Support your local dealer

I want to, I really do. I just spent $22.26 for an oil filter and crush washer for my 05 hexhead. It went up $4.00 since my last oil change. That's it. My next oil filter will be purchased on-line. If the dealer goes under because I can't afford to shop there, so be it. My bike is no longer under warranty anyway.

Ride Safe
Mike

I hear ya, Mike! I needed four short bolts and went to my dealer instead of the hardware store so all the heads would match. $17.98 -- holy cow! Not even gold plated!

I recently bought a new Helmet from my local dealer. I took a shot and asked him to come closer to the discount Internet prices and he went one better and matched them.

Ted said:

I recently bought a new Helmet from my local dealer. I took a shot and asked him to come closer to the discount Internet prices and he went one better and matched them.

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Wish I had your dealer. I asked him to come within 10% of the Web price and he went on a tirade asking how I'd feel if he closed up shop and I had to ride 200 miles to the next closest dealer for service. Come to think of it, after his tantrum I DID ride to the other dealer for service!

MaxBMW rocks!

What local dealer?

I'm seriously considering leaving the BMW family because of my local dealer's service department. In Edmonton, we have 1 BMW motorcycle service shop. I don't have an issue with the prices for product in the accessories or parts department or even the cost of labour. My issue is with the quality of work. When you ask for something to be done and it doesn't even get looked at, that's a problem. When, in the process of conducting service, they damage some screws and over tighten them, that's a problem.

As I sit here thinking about it, the only time I have been happy with their service was when they did the $120.00 oil change ($20/litre for 4 litres of oil plus the labour and the oil filter and the crush washer) that ended up being over $200.00 because they caught the fact that the front brakes were down to 10%. Since then, everytime I have had my bike in for service, there has been something that I was not happy with.

If (and it is pretty certain that I will) I get rid of the CL and move to another brand, I will not be taking it to Argyll Motorsports for service if the new bike is a brand that they carry (Yamaha, Suzuki and Ducati are also carried by Argyll). I may still buy things from their clothing and accessories department because they are the only local source of FirstGear and Scorpion stuff which I really like.

Hey Bubba, if you can head down to cowtown and give Dave at Anderwerks a try (no affilation). He has never let me down - isn't necessarily cheaper, but takes care of the mechanical stuff and treats you like a person. I switched away from my only local dealer in Calgary for warranty work for similar reasons. Same issue when finding gear though. And yes, my wife bought a F650GS in Edmonton so have have some inkling of your experience.

If I need filters or something that is BMW specific I go through Holt. Same BMW prices but if it keeps Holt from turning into the typical cookie cutter sales lot, I'm all for it.

Other than that, there's a small unaffiliated bike shop down the road from the house. I get my tires, oil and random stuff through them. They're hurting so I try to do what business I can with them. Good people that are considered friends.

My "local" dealer is a one hundred and twenty mile trip away. Sometimes a problem, sometimes not. Closer would be better. They are what I would consider a good dealer. (Gina's, of Iowa City.) I would support them more if they were closer. I do spend quite a bit there though. But, I also purchase on the internet and use two independent shops; both of those former BMW dealers. Although I believe in supporting BMW shops, I only think it is common sense to support those that are reasonably priced and perform skilled work.
JD

In these difficult economic times, it's tempting to tolerate tunnel vision and simply adhere to one's personal 'bottom line' - "He who sells for the cheapest gets my business."

But I urge a balanced approach to spending your dollars, for the sake of keeping the motorcycle industry, if not healthy, at least off life support.

My dealer knows I will patronize him for many needs, even if it means spending a few dollars (or cents) over what Fleet Farm, Wal-Mart, Ace Hardware or one of the many mail-order giants can offer me.

I want him to remain in business, and unfortunately due to the exclusivieness of our brand, handing a BMW dealership the ultimatum to "be competitive or go under" could sadly end up being a case of 'be careful what you wish for.'

My dealer knows full well that I have bought my replacement tires elsewhere, as his prices don't even come close to what I get name-brand rubber for through the mail. Yet, I come to him for many other needs.

I consider myself a savy consumer to invest $$$ to keep his books in the black.

It is a balance between local patronage to make sure he's still in business when sophisticated repairs are called for, and saving significant cash (not the little bucks) on discretionary purchasing.

Patronize and compromise - better for both of us in the long run, and the long run is what owning a BMW is all about!

Greenwald said:

In these difficult economic times, it's tempting to tolerate tunnel vision and simply adhere to one's personal 'bottom line' - "He who sells for the cheapest gets my business."

But I urge a balanced approach to spending your dollars, for the sake of keeping the motorcycle industry, if not healthy, at least off life support.

My dealer knows I will patronize him for many needs, even if it means spending a few dollars (or cents) over what Fleet Farm, Wal-Mart, Ace Hardware or one of the many mail-order giants can offer me.

I want him to remain in business, and unfortunately due to the exclusivieness of our brand, handing a BMW dealership the ultimatum to "be competitive or go under" could sadly end up being a case of 'be careful what you wish for.'

My dealer knows full well that I have bought my replacement tires elsewhere, as his prices don't even come close to what I get name-brand rubber for through the mail. Yet, I come to him for many other needs.

I consider myself a savy consumer to invest $$$ to keep his books in the black.

It is a balance between local patronage to make sure he's still in business when sophisticated repairs are called for, and saving significant cash (not the little bucks) on discretionary purchasing.

Patronize and compromise - better for both of us in the long run, and the long run is what owning a BMW is all about!

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+1 Greenwald

go loco?

The wide and long reaching strands of this web that brings us together seems to drive us apart!My local dealer 15 miniutes from home is good.They are not an exclusive bmw shop which makes their clothing line a little limited.I have not used them for service yet but they have a great reputation.So far just a few small items when I visit,loco loyality. So far for my bikes I have chosen max bmw ,the closest shop being 1+hours away.They sell such a large volume that makes it tough to compete.Max does a pick-up and drop-off right from my house!This service is so easy for me that I cannot say enough! As for a recent shop tool purchase made the internet won!100 dollars less noshipping fee NO SALES TAX!!!! These days I will do anything to get away from sales tax!!! I wonder when our money-sucking government wil start taxing the web?Just think how many jobs that will create??

Greenwald said:

In these difficult economic times, it's tempting to tolerate tunnel vision and simply adhere to one's personal 'bottom line' - "He who sells for the cheapest gets my business."

My dealer knows full well that I have bought my replacement tires elsewhere, as his prices don't even come close to what I get name-brand rubber for through the mail.

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Mr Greenwald, you're doing the same thing I'm doing, just on different items. Just for the hell of it, I checked with Harley of Orlando to find out how much a genuine HD spin-on oil filter sells for and it's $6.95. I'm not compairing BMW's to Harley's but why should a BMW oil filter cost 3 times more than a Harley one? The dealer should at least try to be somewhat competitive and earn my business. I don't want any BMW dealer to go under, but I have to keep myself from going under as well. BTW, I buy my tires from the BMW dealer when they have a sale and let them do the install. So which of us is hurting them more, me for wanting to buy oil filters from an online vendor or you for buying your tires elsewhere?

Ride Safe
Mike

I've seen $80 cup holders at Harley...

For bolts and such, I started checking with Fastenal first. Sometimes they have what's needed, sometimes they don't. I recently replaced all 4 axle clamp bolts and got all 4 for the price of one bolt through BMW.

But I do agree, 30 bux is ALOT of cash for a filter and gasket.

I recycle oil filters, one filter = 2 oil cycles. So I pay 15 per filter in a sense.

One way of looking at this has been overlooked. The dealers are also getting raped when buying parts (filters, oil, ect) from BMW. I would venture a guess that their in-store mark-up is not much/if any more than any other retail store.

It seems that the German Mfg's don't mind to kill the goose which lays the golden egg.

460

In reference to pricing, I spread my dollars around. Sometimes, I will pay more for stuff, sometimes, I won't. What I won't put up with, though, is crappy service, or rude sales & service folks. My local Yamaha dealer pissed me off one day, I was talking to a co-worker who really advocates that shop, he is a MSF instructor. He said to talk to the owner, let him know what my experience was. You know, it can & does help. Letting a business owner know that your dollars can & will go elsewhere really does make an impact. If they have mechanics that screw things up, they need to know. Now, if they end up not caring, I'm gone.

John.

mikeb921 said:

Mr Greenwald, you're doing the same thing I'm doing, just on different items. Just for the hell of it, I checked with Harley of Orlando to find out how much a genuine HD spin-on oil filter sells for and it's $6.95. I'm not compairing BMW's to Harley's but why should a BMW oil filter cost 3 times more than a Harley one? The dealer should at least try to be somewhat competitive and earn my business. I don't want any BMW dealer to go under, but I have to keep myself from going under as well. BTW, I buy my tires from the BMW dealer when they have a sale and let them do the install. So which of us is hurting them more, me for wanting to buy oil filters from an online vendor or you for buying your tires elsewhere?

Ride Safe
Mike

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You raise some good points, Mike.

Why does a BMW filter cost so much more than a Harley one? I suspect, manufacturing volume. Harley ships them by the box car, and BMW boats over to our shores a fraction of what the H-D production run must be, and this is reflected in the pricing (along with corporate BMW making a tidy profit on enerything and anything that bears their logo!).

As for our dissimilar approach to discretionary spending, my philosophy is simply this: On small to moderately priced items, it they are a little bit more at the dealer, so be it - he gets my bucks, along with repairs and servicing.

If, like tires, my dealer's best price for a pair is such that for the same amount of cash, I could buy three tires elsewhere (including the mounting/balancing), I cry foul and open my wallet for the competition.

In otherwords, I'm willing to patronize, but not single-handedly make his monthly payroll.

Who knows? You buy the tires, I'll buy the filters and maybe between us, we can keep enough BMW dealerships afloat to rely on when touring goes sour and we really need them.

Enjoy that Florida weather - jealous!!!

bogthebasher said:

Hey Bubba, if you can head down to cowtown and give Dave at Anderwerks a try (no affilation). He has never let me down - isn't necessarily cheaper, but takes care of the mechanical stuff and treats you like a person. I switched away from my only local dealer in Calgary for warranty work for similar reasons. Same issue when finding gear though. And yes, my wife bought a F650GS in Edmonton so have have some inkling of your experience.

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3 hours one way for service is, in my mind, too far to go. If Dave were to open a second shop up here in Edmonton, I would give his outfit a try in a heart beat. The problem with Argyll's service department is that the BMW guy(s) are running at 100% capacity and tend to not be as mindful of details as one would expect at $105.00/hour for labour. In the meantime, the dealership I would take my next bike to has guys sitting around waiting for work. Edmonton has 1 BMW motorcycle shop, 3 Suzuki, 3 Yamaha, at least 2 Kawasaki (one of which has 2 locations so make that 3 Kawasaki), 4 Honda and 2 Harley.

Making an appointment for BMW service, even in February, means calling at least 2 weeks in advance. And then, there's no guarantee they will have the work done on time. My practice is to make appointments for Fridays because I can drop my bike off on Thursday evening with the expectation that it will be ready on Saturday morning. I have actually been told when dropping my bike off that it will get worked on on Friday IF there is no work carried over from the previous day. Apparently the covenant of an appointment on a specific day and time doesn't mean anything to them.

My sentiments favor Ted's response. Talk to the owner of your dealership. Talk to him often and not just with complaints. If they do some things right, he needs to know that too.

I live in Maine, we have one dealership (that I know of). It is a 70 mi. drive each way. Inconvenient? Yeh! But, they are good. They listen. They seem to care and they make a habit of telling me they appreciate my business.

I checked prices for Ohlins on line. Cheaper than my guys. I asked the parts manager if he would meet the on line price. The response was yes, allowing that he wasn't going to make much money on it. I believe him. The NY metro area shops can afford to sell for less; they do more volume.

In any event, I'm advocating getting on a personal relationship with the owner and staff of your local shop. It is likely to provide dividends and it is the only upfront and enjoyable way to do business.

Stop at Street Cycles in Falmouth, ME if you get the chance. I think you'll like it.

I do not use my local dealer for service thus far. As it has dawned on them I have more than 1 or 2 BMW's, I can see them wince when I come in, but once again my visit is just for parts. Word of mouth locally the service department is excellent, but co$tly - $125/hr last I heard! But I would not hesitate to use them, if I had to.

I think the $80 HD cup holder business model is something all bike dealers look with envy upon. I'm sure my local dealer wishes BMW were such a profitably iconic brand. But when I visit, it is unmistakable the new bike customers look with reassurance at old airheads in the parking lot, and what they represent, having been actually ridden there.

If you look at car dealers, their service departments are mostly geared towards avoiding warranty claims. Few take their older vehicles there, and they are typically dissatisfied if they do. Their parts departments are spotty as far as what they stock - again parts for the new models mostly. Their business is chiefly selling new vehicles - as is the bike dealers. As well as accessories and add ons for the latest models. All this is the typical new vehicle sales business model, at least in USA; anything more you are getting is really a plus.

My youngest bike left the factory 26 years ago. Frankly I am amazed the local dealer has anything in stock at all for them. I did complain how idiotic it was they had minimum stock levels of one, for parts which are typically used in pairs, and they appear to have responded. As with all BMW dealers, they can tap into the USA parts repositories, so you can order, and they collect everything into one sale. No shipping charges, parts are correct, and perhaps this keeps the old Airheads on the corporate radar. Of course, I make it easy for them, as I always show up with a list of part numbers - there is no guessing on anyone's part.

However, when I needed something which was Germany only, I found Capital to be most helpful.