Best online sources for parts and accessories

[empeg9000]

I do!

Originally Posted by bobnixon View Post
Does anyone shop at their local dealers?

I do because like Paul B I live near Max's. They may charge me a little more there but there overall experience you get at Max's is fantastic. In fact this Saturday is the Holiday open house and I will be there.

 

[darryl cainey]

I have had great luck with Moto Binns in England!
I have ordered from them about 6 times for Airhead parts and I get the parts in 4 days.
They get the parts from the manufacturers that sell to BMW eliminating the middleman thus the prices are less.

Darryl

 

[ARM74]

Does anyone shop at their local dealers?

Well, "local" is a relative term. My "local" dealers are at least 75 miles east or west of where I live, and neither has an online shopping option on their website. However, BMW of South East Michigan in Canton will order just about anything and ship it to me directly. It's a pain in the butt though, because I have to find the product that I need elsewhere, then call the dealership and ask if they can get it for me.
Of course, if I happen to be in the area, I always make a point to have a list of stuff I need and to stop by the shop and see what I can get. That doesn't happen very often.

 

[The_Veg]

Does anyone shop at their local dealers?

Yes. Not for everything of course, as my dealer is one of the smaller ones, but I do shop there. I have heard other people in my metro area badmouth my dealer (BMW of North Dallas), but in over six years of doing business there I have NEVER been treated badly or steered wrong about anything, or been dissatisfied with the business done. I have never had to return anything.
I seldom do business with the Forth Worth dealer though, mostly because I rarely need bike-stuff on the odd occasion that I pass through that area. When the need for something arises, I generally make a trip more or less as soon as I have time to BMWoND.

Also, when I am on the road I like to find the local dealers and buy their T-shirts (I've met some great people that way too). I do sometimes buy other things too, like the time on the way to Lima when I stopped in Louisville for a turn-signal lens and wound up being offered some great and enthusiastic advice for roads to take. Or the time on a biz-trip when I stopped at the newly-opened North Houston dealer and took home a few parts and accessories.

In summary, I shop at my local dealer, but I don't limit myself.

 

[ppaintguy]

It is enjoyable to visit other dealers too and share the funds a little. With a dozen dealers across the US total now it is important for us to share the business...lol. Just kidding though it is fun to see and buy other places too.

 

[sfdave]

Does anyone shop at their local dealers?

Here in the Bay Area we're lucky to have 5 or 6 local dealers and I have bought from all on occasion. Being a former retail store owner, I find it important to support the local guy if you want them to stay around.

 

[kayseventyfive]

My Bike is Too Old.

Does anyone shop at their local dealers?

Not since Long Beach BMW informed me that my bike was too old. No parts stocked. Parts must be special ordered, pay in advance, in person. Not even a credit card order over the phone with a part number.

The place looks like a boutique or fern bar, anyway, full of yuppie BMW car drivers, who look at a motorcyclist as someone not worthy to breathe the same air, someone who should have been denied admittance by a condescending Ma?«tre de.

 

[eosnut]

Not since Long Beach BMW informed me that my bike was too old. No parts stocked. Parts must be special ordered, pay in advance, in person. Not even a credit card order over the phone with a part number.

The place looks like a boutique or fern bar, anyway, full of yuppie BMW car drivers, who look at a motorcyclist as someone not worthy to breathe the same air, someone who should have been denied admittance by a condescending Ma?«tre de.

That's a shame. I was going to check them out when I bought my F650GS but found Brown BMW in Pomona before I got there. Sounds like I'm lucky that happened.

The first time I bought parts from Brown for the R75/6 I prefaced the order by saying I had an old bike and they may need to dig in the dusty corners for the stuff. They asked what year it was and when I said a 1975 their response was "I thought you said it was old. I was expecting you to say something in the 50's".

They still have to order some stuff too, but it's always there quickly. And now that they know me after a couple orders, I can do it over the phone without a credit card and pay when it comes in.

Not all dealers have been "yuppiefied" yet.

 

[SPINCKNEY135346]

Does anyone shop at their local dealers?

I've bought some things from the local dealer before and had some service done, but prefer to order from Max BMW. I'm only 22 and walking into a dealership entails the hassle of finding someone in either parts or service to talk to me, and then trying to convince them that I am actually worth their precious time because I brought money and want to spend it. I'm probably a little jaded based on my age and not being taken seriously when I do business in person, but until I look older (I'm 6'1 and 140 pounds) I'm going to stick primarily to online dealings.

and has anyone else who bought from Max BMW received a bag of candy shipped with their order? I didn't know what to think at first, but when I was installing the new brake pedal on my funduro (the old one was lost to an unfortunate spill involving a dirt road and too much confidence) the M&Ms made a delightful snack.

 

[kayseventyfive]

Not all dealers have been "yuppiefied" yet.

Yeah, Brown's Motor Works is good. Always have been. There is a good dealer in Winnetka, too. They have been good since Horex was hot.

 

[Ridealot]

I'm a retail manager with tons of knowledge of our product as is my staff and we provide excellent service to our customers and non-customers. Just remember when you're buying from a local business your're not only buying a product, your buying years of knowlegde and customer service. That why our prices are slightly higher that some online warehouse in the middle of nowhere. You might be surprised to know how low some margins are for local retailers. They can't always afford to buy product by the hundreds or thousands like online stores because they employee product-educated people who work in stores with store fronts in areas that are highly traveled. That costs big bucks. Therefore retailers products are going to cost you more, not to mention in a lot of cases like motorcycle shops, they provide service of their products. That you can't get online.

That sounds completely different from my local dealer. There is a different snot nosed kid behind the counter every time I go in. The last visit to them was for an oil filter kit for a K11LT. It took them about 5 minutes to look up which oil filter I needed. I guess because the K bikes use so many different filters- NOT. Then they started gathering different washers one at a time from the back. When I asked what they where doing I was told "making an oil filter kit" When I asked if it wouldn't just be easier to give me one of the BMW made kits they responded that BMW no longer made the oil filter kits.

I found this hard to believe since the whole time I was looking at 6 of the kits sitting on a shelf behind the counter. After pointing out that I would take one of those, they had no idea where they came from.

This kind of Superior Knowledge of their products is what keeps me out of the local store. Which kind of sucks since the store is only 1/4 mile from where I work. The next closest dealer is 60 miles away.