# 2012-01-15 Euro Delivery Thread



## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

SD 335is said:


> Congrats! Enjoy your travels! And another vote for your discerning taste in automobile color!


You know, I really wanted a red color. But the LMB just looks so outstanding on this body style that it won over my heart. Toss in a bit of dark window tint later, and she'll be pimpin'. LOL.


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## boothguy (Feb 1, 2007)

I'm with you on the color conundrum. I really wanted Melbourne with Bamboo, but just couldn't warm up to the way the color looked in direct sunlight, which we have a lot of here in SoCal. 

So may we hear a bit about your travels, please?


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

20 Jan 2012: Near Stuttgart DE. 26 Degrees F. 25 mph blowing snow. My Dad had to wait about a minute to find a gap in the blowing snow so as to not obscure the pic...what a trooper! (I am trying to do a top-down picture each day here.)

The only thing that doesn't work on the M3 is the MediaSnapIn and the Plug-in. The Plug-in via USB iPhone cable sends power to the iPhone, but the system does not recognize it. The MediaSnapIn (


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

Continuing (don't know why it cut off)

MediaSnapIn does not function. Plug-in does not function, other than provide electricity to the iPhone. 

All of the options were selected for this...but guess I will need to stop at service center to figure it out. Other than that, the engine becomes more beautiful sounding each day!


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

22 January 2012: Spent time in Karlsruhe shopping, then up to Ramstein to visit a friend for lunch. Off to Bebra, a former rail-yard marshaling area where my Dad was stationed in the US Army back in 1946. Took a picture of him there in front of the old building -- it was pretty darn cool.
Arrived in Berlin at 11:45 pm.
Had rain almost the entire day. At times it was so heavy that everyone slowed down to 60 km/h.
M3 handled the water in the most capable manner.
We seem to be stopping at petrol stations quite a bit ! hahaha.


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

22 January 2012: Berlin.

This was a no-drive day. All taxi. All rain. All wind. All 37 F degrees.

The parking garage at the Berlin Hilton is well-lighted, and had plenty of room.

Interesting little photograph I will attach here...the aftermath of yesterday's ten-hours of driving in one-day in heavy, cold rain. You can see that BMW's marketing about their aerodynamic testing is actually TRUE. This is a shot of the hood of the M3 Cabriolet, and the perfectly-aligned rain-streaks. They are in a graceful pattern that moves around the powerdome and split from the air intake.

Well, due to the sorrowful weather, we are aborting the remainder of the driving and heading to Munich on Monday the 23rd to ED Winter Tires and LOGIN/Out. Flight to the USA now on Tuesday the 24th. I'll do a final driving-tour-trip update prior to the flight.

It has been a blast -- but time is up to end it and get my car back to the sunny weather of Florida!


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

22 January 2012: Tonight, I went out to the Berlin Hilton parking garage to remove the warning triangle mounting brackets and place into the car (so I wouldn't forget them tomorrow). (Oh, it was a phillips head not a Torx).

And there was another nice machine parked next to mine, LOL.


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## RoadDawg (Dec 17, 2007)

Sorry to hear that you have decided to cancel the remainder of the trip. It seems the weather has not cooperated with your travel plans. Well on the bright side, you have had the chance to unleash the beast on the open road and enjoy a few of the cultural sights along the way. So when you get your ride back to FL, you will be able to drop the top and cruise in style and warmth!


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## JulieDriving (Dec 25, 2009)

vmcvey said:


> 22 January 2012: Berlin.
> 
> This was a no-drive day. All taxi. All rain. All wind. All 37 F degrees.
> 
> ...


Great photo of the streaks on the hood.

Hope she ships home quickly!


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

RoadDawg said:


> when you get your ride back to FL, you will be able to drop the top and cruise in style and warmth!


You are sooooo right! The month of March should be perfect.


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

23 January 2012:

Drove from Berlin to Munich's Kempinsky hotel at the airport to unload the car.

Pretty much rain and low fog, some snow/sleet/mix. The winter tires from ED Winter Tires were fantastic on this entire trip. Never did I feel the car was sliding.

Along the way, the odometer hit 1,932 km. And that would be the 1,200 mile break-in period. YES YES YES! *

About ten minutes after that, the clouds broke up a bit (I had to find my sunglasses), the roads dried, the left lane was open, and the path was straight approaching the Bavarian state.

Pressed the "M" Drive button (that had been previously configured) and lit it up.

The characteristics of the machine noticeably changed when I pressed on the more aggressive driving. In fact, I wished that I'd tried it earlier, but I really wanted to baby the engine during the break-in period. (even though the top-speed during the first 1,200 miles is supposed to be 105 mph, I mostly kept it at 80 mph due to rain and wanting it to get a nice, even engine seal). Especially the electronic damper control (EDC)...I should have used that earlier, because it just sort of "clamps" the car to the pavement. But I digress..

On that dry, straight, solitary piece of asphalt, the M3 screamed up to 130 mph. The engine was pure awesomeness.

I was reminded of the lyrics of a song...

_Mechanical music
Adrenaline surge...
Well-weathered leather
Hot metal and oil
The scented country air.._.

Well, I kept that 130 mph for about ten seconds, and then backed it down to 110 mph for awhile longer. We went over another hill and the rain began falling. Then we were just managing 90 mph because of more traffic and the rain.

We unloaded at the Kempinsky, then made a quick stop at the ED Winter Tires place, where they switched out their tires and gave me my rims and wheels -- pretty -- and then we slowly drove back to LOG-In/Out at the airport (a stone's throw from the Kempinsky.) As someone else pointed out, the drive back between ED Tires and the airport could be harrowing -- but luckily for us, it was just rain. Still -- I could tell that these were very brand-new tires that hadn't got their scuffing yet.

The check-in at LOG-In/Out was pretty quick -- the nice person there was really helpful. She reminded me to get all of our items, and the warning triangle and first-aid kit (which were already removed by me earlier). I placed the Bimmerfest-provided "KEEP MY LICENSE PLATES" sheets of paper in the car, around the car, under the car, in the trunk, under the sun visor -- just kidding, but I did put three of them in the car). We did a vehicle inspection, and I gave her one of my keys. Incidentally, I pre-ordered for them to do the car wash. Which was a good thing because the weather was again quite rainy and I didn't want to go stand outside and do that just to drive it back and get it coated with more rain grime.

Attached is a picture of the magic moment (break-in period achieved).
Also attached is a picture of the car at LOG-In/Out. Guess which one?

Thanks for reading. I hope that a bit of the information and tips on my experience will be as useful to many readers and future European Delivery customers as it has been for me to read prior postings. The advice from Bimmerfest's people has been tremendous. Thank you. _Especially to Adrian_ for his capable, efficient, and responsive client advising.

P.S. How many days until it arrives in Atlanta??????????

* From "The BMW M3 Quick Reference Guide," page 25: Break-in Period (#1) Up to 1,200 miles, drive at various engine and vehicle speeds, but do not exceed 5,500 rpm or 105 mph. Always avoid full throttle position of the accelerator."
*Check!* "From 1,200 miles to 3,000 miles, Engine and vehicle speed may be gradually increased. Only briefly exceed the vehicle speed of 135 mph, for example, when passing."
*Future...*


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

23 January 2012:

I was working on the receipts for gasoline on this trip.

First, in several cases, when super-premium-oh-my-god-octane was available, I put that in the tank. (ROZ 98). (see picture).

Date Euros
1/18/2012 80.86
1/19/2012 36.07
1/20/2012 78.88
1/21/2012 48.17
1/21/2012 62.57
1/21/2012 30.84
1/23/2012 79.79
1/23/2012 15.00
1/23/2012 10.10
EUR 442.28
 USD = 571.45


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

Admittedly, I waited an entire TWO days before looking at the E. H. Harms European Delivery Tracking System. 

But now it has been FOUR days without the first entry on their system.

What's the typical duration between drop-off and first-recorded activity on E.H. Harms? (If it is, say, ten days, then I won't keep hitting the "Get Status" button every six hours.  )


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## SD ///M4 (Jan 24, 2011)

vmcvey said:


> Admittedly, I waited an entire TWO days before looking at the E. H. Harms European Delivery Tracking System.
> 
> But now it has been FOUR days without the first entry on their system.
> 
> What's the typical duration between drop-off and first-recorded activity on E.H. Harms? (If it is, say, ten days, then I won't keep hitting the "Get Status" button every six hours.  )


Our car didn't show up until two days after the ship departed Bremerhaven. It's been said here that your car has to sit on the dock for three days before being loaded because of some kind of regulation.


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## jsciv (Oct 5, 2010)

vmcvey said:


> Admittedly, I waited an entire TWO days before looking at the E. H. Harms European Delivery Tracking System.
> 
> But now it has been FOUR days without the first entry on their system.
> 
> What's the typical duration between drop-off and first-recorded activity on E.H. Harms? (If it is, say, ten days, then I won't keep hitting the "Get Status" button every six hours.  )


Far better to use the Wallenius & Wilhelmsen website:

https://att.2wglobal.com/gstattweb/ocean.do?method=getDefaultOceanQuickSearchPage

I never had any luck with Harms, but enter your VIN as the Cargo ID there and you'll probably find it.


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

jsciv said:


> Far better to use the Wallenius & Wilhelmsen website:
> 
> https://att.2wglobal.com/gstattweb/ocean.do?method=getDefaultOceanQuickSearchPage
> 
> I never had any luck with Harms, but enter your VIN as the Cargo ID there and you'll probably find it.


Thanks jsciv...I've been trying both! hehe.

Patience...patience....must try to have patience.....FAIL


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## Gluhwein (Aug 21, 2011)

vmcvey said:


> 22 January 2012: Spent time in Karlsruhe shopping, then up to Ramstein to visit a friend for lunch. Off to Bebra, a former rail-yard marshaling area where my Dad was stationed in the US Army back in 1946. Took a picture of him there in front of the old building -- it was pretty darn cool.
> Arrived in Berlin at 11:45 pm.
> Had rain almost the entire day. At times it was so heavy that everyone slowed down to 60 km/h.
> M3 handled the water in the most capable manner.
> We seem to be stopping at petrol stations quite a bit ! hahaha.


So awesome that you were able to take your father with you. WWII vet? Be sure to thank him for his service and sacrifice. Was he amazed at the changes since 1946? I'm amazed by the changes every few years when I make it back.


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

Gluhwein said:


> So awesome that you were able to take your father with you. WWII vet? Be sure to thank him for his service and sacrifice. Was he amazed at the changes since 1946? I'm amazed by the changes every few years when I make it back.


Thanks for the comment!

Yes, it was quite cool. He was in the U.S. Army of Occupation. As I've been told, the military leadership was keen to get combat troops home; so my Dad falsified his age and got in without too much oversight/concern. He rode around guarding trains all over Germany.

It was quite an eye-opening and favorable experience for him. Of course, he's been hearing me talk about Germany -- in addition to seeing a couple of hundred photographs -- during my [civilian] work there; but there's nothing like actually being there and seeing wonderful cities, a prosperous population, and the nicest people you'd meet anywhere on the planet. He loved the architecture, especially the modern glass-encased buildings. Considering his last in-person visuals of Germany were of only brick chimneys and bathroom water pipes sticking up more than a couple of feet. He was happy about the changes...and wants to know when we're going back for another BMW! :rofl:


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## Gluhwein (Aug 21, 2011)

My wife and I will be taking our 80+ year old moms with us on our February ED. Because of health reasons my father will stay home and watch the dogs but we hope to document every second of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Leasing a BMW and doing an European Delivery is the realization of a 30 year dream for the two of us. We wanted our mothers to share in our joy while they can still get around ok.


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

Gluhwein said:


> My wife and I will be taking our 80+ year old moms with us on our February ED. Because of health reasons my father will stay home and watch the dogs but we hope to document every second of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Leasing a BMW and doing an European Delivery is the realization of a 30 year dream for the two of us. We wanted our mothers to share in our joy while they can still get around ok.


Just plan to stand around a bunch while they visit stores for souvenirs, haha...There's so many cool things to look at! (snicker)


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## afshawnt (May 1, 2004)

Your car is still outside. I will snap a pic again soon for you

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Bimmer App


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## afshawnt (May 1, 2004)

These were taken just now 20:30 30.1.2012

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Bimmer App


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

afshawnt said:


> These were taken just now 20:30 30.1.2012
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T989 using Bimmer App


Thank you for the update, and for taking the time to photograph and upload. Much appreciated.

Well...That's just hugely disappointing that the car has sat there for at least seven full days. I had been checking the on-line systems and was getting a bit concerned about the delay -- and then your message confirmed that nothing has happened.

I sent a message to LogIn-Out and promptly received the reply:
"Sorry. The Trucks are.not picking up the cars for shipping over the weekend 
And we only had 8 vehicles at Friday."​
I paid EUR 40,00 on the 23rd of January for a car wash by LogIn-Out -- seems like a waste of money now with all that snow on the car.

Grumbles....


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## afshawnt (May 1, 2004)

Nah i don't think the wash was a waste. The dirt is still off the car.

The person there told me that a truck was coming this morning. She said another tomorrow because of the large number of cars. This evening all the cars lined up front including mine were gone. My guess is that the driver just took the ones up front for easy access since another truck is coming tomorrow. Most likely yours will go then imho

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Bimmer App


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## Jon90 (May 28, 2006)

vmcvey said:


> Thank you for the update, and for taking the time to photograph and upload. Much appreciated.
> 
> Well...That's just hugely disappointing that the car has sat there for at least seven full days. I had been checking the on-line systems and was getting a bit concerned about the delay -- and then your message confirmed that nothing has happened.
> 
> ...


Seems to me-- and god knows if I'm thinking of this correctly-- that you may not have lost as much time as you think, or at least it's too soon to know.

If you go here:
http://sagaweb.2wglobal.com/AppSchedules/countryList.do

You'll be able to see the following (agin IF I'm doing this right):

Ships from Bremerhaven to the East coast (and ending up in Brunswick, GA) leave/left as follows:
Jan 24 - Queen Sapphire
Jan 26 - Integrity
Feb 2 - Toronto
Feb 4 - Courage

If one lists New York as the destination there's slightly different:
Jan 24 - Queen Sapphire
Feb 2 - Toronto
Feb 8 - Don Juan (tee hee)

So, for example, my car left Munich on/about Jan 24 (having been dropped off late on the 21st) presumably arriving in Bremerhaven on/about Jan 25/26 and yet I'm pretty happy to be on the Toronto, sailing Feb 2. Even though that means my car will have been parked at Bremerhaven for a solid week.

In your case (not sure which port you're going to) there's no way you would have ever made the Queen Sapphire on Jan 24-- nor the Integrity on Jan 26 (if applicable.)

So, it seems to me, you're earliest possibility would have been Toronto, Feb 2 (which evidentially you won't make now.) But that should (I guess) mean you'd be on Courage, Feb 4 or Don Juan, Feb 8th.

SO, by my highly non-informed math you will have lost somewhere between 2 and 6 days at the very most since Toronto, Feb 2 would have been your absolute earliest ship.

I'd say no one could argue that unless you hit the two timings (time till truck comes, time till ship leaves) almost everyone's car is gonna' be sitting around -somewhere- for a combined total of at the very very least 5 days or so-- and seemingly more like 7-10 days in the majority of cases-- at least that's the way I'd guess at it. Especially this time of year?

Corrections to this "math" cheerfully and gratefully welcomed.


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

@Jon90:

Thanks for the logic/rationale. I hope that you're spot-on.


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## afshawnt (May 1, 2004)

As of 10pm your car was gone. Today at 4am all the cars are gone 

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Bimmer App


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## Mikla (Nov 20, 2011)

Thanks for posting all this, vmcvey! I enjoyed reading your thread and am happy for you now that your car is on its way. We're picking our M3 up on 2/20/12 so I was encouraged to hear that you were still able to do some driving in the winter weather. But I am dreading having to leave my car even for the brief time needed to have the winter tires changed! I am going to freak out completely when the car is dropped off at LOG IN OUT. How can you stand the thought of other people driving your car, moving it around on the ship, unloading the car, trucking to the dealership, and so on? Yes, I'm very Type A but I have to believe many on this forum are as well. I'm gonna need a lot of valium to survive that six to eight weeks!  

Mikla


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

Mikla said:


> ... But I am dreading having to leave my car even for the brief time needed to have the winter tires changed!
> 
> Mikla


It was fun to write about the experience. I learned so much from other posters about how do it, and felt it was proper to give-back.

Not to worry -- when they switch out your tires, you can watch through a big window to make sure they do it properly. Or -- since there appeared to be no OSHA concerns -- I just walked out into the garage and watched from about a meter's distance.

Okay, one comment about the tires....I am positive the winter tires helped during the trip. And I had become inoculated to the size of the winter tires...until they popped my actual Michelin Pilot Sports on the car and I thought, "Wow, those rear tires are gigantuanly wide!"

That may not be a real word -- but I sort of wished that I'd been driving around on those bad-axx cool wheels on the trip!

Have fun on the 20th!


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## Chuck W. (Apr 27, 2007)

Mikla said:


> I am going to freak out completely when the car is dropped off at LOG IN OUT. How can you stand the thought of other people driving your car, moving it around on the ship, unloading the car, trucking to the dealership, and so on? Yes, I'm very Type A but I have to believe many on this forum are as well. I'm gonna need a lot of valium to survive that six to eight weeks!
> 
> Mikla


Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.... I just went through this and feel your pain. They only put 8 miles on it from drop off in Munich to the pick up at the dealer. It's all good in the end.


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

02 February 2012:

Ten days post-drop off at LogIn-Out in Munich, my car appeared for the first time on the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics' website as booked on the Courage, Voyage # CB202-COG, with Estimated Time of Departure as 04 February 2012, and arrival scheduled for Brunswick, GA on 24 February 2012.


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

Jon90 said:


> (snipped)
> 
> SO, by my highly non-informed math you will have lost somewhere between 2 and 6 days at the very most since Toronto, Feb 2 would have been your absolute earliest ship... (snipped)


John90: your rationale was quite accurate. Thanks!


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## Jon90 (May 28, 2006)

vmcvey said:


> John90: your rationale was quite accurate. Thanks!


Well, let's look at it this way-- right or wrong, the only way to stay sane during this process is to be somewhat sanguine about it. 

It definitely seems to be true that the absolute best you were ever gonna' go was 2 days earlier, on Toronto (where I am.) And, since I dropped mine off two days before yours, I'm just happy for ya that you didn't have to wait for the next ship. It appears to me that you and I both spent the exact same number of days "idle" (between parked at MUC and waiting to ship at Bremerhaven)-- and I'm pretty happy about my idle-time, all things being equal. There are some "gaps" in the shipping schedule where there's almost a week between some ships to Brunswick (for example-- Don Juan *Feb 7*, TURANDOT *Feb 15*) and I can easily envision barely missing a ship and really having close to 2 full weeks of combined idle-time in some instances, especially if the drop-off at MUC was not ideally-timed.


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

07 February 2012:

After an interminable delay in Germany -- from Munich to the port -- my car rode from Bremerhaven to Southhampton, UK, on the _Courage_.

Finally, a few hours ago, it departed port and is now en route to Baltimore, MD, then Charleston; and finally Brunswick, GA (about 25 February 2012). :clap:

I'll next add to this post when there's a dock at port.


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## rmorin49 (Jan 7, 2007)

OP: Did you take any more pictures of any F30s on display at the Welt? You car is beautiful. Thanks for the posts, brings back great memories of my ED in late January of 2010.


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

rmorin49 said:


> OP: Did you take any more pictures of any F30s on display at the Welt? You car is beautiful. Thanks for the posts, brings back great memories of my ED in late January of 2010.


Hello.

I was not really following the interest in the F30's and actually did not know that it was a big deal they were about to be released. (as a newbie, the equivalency of Fxx and 3-Series, etc. did not resonate with me yet).

But because there were a couple of messages I saw about F30's, and when I saw the work crews at the Welt setting a new display, I guessed that these were the cars that would be of interest to Bimmerfestees.

So... here are the pictures, with the set-up in progress and the near-final displays!


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## Jon90 (May 28, 2006)

vmcvey said:


> 23 January 2012:
> ...Especially the electronic damper control (EDC)...I should have used that earlier, because it just sort of "clamps" the car to the pavement. But I digress..


It's funny-- I never saw this part of your post and I just found it now searching for something else in one of your posts.

Agree 100%-- I never used the EDC firmer settings till like 2/3 of the trip was over and I finally read the manual and realized it was beneficial when driving over uneven curbs/ steep driveways/ etc. I actually found it incredible helpful for that-- decreasing dramatically the chancer of bottoming out when forced to pull over a low curb, or whatever. And, yes, definitely loved the way the car felt in the mid/high setting compared to the lowest. I thought it would make things too jittery, but didn't feel that way at all. Just better, not more "busy" to my taste, anyway.

As far as engine break-in goes... I didn't really do it. I _always_ let the car warm up, I -tried- to keep revs low, but, after about 150 miles, I just drove it like, well, like it was a BMW. After about 700 miles, I drove it like it was a BMW M3.

Very little W.O.T (but some,) RPM rarely exceeding 6500 or so-- but, yes, a few times for sure. And I routinely drove over 110 MPH in spurts when conditions allowed. Hit 130 a couple of times and revs definitely hit 7500 (or maybe even a bit more) a couple of times. Getting on/off-- and especially passing-- I wasn't looking at the tach, but I bet it hit the highest end of the rev-range many more times than I'd even remember.

Suffice to say, I did almost none of the "right" things, engine break-in-wise. Different knowledgeable people (including one incredibly knowledgable motosports mechanic who I know pretty well) have differing views on the need/value/importance/relevance of break-in on a modern engine as described by BMW (and I certainly don't choose to debate it with anyone) but, if there's a compelling reason to do it, generally-- I'll find out down the line I suppose!

Wouldn't do a single, solitary thing differently, though, if I had it to do all over again.


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

18 February 2012: A half-day *EARLY*, the Courage has made it across the Atlantic Ocean and is now in port in Baltimore!

2 days in Baltimore...then Charleston, SC, for the 22nd and 23rd, and then finally: (_tah-dah_ music, please) Brunswick, Georgia on the 24th.

Then, of course, those U.S. Customs people will say "Surely, this is a vehicle that needs to be inspected *first* to get it on to the owner's VDC for Nav updates, post-1,200 mile break-in, and the *sparkleization* (shiny!) process."

:roundel:


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

24 February 2012:

The _Courage_ arrived at Brunswick, Georgia, this morning!

Now the clock begins on U.S. Customs and then the BMW VDC.

I've been wrangling with the Performance Delivery Centre versus Dealer re-delivery.

The logic goes something like this:

On One Hand: The PDC will provide track time in a similar vehicle; the PDC area has a factory tour; there's a neat road called Tail of the Dragon that's quasi-on-route to Dallas.

On the Other Hand: There are two tracks within fifty miles of Houston where I could drive _my_ car throughout the day; I've already seen the Munich factory; and, foremost, I want my car absolutely as soon as possible because I do not want to wait any longer!

Yes, I see that the second option is winning the debate!


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

26 February 2012:

I went out to GrandSport Speedway, fifty miles south of Houston, and enjoyed the first part of the Houston ///M Club's track day!

http://www.m3post.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=650117&stc=1&d=1330267883

They will be doing these once per quarter, with an estimated May 2012 as the next one.

I also read a fantastic thread about the two-day M-driving school:
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=654085

So.... back to the debate of re-delivery at the PDC or in Adrian's white-gloved hand-over at BMW Mini of South Atlanta....

The pendulum has swung back towards going to Atlanta and getting the car as soon as it is available, and then scheduling the two-day M-driving school. I think that spending a few hours at the PDC on the track would leave me a bit "wanting" for the M-school.

Plus, Adrian is a great person to visit "virtually" -- it would be nice to actually meet the gentleman. 

Decisions...decisions. Either is great.

Today on the Wallenius website, my car has the "Customs Release" and "Liner Release" notations added, but nothing in the "quantity" column, which seems to indicate that it's not accomplished those stages. I'm crossing fingers for good luck that at the end of this week I'll hear great news from Adrian or BMWNA or the Car Angel (that's what "CA" means, right?)


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

Back again, so soon?

That was fast...the status on Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics website skipped over the Customs Release and Liner Release, and flagged quantity "1" on Delivered From.

From what I've perused on the Bimmerfest site, this typically means that it is on the way to the BMW Vehicle Distribution Centre.

Hmmmm.


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

I'm ready to go (once I hear something):

German Suitcase - *check*. (won't need many clothes because I don't plan to stop except for fuel on the drive home)
Warning Triangle - *check*. (see above)
Key - *check*. (necessary)
No Visitor Parking Sign - *check*. (for when I DO stop in Houston).

"Delivered from Brunswick" = "where are you now?????"


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

Re-delivery at the PDC in Spartanburg on the morning of the 16th of March 2012!!!!!!!!!

Flights: check!

Thanks, Adrian!


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## mpress (Feb 26, 2006)

pdc is a blast..
2 day driving schools a lot o fun.. see if they have the advanced M driving course while your there...that will likely get your motor running more so then the two day...
mp


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

mpress said:


> pdc is a blast..
> 2 day driving schools a lot o fun.. see if they have the advanced M driving course while your there...that will likely get your motor running more so then the two day...
> mp


Thanks ... The M schools are on the first of March. The timing isn't working out. Guess I'll need to make a special trip!


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

14 March 2012:

Hello Together.

The second most-important date, on my first European Delivery, is nigh!

It began on 06 December 2011, when I engaged the process, and will close this Friday, 16 March 2012 in Spartanburg/Greer, South Carolina.

All of the dates were as fast as I could manage...I accepted the earliest offer of production, the earliest European Delivery date, and the earliest PCD date.

I wanted to post this on Wednesday evening because I have an early flight on Thursday from Houston IAH to GSP airport, and won't hit up everyone with regular updates until my return on Monday evening, the 19th.

The route from PCD will be up to Asheville for the night (thanks everyone for posting your ideas about being wiped-out after the PCD experience); with a Saturday early-morning southeast-to-northwest trek through the Tail of the Dragon; then 180' back; then onto Athens, GA, to visit with a friend for lunch; next to visit with Adrian at South Atlanta BMW Mini. And then cruising speed to Dallas for a couple of meetings; finally arriving in Houston.

I plan to take quite a bit of photographs (easy to do with top-down perspective, hopefully) and will post the best here. The weather forecast appears to be great for Friday at the PCD; Saturday's got rain in the forecast for Tail-of-the-Dragon; if the weather is too poor, I'll probably skip that part.

Thanks again for everyone's feedback and suggestions!

- Vaughn


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## Mikla (Nov 20, 2011)

Awesome! I'm really looking forward to your write up. Have a great time!

Mikla


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

PCD was a great deal of fun!!!

Being able to drive an M3 Sedan around the track, and an X5 on the off-road course, were highlights. 

That and finally taking possession of my car!


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## jsciv (Oct 5, 2010)

Congrats! Enjoy the drive home and I hope the weather is perfect for it!!!


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

83 degrees F. Partly cloudy. And all zoooooooom. It is fantastic!


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## adrian's bmw (Feb 14, 2003)

Thanks for dropping by today to show me your car! That was awesome. :thumbup:


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

The PCD portion is described here:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=604529


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

This is the final report on the European Delivery and the Performance Center Delivery (see the PCD Forum for details on that at http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=604529).

With the M3 Cabriolet tucked-into its home in downtown Houston, the journey is complete.

Thanks to everyone that helped make the entire experience memorable and one hell of a lot of fun!

(Picture is of downtown Houston at sunset).


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

adrian's bmw said:


> Thanks for dropping by today to show me your car! That was awesome. :thumbup:


Thanks, Adrian.

Here is a somewhat rare photograph: Adrian standing next to a European Delivery vehicle that he sold.


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## wmo168 (Mar 26, 2009)

vmcvey said:


> Thanks, Adrian.
> 
> Here is a somewhat rare photograph: Adrian standing next to a European Delivery vehicle that he sold.


Wow this is what Adrian looks like,.. awesome! :fruit:


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

wmo168 said:


> Wow this is what Adrian looks like,.. awesome! :fruit:


More importantly, this is proof that he's not just a friendly voice from Mumbai on the phone, but is, in fact, a real person based in Atlanta! hehe


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## Rolf-Dieter (Jul 1, 2009)

vmcvey said:


> More importantly, this is proof that he's not just a friendly voice from Mumbai on the phone, but is, in fact, a real person based in Atlanta! hehe


Great looking car, I like the colour looks like we have the same taste in April Jokes and car colour 

I'm sure you are looking forward to top down weather in Texas 

Drive safely, congratulation,

Cheers, Alter Peter (aka Rolf-Dieter)

EDIT ---> I had to come back and tell you what a great day to day write up. Also please tell your dad "Thank you for his Service" I was 7 years old in 1945 and am properly still alive since fine men like your dad liberated us form the painter's nightmare way back then. I've always been thankful to the American Forces and others for liberating us. So please thank him for me


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

Rolf-Dieter said:


> <snipped>
> 
> EDIT ---> I had to come back and tell you what a great day to day write up. Also please tell your dad "Thank you for his Service" I was 7 years old in 1945 and am properly still alive since fine men like your dad liberated us form the painter's nightmare way back then. I've always been thankful to the American Forces and others for liberating us. So please thank him for me


Done, sir!

And thank you.


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