Dealership Vacuum

[rinkydink]

Very frustrated with the lack of dealerships in the general Arkansas area. I realize I’m in a rural state but my preferred dealer is right at 300 miles distant. I do a fair amount of maintenance myself but recalls and warranty work can be a real pain. I am located a mere 4 miles from I-40, one of the busiest interstates in the country. I was aware of this when I bought my latest RT (my fourth) and I will still always own a boxer. It would be really nice if the company would step up towards getting more dealers or maybe add bike sales/service to existing BMW car dealerships in some areas. Not a perfect solution but something needs to happen. I realize the car & bike companies are completely separate entities but more dealers would be a very good thing. I could get a fair amount of my friends on BMWs but they won’t buy without closer dealer support.

Support your local dealer when you can or else miss them forever when they’re gone. DAMHIK

 

[brownie0486]

Very frustrated with the lack of dealerships in the general Arkansas area. I realize I’m in a rural state but my preferred dealer is right at 300 miles distant. I do a fair amount of maintenance myself but recalls and warranty work can be a real pain. I am located a mere 4 miles from I-40, one of the busiest interstates in the country. I was aware of this when I bought my latest RT (my fourth) and I will still always own a boxer. It would be really nice if the company would step up towards getting more dealers or maybe add bike sales/service to existing BMW car dealerships in some areas. Not a perfect solution but something needs to happen. I realize the car & bike companies are completely separate entities but more dealers would be a very good thing. I could get a fair amount of my friends on BMWs but they won’t buy without closer dealer support.

Support your local dealer when you can or else miss them forever when they’re gone. DAMHIK

I'm not going to support my local bmw dealers. They hire newly graduated motorcycle mechanics who are going to then "learn" on my motor? No way in hell with 3 dealers less than 50 miles from the house. However, I do have a master mechanic work on mine through a non bmw dealer. Why? Because that mechanic was brought in specifically to increase their business. Since they brought him on, he's gotten 4 contracts with depts that run RT's.

I give my motor to this guy at that dealership with the express knowledge ONLY he works on my motor. It's been like this since 2018. I get the bike back with all work performed by a master mechanic, not some new guy just out of school wanting to learn on my motor. If the bmw dealers had a good rep here [ which they do not ] for performing the work correctly, not forgetting to tighten this or that or doing something incorrectly I'd trust them.

I, nor most out here in this area will buy from those dealers but few will leave their motors with them after warranty. Oh, btw, my mechanic honors warranty work just like a bmw dealer does, so there's no downside to using the master mechanic. He's just 18 miles from the house.

I would use Ironhorse in Tucson, but they are 90 miles away.

 

[lee]

I Oh, btw, my mechanic honors warranty work just like a bmw dealer does, so there's no downside to using the master mechanic. .

I didn't know that was possible. I thought all warranty work had to be done by a authorized BMW dealer.

 

[brownie0486]

I didn't know that was possible. I thought all warranty work had to be done by a authorized BMW dealer.

I had the fuel pump replaced under BMW's recall on the 12GS through my mechanics shop. I'm sure he deals with the police depts motors warranty issues all the time.

But he's a registered master bmw mechanic with bmw [ through the schools he's attended and then gone for updates nearly yearly ]

 

[Moto316]

I had the fuel pump replaced under BMW's recall on the 12GS through my mechanics shop. I'm sure he deals with the police depts motors warranty issues all the time.

But he's a registered master bmw mechanic with bmw [ through the schools he's attended and then gone for updates nearly yearly ]

You must be in the Phoenix area? Do you mind sharing who this master mechanic is?

 

[brownie0486]

You must be in the Phoenix area? Do you mind sharing who this master mechanic is?

PM sent

 

[rinkydink]

I'm not going to support my local bmw dealers. They hire newly graduated motorcycle mechanics who are going to then "learn" on my motor? No way in hell with 3 dealers less than 50 miles from the house. However, I do have a master mechanic work on mine through a non bmw dealer. Why? Because that mechanic was brought in specifically to increase their business. Since they brought him on, he's gotten 4 contracts with depts that run RT's.

18 miles away. Unfortunately I don’t have that luxury and don’t blame you at all. My original post intent was to support your local (enter your shop here) so they will still be there when you need them. 🏍

 

[brownie0486]

I'm not going to support my local bmw dealers. They hire newly graduated motorcycle mechanics who are going to then "learn" on my motor? No way in hell with 3 dealers less than 50 miles from the house. However, I do have a master mechanic work on mine through a non bmw dealer. Why? Because that mechanic was brought in specifically to increase their business. Since they brought him on, he's gotten 4 contracts with depts that run RT's.

18 miles away. Unfortunately I don’t have that luxury and don’t blame you at all. My original post intent was to support your local (enter your shop here) so they will still be there when you need them. ����

There's another shop in Phx called MotoGhost. Long time bmw mechanics there as well. Great reputation for doing the work with expertise. If something happens to my mechanic I'll be taking the motors to MotoGhost which is 3x the distance but will bring peace of mind some new kid out of school issn't work on them

The 3 bmw dealers in this area have TERRIBLE reputations where quality work would not be expected. Guess what, they've got fresh out of school mechanics that haven't any experience on BMW's, and their work product is well established as subpar.

As I mentioned, a lot of people I know with beemers might buy from those dealers but they never get to work on the bikes later due to that reputation. Moto Ghost is always busy with beemer work. My mechanic is always busy with beemer work for the same reason. Only the uninformed take their bikes for repairs/service to these dealers.

Now Ironhorse in Tucson has a stellar rep on work, but they are 90 miles from here. MotoGhost is only 47 miles away from me.

I can also recommend Sturgis Motorsports in Sturgis, SD. The last two years I've had swing by for them to take care of a few issues while on the road. Excellent workmanship and reasonable pricing. If I lived in that area, I'd support that BMW dealer like Ironhorse in Tucson.,

 

[jammess]

I can certainly understand why, if you own a newer BMW especially one with an in force warranty, you would want to have a dealership close by and preferably one that had a good mechanical staff. In my case that would not be very doable since about 2020 when a long time excellent dealership in Southern Oregon was destroyed in a wildfire. Wonder why BMW seems to be forever plagued with recalls and mechanical issues or at least it seems to me they are. My theory is the problem is caused by BMW outsourcing so many parts and what appears to be quality control issues. I admit a lot of my opinions are formed as a result of reading Internet forums which may have produced a distorted picture of the marque in my pea brain.

The newest BMW I have ever ridden was my 2004 R1150RT which I purchased new and sold in 2016. The bike was not trouble free and I certainly became proficient at removing body panels. I've been tempted to test ride a new BMW but I wouldn't buy one even if I did like it so no point.

 

[88bmwjeff]

Wonder why BMW seems to be forever plagued with recalls and mechanical issues or at least it seems to me they are. My theory is the problem is caused by BMW outsourcing so many parts and what appears to be quality control issues.

My theory is this. Up through the 1980's, luxury vehicles appeared to be over engineered and used high end materials. This was fine when the options were limited to power windows, power door locks, power seats, radios, etc (on motorcycles is was heated grips, tool kits, etc.). As technology progressed, the options became more complex with computers controlling just about everything. There's lane departure warnings, ABS, traction control, automatic braking, plus all the creature comforts (e.g. GPS, heated seats, heated side mirrors, and linking of the phone for cell phone and music streaming just to name a few). Luxury vehicle manufactures want their vehicles to be at the forefront with technology and options. Unfortunately, new technology often takes time to work all the bugs out before they become bulletproof. From what I've read online, luxury vehicles seem to have a lower reliability now that their non-luxury counterparts which use more "tried and true" parts. I think part of the problem is also bean counters are sacrificing a bit of engineering reliability to offset the high cost of the technology now put in vehicles. This compounded by vehicles being more complex just adds to the issue.

 

[Omega Man]

I remember when things like- power windows, power door locks, power seats, air conditioning and even automatic transmissions were frequently looked at as “just another thing to break”………because when these “options” first came out- they were.
Now that the above mentioned “options” have had time to evolve, pretty much trouble free. It seems that, probably in the name of “wizz-bang specmanship”, new technology keeps overrunning what hasn’t had the time to evolve.
This overrunning technology leaves a void in the training time to fix/repair the parts that are now obsolete and last week dated.
“Bring Back Shop (industrial arts) Class”!

OM

 

[oldcamper]

Shocks, stators, driveshafts, and camshafts are hardly new technology.
It just costs lots to replace them after the warranty runs out.

I believe most dealer service problems are related to compensation incentive programs where time to insure the job is done right is a scarce commodity.

 

[jammess]

Shocks, stators, driveshafts, and camshafts are hardly new technology.
It just costs lots to replace them after the warranty runs out.

I believe most dealer service problems are related to compensation incentive programs where time to insure the job is done right is a scarce commodity.

I think you have that absolutely correct. I took my '11 Mustang GT/CS to the local Ford dealer for an oil/filter change about 6 years ago. Then I did the next oil filter change and discovered the drain plug to be next to impossible to remove and I had to keep my wrench on the drain bolt all the way to the end. Why? Because the tech used an impact wrench at a very high torque setting to install the plug which actually stretched the threads on the oil pan. I went to the dealer and asked what the torque spec is on the oil drain bolt and he said there isn't one. I told him the torque spec is 18 ft-lbs. He said, "But what if it leaks?' I told him that if it leaks then go to 25 ft-lbs and if it still leaks then figure out why. This is just a sad story that illustrates how customer service be it cars or motorcycles has deteriorated. When it comes to maintenance and or repairs to my pristine low mileage '93 R1100RSL I am on my own, period! Same thing applies to my '10 FJR. There is a local Yamaha dealer where I live and to their credit they were honest with me when they told me that as a Yamaha dealer should I need service they will have to help me but that they have never had an FJR in their shop for any reason. I appreciate their honesty but here again I'm on my own and I can live with that for both my bikes especially the BMW because of the bikes simplicity and if the need arrises I can always ship components like the transmission as one example. Now with one of these new high tech wonders do-it-yourself could be a real issue so I'm not going there for this reason specifically among a few others.

 

[Omega Man]

I took my '11 Mustang GT/CS to the local Ford dealer for an oil/filter change about 6 years ago. Then I did the next oil filter change and discovered the drain plug to be next to impossible to remove and I had to keep my wrench on the drain bolt all the way to the end. Why? Because the tech used an impact wrench at a very high torque setting to install the plug which actually stretched the threads on the oil pan. I went to the dealer and asked what the torque spec is on the oil drain bolt and he said there isn't one. I told him the torque spec is 18 ft-lbs. He said, "But what if it leaks?' I told him that if it leaks then go to 25 ft-lbs and if it still leaks then figure out why.

This is a training problem. It seems that powered tools, air or battery, have replaced wrists. Somehow mechanical reasoning of using a hand tool such as a screwdriver or wrench on delicate fastening devices hasn’t been taught.

OM

 

[stevenrankin]

Hired help

One of the biggest problems in the motorcycle or auto repair business is hiring help. I have seen in my long time a lot of eager young fellows hired who either turned out to be mechanically inept, dumber than rocks or dishonest.

The problem is, it takes a few customer's experiences to sort out the fiction these young fellows wrote up on their CV from the truth. And it is the shop owner who gets burned. (Only if the shop owner is a good one and cares, I leave that for another post.)

LOL, I should not just pick on young fellows, there are a lot of older guys who are inept, dumb as rocks and dishonest. They are the incubators for Previous Owners Disease. Or is some cases can be the demise of a shop.

Treat a good dealer/shop like golden goose. St.

 

[nc5p]

I too have had problems with certain dealers over three southwest states. I had gas leaking out all over a few months after an Arizona dealer "fixed" a recall on the fuel tank. The dealer here in Texas said they totally did it wrong. Fortunately under warranty so it didn't cost me. I will do anything I can on my own bikes since I have to ride on them and my life depends on things being assembled correctly. Some of these guys don't care. I am blessed to have a nice garage to work in now. For a number of years I wasn't close to home where I could do anything other than very minor things.

 

[stevenrankin]

I should have added

I should have added in my post that not only is it the dealership that gets burned when inept, pet rock, dishonest mechanics are found out, the customers also get burned! St.

 

[PoorUB]

Very frustrated with the lack of dealerships in the general Arkansas area. I realize I’m in a rural state but my preferred dealer is right at 300 miles distant. DAMHIK

I am in the same boat. Closest dealer is 250 miles away. It is an inconvenience, but not horrible. I do all my own service, other than a couple things I just can not handle. Since 2018 my RT has been to the dealer twice.

As far as more dealers? I am pretty certain if someone steps up with a few million dollars and tells BMW they want to be a dealer the will sign them up. BMW will not sigh up some little mom and pop, they want big time serious dealers just like any of the manufacturers.

 

[lkchris]

Albuquerque and Santa Fe have been combined BMW car and bike dealers for at least a decade now, and I usually posted you didn't have have a better bike dealer. When this transition occurred, it included buying out the 2nd longest in business BMW motorcycle dealer in the USA ... a dealer one couldn't trust to successfully perform an oil change. We were really pleased.

Recently, the enthusiast sole owner sold out to a big dealership chain, and so far they've maintained the same excellence on the motorcycle sides.

Perhaps this experience could encourage other car dealers to take on bikes. IMHO the most important thing is running the dealership with understanding of German automotive culture as opposed to attempting to force 'merikun iron experience into the equation ... which doesn't work. I think the car presence helps and I don't think Kawazukis in the same dealership does. Stand alone BMW bike dealerships are questionable in medium to smaller markets.

 

[brownie0486]

Albuquerque and Santa Fe have been combined BMW car and bike dealers for at least a decade now, and I usually posted you didn't have have a better bike dealer. When this transition occurred, it included buying out the 2nd longest in business BMW motorcycle dealer in the USA ... a dealer one couldn't trust to successfully perform an oil change. We were really pleased.

Recently, the enthusiast sole owner sold out to a big dealership chain, and so far they've maintained the same excellence on the motorcycle sides.

Perhaps this experience could encourage other car dealers to take on bikes. IMHO the most important thing is running the dealership with understanding of German automotive culture as opposed to attempting to force 'merikun iron experience into the equation ... which doesn't work. I think the car presence helps and I don't think Kawazukis in the same dealership does. Stand alone BMW bike dealerships are questionable in medium to smaller markets.

GOAZ in Scottsdale is a HUGE dealership, the owner sold godaddy and opened up a complex of various makers motor offerings. Honda, Ural, BMW, Triumph, Ducati, Royal Enfield in Scottsdale and has 2-3 other major locations throughout Az in Peoria, Cottonwood, Flagstaff, Prescott.

The BMW building is Scottsdale is at least 4K square feet alone in one building, adjacent buildings house two motor companies with the same floor space basically.

Salesman are great at getting you to pay top dollar for purchase, but their repair reputation is horrible with all manner of horror stories from customers for the last 5 years that I'm aware of. I bought the 2012 GS to make the trip to Ak. in 2018 from them with 16K on the clock. Within 2 weeks I had the motor to my mechanic who was asked to go through the bike. Needed both throttle bodies replaced, fortunately I'd taken the offer of an extended warranty. I bought it with the understanding the dealer wouldn't ever see the bike in for service.


The other BIG dealer in Az is RideNow. Higher on sales prices, same stellar bad reputation for service/repair.

The one big dealer in Az I think would be good for service due to reputation from customers on FB is Ironhorse in Tucson.