US Specs Car regstered in Germany?

[mdrobc13]

Originally Posted by MVEED3

This is wierd. I would talk to another Holland dealer or find a BMW representative.

I went through BMW military sales and took Euro delivery of my US spec e36 M3. No changes had to be made before shipping to the US so driving a US car in Germany/Europe made no difference. I don't remember the dealer I took delivery from but I can get that info when I get home from the office. I do remember doing the break-in service at Buchner AG BMW.

If it turns out you can't ship the car over, for some strange reason, I'd sell the current car. Buy a new car while you're in Europe through military sales and you'll probably end up on with extra money. This way you can spec out your car exactly how you want it and even have the military ship over a beater while you wait for the new car to be delivered. Trust me, there's nothing like Euro delivery. Zero miles on the odometer, baby!!



Allen

I agree but if he's NOT military or US gov sponsored contractor then he cannot buy a US spec BMW thru military sales in Germany or elsewhere in Europe. Program doesn't allow it as its run by BMWNA who checks to make sure purchasers are within the strict parameters (i.e. militiary, dept state, govt contractor, etc); I had to submit my orders to get my order accepted and am sure he'd had to do likewise on some official stationary at min. So if he sells his car great but he MAY have issues getting a Euro spec car that won't have to be significantly modified when he brings it back to the US.

But yes a prolonged ED would be the bomb! An any M3 on the autobahn would be heaven!

[dtuckerbrown]

I saw in this post that German dealerships will not touch the software. Does that include the navigation?

Any advice on updating the nav from US to EU maps? And where can I purchase these and install myself (similar to Tischer BMW in the US)?

Thanks in advance.

dtuckerbrown

2009 BMW m3 sedan - moving from US to Germany

[karussell]

Originally Posted by dtuckerbrown

I saw in this post that German dealerships will not touch the software. Does that include the navigation?

Any advice on updating the nav from US to EU maps? And where can I purchase these and install myself (similar to Tischer BMW in the US)?

Thanks in advance.

dtuckerbrown

2009 BMW m3 sedan - moving from US to Germany

09 is HD based. all you have to do is take it to a german dealership that is willing to do it for you. most BMW dealerships near US military installations are familiar with the process as all newly delivered US spec cars come with US maps on them from factory. Price varies, but shouldn't be too much. Are you moving to Germany on Fed Government business or private company? If not under SOFA status, you will have to modify the car to pass TUF regulations.

[dtuckerbrown]

Originally Posted by karussell

09 is HD based. all you have to do is take it to a german dealership that is willing to do it for you. most BMW dealerships near US military installations are familiar with the process as all newly delivered US spec cars come with US maps on them from factory. Price varies, but shouldn't be too much. Are you moving to Germany on Fed Government business or private company? If not under SOFA status, you will have to modify the car to pass TUF regulations.

Thanks for the quick response. I'll call some of the dealerships in the Wiesbaden area, which is near a military installation.

I'm moving through a private employer to the area, so I will make the modifications. From what I've gathered in other threads, these are pretty easy:
- Amber turn signals
- New headlamp switch (to enable rear fog lights)
- Clear marker lights in front turn signals (is this as simple as changing the orange bulbs to clear bulbs?)

Are there any other mods that I will need to make?

Also, did you make these mods? Here or in Germany?

Thanks.

[karussell]

Originally Posted by dtuckerbrown

Thanks for the quick response. I'll call some of the dealerships in the Wiesbaden area, which is near a military installation.

I'm moving through a private employer to the area, so I will make the modifications. From what I've gathered in other threads, these are pretty easy:
- Amber turn signals
- New headlamp switch (to enable rear fog lights)
- Clear marker lights in front turn signals (is this as simple as changing the orange bulbs to clear bulbs?)

Are there any other mods that I will need to make?

Also, did you make these mods? Here or in Germany?

Thanks.

i'm a contractor on SOFA status so I am able to legally drive the car without changing it. With that being said, I have enabled the rear fog light just because its safer in dense fog we get here. all you have to do is cut the plastic tabs and the button functions. you can also buy the european switch if you want the little fog light symbol on the button itself. (still works on dash with the switch you have). the rear turn signals are easy change. I got the part numbers somewhere if you need them. I haven't done this, but had to look them up for a friend in US that wants to be different. Not so sure on the front little lights. If the manual shows how to change them, then probably no problem. If you are only in the country for 6 months or less then you can just leave the car as is. If longer, then you have to make the changes before you can register it. hopefully you don't have to pay the import tax and VAT or your company covers it. (Its 10% currently for import tax and 19% for VAT)

also, make sure you have NEW tires on the car when you ship it. Its better to play it real safe or they may not even let you leave the dock.

good luck! PM when you get here and I'll see you at the Nurburgring.

-Jim

[dtuckerbrown]

Originally Posted by karussell

i'm a contractor on SOFA status so I am able to legally drive the car without changing it. With that being said, I have enabled the rear fog light just because its safer in dense fog we get here. all you have to do is cut the plastic tabs and the button functions. you can also buy the european switch if you want the little fog light symbol on the button itself. (still works on dash with the switch you have). the rear turn signals are easy change. I got the part numbers somewhere if you need them. I haven't done this, but had to look them up for a friend in US that wants to be different. Not so sure on the front little lights. If the manual shows how to change them, then probably no problem. If you are only in the country for 6 months or less then you can just leave the car as is. If longer, then you have to make the changes before you can register it. hopefully you don't have to pay the import tax and VAT or your company covers it. (Its 10% currently for import tax and 19% for VAT)

also, make sure you have NEW tires on the car when you ship it. Its better to play it real safe or they may not even let you leave the dock.

good luck! PM when you get here and I'll see you at the Nurburgring.

-Jim

Thanks for the info Jim. I'm going to be there for at least 2 years, so I will need to do the conversions and will not have to pay import tax or VAT.

I have the part numbers for the rear turn signals - thanks.

Great news about cutting the plastic tabs on the switch to enable the rear fog lights. Did you have to remove the switch to do so, or just exacto knife it from the front?

Very much looking forward to the move -- and to the Nurburgring. I'll defintely let you know when I get there - in July/Aug.

By the way - nice cars!

-Derek

[E90M3CDFR]

Originally Posted by dtuckerbrown

Thanks for the info Jim. I'm going to be there for at least 2 years, so I will need to do the conversions and will not have to pay import tax or VAT.

I have the part numbers for the rear turn signals - thanks.

Dereck, anticipatory welcome to Europe - the M3 will love these roads.

I second Jim's suggestion on getting new tires - esp as they are much more expensive in Germany if you can't ship them via duty-free channels. I'd even suggest shipping an extra set of summer tires if you plan to drive hard during the 2 years. Also unless you plan to have a 2nd winter car, you'll need a of winter tires from around Oct - March in much of Germany: these are mandatory for driving in winter conditions Germany and several other European countries. A set of winters from Tirerack is about 40-50% of what the BMW ones will run you if you need to buy them in Europe. I have used the TR square OEM setup with W-rated Dunlops...work well even when the autobahn is dry in winter. They will last you several winters (I will be selling mine here in France after 3 winters with more than 75 percent of the tread still on them).

I'd also recommend talking to some of the folks with experience in coding the iDrive/systems on the car - you may be able to have them turn off the yellow LEDs up front (which may be required if you need to register/TUV the car). You may also want to ask them to reconfig the radio and traffic data receiver (I don't this works for sure but have been told it does) to allow you to tune in European FM freqs properly (they use even tenths of FM Hz) and to receive the TMC/RDS data feed (very handy in Germany with all the staus on the a-bahn). You may be able to just switch the maps over BUT - the european maps that BMW pre-loads in US cars delivered in Europe are a set of 2008 "Test Maps" that are OBE and don't always work very well, esp outside Germany. I would recommend you update the maps when you get here with a new 2010/2011 set - these newer maps work better, they have also improved graphics and don't crash (which the test ones did when I was in some parts of France, Italy, Belgium).

Oil changes for the M will be expensive in Germany (300-500 euros), esp if you want to change at more regular intervals than 30,000KM BMW recommendation - so I would highly recommend shipping enough 10W60 Castrol Edge for your 2-years as well as to top off the engine (again unless you have PX privileges, because you can buy it there sometimes). High-speed autobahn driving sometimes leads to more oil consumption.

The air filter for the 2009 engine is US-specific - I'd pick up 1-2 spare, as it takes time for BMW Germany to order U.S.-specific parts. I'd generally pick up spare parts at a discount from an online dealer because they will be cheaper in the US (esp with the Euro-$ rate where its at right now).

Of course, if you can, I'd get any all possible servicing completed in the US (and any warranty/recall work since the US BMW NA one won't extend to Germany).

If you have a built in radar detector, remove it - these are illegal and the fines are steep.

You may/may need to change the yellow reflectors up front - again depends on how you are registering. Cheaper to get the body painted versions in the US.

Mostly for visual appeal but also to better clear the air intake on the bottom, I bought the BMW license plate holder for the European plates for the front. It makes the car blend in better as well.

And leave some $ for a Jahreskarte for the 'Ring!

[cmk227]

Hey guys. Is this a permanent move or just temp. If it permanent than you should be able to bring your car and get it service. I was told on mine that if I needed service they would do it and I would have to pay for it while in warranty and wait for a refund from BMW North America.

It it temp than I would recommend doing ED delivery on a new ///M and you can have it there for up to 6 months or so. If not you have to pay for the VAT tax but not the increase in price to purchase new there. If this is incorrect please let me know,.

[osteome]

Originally Posted by cmk227

Hey guys. Is this a permanent move or just temp. If it permanent than you should be able to bring your car and get it service. I was told on mine that if I needed service they would do it and I would have to pay for it while in warranty and wait for a refund from BMW North America.

It it temp than I would recommend doing ED delivery on a new ///M and you can have it there for up to 6 months or so. If not you have to pay for the VAT tax but not the increase in price to purchase new there. If this is incorrect please let me know,.

As I recall, the longest you can keep a ED in Europe is six months, or local taxes will apply.

As for the service, most of those using ED can get the 1200 mile service re-imbursed if done in Germany. For those of us that took delivery through military or diplomatic sales, there is no way to have the services re-imbursed, and our warranty is only for two years. At least we can purchase our oil at a reduced rate on post.

Not sure what happens if you import the car from the US, but I am sure that the few that have done on the board can comment.

[dtuckerbrown]

Originally Posted by E90M3CDFR

Dereck, anticipatory welcome to Europe - the M3 will love these roads.

I second Jim's suggestion on getting new tires - esp as they are much more expensive in Germany if you can't ship them via duty-free channels. I'd even suggest shipping an extra set of summer tires if you plan to drive hard during the 2 years. Also unless you plan to have a 2nd winter car, you'll need a of winter tires from around Oct - March in much of Germany: these are mandatory for driving in winter conditions Germany and several other European countries. A set of winters from Tirerack is about 40-50% of what the BMW ones will run you if you need to buy them in Europe. I have used the TR square OEM setup with W-rated Dunlops...work well even when the autobahn is dry in winter. They will last you several winters (I will be selling mine here in France after 3 winters with more than 75 percent of the tread still on them).

I'd also recommend talking to some of the folks with experience in coding the iDrive/systems on the car - you may be able to have them turn off the yellow LEDs up front (which may be required if you need to register/TUV the car). You may also want to ask them to reconfig the radio and traffic data receiver (I don't this works for sure but have been told it does) to allow you to tune in European FM freqs properly (they use even tenths of FM Hz) and to receive the TMC/RDS data feed (very handy in Germany with all the staus on the a-bahn). You may be able to just switch the maps over BUT - the european maps that BMW pre-loads in US cars delivered in Europe are a set of 2008 "Test Maps" that are OBE and don't always work very well, esp outside Germany. I would recommend you update the maps when you get here with a new 2010/2011 set - these newer maps work better, they have also improved graphics and don't crash (which the test ones did when I was in some parts of France, Italy, Belgium).

Oil changes for the M will be expensive in Germany (300-500 euros), esp if you want to change at more regular intervals than 30,000KM BMW recommendation - so I would highly recommend shipping enough 10W60 Castrol Edge for your 2-years as well as to top off the engine (again unless you have PX privileges, because you can buy it there sometimes). High-speed autobahn driving sometimes leads to more oil consumption.

The air filter for the 2009 engine is US-specific - I'd pick up 1-2 spare, as it takes time for BMW Germany to order U.S.-specific parts. I'd generally pick up spare parts at a discount from an online dealer because they will be cheaper in the US (esp with the Euro-$ rate where its at right now).

Of course, if you can, I'd get any all possible servicing completed in the US (and any warranty/recall work since the US BMW NA one won't extend to Germany).

If you have a built in radar detector, remove it - these are illegal and the fines are steep.

You may/may need to change the yellow reflectors up front - again depends on how you are registering. Cheaper to get the body painted versions in the US.

Mostly for visual appeal but also to better clear the air intake on the bottom, I bought the BMW license plate holder for the European plates for the front. It makes the car blend in better as well.

And leave some $ for a Jahreskarte for the 'Ring!

Thanks for all the recommendations! I'm going to register the car in Germany, as I will be there for a couple years on a non-military work permit.

I will certainly purchase some oil, oil filters, air filters and at least another set of rear tires before the move. I already have a set of 18" winter wheels with tires purchased from the Tire Rack. That place is great -- I've been using them for almost 20 years.

I will also update the maps to Europe, and have the car recoded to adjust the FM tuning and function of the front marker lights (I understand they cannot be on whenever the headlamps are on, they can be used only for blinkers)

I'm not sure what you mean by body painted front reflectors in Europe? Does that mean they can't be orange reflectors, and are just painted body color in Europe?

I will certainly buy the european front license plate holder as well.

Thanks again!

-Derek

[saeedg48]

what about Canada to US?