FlashBazbo

My BMC TeamMachine SLR01 Disc frame self destructed. My LBS said, "That's definitely a warranty claim. The frame shouldn't do that under any circumstances. BMC will replace the frame. Bring it in." The problem is in the area of the beautiful, but problematic, hidden seatpost clamp. I took it in.

Fast forward 3 days. LBS has been "discussing" the issue with BMC for two days. That seems a little less than positive to me. So . . .

Does anyone here have experience dealing with a frame warranty from BMC? How were they do deal with? Should I expect a hassle or any surprises?

chainwhip

Beautiful bike.
Not in a price range where the shop would want to alienate the customer.

Other than BF, is there internet buzz about the clamp area on this model frame?

alcjphil

I think that it is premature for you to worry. The "discussions" are probably more about what the distributor has in stock, whether the new frame has any compatibility issues with your current setup, and how quickly they can ship out a frame and how fast the shop can build it up. There might also be minor issues about compensation to the shop for their time
I think that it is a bit soon to worry
Lets say that your bike is a colour that you really, really like. Maybe the distributor doesn't have a replacement in stock. I don't know how BMC does things in the US. If they mainly sell complete bikes, they may not have many bare frames in stock. This can pose problems in a case like yours. Maybe you should ask the shop about the "discussions" that have been going on

tFUnK

I tried to warranty a cracked proprietary seat post that had failed from normal torque and couldn't even get a crash replacement price from BMC.

em_525

I was successful in getting a BMC Team Machine SLR01 warrantied, but it took a bit of back and forth and it wasn't a fun process. That's the only experience I've had with BMC but compared to other companies I've had to warranty things on, they were a bit difficult imo.

Esthetic

Hopefully its sorted out soon.

Being an 02 grade owner, kind of felt going any lighter to 01 grade comes with compromises somewhere for that weight savings since its a more raceday oriented build. I'm not quite the lightest rider at 195lbs.

chainwhip

Flash-
If things don't proceed to your liking, perhaps a link to this thread sent to BMC's Director of Social Media might be useful.

FlashBazbo

Follow up . . . I think my LBS really went to bat for me. BMC is replacing the frame. My LBS is going the extra mile to make sure everything turns out the way I hope. It's going to take some time but, between BMC and my LBS, it appears that everything is coming together very well. Fortunately, I'm racing my TT bike twice in the next four weeks. I wouldn't have been on the TeamMachine much in those four weeks, anyway.

Hopefully, by mid-September, this story will have a happy conclusion.

Noctilux.95

Being Swiss, they are very neutral

FlashBazbo

Yes, but they also own automatic weapons.

ksryder

Interesting. I recently had a similar experience with getting Campy to warrant a shifter. Took a lot of back and forth by my LBS but they finally honored their warranty.

Say what you will about Specialized (and I don't like their intellectual property litigation practices), I have several friends who've had to make warranty claims with Specialized and they all had completely painless experiences.

Wait a minute -- BMC is Swiss, Campy is Italian. The Swiss Guard has served as the Pope's bodyguard for centuries. Pope Sixtus IV, who began using Swiss mercenaries in the 1470s, also built the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo finished painting the Sistine Chapel in 1512. 15 plus 12 = 27. 27 is the atomic number of Cobalt. "Cobalt" was the name of a Fear the Walking Dead episode. Leading actress Kim Dickens played the character Sarah Kennedy in the 2000 action/horror film Hollow Man with co-star...

wait for it...

Kevin Bacon.

Need I say more?

FlashBazbo

Okay, I will say what I will about Specialized. I was a hard core Specialized customer for decades. Then, about 6 or 7 years ago, my new S-Works Tarmac started steering funny. It wouldn't pivot smoothly from one side to the other. The bike was less than 30 days old so I dismantled the steering for inspection. I found that the headset was corroded as if it were raw carbon steel (which it probably was) left in sea water or Coca Cola until it became badly corroded and pitted. The bearing was ruined. Bad deal on a new bike that had never seen rain (or flooding). I pulled the headset and carried it to my LBS. They called in the claim and Specialized denied the claim . . . because the dealer hadn't removed the headset. They offered to reconsider, but only if I drove the 50 miles home, reinstalled the headset, then loaded up the bike and brought it back the 50 miles to my dealer, let the dealer re-remove the headset, let the dealer submit the claim (either using photos or, possibly, by mailing the headset in for evaluation), wait for the processing of the claim, then pay the dealer for removing and replacing the headset (which would have exceeded the cost of the headset by a multiple). Heck, the gasoline driving the 100-mile round trip would have cost more than the headset! Specialized knew I wouldn't go to the trouble.

So I bought a headset and took it home. Problem solved. (But I kicked my long term semi-annual S-Works purchase habit.)

Sy Reene

So why didn't the LBS have enough of a clue to tell Spesh that they dismantled it.. especially as they were telling you to go home and reinstall and return again to them? Just a really odd story IMO.

colnago62

nesposito

I had a VERY good experience with a BMC warranty claim. I had a 2014 SLR02. Following a Saturday morning ride i noticed what looked like chipped clear coat on the back of my seat tube but thought it may be a crack. I drove my bike down to the dealer who took photos and emailed them to BMC but said we wouldn't hear til the following week being it was Saturday. I was really concerned with what the reaction would be. While at lunch on Monday I got a call from the shop that BMC had reviewed the photos and was shipping a new frame that would be in Phoenix later that week. I did have to pay $150 for the shop to swap all components which I had no problem with. Not only did i have a bike to ride the following weekend but the frameset was one year newer model than the one that had cracked. I have nothing but praise for the way it was handled and I'm still riding that same frameset two years later.

Sy Reene

Sounds like a better experience than OP who has to wait a month for a new frame.. then again maybe the wait is because like you, he'll get a 2019 model frame as they're all out of 2018s?

FlashBazbo

FOLLOW UP: We are almost a month into this. (The wait is no big deal because, in the last 3 weeks, I've had two triathlons. I've spent the month almost exclusively on my TT bike.) I go pick up the bike tomorrow afternoon and, if everything is as it's supposed to be, I will be a happy customer. But my happiness is very much due to extra measures taken by my LBS.

With BMC, if you have an approved frame warranty claim, BMC sends your dealer a frameset out of their "warranty frame inventory." The "warranty frame inventory" consists of framesets that are officially designated for warranty replacements. Color choices are limited. If it had been left strictly to BMC, they would have sent me a 2018 frameset in black and silver -- the only color available in "warranty frame inventory" -- my least favorite color and certainly no substitute (in my eyes) for the Team Red of my original frameset.

My dealer intervened. He ordered a 2019 bike in my choice of color and is transferring my components to the new 2019 frameset. I'm not sure how he's going to even things up, but I'm very happy with his solution. (And he will be selling me a new gravel bike as a result.) A good LBS is a valuable thing.

Sy Reene

Nailed it! Way to go

raria

This is one reason I'm really hesitant to buy a super expensive frameset. The company's handling of warranties don't fill me with confidence and would leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Given its highly unlikely that such specific damage was caused by a crash I'm surprised they made you and your LBS work for the warranty claim. It's also a bit of a shame you had to work to get the red frame color replacement.

That's a $5,000 frameset isn't it? For that price I'd expect an exact replacement with no messing about.

But really happy for you it worked out so well.

JasonD67

This thread makes it much less likely that my new bike will be a BMC.

Shuffleman

evansWV

Given my good experience so far, I was compelled to contribute to this forum. My Roadmachine 02 frame cracked during regular use. I took it down to my friendly, local bike shop. They examined the damage and called in a warranty replacement. The process took about 14 days from them contacting BMC to receiving the brand new frame. As reported here or elsewhere, the frames are pulled from back stock. As a result, you may not get the same color, but it will be brand-new and of the same or better quality. The key point is to have the bicycle shop staff lean on BMC to provide a credit for the labor involved in the components switch which they sometimes, but not always, will do.

Cheers, E

bpcyclist

Glad things worked out for you. How did you happen to come upon the crack?

UsedToBeFaster

If its so rare just make the customer whole.

Some of these bikes cost as much as a newish car after all.

bruce19

I'll have what you're smoking. Please send to Lewis Carroll...1 Toadstool Rd.....Wonderland.