# PCD in Winter



## kmersh (Oct 13, 2015)

My local dealer and the only dealer in my area seriously (and if you do not buy from them then you do not get service loaners nor priority for service appointments) does not want its customers to do PCD (I have not been able to pind them down why they are so dead set against it).

Regardless, after a lot of back and forth they agreed to setup a PCD for my new M340i only for the CA I am working with to call me today and inform me that the PCD is not recommended for winter deliveries whatever that means.

I asked if it is still technically possible and he said he was told my by management (he has only sold BMW for about a year he says) that it is a modified experience. I asked what that means and he said that he was told that I would only be able to tour the factory (if COVID allowed) and have a personalized instruction of how to use my car, but the driving portion is suspended during the winter months.

I was going to ask the PCD but I feel absolutely stupid asking a question that seems silly on its face and knowing the dealer is already against PCD, it just seems like another excuse to have me elect to take dealership delivery.

So, do you all know if PCD operates in total during the winter months or is it a modified experience like the dealer says?


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## Autoputzer (Mar 16, 2014)

I picked up a BMW there on November 15, 2001 and December 13th, 2014. The two-hour driving school is the best part of PCD. 

Call PCD and get the straight scoop. 

If that BMW dealer is being a **** when you're buying a car, just think how they'll behave after you're getting an out-of-warranty car serviced there. I'd suggest looking at Audis or M-B's. I used to live in Virginia and bought my first BMW there. The dealership was absolutely horrible. If we moved back there, I'd sell our BMW's first.


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## ghpup (Nov 19, 2008)

For your awareness, you are entitled to a loaner when you purchase a new BMW from a BMW dealer, regardless of where you service your vehicle. I have this personal experience. Of the 3 BMWs we've purchased as new, only one has been a local purchase. The others have been out of state and we have never had any issues with loaners or service priority. That said, other than pure availability without notice for a loaner (we had the HPFP fail on the F10 diesel and loaners were already scheduled out for a week). Once available we go one. The last loaner was a x3 M40i. Fun, but not a diesel...

My impression from my service adviser is that the loaner and free service program is funded by BMWNA, not the local service department/dealer. If you are not getting treated fairly by your local service department, complain to their management and directly to BMW NA. 

BTW, the local dealer is actually a neighbor directly in back of us, though no one at the dealership/service department knows that.


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## Gluhwein (Aug 21, 2011)

None of my BMW purchases were from my local dealerships yet the three closest BMW service departments always allotted me a loaner despite never having paid them a penny for even an accessory, let alone a car.


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## Autoputzer (Mar 16, 2014)

If you live up north and plan on leaving Spartanburg and going up the Blue Ridge Parkway, that could be a problem in the winter, specifically black ice on the parkway.


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## kmersh (Oct 13, 2015)

ghpup said:


> For your awareness, you are entitled to a loaner when you purchase a new BMW from a BMW dealer, regardless of where you service your vehicle. I have this personal experience. Of the 3 BMWs we've purchased as new, only one has been a local purchase. The others have been out of state and we have never had any issues with loaners or service priority. That said, other than pure availability without notice for a loaner (we had the HPFP fail on the F10 diesel and loaners were already scheduled out for a week). Once available we go one. The last loaner was a x3 M40i. Fun, but not a diesel...
> 
> My impression from my service adviser is that the loaner and free service program is funded by BMWNA, not the local service department/dealer. If you are not getting treated fairly by your local service department, complain to their management and directly to BMW NA.
> 
> BTW, the local dealer is actually a neighbor directly in back of us, though no one at the dealership/service department knows that.


Somehow the local dealer got permission from BMWNA to only provide loaners to customers who actually purchased from them.

When I originally moved to the area, I had a BMW which I had purchased elsewhere and they outright refused to give me a loaner even though the recall was going to take 3 days.

They told me that their agreement with BMWNA said that as long as they provided transportation to/from the dealer they were not required to provide a loaner at all and the fact that they provide loaners to customers who purchase from them is a courtesy.

I would buy elsewhere except the next nearest dealer is more than three hours away and it would be incredibly annoying to drive down there for longer services just obtain a loaner car.

While it is not any of my business, I get a sense that the dealership does not pay any of its employees well because it is a revolving door, you never see the same face twice and the salespeople are mostly younger (20s maybe early 30s) and genuinely have no clue about the product other "than it is cool".

When I originally asked about PCD, the salesperson I was/am working with said he "never heard of Performance Center Delivery" and then asked, "do you mean that you want your car delivered under the M Performance Sign?"

It was somewhat comical because everything is I have to ask my Manager and even getting the dealership to agree to PCD was a struggle. The Sales Manager through the Salesman first told me that taking that long of a drive is bad for the car for the first 1,200 miles. Then the Sales Manager through the Salesman told me that the extra miles driving the car from the PCD home results in lower customer satisfaction scores for the dealer. When I asked why, I was first told because customers do not like the fact that they put miles on the car so quickly. Then I was told that customers are not properly shown how to use their cars and while the dealership has nothing to do with it, they get stuck with the bad customer reviews. They just do not seem setup for any sort of deviation from the standard car purchase.

It is a strange dealership to say the least, they do not seem that motivated to sell, even when market conditions were different, they just were like, yep we are the BMW dealer buy from us or don't.

It is not like they are rude, they just do not seem to care one way or the other, it is just strange.


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## ghpup (Nov 19, 2008)

kmersh said:


> I would buy elsewhere except the next nearest dealer is more than three hours away and it would be incredibly annoying to drive down there for longer services just obtain a loaner car.


My next closest dealer is either Salt Lake or Bend, both 5 hours drive. Three of our 4 new BMWs were purchased in Portland a 6.5 hour drive. We coincidently were in Portland for Christmas the first purchase, the other two, I took the 1 hour flight and mass transit to the dealer, had a meal with my parents and then drove 430 miles home.

I am only speculating on why the dealer honors the loaners when we need them, but two of the vehicles had less than 100 miles on the odo when I drove them off the lot in Portland.

Frankly, I think a good long drive has been a benefit for our vehicles. Of course two of those were diesels and meant for long travel...


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## Ibiza (Jun 15, 2007)

Wow! This dealership is full of sh*t. 
1. The PCD track is open 12 months a year. I took a delivery of a X5M competition this past January after New Years and it was a cold 30’s FIt took a few laps for the tires to warm up for the track portion.

2. The customer experience is actually HIGHER for PCD’s as the PC center staff spend at least 2 hours with you and answer every question. They know everything about the car!

Your local dealership has major issues, that I shop a different brand or move to a different city of you want a BMW.


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## Shon528 (Oct 3, 2003)

kmersh said:


> My local dealer and the only dealer in my area seriously (and if you do not buy from them then you do not get service loaners nor priority for service appointments) does not want its customers to do PCD (I have not been able to pind them down why they are so dead set against it).
> 
> Regardless, after a lot of back and forth they agreed to setup a PCD for my new M340i only for the CA I am working with to call me today and inform me that the PCD is not recommended for winter deliveries whatever that means.
> 
> ...


It's amazing the lack of knowledge, but even worse, the outright lies. I was there getting my M340i the same day in January as Ibiza. It was a wet and dreary day which added to the fun. My previous car I picked up in February. So yes, the full track exercises continue through the winter. The only thing that you may not get is the factory tour if a new product is coming out. I have done PCD 3x and we enjoy the 1,000 mi drive back home.


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## Goobies818 (Aug 4, 2021)

kmersh said:


> Somehow the local dealer got permission from BMWNA to only provide loaners to customers who actually purchased from them.
> 
> When I originally moved to the area, I had a BMW which I had purchased elsewhere and they outright refused to give me a loaner even though the recall was going to take 3 days.
> 
> ...


This is where I think Elon Musk and his refusal to franchise Tesla dealerships win out…owning and managing the actual contact with the consumer ensures a relatively more consistent sales experience and theoretically greater customer satisfaction

your dealer gives me flashbacks of those whimsical local dealer commercials where they have gimmicky jingles and random animals make an appearance for that wow factor (google Cal Wortgington to understand where I’m headed with this)


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