European Wide Warranty?

[TearAway]

My bike is down at the moment.. last conversation with the dealer consisted of... 'mmm... could be looking at a new engine and that could take weeks'

I bougth the bike in germany a few weeks ago.. it's 07 gsa with only 2k on the clock... so it's still under european warranty (I think... I've alread had to pay for one warranty job on it)

So what does the warranty really mean... does my bike get thrown to the end of the cue as it's an import... not from that dealer.

Normally I get a replacement bike when my bike's down... is this a courtesy or do they have to.

And how long is a reasonable length of time to wait for a new engine?

Any thoughts apart from .. maybe you should have bought a honda

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

You must have got one of the reliable ones

Only joking

The warranty is European wide and you shouldn't pay for anyhting (claim a refund for the monies already paid)

 

[AndyT]

You must have got one of the reliable ones

Only joking

The warranty is European wide and you shouldn't pay for anyhting (claim a refund for the monies already paid)

As Johnny says its European wide and shouldn't cost you a penny. My pal had the misfortune to break down getting his bike off the ferry in Zeebrugge in Sept. A call to BMW assist had a recovery truck and the lads at BMW Belgium did a fantastic job of getting him on the road within 6 hours and it never cost a penny. BMW is really good when it comes to warranty work.

Good Luck

 

[GSmonkey]

The replacement bike is a courtesy thing. If you read through your paperwork you'll see that BMW will provide a replacement car if you break down. Not much use to most people. Obviously you've got more chance from a supplying dealer. In your case, I'd expect your local dealer to be a bit sh!tty about things. Got a similar cold attitude from my local VW dealer after I imported a car from The Netherlands.

 

[TearAway]

In your case, I'd expect your local dealer to be a bit sh!tty about things. Got a similar cold attitude from my local VW dealer after I imported a car from The Netherlands.

Yea.. I'm noticing the 'yes sir, no sir' routine has already started slipping to 'dunno, call me in a few days'

 

[david a hall]

dealer gets payedby bmw to fix your bike and they get payed well!, they have your bike, probly they are bissy but they should be courteous all the same, so tell them you will take it elsewhere!how ever after the christmas lay off it may be time to be a little patient as all buiness have a back log at this time pf year, even i bet bmw!

 

[Daffy]

Most european manufacturers tend to offer a standard 12 month warranty that is then topped up by an additional period which is purchased by the local importer.

In effect this means that for a foreign registered vehicle that has a problem within the first 12mths the dealer can claim for any repairs as per normal, anything else has to be invoiced back to the original importer in some way either by the local dealer, the importer or by the customer paying the bill and presenting it to the selling dealer.

Its a legal way of discouraging people from buying cheaply abroad and importing to another country as it allows the local importers dealer to tell nightmare stories about claim problems with Grey imports.

If you have bought from a franchised dealer you should inform BMW UK that you have imported to their area and registered it locally (if you have) as they will want to show on their recall database which is probably also their warranty database, this should resolve the warranty issue as it will show as a UK or Irish registered bike. You will need to prove ownership and the warranty period though.

I might be talking B**LO**S here where BMW's processes are concerned but remember all manufacturers are running scared of the EU Block Exemption regulations these days so I doubt if they will argue too much if you mention to BMW the words "legal advice" and "Block Exemption Regulations".

 

[speedo]

What dublin dealer has the bike and why are they dicking you around

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

Courtesy bikes are a privilage not an automatic right and are owned by the dealer not BMW. I would imagine if you ask the repairing dealer they maybe able to get the manufacturer to cough up for a hire bike whilst yours is off the road

Block exemption means diddly squat when your bikes broken and mentioning the words 'legal' & 'advice' at this early stage may just cause the repairing dealer to pull up the drawbridge and stick your bike at the back of a very long que. You may have saved yourself alot of money by buying abroad and your local dealer may quite rightly feel a tad aggrieved about not getting the sale but that's no excuse for him to give you bad service or for you to get aggressive

Remember, it pays to be nice

 

[TearAway]

What dublin dealer has the bike and why are they dicking you around

Prefer not to say publically but they're not dicking about... just not exactly the service I get on my other bmeers... I've had to pay in advance for a previous BMW warranty job and claim it back on this bike - so just wondering if I'm gonna be hit for a massive bill on this one when it's done...

@Nice n Fat... yep.. I agree.. be nice... be nice... be nice.. until it's time not to be nice...

I know I'm gonna regret this but I'm gonna ask... What is 'block exemption' when it's at home

 

[Gipsy]

As has been posted elsewhere you should not have to pay in advance for warranty work. I wonder if BMW UK are aware of this. Might be worthwhile clarifying the position. In the long term if you are going to be dicked around like this every time you contact your dealer, I think it is important you clarify your legal position ASAP.

 

[the civil one]

@Nice n Fat... yep.. I agree.. be nice... be nice... be nice.. until it's time not to be nice...

In my humble Experiance , of dealing with these ""Border issues""
the dealers can "Drag" a little. In the Past i have an Irish reg bus
repaired in the UK and had to pay for it , then reclaim it from Ford Irl.
This is pretty much the norm.
However your warranty is Euro zone Wide and is a Legally binding
agreement on the Part of the Manufacturer.And their Agent. regardless of Borders or Bounderies.
If you Feel in any way aggrieved by either their Service or their
attitude to your "opinion of what their service should be" then its
time to visit a Solicitor.
Any Garage is there to make a Profit for their Company , and thats
fair. But i would make it Abundantly clear that you will not accept
Faffing about , Maybe Spend Eur50 and Drop them a wee Letter
basically stating their obligations , to you the Customer.
Personally i Find if you let anyone away with any thing they will
try to stretch the Bounderies.


On a More positive not i will Buy your Bike ,if you take my 04 as a trade

 

[Sgt Bilco]

I thought the BM warranty was World Wide......?? Met an englisg guy in the US a couple of years ago on a 12 month old 1200 which has engine meltdown. BM* stood on the warranty even though it was 2 days out of date and the $5000 bill was paid no problem! Top marks for BM* there.

You shouldn`t have any issues with the warranty because as Daffy pointed out, the dealer will get paid handsomely by the manufacturer.

It pays to be nice to the dealer and keep applying gentle pressure.

 

[1Rider]

World wide it is

I thought the BM warranty was World Wide......?? ...QUOTE]

Being Norwegian I brought my new NO bought 07 GSA to US. Drove US coast to coast, circumnavigated Mexico, had a problem with warped disc and had it replaced by BMW Tampa, FL (Eurocycles of Tampa) under warranty before some more US touring and eventually shipping myself and the bike back home. Great service, all it took was me claming it - and they verified it with BMW in the US.