Euro Delivery: Any Concerns, Problems, Issues??

[Mark's M]

Hi everyone. I've read all of the great posts about the Welt and the benefits to picking up our cars there. I'm tentatively going to be scheduled for April production, May delivery which is a perfect time weather wise.

But.....if I were picking up the car here in Canada at my dealership it wouldn't be going past the dealership doors without proper paint protection (3M film) and meticulous waxing (by me in addition to dealer prep 'cause I'm anal about such things). My salesperson is dead set against Euro delivery because of the potential for stone chips, road debris kick-up, etc before the car is properly protected. Says I'll regret it (and I intend on taking the car to the Nurburgring amongst other drives throughout the country).

Did any of you guys who took advantage of Euro delivery have to deal with these issues. I know the cars are prepped extremely well at the Welt but what do you do (or what can you do) about extra cost protection you'd normally deal with at a regular dealership - before the car's ever driven. Don't know if this is trivial or not but I'd be pissed to have to cover up minor stone chips, etc. BEFORE protective film was applied to the appropriate areas of the car. Just wouldn't be the same and you'd probably always see it.

Any suggestions or experiences would be appreciated. Again, I know about the fantastic side of the Welt but my question is about the "down" side....if there is such a thing.

Thanks very much.

Mark

[Crazy Bimmer]

My car felt as if there was already wax on it before i picked it up at the welt, so thats some protection there.

You could always cover the front with painters tape for some protection. I had a couple of rock chips but nothing that would ever stop me from doing euro delivery again. I had a blast.

[adc]

Originally Posted by Mark's M

My salesperson is dead set against Euro delivery because of the potential for stone chips, road debris kick-up, etc before the car is properly protected. Says I'll regret it (and I intend on taking the car to the Nurburgring amongst other drives throughout the country).

Your salesperson is a dickhead. He would rather deny you the greatest driving experience of your life because of a potential few rock chips???

Did any of you guys who took advantage of Euro delivery have to deal with these issues.

If you are so worried about it, just ask/hang around the bimmerfest ED forum, try to find a local shop in Munich that can apply 3M film to the front of your car. Problem solved.

[tuco44]

I have not done Euro Delivery, but would love to do it.

Your salesguy is misguided, IMO. I think it would be a great experience, and the odd stone chip can be easily repaired. The tradeoff is worth it.

[TTG]

Originally Posted by adc

Your salesperson is a dickhead. He would rather deny you the greatest driving experience of your life because of a potential few rock chips???



If you are so worried about it, just ask/hang around the bimmerfest ED forum, try to find a local shop in Munich that can apply 3M film to the front of your car. Problem solved.

+1 .

I also did not know that ED was offered for Canadian customers?

[tuco44]

Originally Posted by TTG

+1 .

I also did not know that ED was offered for Canadian customers?

Yes, it is but only for the past (about) a year. Before that, not available.

Also, Cdn customers do not get the same discount for ED that US customers do. We pay same amount as Cdn delivery.

[AZ-BMW]

Originally Posted by Mark's M

My salesperson is dead set against Euro delivery because of the potential for stone chips, road debris kick-up, etc before the car is properly protected. Says I'll regret it (and I intend on taking the car to the Nurburgring amongst other drives throughout the country).

I drove ~1,200 miles during my ED and didn't see any chips on the paint. Just stay on the major roads and AutoBahns, don't tailgate, don't ride behind large trucks and you should be OK without any paint protection.

BTW, Sounds like your CA just doesn't want to be bothered with the paperwork and follow-up for an ED. Suggest you find a different dealership for the ED purchase, then just use your local dealer for service after re-delivery.

[OC Guy]

I believe they would repair your paint chips when it gets to the VDC on U.S. deliveries. I had a wheel chip that was repaired (could not tell it happened). Not sure if the process is the same for Canadian deliveries.

[VictorH]

I drove over 2,500 miles on my euro delivery last July. Had not one rock chip. I think the roads over there are cleaner than ours with much less debris on the roads. Don't worry about rock chips. You'll never experience a better drive than going up a few mountain passes in a car German engineers designed for this environment.

Forgot the negatives:
Gas $7-8 per gallon so a tank of gas runs $75-$100 depending on how low you go
Toll roads are a pain and expensive. I think I spent over 100 euro driving from Paris to the French coast.
Not many gas stations have window washing stuff, not sure why.
Lousy small underground parking garages. Was really mad scratching my front rim on a curb in an underground lot where the car was physically just too large to go through. Was fixed in port without any evidence of repair (or maybe they replaced the rim)
Parking anywhere is expensive (see the recurring theme, bring lots of $$)

Positives way outweigh the negatives if you can swing it, beautiful scenery, incredible roads, great food and lots of fun things to do.

[Mark's M]

Hey thanks everyone, positives are outweighing the negatives by far. And I'll check into a detail shop in Munich for 3M film application to see if it's doable (and reasonable $$$). Otherwise, I agree that it'll be the trip of a lifetime, something I wouldn't want to miss.

Regards - Mark

[smmmurf]

I got some clear bra scraps from Vince at Omega Werks (a local clear bra/tint shop) and applied it in a hotel garage. It did a great job of protecting the front end for almost 3,000 miles (including 6 laps on the Nürburgring).

It took me about four hours and the result wasn't very pretty. It was visible from within 10-15 feet away but unless you were looking for it, it didn't stand out too badly. I have no experience putting any kind of films on things, and it wasn't too hard.

P.S. You cannot turn in a car with any accessories on it. They will likely remove the clear bra if you turn it in that way to E.H. Harms.

[Mark's M]

Originally Posted by smmmurf

I got some clear bra scraps from Vince at Omega Werks (a local clear bra/tint shop) and applied it in a hotel garage. It did a great job of protecting the front end for almost 3,000 miles (including 6 laps on the Nürburgring).

It took me about four hours and the result wasn't very pretty. It was visible from within 10-15 feet away but unless you were looking for it, it didn't stand out too badly. I have no experience putting any kind of films on things, and it wasn't too hard.

P.S. You cannot turn in a car with any accessories on it. They will likely remove the clear bra if you turn it in that way to E.H. Harms.

Thanks Smmmurf, your P.S. just saved a whole lot of enquires. Much appreciated!!!!

[joakym]

Just to reiterate,

-airfare to Munich $0, if you're lucky enough to have miles to spare otherwise $1200 for 2

-7 nights B&B's or hotels see above.

-Being chased down the autostrada by teenage guys at 100+ just so they can take a pic of your m3, 15 minutes after having a guy in a utility van embarass you through the curves coming out of the alps by blowing by you, all the while he's pickin' his nose .... frickin' priceless.

Worry about paint chips....yeah right.

[smmmurf]

Find this road (after a long tunnel between Zürich and Milan)!

There were a few Ferraris descending into the valley as I was driving up in my M3. Man, the V8 and high redline is perfect for some European B-roads. (Can you see the clear bra on the front? No... )







Convinced yet? I topped the car out on the A9 near Munich (~160 indicated) the last day I was in Germany. That was a huge rush!

P.S. I slightly curbed a wheel (1") at an underground parking garage in Heidelberg and they replaced it prior to redelivery.

[smmmurf]

Here's a picture of some of the bug impacts on the clear bra just before I took it off prior to turning it into E.H. Harms. You can kind of see the bubbles on the headlight and the bumper when up close.



Smaller strips are easier to put on the bumper since the piece has many intricate contours. I used a few large pieces to cover up the larger, lower portions but the upper sections of the bumper required smaller cutouts (otherwise there were too many bubbles and too much excess material). Overlapping the clear bra isn't an issue for this kind of temporary installation. Clear bra sticks to clear bra just fine. I used window cleaner that I bought at a convenience store mixed with 75% water to lubricate the surface. I used my hotel room key to press the solution out from under the clear bra. Watch some YouTube videos about how to install a bra before you attempt to install it.

The fenders were the easiest. The hood was average difficulty due to the hood bump and size. The bumper was the hardest by far. I didn't do my mirrors, but in hindsight I would have put a strip or two on the front surfaces. Oh, and I would have definitely covered the front leading edge of the sideskirt and the part right after the rear wheel well on the rear bumper. Those surfaces get pelted by rocks on the road that get kicked up by the wide tires. It really just depends how many miles you intend on putting on the car there. For a 300-mile trip, I might do pretty light coverage. However, I spent 2,975 miles there...

[Mark's M]

Originally Posted by smmmurf

Here's a picture of some of the bug impacts on the clear bra just before I took it off prior to turning it into E.H. Harms. You can kind of see the bubbles on the headlight and the bumper when up close.

Smaller strips are easier to put on the bumper since the piece has many intricate contours. I used a few large pieces to cover up the larger, lower portions but the upper sections of the bumper required smaller cutouts (otherwise there were too many bubbles and too much excess material). Overlapping the clear bra isn't an issue for this kind of temporary installation. Clear bra sticks to clear bra just fine. I used window cleaner that I bought at a convenience store mixed with 75% water to lubricate the surface. I used my hotel room key to press the solution out from under the clear bra. Watch some YouTube videos about how to install a bra before you attempt to install it.

The fenders were the easiest. The hood was average difficulty due to the hood bump and size. The bumper was the hardest by far. I didn't do my mirrors, but in hindsight I would have put a strip or two on the front surfaces. Oh, and I would have definitely covered the front leading edge of the sideskirt and the part right after the rear wheel well on the rear bumper. Those surfaces get pelted by rocks on the road that get kicked up by the wide tires. It really just depends how many miles you intend on putting on the car there. For a 300-mile trip, I might do pretty light coverage. However, I spent 2,975 miles there...

Excellent Smmmurf, thanks again!! Pics look FANTASTIC btw. I'm going.

[M3 vert]

Mark DO ED, you wont regret it.....and I agree your sales rep sounds like a complete dick

I am thinking of shipping my M on my next euro trip, just so that I can drive it on its natural habitat and obviously hit up the greatest driving road in the world as per JC, the stelvio pass

Good Luck,

I suppose you are dealing with Performance BMW? I know andrew there hes the GM good guy to deal with!

[Mark's M]

Originally Posted by M3 vert

Mark DO ED, you wont regret it.....and I agree your sales rep sounds like a complete dick

I am thinking of shipping my M on my next euro trip, just so that I can drive it on its natural habitat and obviously hit up the greatest driving road in the world as per JC, the stelvio pass

Good Luck,

I suppose you are dealing with Performance BMW? I know andrew there hes the GM good guy to deal with!

Thanks for the inspiration. I've decided to go, now just have to pick the options that BMW's given me. I'll worry about the car when I have to. And yes, my last 2 Mini's and the 135 were from Performance (good people) but have to go to Budd's now because of the M3 being an Individual order. They've been great thus far and I've known a few of them there for 20 years or so.

[Beau]

Originally Posted by Mark's M

Thanks for the inspiration. I've decided to go, now just have to pick the options that BMW's given me. I'll worry about the car when I have to. And yes, my last 2 Mini's and the 135 were from Performance (good people) but have to go to Budd's now because of the M3 being an Individual order. They've been great thus far and I've known a few of them there for 20 years or so.

You're getting an individual? Sick!

What colors?

[Mark's M]

Originally Posted by Beau

You're getting an individual? Sick!

What colors?

Well that's the question of the day. Got till Monday to choose and I still don't know. Probably one of the blues...Monte Carlo, Atlantis, Quartz...I don't know

[BZTR]

Originally Posted by Mark's M

Well that's the question of the day. Got till Monday to choose and I still don't know. Probably one of the blues...Monte Carlo, Atlantis, Quartz...I don't know

I think Atlantis will look very special.

[M3 vert]

Originally Posted by Mark's M

Well that's the question of the day. Got till Monday to choose and I still don't know. Probably one of the blues...Monte Carlo, Atlantis, Quartz...I don't know

Get Ruby Black on Platinum Leather with Amarone or Piano Finish fascia.