Reparing I8 at Sytner Harold Wood (Romfold)

yanyan · 04-26-2016, 06:28 AM

Hello everyone. I am new here so please pardon me for my poor car knowledge.

I recently have the steel rims of my new i8 polished at Sytner Harold Wood. When I asked for the quote, the senior advisor repeatedly said it would take 5 days. However, there apparently has been delay and I was shocked to find out that it wouldn't be done until this Friday, which will be more than 17 days!

It is rather unfortunate since we are planning for a trip on Thursday evening

Has anyone have any experience with repairing an i8? Or any experience with Sytner Harold Wood? The customer feedback form online just threw an exception...

Any advice is most appreciated!

aerostar · 04-26-2016, 07:06 AM

I'm sure it's already done and they're just driving it around for funsies.

yanyan · 04-26-2016, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aerostar

I'm sure it's already done and they're just driving it around for funsies.

I felt like I was tricked into paying £500 to make the car "perfect" but instead it ruins our trip!

CanadianGatorBacon · 04-26-2016, 08:43 AM

Polishing the wheels should be a same day job. I had a guy fix a really badly curbed rim (see below) and a less badly curbed rim fixed in 3 hours, and he did it out of a truck and outdoors in the parking lot at my office. Have they "started working on it"? If not, just ask for the car back and go to a good wheel shop next time.

yanyan · 04-26-2016, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanadianGatorBacon

Polishing the wheels should be a same day job. I had a guy fix a really badly curbed rim (see below) and a less badly curbed rim fixed in 3 hours. Have they "started working on it"? If not, just ask for the car back and go to a good wheel shop next time.

Thanks for the picture!

They said they are "waiting for the wheels to be sent back". In the beginning I thought 5 days is already very long for polishing wheels but 17 days is really pushing it.

I suspect even if they have not started working on it, they would say they did in order to keep the £500...

Viffermike · 04-26-2016, 11:38 AM

Keep in mind that this guy is in London; different turnaround rules aparently apply ...

... and Sytner Harold Wood is a BMW dealer, not a wheel repair house. So different turnaround rules DEFINITELY apply.

To the OP, for reference: You should have found a reputable custom wheel shop and had it do the work. You'd have the wheels back quicker, would likely pay much less, and you'd be dealing with the business that was actually doing the work, so any questions or concerns would be direct and not 'lost in translation'.

Even if price is no object, it's always best to have custom work done with no involvement with the dealer. The exception is modifications for which BMW warranty coverage applies. (I'm not sure what the rules on that are in the U.K., but in the U.S., even that doesn't matter.)

yanyan · 04-26-2016, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viffermike

Keep in mind that this guy is in London; different turnaround rules aparently apply ...

... and Sytner Harold Wood is a BMW dealer, not a wheel repair house. So different turnaround rules DEFINITELY apply.

To the OP, for reference: You should have found a reputable custom wheel shop and had it do the work. You'd have the wheels back quicker, would likely pay much less, and you'd be dealing with the business that was actually doing the work, so any questions or concerns would be direct and not 'lost in translation'.

Even if price is no object, it's always best to have custom work done with no involvement with the dealer. The exception is modifications for which BMW warranty coverage applies. (I'm not sure what the rules on that are in the U.K., but in the U.S., even that doesn't matter.)

Thanks for the advice! I will definitely check with other garages next time for such small jobs.

I finally got a reply after emailing the head of business (I found his name on the internet and guessed his email address). It turned out that they have messed it up and only sent out the wheels for repair last Friday! It is so bad that when I asked them last Tuesday they just said there will be delay and didn't even mention they have not sent out the wheels yet. Otherwise I would have just cancelled the polishing. Now they promised to get the wheels back on Thursday so hopefully I can still go on the trip...

fishpond · 04-26-2016, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yanyan

Hello everyone. I am new here so please pardon me for my poor car knowledge.

I recently have the steel rims of my new i8 polished at Sytner Harold Wood. When I asked for the quote, the senior advisor repeatedly said it would take 5 days. However, there apparently has been delay and I was shocked to find out that it wouldn't be done until this Friday, which will be more than 17 days!

It is rather unfortunate since we are planning for a trip on Thursday evening

Has anyone have any experience with repairing an i8? Or any experience with Sytner Harold Wood? The customer feedback form online just threw an exception...

Any advice is most appreciated!

What do you mean by the Steel Rims? Are you talking about the diamond cut alloys?

yanyan · 04-26-2016, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishpond

What do you mean by the Steel Rims? Are you talking about the diamond cut alloys?

Yes I have scratched them on the kerb.

Daftasabrush · 04-26-2016, 04:30 PM

They're not a small dealer, they get all the work from Sytner Canary Wharf (I've asked them about servicing before) so I'd expect them to get a shift on. Were they aware of your requirements before they took them to be refurbed? If so, they should provide spare wheels for your trip, if not, then it's reasonable they should provide a spare car for the trip.

yanyan · 04-27-2016, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daftasabrush

They're not a small dealer, they get all the work from Sytner Canary Wharf (I've asked them about servicing before) so I'd expect them to get a shift on. Were they aware of your requirements before they took them to be refurbed? If so, they should provide spare wheels for your trip, if not, then it's reasonable they should provide a spare car for the trip.

Yes I specifically told them that I need the car for the trip right in the beginning and they reassured me that "it only takes 5 days". Now the head of business does agree to get me spare wheels if mine cannot be done by then. But it's disappointing that it needs the head of business to get involved before they stopped lying to me!

hytek · 04-27-2016, 02:42 AM

That's in the ballpark of what I heard. Apparently, you have to machine them. And somehow, that takes a long time.
The guy offered to put in a different set of tires while he worked on the scratched one. It would have looked ugly, but I would have had the car for that period.
This was my previous car. I ended up not doing it, though. So, I don't know if he would have followed through on that deal.

yanyan · 04-27-2016, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hytek

That's in the ballpark of what I heard. Apparently, you have to machine them. And somehow, that takes a long time.
The guy offered to put in a different set of tires while he worked on the scratched one. It would have looked ugly, but I would have had the car for that period.
This was my previous car. I ended up not doing it, though. So, I don't know if he would have followed through on that deal.

Yes they kept telling me because the tires are special they don't even have the technology to do it onsite (should have told me then and I will do it with another dealership!)

It sounds reasonable that if they offered to put on different set of tires though. Driving a car with ugly set of tires is better than driving an ugly car! (I am driving a ford focus meanwhile...not very ugly, but you know what I mean)

fishpond · 04-27-2016, 07:14 AM

Diamond cut alloys do need to be machined to be restored. There aren't many places that can do that kind of work so most dealers in London send alloys to Lepsons (based in Gillingham, Kent). I've used Lepsons in the past and they are v good. It shouldn't be more than 4-5 days max for the dealer to turn this around including the time it takes to have the alloys collected by Lepsons and returned back - so I am not sure why there has been such a delay.

Alternatively you could go to Lepsons directly yourself.

yanyan · 04-27-2016, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishpond

Diamond cut alloys do need to be machined to be restored. There aren't many places that can do that kind of work so most dealers in London send alloys to Lepsons (based in Gillingham, Kent). I've used Lepsons in the past and they are v good. It shouldn't be more than 4-5 days max for the dealer to turn this around including the time it takes to have the alloys collected by Lepsons and returned back - so I am not sure why there has been such a delay.

Alternatively you could go to Lepsons directly yourself.

Thanks for the information! It is very useful and I will ask for a quote there next time.

04-26-2016, 06:28 AM	#1
yanyan New Member 1 Rep 8 Posts Drives: BMW i8 Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: London iTrader: (0)	Reparing I8 at Sytner Harold Wood (Romfold) Hello everyone. I am new here so please pardon me for my poor car knowledge. I recently have the steel rims of my new i8 polished at Sytner Harold Wood. When I asked for the quote, the senior advisor repeatedly said it would take 5 days. However, there apparently has been delay and I was shocked to find out that it wouldn't be done until this Friday, which will be more than 17 days! It is rather unfortunate since we are planning for a trip on Thursday evening Has anyone have any experience with repairing an i8? Or any experience with Sytner Harold Wood? The customer feedback form online just threw an exception... Any advice is most appreciated! Last edited by yanyan; 04-26-2016 at 08:09 AM..
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04-26-2016, 07:06 AM	#2
aerostar Major 746 Rep 1,247 Posts Drives: 2018 F80 Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	I'm sure it's already done and they're just driving it around for funsies.
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04-26-2016, 08:43 AM	#4
CanadianGatorBacon Lieutenant 232 Rep 417 Posts Drives: M235i (holy crap!) Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: D.C. iTrader: (0)	Polishing the wheels should be a same day job. I had a guy fix a really badly curbed rim (see below) and a less badly curbed rim fixed in 3 hours, and he did it out of a truck and outdoors in the parking lot at my office. Have they "started working on it"? If not, just ask for the car back and go to a good wheel shop next time. __________________ Current: 2016 BMW M235i \| 2013 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wife's) Gone but not forgotten: 1992 Buick LeSaber Limited \| 1999 Acura CL 3.0 \| 2003 Volvo S60 2.4T \| 2006 BMW x3 3.0i \| 2009 Honda Fit Sport Last edited by CanadianGatorBacon; 04-26-2016 at 08:48 AM..
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04-26-2016, 11:38 AM	#6
Viffermike Colonel 1753 Rep 2,942 Posts Drives: '18 black-n-blue 718 Cayman Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Big D iTrader: (0)	Keep in mind that this guy is in London; different turnaround rules aparently apply ... ... and Sytner Harold Wood is a BMW dealer, not a wheel repair house. So different turnaround rules DEFINITELY apply. To the OP, for reference: You should have found a reputable custom wheel shop and had it do the work. You'd have the wheels back quicker, would likely pay much less, and you'd be dealing with the business that was actually doing the work, so any questions or concerns would be direct and not 'lost in translation'. Even if price is no object, it's always best to have custom work done with no involvement with the dealer. The exception is modifications for which BMW warranty coverage applies. (I'm not sure what the rules on that are in the U.K., but in the U.S., even that doesn't matter.) __________________ --Life is a journey made more exciting with a fast car.-- --Helmets are for closers.-- <<Current: "Blackened" '18 NBM Porsche 718 Cayman ... Gone (but not forgotten): "Blackened" MG '15 228i M Sport w/aFe filter/scoop, Hertz drivers, P3Cars multigauge, other goodies>>
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04-26-2016, 04:30 PM	#10
Daftasabrush Fool 1857 Rep 3,542 Posts Drives: F31 340i Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: England iTrader: (0)	They're not a small dealer, they get all the work from Sytner Canary Wharf (I've asked them about servicing before) so I'd expect them to get a shift on. Were they aware of your requirements before they took them to be refurbed? If so, they should provide spare wheels for your trip, if not, then it's reasonable they should provide a spare car for the trip.
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04-27-2016, 02:42 AM	#12
hytek Private First Class 38 Rep 104 Posts Drives: i8, 335i Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Bay Area, CA iTrader: (0)	That's in the ballpark of what I heard. Apparently, you have to machine them. And somehow, that takes a long time. The guy offered to put in a different set of tires while he worked on the scratched one. It would have looked ugly, but I would have had the car for that period. This was my previous car. I ended up not doing it, though. So, I don't know if he would have followed through on that deal.
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04-27-2016, 07:14 AM	#14
fishpond First Lieutenant 77 Rep 367 Posts Drives: i8 Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: London, UK iTrader: (0)	Diamond cut alloys do need to be machined to be restored. There aren't many places that can do that kind of work so most dealers in London send alloys to Lepsons (based in Gillingham, Kent). I've used Lepsons in the past and they are v good. It shouldn't be more than 4-5 days max for the dealer to turn this around including the time it takes to have the alloys collected by Lepsons and returned back - so I am not sure why there has been such a delay. Alternatively you could go to Lepsons directly yourself.
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