I experienced brake failure on a new BMW 328xi with less than 250 miles on it. I was pulling into a parking spot and slowing down using the brakes but when I depressed the brakes completely to come to a full stop the car continued to move forward and the vehicle rolled into the wall three or four feet in front of the parking spot. Has anyone heard of this happening or know a possible cause? Thanks.
You have a real “tough row to hoe” in proving this one.Bet it works just fine now,doesn’t it?
Did the pedal feel as normal or did it go to the floor? That could happen with a defective or worn master cylinder before dual brake systems but you have a dual system in your modern car meaning that if one portion fails, the other should still function and you should have stopped.
Another possibility is that you pushed the brake and accelerator pedals with one foot. Check to see if your foot can somehow bridge the gap between the brake and the accelerator pedal.
Do you really need to know why it occurred? Just take it to the dealer to evaluate the brake system. Also, you might contact your insurer first to alert them that you have this problem. I’m sure it exceeds your insurance limit.
How far should this get in the dispatch chain? If the Service writer could not duplicate should it be dispatched to a mechanic? and when the mechanic can not duplicate who should pay for the look over?
If the system diagnoses out no problems found, then their focus is going to be on operator error. As stated, could you of accidentally pushed the accelerator pedal as well? If the car is a manual transmission could you of inadvertently pushed the clutch? I’m not trying to question your abilities, but could it be a brand new car that you’re not used to?
It’s a new BMW so the brakes and everything else is covered under warranty. Have them run a diagnostic. Don’t put it off in case it is a serious problem.
You are not aware how the warranty process works. Simply because a customer says a system doesn’t work doesn’t mean the manufacture must pay to prove it does.
The customer should initaly agree to pay for the exam (perhaps by an Independant) and if a warranty issue is found then the repair status is changed to warranty.
Put it this way,if a customer claims poor mileage does the manufacture have to prove nothing is wrong?
I have no idea what a “brake diagnostic” would be besides driving the car, no warning lights on and a visual inspection.
Contrary to what I think (which is motivated by doing too many jobs for free)I just spoke with a friend who is in a management position in a BMW Dealership and the car would probably get assigned to the factory rep to look at (along with a mechanic for the heavy lifting) simply because BMW would want to cover themselves, with the actual Dealership taking a hit along with the mechanic for their lost time if no problem is found.