discussion BMW x5 G05 Motorplan not wanting to pay

[Kishore]

Hi All

So my G05 that i have owned for about 2 years had the pull button handbrake stop working suddenly about 3 weeks ago. It was due for service, so I held back to take it in at once with the service. Car is still under motor plan which was extended for 6 years ending in November 2025. Car is currently at JSN Bryanston, and the service advisor (Abel) called to advise that seems like there was some liquid leaked into the area from the top and motor plan wont cover this cost which is about R45K. JSN sent a video and looks like this happened quite some time back meaning that well before I possibly purchase the car. Question : Any comments on how i manage this besides calling BMW and challenging this decision, Second Question , is this something that any other members had as a challenge with or similar ? Last Question, who is the go to person at JSN that i can talk to

 

[TurboLlew]

I would raise this with customer service at BMW directly as well. It is clearly old and you've not spilled anything in the time the car was with you so it was what THEY sold to you. They also happily extended the plan and did their motorplan checks.

The R45K cost is just insane - this was a separate unit in older generations that could easily be replaced... not sure if the underside of that cost-saving clusterfuck that is the G-series control stack is still semi modular. The cost saving is unfortunately only for BMW when manufacturing though.

Unfortunately it seems both the 'repair kit' and the complete unit are complete items and ithe modular bits are the idrive controller and section below it.



Push JSN to tell them it is not damaged caused by you but the car was sold with this. It may not even be related to the actual problem. The second argument is that this should be somewhat water resistant given the location. The third is to push for a goodwill repair by BMW on that basis. Try to find examples of this item generally failing online as support. I haven't looked into this.

I think these units are shared between many models so perhaps (if you don't need coding) you can fit a used unit worst case but I wouldn't take it lying down.

These fancy-but-junk interiors are coming to bite them when it comes to motorplan. Waiting for this to become one of the exclusions that Merc is already basically trying to pull on their clients... eg: their fancy integrated ambient lighting can't be repaired - you need to replace the whole panel for tens of thousands... which they are happy to let the customer eat after warranty... except the quality is so poor, these are failing within the warranty and motorplan periods, which is probably a lot less fun for them...

Good luck and keep us posted

 

[Kishore]

I would raise this with customer service at BMW directly as well. It is clearly old and you've not spilled anything in the time the car was with you so it was what THEY sold to you. They also happily extended the plan and did their motorplan checks.

The R45K cost is just insane - this was a separate unit in older generations that could easily be replaced... not sure if the underside of that cost-saving clusterfuck that is the G-series control stack is still semi modular. The cost saving is unfortunately only for BMW when manufacturing though.

Unfortunately it seems both the 'repair kit' and the complete unit are complete items and ithe modular bits are the idrive controller and section below it.

View attachment 27632

Push JSN to tell them it is not damaged caused by you but the car was sold with this. It may not even be related to the actual problem. The second argument is that this should be somewhat water resistant given the location. The third is to push for a goodwill repair by BMW on that basis. Try to find examples of this item generally failing online as support. I haven't looked into this.

I think these units are shared between many models so perhaps (if you don't need coding) you can fit a used unit worst case but I wouldn't take it lying down.

These fancy-but-junk interiors are coming to bite them when it comes to motorplan. Waiting for this to become one of the exclusions that Merc is already basically trying to pull on their clients... eg: their fancy integrated ambient lighting can't be repaired - you need to replace the whole panel for tens of thousands... which they are happy to let the customer eat after warranty... except the quality is so poor, these are failing within the warranty and motorplan periods, which is probably a lot less fun for them...

Good luck and keep us posted

Thanks Mate and agree I have the same argument points already jotted down as well, will update the post

 

[General.Massacre]

Sorry to hear about your woes, but i agree with Llew, this is not your problem,

Request to speak to Viz as he is the Workshop Manager, and he generally deals with all of these issues. Tell him Justin with the M6 referred you and told you to speak to him directly. the car is in motorplan, and should be covered.

All the best.

 

[Kishore]

View attachment WhatsApp Video 2025-03-24 at 10.50.53.mp4
View attachment WhatsApp Video 2025-03-24 at 10.50.53.mp4

 

[Kishore]

Sorry to hear about your woes, but i agree with Llew, this is not your problem,

Request to speak to Viz as he is the Workshop Manager, and he generally deals with all of these issues. Tell him Justin with the M6 referred you and told you to speak to him directly. the car is in motorplan, and should be covered.

All the best.

Thanks Bud

 

[TurboLlew]

If I am looking at this correctly, Why would that bit of the centre console base have anything to do with the button? There may have been a spill that drained there and sat below the unit... but there is no actual evidence the button itself was submerged in fluid/corroded or is otherwise damaged from that vid. It is a bit of a leap to say that is the cause without stripping that unit and seeing whether there is actual ingress into it.

Finding it hard to believe a bit of liquid on a horizontal surface of a vehicle is going to result in R45K damage unless you're transporting Xenomorph blood... I mean an X5 is supposed to be a kid-friendly family vehicle right

 

[Kishore]

Sorry to hear about your woes, but i agree with Llew, this is not your problem,

Request to speak to Viz as he is the Workshop Manager, and he generally deals with all of these issues. Tell him Justin with the M6 referred you and told you to speak to him directly. the car is in motorplan, and should be covered.

All the best.

Spoke to Viz, thanks Bud, he will investigate and revert shortly.

 

[CK4LIFE]

This is very unfortunate. But let's say it did happen during your ownership, and perhaps the kid or anyone else spilled something in, would that even justify non payment. Really??? Is there a "don't eat and drink in your vehicle" rule from bmw... Hope all goes well bud.

 

[General.Massacre]

Spoke to Viz, thanks Bud, he will investigate and revert shortly.

Lekker man, Viz is a good guy and very fair in my experience, and always helps where he can.
Good guy to keep a relationship with.

the workshop techs to get to know are:
Freddy
Quinton
Jono

All willing to help.

 

[YozTruly]

Sorry about your hassles Kishore. This seems like a case of “penny wise, pound foolish” from BMW. As already mentioned, it shouldn’t matter when it happened, they have no clear evidence of negligence on your end and so shouldn’t decline your claim.

What good is the Motorplan if everything that breaks is your fault.

 

[NBN]

Bmw Motorplan is becoming like the telesure insurance group.... Quick to take one's premiums but look for any loophole or opportunity to repudiate a claim.

Best of luck and hopefully you do come right, keep us posted.

 

[Kishore]

This is very unfortunate. But let's say it did happen during your ownership, and perhaps the kid or anyone else spilled something in, would that even justify non payment. Really??? Is there a "don't eat and drink in your vehicle" rule from bmw... Hope all goes well bud.

True, this is exactly what i am also saying, show me the disclaimer inside the vehicle

 

[Pisancho]

True, this is exactly what i am also saying, show me the disclaimer inside the vehicle

Kinda crazy that they would not pay out. A friend of mine has a M850i. He spilled his coke on the center console and about a few days later the car would not come out of park. He took it to the same dealership, JSN Bryanston and they replaced it under plan. Why they are rejecting you is a mystery now. This was 2 years ago.

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

Kinda crazy that they would not pay out. A friend of mine has a M850i. He spilled his coke on the center console and about a few days later the car would not come out of park. He took it to the same dealership, JSN Bryanston and they replaced it under plan. Why they are rejecting you is a mystery now. This was 2 years ago.

My brother in law also spilled coke on the climate control of my E90 323i. BMW replaced the entire unit under motor plan.
This doesn't sound right to me.

 

[Kyle]

My brother in law also spilled coke on the climate control of my E90 323i. BMW replaced the entire unit under motor plan.
This doesn't sound right to me.

Lot's has changed since the E90s were on plan... Now they look for every excuse not to pay.

 

[swazi85]

I had a battery go out on my x6, bmw wouldn’t cover a new one under warranty, said it was the tracking system. Because it was drawing power, not an excessive amount at all.

So effectively if you have a tracker you have no warranty on your battery.

Also noticing a trend for the motorplan to cover less and less.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

Hectic. Sales already dropped now hings like this.

 

[Pisancho]

Lot's has changed since the E90s were on plan... Now they look for every excuse not to pay.

I enquired out of curiosity how much valve stem seal job would cost from JSN bryanston and was told to bring it in for diagnosis first (3k fee). I don't need them done but wanted to prepare for it in the next 20/30k kilos. Times have changed indeed. Don't know why they could not give me an estimate.

 

[TurboLlew]

Lot's has changed since the E90s were on plan... Now they look for every excuse not to pay.

This became a big enough issue for me (together with R50K+ extension costs only to be treated like crap) on Mercedes that we will never think of buying them again. BMW should be careful about the reputation it is starting to build since their offering has long been seen as the gold standard.

That said, Motorplan (for any brand) only make sense as long as the balance of quality/breakages is in favour of the manufacturer (even if slightly). I feel that the cars being inherently less repairable, poorly designed and poorly built it is the manufacturer themselves that will bear the first brunt... this is probably why they are now so sticky. The numbers are suddenly not making as much sense.

I got the impression that despite the F90 coolant tank issue being VERY well known and subject to a campaign, the service advisor still had to jump through hoops on this last trip.

I had a battery go out on my x6, bmw wouldn’t cover a new one under warranty, said it was the tracking system. Because it was drawing power, not an excessive amount at all.

So effectively if you have a tracker you have no warranty on your battery.

Also noticing a trend for the motorplan to cover less and less.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I also had Merc deny coverage on a battery because it was apparently 'too soon since the last one was changed' several years prior... at least they denied it until the service advisor was basically standing on his head to get it authorised since I refused to collect the car or to pay for a new one. I have previously documented all the times they told me their QC issues were my fault... and refused warranty or MP coverage.

Subaru was denying coverage for their known garbage motors and tunes because guys fitted different rims. Renault was denying coverage for cars not suitable for the SA market PERIOD (the car would throw engine lights on our fuel) by making people sign waivers when they bought top of the range RS Meganes... the list of screwing customers over is forever growing it seems and BMW may be next. I was even telling Firi this morning I am so anxious about fitting the LCI tails under plan. Imagine needing an engine or gearbox and they deny the claim because of your tail lights 🤦‍♂️ .

The default position of EVERYONE these days seems to be that it is the customer's fault FIRST which is a very antagonistic way of approaching things (even if there is doubt around what the root cause is). It puts you immediately on the back foot and the wrong 'mode' to deal with the situation. Unfortunately the numbers are probably not numbering for them and it is probably their own fault.

Like I say - the approach of making things less repairable to drive future sales only works if these geniuses can build things that can actually last the length of the warranty and plan. It seems that point has now been passed.

In terms of 'right to repair' (requiring a virgin unit to be coded in this case) and actual repairability: Sorry but a vehicle that can't withstand a simple drink spill and can't have these components easily and inexpensively repaired is not fit for purpose and frankly poorly designed. The red flags write themselves with the microp3n1s or 'innie' gear selectors in these new cars... watch this space in 3 years where M4s are stuck because the guy launched a bit too hard and his drink spilled into the centre console causing a R50K repair... I briefly read that these units are also VIN coded to the car (there is no good reason for this other than being anti-consumer)... so even more drama.

I enquired out of curiosity how much valve stem seal job would cost from JSN bryanston and was told to bring it in for diagnosis first (3k fee). I don't need them done but wanted to prepare for it in the next 20/30k kilos. Times have changed indeed. Don't know why they could not give me an estimate.

Very unusual - I've received estimates from Midrand very recently for fitting eg: LCI retrofit tails and various service items that were not yet needed. JSN has also done this on request before. JSN also worked out good pricing for me on out of plan work in the past for my F10 including getting some goodwill from BMW. But also the times they have a changed I guess...