Free service?

  • Thread starter Thread starter BMW TEKKY
  • Start date Start date
Its never been free from the dealers point of view

The dealers used to bill the cost of the first service to BMW who had added the cost to the retail price of the bike.

Approx 2 years ago BMW stopped paying the dealers for this.

Some dealers include the charge in the "deal" at the point of sale, some dealers charge when you have the first service.

But everybody has always paid for the first service one way or another its never been "free" We have just paid for it in different ways
 
because when you have to return to a BMW dealer for any warranty issues that arise you will have lost all goodwill.

I had to return to dealer for some warranty work, the bike R12GS had a years bmw approved warranty.
rear disc warped and play in rear hub, bike had full supplied dealer service history,
after mutch talk with the service manager, in MOTORAD CENTRAL DALKIETH,he said bmw would pay 50% and dealer cover rest, so no cost to me.
the parts were ordered, bike booked in two weeks later.
then manager said it will be ready in about 2 hours, thats fast for a rear hub change,I thought, and was right ! they were changing disc + carrier only!
charming I thought, as I was lead to believe that the rear bearing was to
be changed also.
so I got the rear disc + carrier at no charge.as agreed before work started.
fast forward 12 weeks, same service manager on phone to myself with an outstanding balance of over £200, with a request as to how I would like to pay.
so mutch for a full dealer service history/ warranty, goodwill.
I wont buy a bike from MOTORAD CENTRAL DALKIETH/BISHOPBRIGGS again.
capt
 
So it seems that these dealers can make the rules up as they go along then?
Im trying to be positive here but I cant help feeling that most of us are being taken advantage of?
How many of you feel this way as well?
 
Hey, Santa Claus doesn't exist! As someone has already pointed out you pay for the service one way or another.
 
So it seems that these dealers can make the rules up as they go along then?
Im trying to be positive here but I cant help feeling that most of us are being taken advantage of?
How many of you feel this way as well?

My experiences at South London BMW, in Caterham, over the last 4 years, have been really good. Very profesional staff in all departments. Warranty work done without question, routine service work good (and often under quoted price), and I have met others who share my views. I don't work for them either !! You can only base your view on your own experience.
 
So it seems that these dealers can make the rules up as they go along then?
Im trying to be positive here but I cant help feeling that most of us are being taken advantage of?
How many of you feel this way as well?
I think you have to establish the rules before you pay for the bike.

If you negotiate the first service for free or somewhere in between then fine. The days of GS demand outstripping supply are over. This is the one point of the deal where you are in control. After the sale is agreed you belong to them. You can switch dealer freely but you must service the bike at some or other BMW dealer to maintain the warranty. Without that warranty you're hanging your arse out in the breeze with this machine!
 
I think KTM charge a tad more however..................(leave myself open to be corrected)

Too *!"£$*** true. How does £270 for the first service grab you?:spitfire

Mind you, the 990 is a much better bike than the 1200GS :augie
 
So it seems that these dealers can make the rules up as they go along then?
Im trying to be positive here but I cant help feeling that most of us are being taken advantage of?
How many of you feel this way as well?


It's still not clear what, if anything, you said to the dealer, when asked to cough up, when picking your bike up following it's first service?

If you thought it was free, what did you say to the dealer? Why did you pay?

What did the dealer tell you?

Were you 'positive' in Cannons, or wherever it was?

Or did you simply cough up, quitely?

Contact BuMW (or the dealer, again) if you feel you have been legged over, surely that's best? Nobody here can help you much.
 
I must admit I always thought that the first service was free apart from lubes and consumables. I think that the dealers should make this clear at the time os sale as this has been a long standing custom and practice. I also begrudge paying a PDI/delivery as thats just another excuse to add the price up. A PDI/delivery in Harwich is the same as a PDI in Inverness and I'm sure it costs more to transport a bike up to Inverness than of fthe boat at Harwich. The dealers shouldn't loose out bt it should be the same everywhere.

AndyT :cool:
 
I must admit I always thought that the first service was free apart from lubes and consumables. I think that the dealers should make this clear at the time os sale as this has been a long standing custom and practice. I also begrudge paying a PDI/delivery as thats just another excuse to add the price up. A PDI/delivery in Harwich is the same as a PDI in Inverness and I'm sure it costs more to transport a bike up to Inverness than of fthe boat at Harwich. The dealers shouldn't loose out bt it should be the same everywhere. AndyT :cool:

The answer to your first point is, surely, negotiate it in (or out) when agreeing to buy the bike in the first place. I guess that many people are so excioted at the thought of buying their bike, they chose to overlook the finer detail of the items going towards the total cost.

Having the PDI detailed as a specific item (as opposed to lumping it into the base price) makes not one jot of difference. The cost of the new bike is its total cost. If the customer cannot negotiate a discount, whether it be six or 12 months road tax, a discounted helmet, free pannier liners, a tank of fuel, 'free' PDI or whatever, that is not BuMW's problem.

In reality, you probably do not want the 'same price everywhere' as that kills competiton and may, oddly, go against EU 'price fixing' rules.

In reality the UK advertises / buys its vehicles in a silly way. The vehicles are advertied at a price OTR (On The Road) that few if any ever pay. This puts the onus on the buyer to negotiate a reduction. Vehicles are one of the few things sold this way, houses being another.
 
Im sorry everyone, but since buying my bike I have found everything to do with Bmw whether it be dealers, designers, headquarters, constant faults,and customer service to be nothing short of corrupt, dishonest, moneygrabbing and not fit for purpose, and as soon as I have cleared some of the finance I will be selling the GS as soon as possible.
I have had a gutfull of BMW and cant wait to be rid of everything to do with them.
Sorry to have to publish this....:mmmm
 
Im sorry everyone, but since buying my bike I have found everything to do with Bmw whether it be dealers, designers, headquarters, constant faults,and customer service to be nothing short of corrupt, dishonest, moneygrabbing and not fit for purpose, and as soon as I have cleared some of the finance I will be selling the GS as soon as possible.
I have had a gutfull of BMW and cant wait to be rid of everything to do with them.
Sorry to have to publish this....:mmmm
Hmm, well I'm not the biggest fan but I think you're being over the top.

Bye, now
 
Im sorry everyone, but since buying my bike I have found everything to do with Bmw whether it be dealers, designers, headquarters, constant faults,and customer service to be nothing short of corrupt, dishonest, moneygrabbing and not fit for purpose, and as soon as I have cleared some of the finance I will be selling the GS as soon as possible.
I have had a gutfull of BMW and cant wait to be rid of everything to do with them.
Sorry to have to publish this....:mmmm

I agree with you about dealers and sometimes hq. Let's see how they cope with this recession :nenau Hopefully it will take out a few of the nasty ones.

I have to say though I love my bike :D
Even the hard work with dealers and customer service (especially BMW insurance)
 
If your experience is any sort of precedent, he'll be coughing up for a 1300GSA in a year's time ;)

Your bike's going OK so far I hope?
Yep - going great guns at the moment. Just fitting the full remus system this weekend.

Still want to own something orange before too long....................:)
 
Yep - going great guns at the moment. Just fitting the full remus system this weekend.

Still want to own something orange before too long....................:)
Sweet!

Try a 950SM. Had one at my last service. Best bike I have ever ridden and available at insulting prices, especially now they have done a 990SM.

If I'd ridden one before I'd bought the Adv, it could have been touch and go...
 
Im sorry everyone, but since buying my bike I have found everything to do with Bmw whether it be dealers, designers, headquarters, constant faults,and customer service to be nothing short of corrupt, dishonest, moneygrabbing and not fit for purpose, and as soon as I have cleared some of the finance I will be selling the GS as soon as possible.
I have had a gutfull of BMW and cant wait to be rid of everything to do with them.
Sorry to have to publish this....:mmmm

May be we should have the dealers view of what happened. I'm not saying you are wrong, but writing a statement like that with out giving us the dealers view as well is not the right thing to do.

No one would stay in business give things away free. There has to be more to this.

How about someone from the site ask the dealer what happened with this bike :augie

The whole problem with the world at present are people are living out side there means; borrowing finance for a BMW bike is crazy. It's a toy and toys should be paid for by cash. How much money are you losing on fiance let alone the bike devaluing every day you own it. If the bike is new then take it back to the dealer and walk away from the deal.:nenau
 


Back
Top Bottom