BMW 3 Series steering problem

After owning a number of Jaguars, Miriam Walker decided to switch allegiance to BMW. She bought her new 320d in June 2012 and wasn’t disappointed.

In fact, she was delighted – until 15 months later when a warning message appeared announcing a steering problem and advising her to proceed with caution to her nearest BMW dealer.

Alarmed, Miriam obeyed and drove straight to Lloyds in Cockermouth, Cumbria.

Lloyds’ technicians hoped the problem would be easy to fix but upon further investigation it became apparent the issue was a lot more serious. Miriam’s 3 Series was taken off the road so the steering could be repaired, but the repair turned out not to be enough: only a full replacement would do.

Lloyds arranged a hire car for Miriam to drive while she waited, and sent her on her way. Two weeks passed before she heard anything at all, and that was only a phone call telling her she’d have to swap the hire car for a BMW courtesy car. Concerned about the lack of information about her own car, she got in touch with BMW customer services.

She was assured the steering rack for her car had been ordered and would arrive in Germany in three weeks, but there was no mention of when the part would actually make it to the UK.

Three weeks came and went, and still Miriam heard nothing. Another call to the customer service team revealed that there was in fact no guaranteed arrival date at all.

Assurances that she was at the top of the waiting list did little to calm her fears so she got in touch with Helpdesk. ‘We’re now into the second month of waiting and still with no delivery date in sight,’ she said. ‘I didn’t expect this from BMW.’

We got on the case, and the next day Miriam received a call from the dealer principal of Lloyds BMW. He told her the new steering rack was due in a couple of weeks, and promised that the work would be carried out immediately. He was true to his word. Once the rack arrived, it took Lloyds just one day to fit it, and Miriam is delighted to have her pride and joy back where it belongs – on the road.

Miriam’s faith in BMW was further restored when she was offered £500 of dealer credit as a goodwill gesture.

What if this happens to you?

• Keep a diary of events and make a note of all calls.
• Stay in regular contact with your dealer.
• If your dealer can't help, complain to the manufacturer.

We've prepared lots of useful advice, including a full guide on warranties that could help you with either a new or used car.

If you need our help, email us at helpdesk@whatcar.com with a few details and we'll be in touch.