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Stories from the Sales Frontlines
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That was fun at 3 in morning having to go outside and enter the code in the door to stop it (no remote keyless).
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
That is an excellent idea. I didn't think of actually locking the car when it is in the garage. That would duplicate the situation perfectly.
I will give that a try. I don't trust it too much when we are out, so after I park it and walk away when shopping I check on it every few minutes.
Your idea is a good one though, but I will have to keep the keys near me when sleeping. I got an email once that said keeping your keys by your bed when sleeping makes a good burglar alarm....if thieves break into your house you can push the panic button and the car alarm will go off, making the thieves run.
I'll definitely try this and let you know. One thing that concerns me about taking the car in to the dealer is will it be something they can actually find and reprogram? This is a good way to make sure I don't go through all that for nothing.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Ray, sorry to hear you have this problem, but, kind of glad I am not the only one.
I used to carry my wife's keys with me but then I accidentally locked her car a few times by accident from it being in my pocket.....and she leaves her keys in the car (it is in the garage). I had to return home and let her into her car. After the 3rd time I decided not to carry her keys on me.
If it woke me up more than once in the middle of the night I think I would have it disabled at that point. Talking about the hatch going up, I have parked this car in the garage, walked behind it to go into the house, and for no apparent reason the automatic trunk goes up. It is supposed to go up if you put your foot under the bumper so you don't have to undo the latch when carrying groceries. I can't get it to open that way, but walking by when I don't have groceries seems to make it do it for some reason.
Makes you wonder how we used to get along with just an ordinary key.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
In my case it probably isn't water, conditions were dry each time.
For some reason your experience of going out in the middle of the night to put the code in the door reminds me of a coworker. He was staying in a motel one night watching TV in his underwear when he decided to go down the hall to get some ice. Of course the door closed and locked once he left the room. He had to sneak down the halls and stairways, avoiding other guests, and then crouched up to the counter to ask for an extra key. And then make his way back to the room. :sick:
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
In response jm, remember this was about 10 years ago - very different period of time than the current availability of invoice prices, incentives, etc. Additionally, in the area I worked in (South Florida), most of the customers would negotiate just because they enjoy the process - why they do this is beyond my comprehension, but that is a "cultural" kind of activity here.
When a customer would come in, and their first offer was $1000 below my dealer cost, do you really think negotiations are going to be short? The customer's take on this is that I'll buy it for that price! This was a very common occurrence back in the early to mid 2000's, perhaps less so now, but I'm not in the business any longer so I cannot speak from current experiences. When I go in to buy a car (seems like every year lately) I know the invoice, the incentives, USAA pricing, etc. So there is no room for negotiations. The dealer already knows what USAA requires and if the incentives apply, they have no choice but to honor it. They can try to make money on the trade, but I know the wholesale value from auctions on Manheim, and I usually add a thousand or two because my cars are low mileage and super clean.
On average, negotiations would take about an hour, give or take a few minutes. But, then there were those customers who truly enjoyed the process, and those are the ones I used to detest - they stick to their guns and won't offer a penny over teh $1000 below cost. In those cases, I would bring out the actual invoice on the car and still, the customer would stick to the $1000 below invoice and state that you have your holdback, don't you?
They just didn't want the sales associate to make a living or the dealership to make any profit.
As for the surveys, when I was in management I would never sell a car to a customer who was upset, disgruntled or aggravated. It was a sure sign CSI would suffer. And at the prices they wanted to pay, why take a chance on a bad CSI (lose manufacturer's incentives and per car incentives) and not make any money on the sale up front? We are all aware of the significance of excellent CSI, from the sales standpoint as well as service, because of the big dollars at stake for the dealership.
You are right - SOB is not a good enough word to describe this doctor, but, as you said - you can go just so far on Edmunds!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Driver, tell me if I am wrong, but isn't your car a BMW 535i? If it is, does it have "comfort access"? If it does, than that is the problem.
I had 2-2008 535i's, one I bought, the other was a replacement by BMW because of problems with electronics. And the second one they gave me had the identical problems the first one did.
Every time is would thunder and lightning with heavy rain down here (every day in th summertime, whcih just started here) I would go to the car the very next morning and when I started it, I would get an error message indicating "HEAVY BATTERY DRAIN-SEE DEALER IMMEDIATELY!" Now this would happen 3 out of 4 times we had heavy storms. BMW had the car(s) in their shop for weeks at a time. The computer showed the error messages being displayed, but they were unable to track the reason for the drainage. I wonder if you are experiencing a defect in comfort access - if you have it.
If you don't have comfort access, then my deductive reasoning is flawed.
Be interested in your response.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Steve
Geez, all this talk about inadvertent actuations of car alarms due to carrying keys in your pockets. Have any of you older gents heard of relaxed-fit clothing? :surprise:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
65 Chevy Commercial featuring the Boys from Bonanza, and the Man from U.N.C.L.E.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Good memory Mike, actually a 2012 535ix but just a minor detail. I am not sure what "comfort access" is, I'd be interested to know, but I know that the 4 times this has happened have been clear dry days, and the car is kept in a garage overnight.
So far, I locked the car in the garage yesterday and today, I take the keys out of my pocket, and I am going to see what happens. The dealer has called numerous times for me to bring the car in. I guess they would like to do some warranty work on it. I don't want to drive it in 40 minutes, bring back a loaner, then go back the next day if it is because of my own stupid fault. At least they said they would note the problem and the date if it does happen again.
Let me know what comfort access is. I don't think I have a normal alarm system, if the car is stolen they can track where it is from the On Star type device. Let me know where that leaves us.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Another Steve....I think there is a record number of Steve's on this site, including me.
Actually, that is a good point, the dog was in the car each time. I can't believe she could set it off because she is a 10 pound Bichon and she basically just curls up and sleeps when we leave the car. She will watch us as we go into a store, usually from the back seat though, and she does lean on the door or at least the arm rest and puts her nose on the window.
It is true though, the dog was in the car each time so I will email my sales person and ask...it would be worth checking out. Thanks for writing, I am glad you mentioned that.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I have a svelt body and I like to flaunt it..... :P
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Boy that advertisement sure brought back memories! My very first new car was in 1965 Chevrolet Super Sport with a 327 cu.in. V8. I remember I had to wait 4 months for the car because GM was on strike that year. Love how they made a big deal out of the tilt steering wheel. Super great nostalgia!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Basically, it allows opening the car by touching any of the 4 door handles and allows you to start the car without inserting the key via push button start. It's a totally keyless function. I have it on the Lexus, and had it on my 535i. You can open the trunk by touching the button under the trunk lid while key is in your pocket.
BMW told me they thought that the loud noise of thunder "awakened" the car via the comfort access option ($1000 option) but they couldn't be sure. Once the car is awakened by noise, it stays active. If you have the comfort access option, it could be the same type of electrical glitch I had on my 535i's. Both cars had the same problem. I'm thinking that something wakes the system inadvertently.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
When the TV changed channels with a rotary tuner (manually). Few shows were in color. Corvair was looked at as a nice car rather than Unsafe at any Speed.
And two years later the Chevy II would become a Nova sporting a 396CI/375 HP full on street racer. Who could have predicted that in 65 when I was 15.
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
Oh really? You could've fooled me. :P
Hope you're feeling better.
I have a flaunted body and I like to SVELT it!!!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
What a great first car to own. My first car was a bug eye 1960 Austin Sprite I bought in 1967 for $400. It used about a quart of oil every 3 days, and I bought #60 grade oil by the gallon.
it allows opening the car by touching any of the 4 door handles and allows you to start the car without inserting the key via push button start
Yes, I do have that. In fact, there isn't even a place in the dash where you insert the key...I have to keep it in my pocket. I have wondered if someone elses remote or electrical device might set the alarm off. No key needed to open or lock doors and you just touch the trunk to make it go up, like you described.
The weather was clear whenever it went off. I asked my salesman about the dog, and I lock it every chance I have and either watch it for a few minutes or take the keys out of my pocket.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
When remote controls came out for TVs I always wondered how people could be so lazy they couldn't get up to change channels once every hour. I can't imagine getting up to do that now, especially with all the channels. Remember those Jerrold converters with the wires that ran across the living room.
I thought people were lazy when power windows were first offered and when cars came out with remote controls. How did we survive without air conditioning?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I remember when I was a kid, or even a young adult, life was so much less stressful. When we got automatic transmissions, I couldn't wait to get my 1966 GTO with "4 on the floor!"
Just remember when they went to the moon they had computers that took them there that had less memory than our iPhones have and less processing power than my HP computer with a dual core I7 processor. Yep, those were the days!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Driver, my very first car was in 1962 and it was a 1956 Ford Sunliner Convertible that had 125,000 miles on it and the first time I tried to put the top down, it literally broke in two pieces. The exhaust fumes were so bad, I almost exfixiated my first date on the car. The 1965 Impala SS 327 was my first new car.
Ah, yes, those were the days!
yes, I do have that
Remember I told you that the BMW dealer could not figure out what was wrong with the cars and even had several factory people out to look at the cars and could never figure out the problem. I had a 2005 525i, a 2006 530i and a 2007 530i, but never had problems with them but they did not have comfort access. These last 2 did, and they guessed it was some noise that awakened the car, but could not solve the problem. I believe the problem you are having is electrical in nature, just like mine were. And I'll bet they still don't have a fix for it. The only difference between all my BMW's was the comfort access option and to have two different BMW's have the same exact problem is certainly not a fluke!
I would take the car back to them and have them look at the computer error messages and history of anomalies in the computer read out. I'll bet it show inadvertent alarms being executed.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
The dog likely IS setting off the alarm; there is a motion sensor mounted in the headliner. On my E39 528i the sensor could be disabled by pressing the lock button twice- the first push locks the car and the second kills the sensor.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
Sorry to have been absent a couple of days. I'm fine. Feel very well. They have to keep reminding me that no matter how I feel I have no immune system and won't for quite a while but I'm doing great.
Those speakers (thanks, rb!) hit the spot! I'm never happier than when I'm banging on my guitar and these things make playing along with stuff just sweet as can be.
That sounds like a very good idea. The idea of computer programs and that they can trace back a false alarm doesn't register too easily in my brain. I tend to think of some of my older cars 1964 British Envoy, 1960 Sprite, 63 Comet, 65 Galaxie.....if they were acting up and I took them to the mechanic it was something that usually didn't happen when I took the car in.....and there wasn't a record or a way to show them what was wrong....very frustrating. That's one reason I like to own a car that is under warranty, and 4 years for me is a good time to trade.
I can't get my mind around the fact that there is a record in the onboard computer. I don't have two days in a row I can go to the dealer until 2 weeks from now. I have made a note to take it in when I can swing it.
Very good advice.
By the way, yes those old computers were as big as a house, but only did a fraction of what a desktop can do today.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
The salesman doesn't think the alarm is set off by the dog. To lock the car you just touch the door handle. I could lock the car using the button on the fob, but now i have become too lazy to take the key fob out of my pocket, since I never have to use it.
The 528i system probably worked a little differently. If I have a car alarm I don't know about it...guess I should ask. As far as I know I think this alarm is just the panic alarm. If someone steals the car they can track it. But, you never know, maybe it was poor little Gigi, though she doesn't usually do anything bad.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I'm with you, I think the dog should be innocent until proven guilty. She seemed stunned when the alarm goes off...it is a loud shrieking noise....I don't think she would want it on.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Aw, come on judge, do you really think Gigi could be guilty as charged?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Really simple process....I'm buying today, right now. I have my offer all written up (and I then present it). We either have a deal for my offer, or we don't. If we don't, no hard feelings, but I'm not going to sit at the desk and get "bumped". If my offer is accepted, I bought a car. That rarely takes more than 10 minutes, max.
Invariably, some dealerships will try to bump me, regardless of how I present my offer, and instruct it's a one time offer. I just walk away at that point.
I can ask my salesman again, but he says the dog won't set it off. I don't think the car has a regular alarm, I think only a panic button which you would have to set off. Not sure if you have bmw on-star (whatever they call it), but I think that becomes like a car alarm in the sense they can track the car if it is stolen.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
All 5 series BMWs have an Anti-theft alarm system which includes an interior motion detector as standard equipment. Unless Canadian BMWs are different than those sold in the US.
So it could be the dog, although it's not really doing anything wrong except moving.
That brings pictures to my mind of a commercial for health insurance that runs here in the Midwest. An older man goes into the room of his house where his young adult daughter is playing rock music with her garage band. He grabs the guitar away from her and procedes to render an old 60s-70s version of some well known rock song. Therefore, buy the addon insurance policy for your Medicare which the ad is selling.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
So it could be the dog, although it's not really doing anything wrong except moving.
Sounds like it could be possible. I have copied your remarks and sent it to my sales guy. I think he is off today, but I will let you know what he says. If it is the dog, it will be hard to leave her in the car. They probably have a way to bypass that feature. For example, at first we would leave the windows down about 2 inches, start to walk away, and then the windows would go up by themselves. To overcome that, I had to use the key to actually manually lock the doors. I did that a few times and it seems the car learned....the windows stay down even without the key.
We'll see if it is all Gigi's fault.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Perhaps, however I am not as rigid as you might think regarding pricing. I always have a trade - and that is the variable that needs careful consideration. If you decide not to trade, you have to sell the car, which means you have to pay sales tax on the entire price of the new car - if you trade, they deduct the trade priot to sales tax (at least here in Florida). So there has to be some flexibility. I know the value of the trade within $1000, plus or minus, so I am willing to negotiate to a point, but not thousands of dollars.
When I went in to Lexus on April 30th, They wanted $6200 plus my car for the new GS350. I knew they were using Manheim to value the 2012 Mercedes, but none of those cars was a P2 car that MSRP'd at $63,000. The cars they were using to compare my trade with were $57,000 MSRP cars. We both knew that, but it is very difficult to sell a car like mine, which meant it had to be wholesaled. I brought the Monrony Sticker which was on the side window of the car when it was delivered last year - so with some give and take, and about an hour of negotiating in the sales manager's office, we arrived at $4,000 out the door. That means they gave me $52,500 for my trade and sold me the new car for $53,000 (which included a conquest of $1500). Thus, I bought the car for $1500 under their invoice. One more thing about my trade - I bought it for $55,200 under the USAA pricing and a $2000 MB Financial indentive. So, I drove the car for 8 months, put 4700 miles on it, and the net cost to me was just under $3000 for those 8 months - less than if I leased the car for 36 months at $750 a month.
So, sometimes you have to be patient and flexible. I told them I wouldn't pay a penny more than $3000 out the door. So, I came up a thousand and they came down $2200 by putting more in to my trade - which they got back because they found a dealership willing to by the trade at $53,500. So they made back $1000 and we were both happy with deal.
If you have no trade, then I agree wholeheartedly with your approach. You know the invoice, you know the fees and taxes, so you can make a one time offer. But with a trade, not so easy when considering wholesale.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Unfortunately, salespeople know only a small amount of info regarding the cars they sell. That is why Lexus and several other manufacturers are going the route of the delivery specialist and technology specialist at each dealership.
You all know how long I have been trying to master the technology in my new car - and that is with assistance from Torrence California (Lexus headquarters USA) and the dealerships Tech Geek. I just found the button that sets the trip odometers (two settings, trip A and trip
Remember, the car just came out in mid March. And the technology in the car is brand new to the Lexus line - all future Lexus cars will have this technology and new body styling, but right now, few people know how to get it working.
But salespersonnel? Rarely do they have a clue. The key to selling lot sof cars for a salesperson is PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE!!! A few work hard at cultivating it, but only a few. Most know where the gear selector is, the radio buttons, etc., but not much more.
When I did the training of salespeople, I literally had them do presentations during training to us on a "walk-around" of the vehicles, detailing the intracasies of the technology. But it is a rarity in many dealerships that the salesperson knows enough about the cars they sell. The good salesperson would respond - "...ya know, I don't have an answer to that, but I'll get back to ya in less than 20 minutes with the answer..." rather than BS an answer back to the customer - like it can't be the dog!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Yes, and I think it is very possible, especially after reading so many posts saying that is it. I have been locking the car at home and at work, the alarm hasn't gone off again, but she hasn't stayed in the car on her own since the last time the alarm went off.
It is possible they just want me to bring in the car to do some warranty work on it. I'll have to start locking Gigi up in the car to see if she is the one setting the alarm off!
Now go listen to your new speakers.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Roadburner posted the necessary action to disable the motion sensor. I'll go back and find it, and here it is:
. . .the sensor could be disabled by pressing the lock button twice- the first push locks the car and the second kills the sensor.
I agree totally, especially my last salesman at Dealer A who was charging me $6000 more for the same car. He couldn't even work his computer properly....I could build the car on the BMW site a lot faster than he could, and I am about a 4 out of 10 with computer skills.
But, my salesman is fairly young an tech savy. He answers my questions immediately on his Blackberry and invites questions. He could be wrong about the dog though, I agree about that, there is just too much knowledge and technicals are progressing faster than we can learn them, as you are finding out.
My BMW dealership does have a tech expert that I can ask, but my salesman prefers that I try him first. We'll see what happens.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
This sounds like a scene from a French movie..
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Yes, you are one of the very fortunate ones who has a young salesperson who is technologically savvy. Additionally, most salespeople dread having to show the new car features and vehicle operation to the customer. My last experience was awful. He hasn't even called me to see how I'm doing with my new car! So I've been dealing with the tech geek from the dealership and Torrance California!
You mentioned before how helpful your salesperson has been and you should be very very thankful you have one like that!
Finally, if it's the dog setting off your alarm, I'll eat my hat (or Gigi's dogfood)!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
I loaded it on to my desktop computer as well, and the variety and quality of the music is awesome. Pandora to a lesser extent, but still some great sounds like Michael Bublee, Kenny G, etc.
Give it a try if you haven't yet tried it.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Is it just me or are there others who think including an interior motion detector is a major overkill. To set off an interior motion detector you have to get into the vehicle. To do that you would set of the car alarm breaking into the car.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Search this forum and see if you can find my story of the six cylinder Subaru.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Gigi appreciates your concern. I must say, Gigi sleeps through everything normally. Once the alarm went off when someone opened the sliding patio door. The alarm went off, the monitor company called, I made my way to the door that set off the alarm...my wife and I were in panic mode....Gigi slept contently through the whole thing.
If Gigi is the one in the car I will make sure I am nearby, so I can turn it off if the alarm goes. The electronics are so good these days the car probably can sense it is me still in it.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
lol....a bad French movie at that!
I think I actually saw that movie.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Yes, I don't like bothering sales people...I am sensitive to that being in sales for a large part of my life. He makes money selling cars, not dealing with my problems.
When I picked up the car in November I told the salesman that was the easiest car I have ever bought. He said I was very easy to sell to. We all knew where we were heading, he was up front and he knew I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted. I said, Of course it was easy, you wanted to sell a car, and I wanted to buy a car, we just had to work out the right price.
I am hoping it is the dog setting off the alarm, because they can probably disable something to fix it. But, I'd hate to see you eat Pedegree dog food, Gigi really likes chicken flavor if it comes to that.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I'd love to get music like that. I will try it tomorrow, but if it is like Pandora it is only good if you are a resident of the U.S. We do have icebergradio.com in Canada...just choose the type of music you want and you get great sound pretty well commercial free. I like "Nostalgia"!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250