DIYers - stay away from calabasas bob smith BMW

[fast4d]

I don't know how their service dept is so if you are under warranty or have lots of money for service then you many not care.

bob smith used to be a tiny dealer in the low rent area of canoga park. now they are in calabasas where the money is. they don't even have a parts counter. just counter space next to the receptionist.

I call tues to order a few parts. guy (name withheld) told me they have to order it but it'll arrive today. I repeatly ask him if I need to come down to start the order and he told me no. I went to pick up today and they didn't even place the order. did I mention they charge FULL retail for parts? we have 3 bmws and I work on cars all the time.

where's my middle finger?

[CStricker]

mthreesome worked there

[bmwe30is]

I've never had a problem with Bob Smith BMW, we take the 540 there all the time for warranty work.

:dunno

[eneyeengee]

I haven't had any problems with Bob Smith since they've moved. :dunno

[nismo skyline]

f*ck bob smith bmw, those were my parts that should of been in :mad

on a brighter note i saved 50 bucks thru a friend who has a discount on parts :alright

[Hit_Apex]

Service is fine. The counter you describe is the parts counter. However, their prices are crazy. Parts are 30-40% higher than Pacific or Steve Thomas, Rusnak parts are high too. Another example, alignment on my E36 -BS wanted $225 and Rusnak charged $125.

When it comes to dealers you must call around for parts or non-warranty work.

[mr pink]

Service is fine. The counter you describe is the parts counter. However, their prices are crazy. Parts are 30-40% higher than Pacific or Steve Thomas, Rusnak parts are high too. Another example, alignment on my E36 -BS wanted $225 and Rusnak charged $125.

When it comes to dealers you must call around for parts or non-warranty work.
everything is more expensive in calabasas.

[SQ Bimmer]

Who the hell goes to the dealer to buy parts?

[CarbonBlkE36]

u drive a bmw and u are worried about the price. german cars arne't for poeple who don't have chips

[SQ Bimmer]

u drive a bmw and u are worried about the price. german cars arne't for poeple who don't have chips
Yea right, I'm poor as dirt and I get by just fine.

[auto3251]

u drive a bmw and u are worried about the price. german cars arne't for poeple who don't have chips
I think most of us fail to still notice that not everywhere will be a internet checkout. dealers and a lot of german retailers will still charge the bmw price. shops of a higher grade and location will charge more. shops like this just don't have time to deal with small purchases.

[TboneM3]

I got charged full price on a couple of things and there parts dept. is weak. Rusnak is cool, most know me there and hook up list price.

Some parts you have to get from the dealer, but I try to get most from online.

SQ Bimmer, are you running 255 all around? What are your profiles front and rear and they are 18" right? thanks

[SQ Bimmer]

I got charged full price on a couple of things and there parts dept. is weak. Rusnak is cool, most know me there and hook up list price.

Some parts you have to get from the dealer, but I try to get most from online.

SQ Bimmer, are you running 255 all around? What are your profiles front and rear and they are 18" right? thanks
255/40/17, 43 offset wheels, no rubbing except when going over bumps at weird angles.

[TboneM3]

Cool thank you, is this on a 8.5" wide rim? If so, does the 40 profile feel a bit thin, is the ride too bumpy?

[SQ Bimmer]

Cool thank you, is this on a 8.5" wide rim? If so, does the 40 profile feel a bit thin, is the ride too bumpy?
Oh yea I forgot to toss in the wheel width - it is 8.5". Ride is not bad at all on stock 95 m3 suspension.

[SilverBeam]

I can't understand your complaints for being charged retail. get a cca membership if you want to save money.

[DarksideE36]

The only thing I ever payed full price for was some Molding Clips at the Stealer, I was pissed and the lady at the counter was like "This is BMW" (with sass mind you) I replied with an O RLY and handed her my food stamps.

CCA discount and friends at Sterling FTW! Also Online sources tend to be a bit more fair if they provide decent shipping.

[Hit_Apex]

Who the hell goes to the dealer to buy parts?

WTF would you go for a Vader seat motor?

[Mechanic69]

I am a parts manager at a Volvo dealership and retail parts is where we make our money. It is all supply and demand, simple economics. You need a part, we have the part, you must pay. I know is sucks but, welcome to America

[five3five]

sup Alan?

Yeah I delt with BS (pun intended) when they were in Canoga and their parts counter sucked I never went there anymore. And yeah I am a CCA Member.

yeah man you're a low baller :lol . How is the brand new house you just bought? We gotta do that mountain drive someday!

Hamada

[SilverBeam]

WTF would you go for a Vader seat motor?
www.bmaparts.com

[Goat128]

I am a parts manager at a Volvo dealership and retail parts is where we make our money. It is all supply and demand, simple economics. You need a part, we have the part, you must pay. I know is sucks but, welcome to America

fortunatley we can order parts if we have a) internet access b) a mailbox or c) a telephone and not go to a dealer. Only if its something crippling you can just go to an indy shop and still get a better deal.

[S54MCoupe]

u drive a bmw and u are worried about the price. german cars arne't for poeple who don't have chips

:rolleyes :rolleyes

Uhm... all of the wealthy people I know would rather pay the lower of two prices on an identical item. Paying a higher price = throwing money away... which is exactly what poor people with no financial responsibility would probably do.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but BMW's aren't expensive, nor are they expensive to maintain. Italian Exoctics are where you go when you REALLY "have chips"... not BMW's

[bimmerboi330]

:rolleyes :rolleyes

Uhm... all of the wealthy people I know would rather pay the lower of two prices on an identical item. Paying a higher price = throwing money away... which is exactly what poor people with no financial responsibility would probably do.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but BMW's aren't expensive, nor are they expensive to maintain. Italian Exoctics are where you go when you REALLY "have chips"... not BMW's

Lets be realistic though. Maintaining my Honda is a lot cheaper than maintaining my BMW. Its expensive compared to most of the consumer market. Parts, service are more expensive etc. especially if you are a little tight on the cash.


BUT, I have only good things to say about Bob Smith's service dept after yesterday when they took my car in on an understaffed crew and one of the techs helped me even though he was supposed to be gone for the day anyway. Saved me about 2 days of traveling back and forth.

[NickAD]

I've never had any issues with Bob Smith, though we just bought our X5 there recently so we haven't had to deal with them that much. Rusnak in Westlake on the other hand, their service department is actually pretty good...Their sales department is horrible though...We've/I've had some bad experiences. Who I really like is Steve Thomas BMW in Camarillo. They are great guys. We bought one of our bimmers from there. Very nice people, great customer service. I love going down there just for the hell of it sometimes. It's a nice dealership and they usually have a good amount of vehicles in stock and they are pretty cool guys. My dad and I went down there once. We were loking around for a 7er, but ended up test driving a few cars, an M5, a Z8 and a M3. Pretty fun.

[maryt53]

I worked at Bob Smith when they were in Canoga Park (in the business office). My Boyfriend did too (tech). I've never had any problems there with the parts guys, probably because they knew me. =) Maybe you had a new guy that helped you. I know once they moved they had to get more guys. They do tend to give the discounts to people who go in all the time, not newbies. I now sell parts on my own, so I don't have to worry about buying retail prices anymore. :)

[S54MCoupe]

Lets be realistic though. Maintaining my Honda is a lot cheaper than maintaining my BMW. Its expensive compared to most of the consumer market. Parts, service are more expensive etc. especially if you are a little tight on the cash.

Listen bastard, I was trying to make a point... don't make me kill your battery before a canyon run again :D :evil2