Trade Assist

[wiseguyh]

I just found out my car was apparently part of a Trade Assist. When the local dealer checked the service record on the car there is a note that the car is a Trade Assist and cannot be CPO'd in California.

I bought it from a used car independent dealer who apparently bought it from another dealer who bought it from the wholesaler who got it from BMW Credit.
The carfax on the car was clean. I just assumed it was a turned-in or defaulted lease. The TA status was not disclosed to me.

Should I be concerned?

BMW-NA tells me to talk to my local dealer who will in turn, tell me nothing about why the car was TA'd.

Anyone have any advice?

I believe "trade assist" is one of the euphemisms for dealing with an owner who claims he has a :lemon: . Sometimes an owner thinks he has a :lemon: because he doesn't know how to operate everything and keeps bringing it back to :bmw: to be repaired, but nothing can be found. Sometimes the car has problems, but they aren't serious enough to invoke the Lemon Law or BMW's other ploy, which is to do a "courtesy buy back" (and avoid the :lemon: branding on title). The fact that the car could not be CPO'd is a bit of a red flag.

No one should ever buy a 6er out of warranty, so I hope you've got plenty of miles yet. Mind if I ask which model and model year you have ? My 650i was a "courtesy buy back" enabling me to get the M6, which has been completely trouble-free (except for ingesting huge amounts of petrol and oil) for 4.5 months and 6200 miles.

I think you are entitled to see the service history, so you should be diligent and, if necessary, contact BMW NA.

[chuck92103]

I would not worry about it. Enjoy your car. Life is too short. :racer:

A trade assist can happen in two situations. One, the car was a lemon. Or two, the car had issues in which BMW could not get parts in a timely manner.

To avoid lemoning the car, BMW buys the cars back. This happened for some 6 series with steering rack issues, 335 for fuel pump issues, etc.

If you have driven your car for 30 days and have no noticable issues, chances are you won't.

iDrive glitches, steering rack issues, etc. all rear their ugly head quickly.

Good luck.

[Baywatch]

I just found out my car was apparently part of a Trade Assist. When the local dealer checked the service record on the car there is a note that the car is a Trade Assist and cannot be CPO'd in California.

I bought it from a used car independent dealer who apparently bought it from another dealer who bought it from the wholesaler who got it from BMW Credit.
The carfax on the car was clean. I just assumed it was a turned-in or defaulted lease. The TA status was not disclosed to me.

Should I be concerned?

BMW-NA tells me to talk to my local dealer who will in turn, tell me nothing about why the car was TA'd.

Anyone have any advice?

Don't expect the dealer to tell you anything about why it was TA'd. Not to split hairs, but TAs are different from courtesy buy-backs, which are also different from lemon law buy backs. I'll leave it to the lawyers to discuss the finer points, but bottom line is that the consumer has little in the way of rights to disclosure in the first two scenarios.

However, in all but the rarest of scenarios, you will still have the manufacturer's original warranty as well as the maintenance intact.

In the absence of any symptoms, I'd say fuhgedaboutit and enjoy your car.

[KidK]

I was just notified that BMW is going to buy back my 650. We have been dealing with convertible top issues for some time now (sensors go on the fritz and the car thinks the top is unlocked) and I finally called BMW North America to complain.

I will find out the amount next week, but I have to admit that this was a very simple and fair process (assuming the payout is reasonable for a 2.5 year old car). BMW had a chance to loose me as a customer, but odds are we will end up with the M6 (call me Mini Mal!).

[boxboss]

I was just notified that BMW is going to buy back my 650. We have been dealing with convertible top issues for some time now (sensors go on the fritz and the car thinks the top is unlocked) and I finally called BMW North America to complain.

I will find out the amount next week, but I have to admit that this was a very simple and fair process (assuming the payout is reasonable for a 2.5 year old car). BMW had a chance to loose me as a customer, but odds are we will end up with the M6 (call me Mini Mal!).
How long have the problems been with you? How long did you loose use of the car?

I am glad it worked out, though.

[KidK]

Boxboss,

The issue has been on and off for the last two years. It started about five months after I bought the car. When the sensor "thinks" the top is unlocked, you can't operate the windows or the trunk.

The car was in the shop five times and each time we were with a loaner car for up to six days. All in all BMW has been great at trying to fix this, and I hear that they actually redesigned the sensor in the newer models.

[boxboss]

Boxboss,

The issue has been on and off for the last two years. It started about five months after I bought the car. When the sensor "thinks" the top is unlocked, you can't operate the windows or the trunk.

The car was in the shop five times and each time we were with a loaner car for up to six days. All in all BMW has been great at trying to fix this, and I hear that they actually redesigned the sensor in the newer models.
I guess you were real close to being able to class it as a lemon. I remember some years back, several people had problems with the top (not me, thank goodness) that were related to the sensors.

I'm glad it worked out for you - maybe better if the M6 is in the works. :thumb: