BMW Motorrad Advisory: Stop Riding Your 2014 R1200RT

[jono]

Sorry for the formatting, which did not come through on this reply, but the text is as follows:

Here's the table (copied from BMW's email to me - note the grammatical issue is not mine!):

Your Situation	Special Conditions	Our Offer	Timeframe	Option
I will wait for the repair of my RT (no loaner required).		A one time $2,500 payment.	Payment to be provided once the RT is repaired and returned to you. Update on parts availability will be provided when information is available.	1
I want to keep my RT but require a loaner or temporary use motorcycle while I wait for the repair.	Customer to provide valid proof of insurance for temporary use motorcycle. Subject to dealer participation and availability.	A one time $1000 goodwill payment good toward BMW Parts/ Accessories/Gear at a BMW Motorrad Dealer and/or towards payments on RT.	Payment to be provided once the RT is repaired and returned to you. Update on parts availability will be provided when information is available.	2
I want a replacement BMW motorcycle because I do not want to wait for the repair of my RT.	2014 models only, subject to availability.	Dealer will replace your RT with another available 2014 BMW Motorcycle. Your RT value will be the price you paid for it as new. In addition, you will receive a one time $1000 owner loyalty credit towards the replacement BMW motorcycle.		3
I do not to want to keep my RT so I want it bought back.		BMW Motorrad USA will provide a refund for the RT in accordance with applicable state laws.	Approximately 30 days after receiving a signed repurchase agreement.	4

 

[BJ_CT]

I suspect that the BMW Motorad USA customer service folks are trained to and usually work with dealers, not with end users. The last 2 calls I made to them the end of last week were handled by knowledgable people.

I'm a little curious about why this e-mail came out today when the CS folks had this same information last week. You can easily see that this has all the hallmarks of the legal department with little input from public relations/customer service folks.

 

[166934]

I received my official email from BMW today as well. For what it's worth, I plan on going with option 1 ($2,500 rebate upon fix) but have also ordered a Wilbers rear shock from Ted at BeemerShop for $850 so I can keep riding while I wait for the BMW solution.

I am a little nervous that my dealer and/or BMW are going to object but I am going to discuss this all with my dealer tomorrow to hopefully avoid any surprises. I think this is the best compromise for me. The incremental $1,500 from BMW for "waiting" without a loaner will pay for the shock if it just ends up going on the shelf down the road.

I've also heard that the BMW fix is ahead of schedule and might come mid July. That would be great but in that case I will have more or less wasted money on the Wilbers unit. However, if the BMW solution turns out to take a lot longer, it's probably money well spent to get back on the road in the meantime.

Not sure this is a good plan, exactly, but it's the one I'm currently hatching.

 

[MCDude]

I received my official email from BMW today as well. For what it's worth, I plan on going with option 1 ($2,500 rebate upon fix)

Same here, and the CS rep assured me today that those going with option 1 will get priority once the part becomes available (over new builds or bikes turned in). July would be very nice, however the rep was very non-committal on timeline. In fact, she tried to manage expectations somewhat.

 

[henzilla]

I received my official email from BMW today as well. For what it's worth, I plan on going with option 1 ($2,500 rebate upon fix) but have also ordered a Wilbers rear shock from Ted at BeemerShop for $850 so I can keep riding while I wait for the BMW solution.

You better check with your insurance carrier since there is a stop order...even with aftermarket shock solution. Some posts back someone mentioned the insurance company may not cover you riding a grounded machine.

 

[cjack]

You better check with your insurance carrier since there is a stop order...even with aftermarket shock solution. Some posts back someone mentioned the insurance company may not cover you riding a grounded machine.

Well...you're always at the mercy of some middle management in the short term. If the covered incident (accident or whatever) has nothing to do with the BMW stated recall part, I don't see a problem legally. I guess it ultimately has to do with the fine print.

 

[166934]

You better check with your insurance carrier since there is a stop order...even with aftermarket shock solution. Some posts back someone mentioned the insurance company may not cover you riding a grounded machine.

Yes, good point. I carefully reviewed my motor vehicle policy and couldn't find any language that would suggest to me that they would deny a claim because of a recall/stop ride/etc. Didn't appear to even be contemplated in the policy. I have a call in to my agent to get his read on it too, see if he's ever seen a similar situation, etc.

I stopped by the dealer this morning to discuss the Wilbers shock plan and the owner was totally on board, which was very encouraging. I also asked if he had any news on expected BMW repair dates and he said he didn't know anything for sure but wasn't expecting a fix before late August, and it could be later. Hopefully we're all pleasantly surprised on that front.

 

[Alfred02]

Just a slight caution you might want to look into.
As a German I can obviously read german very well.
I had a look at Wilbers.de Website. Their wording is very carefully chosen. They mention that they are a BMW partner (correct) and they have a solution for the shock woes we have, but "nowhere" do they mention that this is "approved" by BMW for the current situation.
Believe me as a German having lived there until my adulthood and us owning multiple businesses there, this is "not a simple oversight".
They knew very well every word they wrote in their statement. Not saying that they aren't in discussion with BMW to get this approved, but at this stage, I am very sure they do not have this.
So you might want to make sure that this doesn't make your BMW warranty void in relation to this specific issue.

 

[k1300gtglenn]

Time Table

Just off the phone with my very accomodating GM at Bentley Motorrad in Kelowna, BC. The Fatherland is prepping a release to dealers/owners for release mid-week (I suspect the lawyers are giving it the once-over) regarding the estimated time to repair the new RT. Here's hoping!

 

[195455]

Just to clarify for a couple of folks...

1. I wasn't born yesterday, not even close.
2. I've had waaaaay more "customer service" training than the average human.
3. I was not rude with anyone in my dealings with the dealership (except maybe to the guy who lied to me) or with corporate CS.

I did, however, communicate my dissatisfaction over the situation, especially the lack of communication from my dealer when speaking with corporate. I informed them I would be taking the buy back option because I did not trust the dealership (a feeling I have recently found I share with a large number of their customers), even though it is a spectacular motorcycle, by far the best thing on two wheels I've ever ridden. Which also ruled out Triumph and Ducati as options, that's why I went back to the Land of the Rising Sun (V-Star).

RickeyG

 

[xrocket]

I was Emailed the "official" offer matrix yesterday and after sleeping on it responded with the following manner:


None of the four options you are offering to assuage my dissatisfaction with your "stop riding" alert and subsequent offers goes far enough to cover my losses due to BMW negligence in this matter.

I have incurred prepaid multiple rally fees and hotel commitment expenses, many lost days of club and personal riding and a large forfeiture of warranty time not to mention actual motorcycle depreciation. My payments continue along with insurance coverage all the while my R1200RT sits in the garage and is rendered useless. The $2,500. does not even begin to cover my losses.

Without further compensation up-front and an additional extended BMW Factory unlimited one year warranty, your offer is a non-starter.

I look forward to BMW reassessing their offer and provide the level of customer satisfaction a world class motorcycle manufacture is capable of in the end.

Respectfully

xrocket


Blah Blah Blah ... we'll see ... not holding my breath ...lol

 

[classicvw]

BMW has previously told riders that broke down either on the way to a paid rally or on a multi day trip that they do not cover such expenses as fees and hotels.

My opinion is the $2500 figure is not unfair, but there HAS TO be some type of warranty extension.

 

[henzilla]

and after sleeping on it

Sure ya slept?

 

[motodan]

I was Emailed the "official" offer matrix yesterday and after sleeping on it responded with the following manner:


None of the four options you are offering to assuage my dissatisfaction with your "stop riding" alert and subsequent offers goes far enough to cover my losses due to BMW negligence in this matter.

I have incurred prepaid multiple rally fees and hotel commitment expenses, many lost days of club and personal riding and a large forfeiture of warranty time not to mention actual motorcycle depreciation. My payments continue along with insurance coverage all the while my R1200RT sits in the garage and is rendered useless. The $2,500. does not even begin to cover my losses.

Without further compensation up-front and an additional extended BMW Factory unlimited one year warranty, your offer is a non-starter.

I look forward to BMW reassessing their offer and provide the level of customer satisfaction a world class motorcycle manufacture is capable of in the end.

Respectfully

xrocket


Blah Blah Blah ... we'll see ... not holding my breath ...lol

Nicely done. I'm thinking the only aspect of your memo BMW will take note is use of the word "assuage". However, their only response will undoubtedly be to grab a dictionary.

 

[djmiller217]

Offer from BMW

Seems BMW should pay us Dead-Heads the average rental price charged per week for a comparable bike.
Looks like the weekly rate is $1,000.00 +/- instead of a flat $2500.00! Based on their offer and using my
Logic BMW is offering us 2.5 weeks rental! Not enough in my opinion! DonMiller 14RTD

 

[jono]

Seems BMW should pay us Dead-Heads the average rental price charged per week for a comparable bike.
Looks like the weekly rate is $1,000.00 +/- instead of a flat $2500.00! Based on their offer and using my
Logic BMW is offering us 2.5 weeks rental! Not enough in my opinion! DonMiller 14RTD

While I'm also not happy with the lack of transparent communication on this issue - I've had recalled cars, trucks and motorcycles and I've never been compensated for the loss and until this RT call, never been offered cash or multiple choices. Substitute transportation for any kind of outage is on the owner (unless you have substitute insurance that covers repairs). I took the trade-in on a GT which I thought was both generous for BMW and gracious by my dealer - it incurred minimal cost to me. And yes, I would have preferred to have kept the RT but I don't have a substitute. Compensation for loss of transportation is a "goodwill" gesture by BMW - not a contractual requirement of a manufacturer to its customers.

 

[kcdowning]

I was Emailed the "official" offer matrix yesterday and after sleeping on it responded with the following manner:


None of the four options you are offering to assuage my dissatisfaction with your "stop riding" alert and subsequent offers goes far enough to cover my losses due to BMW negligence in this matter.

I have incurred prepaid multiple rally fees and hotel commitment expenses, many lost days of club and personal riding and a large forfeiture of warranty time not to mention actual motorcycle depreciation. My payments continue along with insurance coverage all the while my R1200RT sits in the garage and is rendered useless. The $2,500. does not even begin to cover my losses.

Without further compensation up-front and an additional extended BMW Factory unlimited one year warranty, your offer is a non-starter.

I look forward to BMW reassessing their offer and provide the level of customer satisfaction a world class motorcycle manufacture is capable of in the end.

Respectfully

xrocket


Blah Blah Blah ... we'll see ... not holding my breath ...lol

Your case would have been a lot better if you had provided numbers, receipts and other documentation.

 

[xrocket]

Your case would have been a lot better if you had provided numbers, receipts and other documentation.

Matter of fact, everything is ready to submit to BMW depending on how they respond to my Email. If you'll read my Email for content, it is a response to the trial offer (my view) they are proposing. There is a normal progression of my intentions here and it might actualy be hard for someone who doesn't have a dog in this hunt to understand the "setup". I really appreciate everyone's impute owner or not. Thank you.

 

[motodan]

While I'm also not happy with the lack of transparent communication on this issue - I've had recalled cars, trucks and motorcycles and I've never been compensated for the loss and until this RT call, never been offered cash or multiple choices. Substitute transportation for any kind of outage is on the owner (unless you have substitute insurance that covers repairs). I took the trade-in on a GT which I thought was both generous for BMW and gracious by my dealer - it incurred minimal cost to me. And yes, I would have preferred to have kept the RT but I don't have a substitute. Compensation for loss of transportation is a "goodwill" gesture by BMW - not a contractual requirement of a manufacturer to its customers.

But, in any of those other recalls, were you told not to drive/ride the vehicle? That's a big difference...paying $20,000 plus for a luxury item and then not being "allowed" to use it can be a game changer...as opposed to stopping by the dealership for a quick recall repair. I agree with you, BMW has made an effort here, but some (mine included) dealers are not following BMW's lead on all options.

 

[Omega Man]

I've been following this thread with interest as an unfortunate new owner of the 14 RTW. The diversity of reaction has certainly been interesting.

I got 650 miles on my new RT before the stop ride came down. Just enough to get a feel for how well my two years of research into buying my next bike had paid off. There is nothing about the bike that I feel is a compromise from what I wanted. It is, as I suspected in buying it, exactly the right bike for me. The GT and GTL would require some compromise from my ideal, and I promised myself I wasn't going to "settle" this time for close enough.

So for me, Option 1 is the only clear choice. I have certainly gone through the stages of grief over the incident and have finally achieved acceptance. If the exact optioned bike I wanted hadn't been sitting on the showroom floor, I would have waited for months for a special order anyway. I have to say from my near fifty years of dealing with motorcycle dealers, warranties, etc. I'm pretty satisfied with BMW's response so far.

I too wish I had more information to evaluate the situation, but I guess I haven't been as seriously affected as some others. I'm still a member of the Orange Crush with my reliable KTM 990 in the garage.

But bottom line, as this is my first BMW motorcycle, I'm still impressed with the bike and the treatment I've received so far. Living in a state with a pretty good lemon law, I know I am not limited to the BMW options. But I like the bike and have no intention of settling for anything else at this point.

Also, I wouldn't rely on some of the information posted here as gospel in all cases. I personally checked with my State Farm agent, underwriter and regional claims office and all assured me my policy is in full force and unaffected by the stop ride request. Every state is going to be different, check for yourself to be sure.

And a nice first post! Welcome to the forum!
Gary