BMW of San Francisco. I have always received a loaner, or a ride home from service. I can't complain about their prices because I expected to pay a little more (primarily because BMW paid for all ALL maintenance for the first 50K miles). When you bring your car to a dealership, **ANY DEALERSHIP** for service you have to expect to pay higher prices. Why? The technicians are trained by BMW, they are certified, and they are accountable to the dealership and the corporation.
My three series is pushing *ten years old* and it runs, (and looks) like it came of of the showroom floor. I'm not worried about getting parts, because the service department stocks them at the dealership. Your "mom and pop" garages usually has to order them from a wholesaler which can leave you out of commission for several days.
It seems to me that many of the YELP reviews on the dealership are overly critical, and not constructive. Yes, it sucks to pay for maintenance or unforeseeable repairs but that's not the dealers, or service departments fault. Several of the reviews indicate that the owners have Champagne taste with BEER pocketbooks. If you buy a $30K-70K dollar car then you should take responsibility for your maintenance and repairs. Also, in 7 years no one at the dealership has EVER been rude to me, or acted unprofessionally. A suggestion, when you bring your car in for service, try to extend the same level of courtesy to their staff that you would expect in return.
No complaints here. Five star service for BMW of San Francisco.
This review is purely for the service department (since I haven't bought a new car from them - although in talking to the car salespeople I think they are somewhat less slimy that the average).
I used to have a sales writer there who worked on my M Roadster and seemed to be pretty good - he's probably have gotten them a 3-star rating since their service can take a long time and is definitely overpriced. Then this happened: my check engine light came on right after the sales writer I had worked with for a few years left. They couldn't find a problem, so reset it and I was on my way. A couple of months later (I don't drive that car that much) the light came back on, and after further investigation I was told I needed new catalytic converters. The cost? $7500. (!!)
So I decided to fix it and sell it, possibly getting quotes from some independent shops. But wait! I discovered that my cats were still under factory warranty. Whew! So I told BMW SF - and all of a sudden, guess what, they weren't sure I needed new cats. Yeah, right. They were really hoping to reset my light and make me wait another 6 months so I'd be out of warranty. After some fighting with the service department they "conceded" they would repair my car under warranty, making it seem like they were really doing me a favor.
Moral of the story? I can see going if your car is under warranty and everything is free. Otherwise, steer clear.
Very expensive. Not very helpful when asking questions or setting up appointment. Not that good with doing the work -- I usually have to take my car back for a follow-up, fix whatever they screwed up appointment. And I always have to wait a very long time when dropping off or picking up my car. I've owned 2 BMWs (loved driving them) and own a Mini Cooper S (super fun and easy to park), so I've had a lot of experience dealing with them.
Only reason they didn't get 1 star is because the "intake" technicians are very, very nice and try to be helpful. They understand what service is.
My advice: research other alternatives for service and even for car purchase.
At the end of the day that my vehicle was promised to be ready, I was informed that they actually did not have all the parts to perform the repair that my car needed and that they had no idea when the part would come in and that they were having trouble locating the part.
The conversations with manager, that refused to give his name, left me so uncomfortable that I took my car immediately to my car dealership service station for inspection (where it is typically serviced) after the work there. The inspection showed that pipes had been broken during the repair, related to they work that they did, and inadequately repaired. They also found missing mount supports and other evidence of shoddy work.
I have been hung up on when calling them to discuss these issues.
Like any good business, it lives or dies by it's staff. From the reviews it looks like there are a few bad seeds which is a shame because there are some good people there and they have definitely improved over the last few years. I am happy to say I had a very pleasant experience with my recent service appointment. I was referred to the service manager as my selected agent was out sick that day, and the whole experience was great. Service was punctual, efficient, comprehensive and friendly. I am sure some of the reviews are justified, but their service organization has really improved over the last few years.
This place blows. I had a dealer here who was incredibly rude to me and then called me to try to sell me a car. I know some books advise the rude salesperson technique, but personally I don't agree. This place oozes sleaze. I felt dirty after coming here. I feel dirty writing this review. The mere mention of this place makes me feel dirty. Sonnen BMW is directly across the bridge and well worth the trip.
Read my glowing review on Sonnen in my profile. I would drive a hundred miles to avoid buying from SF BMW.
Taking your car here is like workin' for the man. It's uber pricey and I'm not totally convinced that they have your car's best ineterest in mind. It's like they don't want your car to last forever so you have to buy a new one. I took my car here for awhile because I was naive and lazy, but I've wised up.
On the plus side, they have bagels and coffee in the morning and wash your car for you. That's nice.
While I don't have experience with the repair department, one of the sales people is excellent. My daughter bought a new mini from Hans Wagner and he was very good. He provided us with excellent service, explained the process, explained all of the cars options and made the enitre experience very good. I have bought many cars and usually hate the process and this time was a pleasant surprise.
This is the worst BMW dealer I have ever been to. What makes matter worst is that this is the dealer that sold me my car! You would think they'd treat a customer better when it comes to service. The only way I can describe their service department is bumbling. They can never set/reset my car's computer correctly when I take it in for service, which then requires me to bring my car back in for them to correct it. My 3 year old 335i has been in for service about 6 times this year! It's infuriating.
Want more proof of the crappiness that is this dealer? Go visit them and watch the clerks who man the cashier, service, and greeter's podium. See the lack of enthusiasm (maybe the greeter have superficial enthusiasm). If you ever had to interact with them, you can see their lack of enthusiasm is not an act. They have little incentive to help. I brought my car in for service recently. I had a pair of ray ban sunglasses in my pockets when I left. I know it fell out at the dealer or in the courtesy van. I noticed it was gone immediately after the van dropped me off. I made 6 calls to the dealer. No one would help me. Every person wanted to see if another department could help me and forwarded me there. There was NO desire to provide customer service. Needless to say I never recovered my sunglasses.
I am now actively looking for a car from a different manufacturer with a good dealership in the SF area. I will definitely complain to BMW corporate about this crappy dealership. After 2 BMWs, I now think BMW really does stand for Big Money Wasted. This dealer may have turned me away from BMW for life.
