The "whoop-whoop" is making me crazy!

[WoodlandHills]

Bob Smith did not really want to sell any i3's..... No extended test drive, no loaner car for trips, no charged test vehicles to drive, no interest in selling them at all. I tried twice to deal with them but it was just a hassle. I went down the road to Century West BMW whom I was familiar with through my dealings with their smart franchise. I assume that they are just a good or bad as any other BMW franchise, but they at least wanted to handle the icars.

I do not use social media and if I do in future it would not be Facebook. I feel that Mark Zuckerberg is human excrement and I will not have anything to do with anything he is associated with. My life seems to be continuing so far without Facebook and I see no reason why that state of affairs cannot go on forever. Thanks for the suggestion though

What exactly is a PUMA number?

 

[i3atl]

I have a 2014 REx with 20" wheels, however my build date on my tires are past the 'affected' range. Ive read a ton about the 'whoop-whoop' and came across this as someone had posted it online. Do yourself a favor and join the BMW i3 forum on facebook. There is a ton of relevant information there, along with a great group of i3 enthusiasts that are willing to help everyone. Tom is a member and he can tell you how friendly and receptive they are.

It's a waste of time to suggest this to some of the members here - they're convinced that it's not worth it. Of course, then you find them here asking things like "What is a PUMA number?", which is documented in the jargon guide in the Facebook group.

 

[WoodlandHills]

FWIW, my tires are dated 15/14, 8 weeks before the referenced date in your post.

 

[WoodlandHills]

Just heard back from my service manager, Paul, who says that having a PUMA Case number is meaningless. Every service issue like mine generates a PUMA Case number. My last visit for the whoop whoop generated one and my next one will too.
He checked some database and determined that there have been no service updates in that car area since the middle of May when it was last in the shop for the noise. As he put it, I can make an appointment, but the result will be the same: this PUMA Case number changes nothing.

Is it any wonder that I am out of patience with BMW and this damn noisey car!

I am taking it in again tomorrow morning to get another PUMACase number, this will be number two specifically for the noise since the first visit was not properly documented. One more and I have met part of the Lemon Law requirements: 3 failed tries to repair.

This time I intend to get everything in writing, no verbal comments and relaying of information from engineer to service dept to customer. Either they put it in writing or they can keep the damn thing! It is time to stand behind their product by documenting the fault and their response and not just blow me off with platitudes and bullshit.

 

[I33t]

I can understand your frustration

I think you should bypass the dealer and go direct to BMW NA with a complaint.

Sometimes the dealer is an agent on your behalf to the manufacturer, and sometimes they are a roadblock. In this case, it sure sounds like you are dealing with a roadblock.

 

[MikeS]

I have a 2014 REx with 20" wheels, however my build date on my tires are past the 'affected' range. Ive read a ton about the 'whoop-whoop' and came across this as someone had posted it online. Do yourself a favor and join the BMW i3 forum on facebook. There is a ton of relevant information there, along with a great group of i3 enthusiasts that are willing to help everyone. Tom is a member and he can tell you how friendly and receptive they are.

It's a waste of time to suggest this to some of the members here - they're convinced that it's not worth it. Of course, then you find them here asking things like "What is a PUMA number?", which is documented in the jargon guide in the Facebook group.

I guess some of us don’t see why we should give Facebook our info when such details as PUMA numbers can just as easily be published on the forum where it is open to all!

 

[i3atl]

I guess some of us don’t see why we should give Facebook our info when such details as PUMA numbers can just as easily be published on the forum where it is open to all!

You don't have to give Facebook your info, just make something up. It is open to all, just like this forum.

Aside from that, the majority of "contributors" seem to prefer sharing on the Facebook group vs elsewhere, so that's where the info is.

I wish all of the info and discussion shared there took place on a forum, simply due to the ability to merge threads and search more easily. As it stands now, and as has been the case since the i3 was released, that group is by far the best resource for i3 owners seeking information/advice about the car.

 

[alohart]

You don't have to give Facebook your info, just make something up.

That's what I did. I'm the 110 year old i3 owner However, I realize that I've made a bargain with the devil, and that Facebook is compiling information about me based on every post I make even without my profile info.

In addition to being very difficult to search, I find the signal to noise ratio to be very low, mostly because of the "social" threads that don't interest me much. But there is some good info there including files that are downloadable.

 

[i3atl]

and that Facebook is compiling information about me based on every post I make even without my profile info.

As is this forum, with ads/cookies/etc....but the anti-FB crowd ignores that aspect of this "free" site.

 

[WoodlandHills]

The car is at the dealer and I drove home in a Ford Fusion rental. Surprisingly, it was a lot quieter coming home on the same roads and at the same speeds. I guess the whoop is also creating noise when I am just going straight ahead and not only on smooth roads. What I had thought was wind noise may in fact be caused by whatever makes the whoop creating a constant howl when at speed. Anyway the far cruder tech and cheap price of the Ford still results in a quieter car when cruising along at 65.
I also found the Ford to have a lot more directional stability than my particular i3: I found myself driving with the tips of my fingers instead of having to grip the wheel with both hands. The steering seems to have more self-centering action and the car wants to track straighter within my lane.
I have asked that all communication between me and the dealer and BMWNA be in writing. The last time it was in the shop lots of information was "passed along" from BMWNA to me via the dealer, but only verbally. This time I think it would be better for all concerned if all of that was in writing. Things like why BMWNA forbade my dealer from swapping a known good set of wheels and tires onto my car for troubleshooting.......? (Why, what harm could have occurred?)

 

[WoodlandHills]

My service advisor just called and said my car is ready for pickup. The noise is still judged to be "normal" as per the BMWNA regional technical engineer. They admit it is now louder and that it is now audible as a rump-rump sound when turning at low speed such as when parking. But they swear that this is normal and since my particular i3 has made this noise from day one I suppose that in a sense it IS normal for this chassis!

I always thought that normal meant that the majority displayed that trait, but BMW seem to have their own definition.

One more visit to the service department and then a certified letter to BMWNA to start the ball rolling on a Lemon Law claim. My god what terrible customer service and what a horrible company BMW has turned out to be.

 

[I33t]

I'd contact BMW directly.

Have you checked your tyre wear against the PUMA case quoted previously?

Like I said, your dealer is being a roadblock, you have to drive around them if you want a resolution. I think you will have a big battle in front of you to get lemon status for tyre noise, but it would be interesting to see how far you can get!

 

[WoodlandHills]

I'd contact BMW directly.

Have you checked your tyre wear against the PUMA case quoted previously?

Like I said, your dealer is being a roadblock, you have to drive around them if you want a resolution. I think you will have a big battle in front of you to get lemon status for tyre noise, but it would be interesting to see how far you can get!

They don't have to replace the car, just make the noise go away! If the problem is tires, then obviously, replace the defective tires. If it is wheel bearings, replace those. I just refuse to accept "it's a real problem, but you just have to live with it" which is their response now. And why should I? This car is very different from the one I test drove.
I hope having a Lemon Law complaint might motivate them to actually attempt to repair this, something that has not been tried yet! Over the weeks in the shop and three service visits BMW have yet to put a wrench to my car for this issue, just inspect and test drive.

 

[epirali]

My service advisor just called and said my car is ready for pickup. The noise is still judged to be "normal" as per the BMWNA regional technical engineer. They admit it is now louder and that it is now audible as a rump-rump sound when turning at low speed such as when parking. But they swear that this is normal and since my particular i3 has made this noise from day one I suppose that in a sense it IS normal for this chassis!

I always thought that normal meant that the majority displayed that trait, but BMW seem to have their own definition.

One more visit to the service department and then a certified letter to BMWNA to start the ball rolling on a Lemon Law claim. My god what terrible customer service and what a horrible company BMW has turned out to be.

Did you ever hear back about option of switching to 19 wheels/tires?

 

[WoodlandHills]

They were unwilling to consider that option at all. It was thought to be a "modification" of the as delivered vehicle and thus out of bounds.

 

[I33t]

They wouldn't even swap a set of 19's off a demo for a day?

Doesn't sound like a customer focussed dealer.

Talk to BMW direct.

 

[epirali]

They were unwilling to consider that option at all. It was thought to be a "modification" of the as delivered vehicle and thus out of bounds.

Wow now that I find surprising. I've had issues with other cars I've owned where they simply didn't know what the right fix was, so they did nothing (not BMW). But to not consider a simple wheel swap seems strange.

 

[alohart]

and that Facebook is compiling information about me based on every post I make even without my profile info.

As is this forum, with ads/cookies/etc....but the anti-FB crowd ignores that aspect of this "free" site.

I try to reduce this tracking by using an ad blocker, by restricting the types of cookies installed, and by regularly deleting cookies that are installed.

I realize that Facebook and forums like this one cost money to implement and run. I would prefer to pay for my use of these sites rather than to have who knows what personal information gathered and sold to who knows whom for who knows what purpose. However, few sites offer this option, so I will continue to protect myself as much as possible and recommend that others do the same if they care about their personal information.

 

[WoodlandHills]

They wouldn't even swap a set of 19's off a demo for a day?

Doesn't sound like a customer focussed dealer.

Talk to BMW direct.

According to my dealer this order was from BMWNA directly......

 

[i3atl]

However, few sites offer this option, so I will continue to protect myself as much as possible and recommend that others do the same if they care about their personal information.

Agreed.