What has happened to BMW?

After almost two decades on BMW's, I have just about had it with the Marque. The dealer network has shrunk and most of the "good" dealers are gone, the ones that are left hire hack techs who worry about beating the clock for service instead of doing it correctly ($675 service bill and couldn't even correctly fill the oil). My GS is in now for warranty repairs on the fuel sensor and warped front disk (2nd time and I had to fight to have this fixed "within spec"....right!). To the dealer's credit...they said they would fix it rather than loose me as a customer, so I guess years of dealer loyalty paid off in this case. I'm seriously thinking of jumping ship. Sorry for the rant...just frustrated.

well. i'm not sure the folks with ...

jap/italian/english bikes have an easy go of it, either.
the guy i bought my r1200r sells about 10 other brands. i didn't see anybody much over 23 in the service area.
...
http://www.goldcoast-motorsports.com/new_vehicle_category.asp
...
the harley people can usually get decent service, at least in the states.

i personally know one long time BMW rider who has given up on the brand because he can't get decent service within 100 mile of his home. that combined with high maintenance costs drove him to another brand. as for me i have had several bad experiences with my local BMW dealer, so i now have to go several hours out of my way to the next closest dealership. don't get me wrong, i like my bike but in the spring when i go to buy another new bike i will have to think long and hard about if i really want another BMW and all the problems and costs that come with them and there dealer network.

I recently took my bike to a dealership which is close to a 1,000 mile round trip. I thoroughly explained my problem with the service manager. I was informed that I would get a call before they would do anything after they found out what the problem was to which I never received a phone call. Two days later I tried calling the dealer to find out the status of my bike, they told me its fixed and ready for me to pick up. At that time, I tried asking what they did to correct the on-going problem that I have been having for a year. He spitted out a part name to me and when I tried asking what exactly the part was and where it was located he refused to talk to me claiming he was busy and would call back later that day or the following day. Later that day, I tried calling back again trying to get more information to where I knew my bike was 100% fixed before I made another 1,000 round trip to pick up my bike to which I still didn't get any answers to my question except the fact that my bike was fixed. HHHhhhmmm. I called back the next morning to see if I could get one to discuss with me what they did to my bike and still I get told a part name and was told where it was located. I researched everywhere as well as a friend trying to figure out what the dealership was talking about to which we both decided I wasn't being told correct information as well as I feel like I was being "brushed off" and they were not giving me the time of day to discuss what they did to fix my on-going problem.

I took off from work and found a ride to take me to pick my bike up from the dealership which I had a bad feeling about. When I arrived to the dealership, they acted kinda cold towards me and when I tried to find out what and where this so called part they said was ended up being something totally different. I wasn't a happy camper as I knew my bike still was not fixed. I rode 47 miles and ended up taking the bike back to the dealer because it wasn't fixed. When I called them before arriving back, they acted totally surprised that my bike wasn't fixed. When I got back to the dealership, the tech came out and looked over my bike. I questioned him if he saw the problem that I originally brought my bike in for and he said yes. He claims that he did not know about the situation and that he was not told. I told him that I discussed everything thoroughly with the service manager and I tried calling down here multiple times to try and discuss what they did and was told erroneous information and if one would have talked to me over the phone I would have told them the problem was not fixed and I wouldn't be making a 1,000 trip for no reason when the bike wasn't fixed. I told the service manager that I had a talk with the tech and he claims that he did not know the problem with my bike and the service manager said that yes he knew because he told him. Someone is lying here. I told the service manager when I tried calling multiple times no one would give me the time of day and discuss what they did to my bike and if I was told the correct part and not an erroneous part I would have been able to say that did not fix my bike.

Needless to say, the bike is still at this particular dealer in hopes they will get my problem resolved and each mile I drove the madder I got.

If I ended up trailering the bike home to find out the bike wasn't fixed, I would be even more furious!

I never liked dealerships and the more I have to deal with the the more I hate them.

I mainly service and fix my own bike.

I do not think the performance of BMW in the areas mentioned is significantly better or worse than in the past.

The number and distribution of dealerships is a problem that will not get more than a little bit better, and might get worse in the short term due to the economy. You can only survive selling European goods so long when the dollar keeps shrinking against the Euro.

These tales of bad service are even worse than the distance to the dealerships. A person can live with and plan around the distance as long as they can count on getting done what needs to be done when they get the bike there. In these cases it is time to take notes, get stuff in writing, and then have a long talk with the real boss or owner of the dealership. I tend not to really blame the techs - it is usually the service writer who may not know anything mechanical really.

I am not sure how/where folks find these situations at dealerships. I have patronized dealerships in Texas, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Vermont, Colorado, Idaho, and Washington in the past few years and have almost always received courteous and proper customer service.

Unless it is a dire emergency I insist on talking directly to the tech who will be doing the work. I can be a little flexible as to whether they actually let me into the shop but usually want to go back there and talk to the tech. If not, he can come out to talk to me. I have not visited a dealership that wouldn't let me do that, by the way.

I usually wander in as a traveler, even to the dealerships I patronize most often because they are 450, 1000, and 1400 miles from my house, but we sort of live way out there.

There are good tech out there. Ask around. Do your homework, just like with anything else. My loyalties are with those people first and perhaps with the dealership that employs them. If they are independent, that's fine by me. In my business (electronic field service), the best techs usually work for themselves. I figure it's the same for folks who repair other types of gear.

bmwgsrider said:

i never liked dealerships and the more i have to deal with the the more i hate them.

I mainly service and fix my own bike.

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+1

Part of the problem is the advanced technology that BMW uses and that we all appreciate: It makes maintenance a lot more difficult and requires a lot of additional training for the techs. Following the addition of the BMW brand to their pallette, many multi-brand dealers take several months or years before they have a master-level tech on-board.

I am fortunate to have a dealership that is competent, albeit fully priced and a bit slow at times, but that is a reasonable trade-off for me.

That's why I usually hands on ... fixing it is part of the fun

I'm off tomorrow so while my GS is still in the shop, I'm going to go price out a Yamaha Super Tenere.

Be Careful on your way out the door, it has a strong spring.

Sounds to me like your dealer sucks. Mine, Hermy's in Port Clinton, PA, has to be one of the best on the planet and they've made my BMW-owning experience a true pleasure.

If you can't make the effort to find a better dealer, it probably is time for you to "jump ship."

Hermy's in Port Clinton, PA,

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that is where i bought my bike, but it is 3 1/2 hrs. one way from my home. that kind of makes using them for servicing a bit unrealistic.

460Jetboat said:

Be Careful on your way out the door, it has a strong spring.

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Which is broken and out of warranty.

I hear you Loud and Clear, Brother thx1158; no more BMW Shaft Drives for me either!!!

thx1158 said:

I'm off tomorrow so while my GS is still in the shop, I'm going to go price out a Yamaha Super Tenere.

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I got my first BMW in March of 1969 and have ridden them continually ever since.

I have over 500,000 miles on BMW's in those 41+ years and I have made a ton of friends in both BMW MOA - #24810 and BMW RA #21856. Wonderful M/C Friends!

But, I will never again buy another shaft drive BMW. In my garage I now have a 1996 BMW R1100GS, a 2005 BMW R1150RT and a 2009 BMW F650GS Twin.

Both BMW shaft drives have failed out on the road, on both the GS and RT. Both!!!

Also in my garage is a 2003 Yamaha FJR 1300 and 2002 Harley-Davidson FXD with 50,000 miles on both bikes. Never a single problem with Yamaha or HD drives!

I'm going to keep my R11GS and R11RT, but I already have Super Tenere ordered.

I'm second on the delivery list at D & H Cycles of Cullman, AL for my Super Tenere.

I'll be at both the MOA and RA rallies in 2011, just like I was on my BMW's in 2010.

But as far as any more new purchases of BMW shaft drives, it has come to an end!

I am interested in owning/riding the chain driven BMW S1000RR, but I will never again spend money on a new BMW shaft drive. Just sick and tired of the failures!!

I haven't read all the threads above, but the fact is that there are a number of good non BMW touring, sport touring, and dual purpose bikes on the market now.

WhatÔÇÖs up with BMW? Obviously it depends on who you talk with.

The company just put out a third quarter report that shows the world (and US) motorcycle markets down yet they are showing increasing in sales and profits.

In the US the strategy for the last decade of so has been to hold in the 140 to 150 dealer range. That continues to be the case. Where those dealers are located has changed for a variety of reasons but the total number has remained relatively constant year in and year out.

Looking at the dealers we may share BMWÔÇÖs perspective. Paraphrasing an old line
ÔÇ£BMW Dealers, we buy them books and send them to school and they still donÔÇÖt learn.ÔÇØ


A more interesting question to me is whatÔÇÖs up with BMW owners.

When I started riding my first BMW it was a long haul to a dealer and they were even scarcer. The lack of BMWs on the street in general appealed to many of us because we didnÔÇÖt run into ourselves as we rode.

The MOA, the RA and many local clubs started to meet the needs of riders to care and maintain their bikes with little or no help from dealers beyond selling parts. Complexity of the bikes and a shift in riders has changed that dynamic for many.

Finally as Rinty pointed out there are more and more good bikes out there no matter the brand.

bmwgsrider said:

I never liked dealerships and the more I have to deal with the the more I hate them.

I mainly service and fix my own bike.

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+1 to that! No mater who it was: Jeep, Subaru, Honda... I've never taken them to the dealer for parts or service unless it's a recall.

Great Dealer

I would second the comment about Hermy's in Port Clinton for those within driving distance. That is where I take my RT for service. There are 3 other dealers closer to me but I have been so pleased with the service from Hermy's that I just drive the 3 hours without question. I have never had any issues with service work they have performed and while their prices may not be the absolute lowest price, they are competitive and fair in my opinion. I would higly recommend them to anyone and would also point out they are one of the closest dealers to next years rally in Bloomsburg.

Jim