About three months ago, when on full left lock, I noticed that the forks were touching the left radiator slightly, and looking at the bike from the front, I noticed that something didn't look quite right. I took it to Vines, and they confirmed that the front was not straight, and the bodywork was lower on one side than the other. With the handlebars on full left lock, they were very close to the bodywork, and would touch the tank bag, when fitted. I booked the bike in to have the front subframe changed (the small frame that holds the bodywork on), however, when the bike was there, they discovered that the issue was more serious.
Vines took a lot of detailed photos, and sent reports back to BMW. After several discussions about the work required to resolve this issue, and after taking legal advice, it was at this point I told Vines that I was rejecting the bike, as I did not want my £14k motorcycle pulled apart, and didn't feel that this was acceptable. So, an appointment was made for two guys from BMW HQ to meet me, and take a look at the bike. After a long discussion, they asked what I felt would be acceptable, at which point I said that I wanted the bike replaced. They agreed, but said that as the bike has done 7500 miles, I would have to make a contribution towards the replacement.
On Thursday, I had a call from Vines to say that their dealer principal had been in negotiations with BMW UK, and that a deal had been offered. As the only other issue with the bike was the occasional thud from 3rd to 4th under hard acceleration, the bike had been faultless, and I enjoyed the ownership experience, so I had no problem contributing towards the cost of the new bike, within reason. I know of another case where BMW have replaced a bike with a similar frame issue at zero cost, however, am aware that that bike had a lot of other issues.
For a nominal fee (I'm not going to disclose the exact amount on here), BMW are building me a new 2014 GS TE in Bluefire, and replacing all the accessories that came with the bike (panniers, Akra, tinted screen, engine bars, etc.).
I know that the new GS has had its teething problems, and I'm sure that there will be more bugs to iron out yet, but BMW are aware of the issues, and are constantly working on fixing all issues. There are obviously several alternatives to the GS out there, but the level of customer service from BMW is unrivalled; they have gone out of their way to resolve this situation for me, and that is very important when spending a large amount of money on a motorcycle.
Vines have been fantastic throughout, and this really shows that they, and BMW, will go above and beyond to keep the customer happy. After this experience, I'd certainly have to think twice about considering another brand.
Vines took a lot of detailed photos, and sent reports back to BMW. After several discussions about the work required to resolve this issue, and after taking legal advice, it was at this point I told Vines that I was rejecting the bike, as I did not want my £14k motorcycle pulled apart, and didn't feel that this was acceptable. So, an appointment was made for two guys from BMW HQ to meet me, and take a look at the bike. After a long discussion, they asked what I felt would be acceptable, at which point I said that I wanted the bike replaced. They agreed, but said that as the bike has done 7500 miles, I would have to make a contribution towards the replacement.
On Thursday, I had a call from Vines to say that their dealer principal had been in negotiations with BMW UK, and that a deal had been offered. As the only other issue with the bike was the occasional thud from 3rd to 4th under hard acceleration, the bike had been faultless, and I enjoyed the ownership experience, so I had no problem contributing towards the cost of the new bike, within reason. I know of another case where BMW have replaced a bike with a similar frame issue at zero cost, however, am aware that that bike had a lot of other issues.
For a nominal fee (I'm not going to disclose the exact amount on here), BMW are building me a new 2014 GS TE in Bluefire, and replacing all the accessories that came with the bike (panniers, Akra, tinted screen, engine bars, etc.).
I know that the new GS has had its teething problems, and I'm sure that there will be more bugs to iron out yet, but BMW are aware of the issues, and are constantly working on fixing all issues. There are obviously several alternatives to the GS out there, but the level of customer service from BMW is unrivalled; they have gone out of their way to resolve this situation for me, and that is very important when spending a large amount of money on a motorcycle.
Vines have been fantastic throughout, and this really shows that they, and BMW, will go above and beyond to keep the customer happy. After this experience, I'd certainly have to think twice about considering another brand.
and some good work on the part of Vines 
