Requesting Your MOA Help Locating A BMW Contact For Assistance with my K1600GT Parts!

[beemerdons]

We're on the same page.

Over the many years I've been riding, BMW dealers I've dealt with have all had one primary goal - keep the customer riding. There have been several cases where that meant scavenging a needed part from wherever they could to get the riding customer back on the road. BMW of Salt Lake used to be one of those kinds of dealerships. Not so any more from what I'm seeing - and not just in this thread. I know the dealership has changed hands from when I was doing some business with them and it continues to amaze me they haven't gotten the message that their customer support is seriously lacking. The very first thing I noticed in the pictures is - after all this time, they didn't care enough about the work they were doing or customer satisfaction to even take time to wash the bike. Are you kidding me?

Don, I disagree with you offering kudos to Cavanaugh. He's a top dog at BMW NA. He knows - or has access to information - where every new BMW in NA is located. BMW has continued to manufacture new bikes from day one that you crashed. He could have - should have - from the very outset of this coming to BMW's attention - DEMANDED BMW provide you that needed part even if it meant pulling one from the manufacturing line if the part wasn't available otherwise. He had the ability to get that part off any one of the new bikes coming in. He didn't do so.

Three months waiting for a BMW part is totally unacceptable and BMW offering a modest extension of warranty time for the time the bike wasn't available for your use means nothing when they can't service it now.

As leadership in BMW has been changing over the years, I have noticed a significant decline in customer service that is disturbing at best. There used to be a reasonable balance in make the sales and supporting the customer. In the 70's, BMW had the best customer support and longest warranty in the business, now they have neither and the new business model is creating more and more dissatisfied customers everyday.

BMW has also reined in more control over how they work with dealerships - making it harder for the good dealers to remain good dealers to the customer, and easier for bad dealers to remain bad dealers - and just blame it on BMW.

This is just one more example of how bad it can be when a bad dealer doesn't go to bat for the customer and BMW NA leadership doesn't care enough to challenge BMW DE to get the customer supported the way they should be. Frustrating at best.

Many thanks to you Steve for this highly informed posting, you know your BMW's!

I held back on revealing something I discovered 2 months ago, because I didn't want to embarass Mr. Cavanaugh, or BMWNA for that matter; I love our BMW brand!

On January 2 a Member of this Forum sent me a private e-mail: There was a BMW K1600 sitting in a crate in the back room of BMW Motorcycles of Salt Lake City, UT.

This Gentleman said he saw it over Thanksgiving because the front of the crate was removed and he could see it sitting there, the coolant expansion tank and all.

I received another private e-mail a week ago from this concerned fellow BMW MOA Member that this K1600 was still sitting there, 10' away from my downed BMW!

By the way, BMW Motorrad AG and BMW North America turned down my request to extend my warranty for five months. Basically, I just lost 5 months of my warranty!

[SteveAikens]

BMW continues to display this kind of outrageous behavior Don. I thought I read somewhere that they offered to extend the warranty 3 months for you.

Personally, BMW lost me as a new motorcycle buyer a number of years ago. I love the bikes and will continue to ride and support them but I've owned my last new BMW motorcycle - and as a side note, it is highly unlikely I'll buy a new BMW automobile. I bought Oldwhatshername a 2008 328i M-Sport [certified car] over last Thanksgiving. BMW of Tucson is the worst dealer experience I've ever had and it won't be repeated. It took over three months to get the title here to get it registered and she had to drive it on an expired temp plate far too long.

I have to wonder if the poor service between BMW NA on the motorcycle side has anything to do with the automobile group.

Then again - we have dealers like Iron Horse BMW - also in Tucson - that I have the highest regard for. I live 600 miles from Tucson. Iron Horse is my dealer.

Unfortunately - BMW has stopped listening to their customer base and it's costing them sales.

[88bmwjeff]

They never even washed my Gisele.

Can you imagine spending that kind of $$$ and not even getting your bike back clean from a shop!!!

Not trying to comment one way or the other regarding SLC BMW, but around in my neck of the woods it's not legal for local dealers to wash vehicles on site. When I bring my BMW (car that is) to the repair shop, I get a coupon for the local car wash instead of a nice clean car like at the dealer.

It might have been SOP not to wash bikes, and they didn't think twice about. However, given the five months and reason for the repair work, I think they should have found a way.

Any way, glad you got your bike back.

[beemerdons]

I do know a guy who had some work done on his GS and he was pissed they washed his gs. I guess it's a badge of honor for gs riders??

Good One, Scottie!

[ROBERTKLEE]

Parts are more than plentiful for my '73 /5 not that it ever breaks down. You might get one for a backup...