[ROBM2C]

What's everybody's thoughts on this ? I personally would never remove spark plugs with an impact , but I just saw the technician who did my spark plugs do this

Think I should take it to an Indy to make sure the threads are good ? I may … next time the dealer touches my plugs it will be out of warranty .

[Poochie]

The technician is an idiot; it's wayyyyy to easy to break the insulator or strip the spark plug threading on an aluminum block with the torque from an impact gun or power ratchet, which would be a total nightmare to rethread.

If the plug had seized up, he could of simple hit it with a lite coat of WD-40 and use a breaker bar to loosen it by hand. He instead took the riskiest route.

I don't know if any damage was done and it would be difficult to gauge but I would still try to get an analysis to verify if this is the case.

[tropicatango]

This is exactly why i will do myself my spark plugs and oil change next time even if my car is still under warranty with free maintenance.

I'll be sure everything is done correctly
I'll be sure that my new ngk plug are gaped correctly and installed with 18 lbs of torque

I'll be able to put the oil I want in the car

Can't believe he used impact on spark plugs

[ROBM2C]

BMWs technician is an idiot , but I have it all on dash cam.

He also decided to take my car for a quick burn before bringing it in the garage ….did 2 illegal u turns , broke the speed limit and revved the Shit out if it in first and second .

[tropicatango]

Originally Posted by ROBM2C

It's technician is an idiot , but I have it all on dash cam. He also decided to take my car for a quick burn before bringing it in the garage ….did 2 illegal u turns , broke the speeds limit and rev the Shit out if it in first and second .

I hate the dealer !

I would seriously consider showing the video to the dealer director, it's unacceptable.

[ROBM2C]

Ugh damn dealers and the monkeys they hire .

What's funny but adds to the proof of immaturity is the mechanic is reviving my car in M mode while driving through the shop yelling living the dream lol

In my town their is only 2 Bmw dealers , I feel like taking it the other one for them to inspect …they would love that I'm sure .

[ChiTownM]

If that's on camera I would go directly to the dealership General Manager and ask for a free extended warranty and anything else you can squeeze out of them. It may not work but at least you gave it a try and can always put the videos on YouTube for our enjoyment.

Sorry about this unfortunate situation but since dealerships cannot retain their talent nowadays service is going down, way down.

[ROBM2C]

Well I have started with emails to the service advisor who took care of the car , service advisor manager , and shop manager . After that I will send one to the general manager .

Yes dealer talent is sub par these days, buying a used car with all dealer receipts does not add value anymore it takes it away . Dealers ruin cars. Best to take it to your favourite Indy or do it your self .

I haven't thought of the extended warranty I will definitely bring this up .

Thanks

[Tag]

If the dealer doesn't take care of you contact BMW Canada directly.

https://www.bmw.ca/en/fastlane/Contact-Us.html

[Maynard]

You'll be doing all of us a favor - the only real disincentive for this kind of BS is if the techs and service managers know they could get in trouble for it.

[ROBM2C]

I'm pretty sure this is happening to lots of performance cars in a lot of dealerships .

If you don't have a dash cam or don't wait for your vehicle it's getting " test driven " and you wouldn't be none the wiser .

I'm almost going to have a running go pro next time to catch every second .

Luckily my cam was recording at all the important parts .

The GM got back to me and said he's investigating …

[kellyzerx]

Originally Posted by ROBM2C

I'm pretty sure this is happening to lots of performance cars in a lot of dealerships .

If you don't have a dash cam or don't wait for your vehicle it's getting " test driven " and you wouldn't be none the wiser .

I'm almost going to have a running go pro next time to catch every second .

Luckily my cam was recording at all the important parts .

The GM got back to me and said he's investigating …

Most dealers around here unplug your dashcam and they have a notice that you're supposed to disable it before leaving your car.

[pz619]

I've seen plugs removed with a low powered tool but not with an impact (hammer) gun. I'd be concerned.

Hope they didn't impact it back on.

[ROBM2C]

Well here is what the Gm of the dealership told me .

He said it's BMWs procedure and happens on all of their cars. Apparently they crack the plugs with a hand ratchet ….then they unscrew them with an electric ratchet ( I'm pretty sure it was an impact ratchet by the sound and look of it )

Also apparently they hand screw them in , then tighten them with the electric ratchet that apparently is specked to the exact torque value .

Asked about the joy ride he dodge it a few times and said he needs to confirm .

He wants to meet and look at the car , for what idk…

I'm going to review the videos and try to isolate the frame with the "electric ratchet "

Why would it be procedure to use electric tools on aluminum heads ? Goes against everything I ever learnt about cars.

So apparently all of our plugs are changed this way .

[ROBM2C]

@kellyzerx

That's a dealer I would never go to again .

Nobody has a policy like that unless their doing stuff they don't want seen .

Go pro on your back corner window up top in the corner behind the drivers seat most won't see it until it's too late .

Or soon it's going to be hidden cameras at this rate lol

[kellyzerx]

Originally Posted by ROBM2C

@kellyzerx

That's a dealer I would never go to again .

Nobody has a policy like that unless their doing stuff they don't want seen .

Go pro on your back corner window up top in the corner behind the drivers seat most won't see it until it's too late .

Or soon it's going to be hidden cameras at this rate lol

I don't know what they're going to do when the day arrives when recording cameras are built into the car.

Three different BMW dealers and a Toyota dealer have all unplugged my dashcams here in Toronto.

[Maynard]

You need to check if you are in a 'one party consent' or a 'two party consent' state for recordings - IIRC, in a 2-party state it is illegal to tape somebody w/o their consent so it gives them justification to disable the gear. If you do record and upload it or share it about, they can sick the lawyers on you. I don't think this would apply to a device that simply recorded where/when/how fast a car was driven while in their custody (I don't think ABS activation, illegal road speeds, or burnouts are a standard part of the service check).

[gmhl10]

Originally Posted by ROBM2C

Well here is what the Gm of the dealership told me .

He said it's BMWs procedure and happens on all of their cars. Apparently they crack the plugs with a hand ratchet ….then they unscrew them with an electric ratchet ( I'm pretty sure it was an impact ratchet by the sound and look of it )

Also apparently they hand screw them in , then tighten them with the electric ratchet that apparently is specked to the exact torque value .

Asked about the joy ride he dodge it a few times and said he needs to confirm .

He wants to meet and look at the car , for what idk…

I'm going to review the videos and try to isolate the frame with the "electric ratchet "

Why would it be procedure to use electric tools on aluminum heads ? Goes against everything I ever learnt about cars.

So apparently all of our plugs are changed this way .

Spark plugs isn't something overly complicated so it's not something that most techs would've looked up ISTA for, but I'm fairly confident the instructions don't say to unscrew and tighten spec'd to the correct torque with an electric tool (unless that's changed in the past decade+). When I used to be a BMW technician, I did use an electric screwdriver gun to take out the plugs after I've cracked them loose by hand. But, the my electric screwdriver gun wasn't very powerful and you could pretty much stop it by hand if you wanted to. Install was only ever by hand ratchet and torque wrench though. Sure, I understand dealer tech works flat rate, but I always operated on the principle "Would I do this to my own vehicle?".

If the dealer says that the way this dealer technician did it is BMW procedure, then have them show documentation. Have them show you on the instructions where it mentions to use an electric tool. BMW is notorious for documentation so if it's procedure, it'll be in there.

[2020m2c]

Originally Posted by Maynard

You need to check if you are in a 'one party consent' or a 'two party consent' state for recordings - IIRC, in a 2-party state it is illegal to tape somebody w/o their consent so it gives them justification to disable the gear. If you do record and upload it or share it about, they can sick the lawyers on you. I don't think this would apply to a device that simply recorded where/when/how fast a car was driven while in their custody (I don't think ABS activation, illegal road speeds, or burnouts are a standard part of the service check).

I think wire tap laws are what you're referencing.
Generally only applicable in situations in which there is a reasonable expectation of privacy (home, public restrooms, healthcare settings, etc).
In public spaces there is typically no expectation of privacy. However, W
what you do with the recordings could potentially be restricted (for instance, harassment).
Recording events within and around your car would generally be viewed as acceptable use. The dealership would of course have the right to refuse you service if recording was in violation of their polices but they should never tamper with your personal effects / devices without prior expressed permission.

[Up4speed]

Before you guys jump down the mechanic's throat so fast, there is a VERY valid reason for him to drive the car.
Sometimes, if the spark plugs, or coils are stuck, a great technique to free them is to get the cylinders hot. It's also better to bring the temp up quickly (hence, the 1st & 2nd gear pulls) because ideally, you would want the head temperature to come up quickly and keep the spark plug as cool as possible. I'm willing to bet that a lot of mechanics do this without even checking if they are in fact stuck.
As far as the use of an impact wrench, that seems overly aggressive to me, and probably something I wouldn't want to do.
All that said, I am not a mechanic, however, I have worked on my own cars for the past 37 years.
Also, note that I am not one that is comfortable with leaving my car with mechanics. That's why I do most of the stuff myself. I do it out of fear, not because I'm trying to save money.

[Brandt51]

Some tq wrenches are pretty weak. I use one for almost everything. But just like my elbow, my trigger finger is calibrated to the correct tq as well. YOLO!

[ROBM2C]

I reviewed more camera footage and it gets worse … the parts guy was bringing over the parts and dropped 2 spark plugs on the ground . 🤦

They just picked them up and put them with the rest .