Bentonville BMW closing

[rguy]

Thanks.
When we're in Arkansas I'll give them a call to see if there's open.

I was there Friday. Jerry still hasn't set a real 'last' day. Sounds like he will take it day by day after the party so he will likely be there.

[Lee]

I was there Friday. Jerry still hasn't set a real 'last' day. Sounds like he will take it day by day after the party so he will likely be there.

[shortythorne]

Paul & I were at the customer appreciation day at Bentonville BMW this past Sat.. It was sad to us, and a bit depressing. Thanks to all the ladies who prepared the food, which was GREAT! Just about everything is gone with the exception of some T-shirts and a few odds & ends. I think they would just like for it to be over so they can all move on. Denise was soooo busy I barely had time to give her a hug & wish her the best. As usual, she was tied up with customers buying what was left over, whether they needed it or not...it was marked down so you must buy it. Denise pulled a lot of weight there. Just a sad day, and BMW better wake up & smell the coffee.

[vark]

....BMW better wake up & smell the coffee.

Could somebody please fill in a newbie on what is going on with BMW? Is this closing of dealerships an on-going problem? Are there really that few of them left? Is a BMW motorcycle a chancy purchase given lack of dealer support?

I am new to the brand and shopping for my first. Reading between the lines on many other threads, I’m a bit concerned, but don’t have a good handle on the situation yet.

[PGlaves]

BMW has had about 150 dealerships for many years. They still do. The problem is the good small old ones die or are killed off and new ones open, often multi-line moto-sports stores. For example, Gina's in Iowa City, Iowa, which was a single brand BMW dealership was sold to Sun and Fun Motorsports, which represents 20 brands in virtually all aspects of motorsports including twelve motorcycle brands, ATVs, snowmobiles, and who knows what else. Something similar has happened in Austin, TX. And the Santa Fe dealership was sold to the Mini car dealership. Some of these dealerships change staff so often that you bring a bike for service and deal with one service manager and pick it up from the next new guy.

See for example: https://www.sunandfunmotorsports.com

[122732]

Their service department went way down hill!

In recent years every time I got something done I had to take it back for obvious negligent problems.
Then he would have the nerve to say I always complain.

Let's see: I brought in my secondary bike because I stored it in properly and the fuel went bad in there for the fuel pump as well. When I went to pick up the bike you could hear the fuel pump running loudly from across the parking lot inside a closed vehicle. And they tried to tell me that it was completely normal.
I have owned the bike since it was new and I purchased it from them and I know that it is not normal to sound that loud.
I opened up the lid on the fuel tank and I seen a ton of flaky loose Rusty scale that they didn't bother to clean out while they had the tank off and the fuel pump out.
So I told him the rust was not acceptable and obviously it got into the pump already and that's about ready to go out again and that wasn't acceptable.
After their sarcasm they did do the repair.
After I picked it up again fuel lines were leaking.
I took the bike with me to Florida where I would be working for several months and while I was there I noticed bolts stripped out on the seat so I called them and notified them and they said no problem, they will fix it when I get back into town even though it will be multiple months before I get back.
When I got back he conveniently did not remember the whole conversation and said that I always complain.
And even when they replace the bolts they replace them with Torx instead of the Factory Allen bolts that are on that motorcycle.
They are the only ones that have ever touch that motorcycle except for me myself personally and I know when I put a seat back on just days before taking it to him that the bolts were not stripped. I would not put torque screws on a motorcycle that is completely allen wrench with its tool kit.
I would not have pinched vacuum lines underneath the fuel tank in blame it on mud daubers.
Replace a rusty corrosive fuel pump without looking for rust in the tank.
Not check fuel leak because they say the battery was dead when it started just fine when I drove it in there.
Now I guess that is possible that I could have left the key on and not them but I'm kind of doubting it with everything else I've seen there.
They damn sure could have easily jump-started it to see if there is a fuel leak and not just blow the whole thing off.

I used to highly recommend them and I've recommended them too many BMW owners that traveled through my area and potential buyers But after those incidences in especially them saying I complained all the time for some of the basic mistakes they've made made me seriously look for another brand of motorcycle instead of the to BMW I own.

As much as I love my BMW I hate the idea of not having a decent service department in my area for the brand that I choose to ride.

As far as the parts department in sales staff were they were always very courteous and considerate.

[122732]

So are they opened or closed ? their website is still up as if they're full sales and service department are available.

New Management? New ownership? Does anybody know?