BMW of Carlsbad — Attraction in Carlsbad

I first test drove a used 2021 M550i that I wasn't interested in due to the color combo (Alpine White/white). I was up front about that, and thankfully the knowledgeable salesperson was still very helpful and I enjoyed the test drive- the car is a blast! I received a somewhat insulting offer for my 2013 Audi A6 when running the numbers for planning purposes. The excuse for the low offer was how much they need to spend to recondition it. Not a big deal since I was primarily checking out the car to see if I was even interested in that model.

A few weeks later, they got another used 2021 M550i in a better color combo (Aventurin Red/black), so I went in to check it out and do a test drive. Unfortunately, the salesperson wasn't nearly as knowledgeable as the first one, and struggled to not only tell me which options the car did/didn't have, but also struggled to tell me what was included in each option package once I informed him which option packages were mentioned in the listing. It is not very reassuring when you know more about a car's configuration than the salesperson...

The test drive went well, with the exception of a vibration at freeway speeds that the salesperson blamed on the road. I looked over the car the best I could in the evening light (my mistake- never buy a car at night!), and decided to go forward with the purchase. This time I was armed with a Carmax offer that helped me get more for my trade in. Despite not being able to purchase a ceramic coating and interior protection package, I still finalized the purchase late at night and drove the car home.

During the first week of ownership, I noticed that the attention to detail while reconditioning was not very good. This is frustrating because if you're going to tell me how much you need to spend to recondition my non-BMW trade in, I expect the "certified preowned" BMW to be reconditioned to an even higher standard. I asked them to address some of the issues when I brought the car back to remove a tint strip across the top of the windshield (installed by the previous owner) which they did free of charge. Here is a list of the things that were missed during the reconditioning:

Tire/wheel balance were off, likely because they weren't rebalanced after curb rash repairs (fixed by dealer) Wipers were old, bronzed, and didn't work very well (fixed by dealer, but was harder to address than it should have been) Tar on the bottom of the driver's side rear door (fixed this myself) Chemical staining/spotting of the badges on the back of the car and a film on the exhaust tips (fixed these myself) Scratches in the paint on the hood and trunk lid (dealer declined to fix these; improved these myself using a rubbing compound followed by waxing) Paint overspray on the side of the kidney grille when the front bumper was repainted to address rock damage (haven't brought this to their attention yet, not sure if they would do anything about it) There is supposedly a new software update, but they didn't apply it, and for whatever reason the car only gets as far as "preparing for installation" when I try to do it myself (has not been fixed yet) A vibration that can be felt at speeds as low as 30 and as high as freeway speeds. When empty, I can see the passenger seat shaking from this. (still in the process of trying to get this addressed and I really hope they can address it with the next visit, especially since they aren't the closest BMW dealer to where I live)

When I called in frustration midday Saturday to report that the tire/wheel balancing had not addressed all of the vibration issues, I was told that a manager would call me. A manager never called me so I had to reach out once again to one of the salespeople to try to get it addressed on Monday evening.

I know used cars won't be perfect, but this experience has been significantly more unpleasant than my previous purchase which was a similar age with similar mileage. This wouldn't be great anytime, but is really frustrating after spending so much on a...

Not the best experience.

This was my second BMW purchased from the BMW dealership and the first experience was great at the Encinitas dealership. Very helpful, and ordered racks floor mats and extra accessories with a discount for me.

I visited the Carlsbad lot over 5 times to test drive and look at options, every single time I went I was walking around the lot for at least 5-10 minutes before anyone even acknowledged I was there IF they even did. I went multiple times and walked around waiting for someone to come out. Majority of the time they didn't. Note that I am a younger woman, who was by myself shopping for my next BMW to purchase.

There was one x5 I saw on the website (the one I ended up purchasing) and went a few days later to test drive with mother and finally was helped out. The car itself was not cleaned and there was a button broken on the center console even though it was on the website and front and center on the lot for sale. I ended up purchasing it about two weeks after that test drive. When I went to complete the purchase after so much communication saying that I was going to be buying the car, the most minimal cleaning was done and the button was NOT fixed. The salesman was great at the time and going over the features and could not show me them with the broken button. Still was sold to me broken after I no longer had a car to drive around in, so I couldn't wait longer to purchase. I had to bring it in a week after purchase to have it fixed and get a loaner vehicle. I went from and x3 to then purchased the x5 for size and was given an x1. The x1 was not a loaner vehicle but a used car that was actively for sale and told that if someone wanted to purchase it I would have to go back and swap it out for a new loaner. In addition to the broken part on the car I just bought. when I would start the car itself STUNK SO BAD. After dropping it off, I was notified that the whole center console needed to be replaced. Then the next day they told me the wrong part was delivered and the terrible smell came from "little hairs on top of the back seat." They said they would detail the car to get rid of the smell. I had the car for a week, I have a dog who sheds who was in the car for about 10 minutes so there was barely any hair. It most definitely did not make the car itself stink when it is started. I know it was the filters due to the time the smell occurred, explained that and asked for the filter to be replaced as well because I know the car. They told me they were replaced too recently (a few months ago) to need to be replaced. I told them that they need to be replaced at it was a new car that smelled bad, it was not from dog hair or something that I personally did. They agreed but when I picked the car up, not only was it not cleaned at all but the filters were not replaced. They clearly set off a scent bomb because it was fine for a day or two but then the smell immediately came back with the hot weather and when the car turns on along with the vents, the intense smell came right back. The button was fixed. I asked my salesman who helped out with a lot the whole time to check the service notes and never heard back.

Super annoying and frustrating experience. However, I will add that across all other BMW deal ships I visited multiple times 90% of the time I was never acknowledged or helped. It's my second bmw, I love the car so I want to purchase a quality, inspected car from the dealership itself but now with all of the problems it was sold with, I'm pretty confident that it was not inspected at all. It's almost like I'm waiting for a more major problem to come up at this point. And they made it obvious that I will not be properly helped at service appointments.

Bad experience and not confident in the car or service center at this point. Maybe I don't recommend it if you are a younger woman shopping and handling...

I recently purchased a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle from BMW of Carlsbad. Although the initial sales process seemed smooth, my experience quickly went downhill after the paperwork was signed.

Soon after the purchase, I brought the car back for repairs. I was told it would take four days, but I never received any updates. On the fourth day, I called to check and was told it would take five more days. Still, no communication. After following up again, I was told it would be delayed another four days. I understand delays happen—what frustrated me was the total lack of communication. No one followed up, and I had to chase answers at every turn.

Meanwhile, I had an issue with the loaner car. It had visible damage I hadn’t caused. I called Miguel, who had provided the vehicle, but he never mentioned any prior damage and didn’t return my call. When I dropped off the loaner, I spoke with Thomas, the sales manager. He assured me he would follow up with Miguel, Taylor (the salesperson), and the service team. He also promised someone would reach out. No one ever did.

On top of this, I never received my finance paperwork. Salah, who handled financing, failed to send it. After a week, I called and got a copy from Shea. I had also left voicemails for Taylor, Shea, and Miguel—none of which were returned.

When I finally picked up my car, I noticed the cargo net I had repeatedly asked for still hadn’t been installed. I was told a necessary plastic part had to be ordered. Ten days passed with no updates. I called again, but my messages to Bjern and Kristine went unanswered.

Later, I returned for the installation of the part and asked them to mount the front license plate bracket, which requires drilling into the bumper. The technician installed it visibly off-center—at least half an inch to the right. Kristine told me it was "only" a quarter inch off, as if that was acceptable. The technician made excuses about avoiding internal wiring. I insisted this was unacceptable. Thankfully, Mikey Nguyen stepped in. He was professional, took responsibility, and made things right. He had the holes patched, the bumper painted, and reinstalled the bracket—centered this time. Mikey was the only person throughout the entire process who demonstrated genuine customer service.

Unfortunately, it didn’t end there. I received a registration renewal notice from the DMV and discovered we had been charged for registration we didn’t owe. I contacted Shea, who acknowledged the mistake and said a refund would be issued. After a week with no response, I called again. Shea was unavailable, so I spoke to Thomas, who said he’d investigate and get back to me by the end of the day. That call never came. I followed up again—same promise, same result: no call. When I finally spoke with Shea again, he confirmed a refund would be mailed in 2–3 weeks. I doubt this would’ve been corrected had I not caught the error and followed up myself.

This entire experience was exhausting. Communication broke down at every stage. Voicemails were ignored. Promises were not kept. No one seemed to take ownership once the sale was complete. If not for Mikey Nguyen’s professionalism and follow-through, the experience would have been a complete failure. I expected better from a dealership representing the BMW brand. Unfortunately, based on this experience, I will not return to or recommend BMW of Carlsbad...