BMW of Alexandria

BMW of Alexandria Service Department Va. State Inspection Attempted Charge for Unnecessary Work Alexandria, Virginia

9th of Jun, 2011 by User922721

Took my 1 yr old X5 in for a Va. State inspection. The service advisor said my vehicle failed because of a cracked reflector on the rear bumper. To pass the inspection, I needed to replace the reflector for $130. Having no alternative, I agreed. I immediately looked up the Va. Regulation of which the following was in the regulation. 19VAC30-70-180. Clearance lamps and reflectors. Inspect for and reject if:3. Lenses on lamps on the front are not amber and lenses on lamps on the rear are not red or if a lens has a piece broken from it. A lens may have one or more cracks provided an off-color light does not project through the crack or cracks. The reflector in question on my X5 has no light behind it. It is simply a plastic reflector in the bumper. When I brought this to the service advisor, he disappeared for 30 minutes. Next thing I know, my vehicle showed up with a new reflector. I asked to speak with a manager who told me the tech can over-ride regulation and fail my vehicle if he deemed fit. I argued that did not make sense and showed him the regulation. They finally said they would remove the new reflector and replace it with my old one and "let it pass this time" as if they we doing me a favor. Another 30 minutes later when they brought my vehicle back the original reflector was damaged even more. I then spoke to Bob Hammersley, the official manager I guess, and asked for the techs name so I could notify Virginia of their mis interpretation of the regulation. He refused to give it to me and tried to intimidate me by saying some random state trooper could recall my vehicle and fail the inspection in the future. he said I could use his name if I filed a complaint. They did take the charge off and only charged me for the state inspection. I was able to get out of an unnecessary $130 charge and get the pleasure of driving around with an even more damaged reflector.

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