Here's a post from a BMW site I visit......for better or worse.....some customers are just a little off the wall and black holes of time
Thoughts on maximizing your odds of a successful dealer service:
When possible, do your homework on any serious issues before you go to a dealer. You may have to lead them BY THE NOSE to the resolution on your problem. ANTICIPATE having to micro-manage them to success. Be pleasantly surprised if it turns out you don't have to. I knew more about S54 cam bolts than the shop foreman when I took mine in. Ten days later (sigh), I had it back, fully covered.
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Use the rule "Trust but Verify". Tell them what you want done, trust them to do it, and VERIFY [a] that it got done properly and that they didn't screw anything else up in the process. See the 'Inspect your car at pickup' point below.
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When selecting a dealer: Find the least-worst dealer in your area, as rated by customers. Try the many BMW forums, or dealerRater-dot-com
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When selecting a service Advisor: Call the service manager directly, and ask him to recommend a service advisor who is technical and knowledgeable. Explain you want someone with mechanical expertise who is technically proficient.
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THEN call the Service Advisor, mentioning that the service manager referred you to him. This allies you with the service manager in the SA's mind. Ask him if he's ever installed coil-overs, or where the redline is on an S54 motor. If you get a bad feeling from the guy, change SAs.
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ASK the advisor for his "A" game. Tell him you love your car and you pay close attention to everything that's done on it. This sets the expectation that your are WATCHING THEM CLOSELY on how they fix your car. These guys process dozens of clients a day. You need to stand ou in their minds, in a good way.
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For significant work, politely but firmly request that the Shop Foreman or a master mechanic be the one to work on your car. This is not a grocery-getter sedan and should not be treated like one. No offense intended to sedans or their owners
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Be ready to involve the Service Manager and/or shop foreman in every discussion. Give him a chance to fix any problems by offering him "a chance to win back your business." Speaking his language is key here.
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Decide in advance if you trust them to wash your car. Anticipate minimum-wage lot monkeys with used rags "drying" your paint. Tell the SA if you want to forgo the wash, or just put your own 'DO NOT WASH' sign on the dash. Their 'free' wash may cost you hours with an orbital buffer, or detailer's fees.
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When collecting your car, inspect your car THOROUGHLY before your drive it off the lot - inside and out. The dealer lot monkeys are NOT careful with customer cars, especially lowered ones. Check your leather seats, steering wheel, bumpers, and rims for gouges. Look for dents/dings just like THEY do when they check the car in. Also check under the hood with the motor running for noises, leaks or missing accessories like strut tower bar nuts/caps.
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Check your fluid levels and all engine compartment caps if the dealer has touched anything. Check the valve cover gasket for obvious pinches or leaks. (The spurting oil will give those away). I had a tech botch this and not check it before giving me back the car - an honest but dumb mistake, followed by another day for them to clean it all up.
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Keep every service receipt on your car for at least a year. Ask for a written record of the valve shim measurements on inspection I/II. BMW has a form for this (Ron Stygar posted it); print it out, take it with you and hand it to the SA with a request that it be completed anytime the valves are adjusted.
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EXPLICITLY state what kind of fluids are to be used, and how much. Leave no room for error. Yes, they are supposed to know. Yes, they ignore their own specs. My last dealer trip got me 5.5 Qt of oil rather than the specified 5.5L. Even AFTER i wrote it out.
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Keep your own service log on a notepad in the glovebox. I like the small Moleskin notebooks for this.
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FYI, Mondays generally have the least backlog in the shop. If you get there Monday AM, your service typically gets started on the same day. Depending on backlog/volume, any other day can mean overnight stays until your car gets its turn in the shop. Insert the standard "Parts Availability" caveat here. You'd think they'd stock a supply of bolts and gaskets for an S54, as it was one of their best engines ever, but apparenty not.
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If you want any particular bolts torqued to factory spec, you need to ask for it, and for threadlocker if you want it. Despite what common sense might suggest, dealers (at least in LA) will not do so unless the 'repair procedure' explicitly calls for it, or unless you ask for it. Verfied this March 2011, Center BMW, , where i was told 'the technicians just develop a feel for it.' Perhaps, but I'd rather they 'feel' the click of the torque wrench on that vanos bolt, thanks.
