So Much For German Engineering...

I am in a little bit of a bad mood as I have been dealing with car problems since Monday. We have a brand new (4.5 weeks old and straight from the manufacturer) BMW 120d wagon and since Monday have had 2 catastrophic events that have interrupted my life. FYI, this kind of thing only happens when TJ is in other countries. For example, last year in Le Claire, Iowa every time it snowed enough where I needed to use a snowblower TJ was here in Germany. Any way we waited over two months for this car to be manufactured and now I have problems. It all started with my need to recycle glass bottles and pick up a liter of milk. To do this I drive to the market where I can do both...about three blocks away. When I get back I smell diesel petrol...but did I think anything of it, not yet. About an hour later I come out ready to go to the gym and it really smells...I look at the street and there lies a trail of diesel. My thoughts...oh shit. I get in the car and turn it on to quickly get out and check the undercarriage to find diesel running out under the engine! After a few calls it is determined that after 4:00 forget getting anyone to help you! This prompts me to call my husband in Aspen to which I hear, "what did you do to it?", clearly I did nothing...he even asked if I put gasoline in it instead of diesel...to which I say, "GIVE ME A LITTLE CREDIT"!
Tuesday. I need you all to remember what I said about customer service and how it doesn't exist. It does with BMW...unless you are trying to get someone on the phone! Finally I was at the end of the rope. I decided to screw the right channels and call service myself and to my dismay they wanted me to bring in the wagon. I was like hell no, with that much gas leaking in a smokers paradise like Germany...forget it! The guy mentioned something about a service mobile that could come to the house, but didn't know what to call it in English...don't worry I helped him out and said, "yeah, its called a service mobile". Did it stop there no, I had to call Munchen, where the factory is to declare why I needed it sent and then they make the arrangements. And now three hours of the day is wasted. Finally this man gets here and speaks zero english. I know what you are thinking, Annie Speaks some, well Annie doesn't know how to say jack about cars in German. We had a little problem. When I asked what the problem was after he fixed it he, said, "keine grosse problem". That would translate to not a big problem. Clearly, this is not to be the case. So it appears to be running fine.
Wednesday. I am ready to go to the monthly coffee with all the wives (about 9:15 am), and I am really looking forward to it and what happens...car trouble. It takes several attempts to start, and when it does it bounces around and emits an exhaust that fills the entire strasse (street). A few choice words later I am on the phone. Does anyone call me back, NO! So I send an email to the guy that handles the ex-pats at TJ's work to CMA and then call Munchen directly, yep, skipped the Mannheim branch completely. (I kind of went to that place that few have seen, except maybe Melissa, Jennifer, and Cindy in Augusta, where I clap the hands and curl the lip...Melissa it was just like the Target incident of 2006). Any way the same guy comes out and says something to the affect that it wasn't put together correctly. That's just fantastic! He calls it in and I am to wait for the truck guy. It is now 1 pm. The truck guy comes and speaks beautiful english and before he does anything he tells me that the street has to be cleaned, and that I am responsible. Whatever...if BMW hadn't given us a lemon maybe, but no. Street cleaner comes and he needs an insurance number. I don't have one as it exists through the company person who set all of this up, and I don't really care...its 1:30. The truck guy takes me to the dealership where I hear three men discussing the car and every other word is Munchen. Not good as TJ and I are going to Austria on Wednesday and need our car. So they offer me a rental and I say yes but it has to be automatic. Apparently in German that translates to I am difficult and an inadequate driver. Again I don't care it is after 2:00. Actually in all fairness, I did receive excellent customer service once I stepped inside the doors, but it took them forever to find an automatic....and once they found it they kept saying that this was the only automatic available...thanks, I get it. The rental car lady also explained that when it took longer than 6 days the rental agreement renews itself. I think she may have been alluding to the fact we are not getting it back soon. So what am I driving? The biggest freaking car ever! It certainly rivals the Buick my mom had when I was growing up...it is a giant BMW 5 series sedan. My neighbor had to come out to help me get it into my park platz! Let's just say I am not driving it unless I have to. All in all this mess took almost 6 hours yesterday! And those are hours I can never get back. Then something funny happened, I turned on slingbox and the first commercial I see is the VW one with Brooke Shields about people lusting over German engineering...whatever Brooke, not this gal!
Through this mess I kept thinking of my inexpensive 2002 Saturn SL1 that I had one minor problem with in its 5th year. That car was amazing, certainly not fast or high performing, but reliable! She drove from Arizona to Iowa once, Georgia to Iowa once, and Georgia to Missouri twice. So much for German engineering...I just hope GM is around when I get home in a couple of years, so I can drive a reliable car again!
Hopefully today will be better...Auf Wiedersehen!