What is autodefect.org?+
An independent consumer evidence registry documenting BMW HVAC evaporator failures: diagnoses, repair costs, mileage at failure, warranty treatment and customer-care outcomes. Every record carries an evidence level, and originals are preserved unaltered with cryptographic hashes.
Is this site affiliated with BMW?+
No. This is an independent consumer evidence registry — not affiliated with, sponsored by, authorized by, operated by, or endorsed by BMW AG, BMW of North America, LLC, or any BMW dealership. BMW and model designations are used solely to identify the vehicles that are the subject of consumer reports.
Is this a lawsuit or class action?+
No. No class action is claimed or implied. The Registry is not a law firm; submission does not create an attorney-client relationship, guarantee legal representation, guarantee recovery, or suspend any legal deadline. Records are kept to a standard that could be useful to regulators, researchers, journalists and — should one form — qualified counsel.
What does submitting cost?+
Nothing. There are no fees, and the Registry does not sell records. A submission takes about 20 minutes with your documents in hand, and you can save and resume.
What information do I submit?+
Owner and vehicle details, purchase and ownership history, symptoms, diagnoses, repairs, part numbers, costs, warranty and goodwill outcomes, communications with BMW or dealers, and supporting documents — estimates, invoices, diagnostic reports, photos and correspondence.
How is my VIN protected?+
Full VINs are stored encrypted, with a keyed hash used only to detect duplicates. A VIN never appears in public pages, URLs, search indexes, analytics or email. Public records show a non-sequential Registry ID; at most, an administrator-approved partial VIN.
Will my report be public?+
Only if you consent. Submissions are private by default. Publication uses a sanitized record — no name, contact details or full VIN — and documents appear only as redacted copies you approved. Optional consents are never pre-checked, and you can withdraw consent later.
What are evidence levels?+
Level A: document-verified (repair orders, invoices or diagnostic reports on file). Level B: partially documented. Level C: owner-attested without documents. Levels are shown on every public record, and owner-attested reports are never blended into verified statistics.
Can I update or delete my record?+
Yes. You can resume a draft, add documents, or update outcomes as your case develops. Privacy requests — access, correction, deletion, consent withdrawal — are honored and tracked; published records that change materially show a visible correction history.
What if a published record is wrong?+
Anyone — owners, dealers, BMW, researchers — may request a correction with supporting information. Material changes are logged publicly on the record rather than silently edited. Send corrections to bmw@autodefect.org.
How can BMW or a dealership respond?+
Through a standing right of reply. BMW AG, BMW of North America and dealerships may submit corrections, technical explanations or responses to any published record; responses are published verbatim alongside it. Contact: bmw@autodefect.org.
How do I contact the Registry?+
One address for everything — owner support, media, researchers, corrections, privacy requests, and manufacturer or dealer responses: bmw@autodefect.org.
WHAT GOOD EVIDENCE LOOKS LIKE
EVIDENCE GUIDE →
