Company Profile for BMW

We have an update to this story, with a happy ending for everyone except for the ill-fated Mini Cooper.  

Is John asking too much from Zipcar? He writes that he and his wife rented a Mini Cooper for a weekend trip. On their way home, their car first overheated, then burst into flames just minutes after they pulled over. The couple survived uninjured, but didn't have time to get all of their belongings out of the car. Zipcar sent roadside assistance, reimbursed John and his wife for their car ride home, and gave them a credit good for another daylong car rental. However, the company will not cover any of their personal items destroyed in the fire.  More »

—>Wondering which car brands are the all-around best? According to the Automaker Report Cards published in Consumer Reports', Annual Auto Issue, 4 of the top 5 brands are Japanese, with no US car makers making the list — even though there was a 4-way tie for 5th place. Ouch.  More »

—>Two years ago, an arbitrator ordered a car dealership in Queens, NY to refund a customer's money under the "lemon law." You'd think that would be the end of the story, but no... it's the beginning. Jessica Harrison says she returned the "lemon" 2004 BMW to "Planet Auto Mall" but the dealer claims that they don't know what happened to the vehicle. Now Jessica has to keep making payments on the missing BMW.  More »

—>Aaron went shopping on AutoTrader and saw a BMW he liked sold by International Motor Productions. The lady over the phone, Brigette Brown, told him everything about the car was perfect. He put down a $500 deposit and flew down from Chicago to check it out with his friend Nathan. There he discovered the body panels didn't line up and the tires were mismatched and worn. When he took it for a test drive, it pulled under acceleration and made horrible noises. He took it to a reputable dealer who inspected the car and assessed it had been in an accident and had frame damage. When he took it back to International Motor Productions and asked for his deposit back...  More »

—>I just drove a Minicooper. Here's my quick n' dirty review of the experience:  More »

—>Reader Brandon took his recently purchased 1996 BMW M3 to a car stereo installation company to have a stereo, speaker set, and GPS system installed. When he got his car back, he noticed that the climate control system was no longer functioning the way it used to. Hot air was leaking from his air ducts when he selected cold air. After a few unsuccessful attempts to get the car stereo installation shop to repair the damage they caused, Brandon took the car to some BMW experts and found out that the botched installation had caused over $10,000 in damage to his car. Brandon then tried to get the car stereo shop's insurance company to pay for the repairs, but they denied his claim on the basis that procedures used for the installation were typical. Brandon says he then took the car stereo shop to small claims court. but the judge ruled against him because the car stereo shop employees claimed that he entered into a oral contract to release them from liability in exchange for a partial refund. Brandon claims he never entered into such a contract. Read his story inside.  More »