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Old 4th November 2020, 18:17   #76
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

Until last year or so, Dr. Hans-Christian Baertels was heading Motorrad as well BMW Car division in India. He is an avid rider and was easily approachable. You can drop him a message and get answer faster than your regular SA. Last Year, we went on BMW Motorrad Safari in Europe. He rode around 1000 KM from France to Italy on his 1200 GS to be with us & represented BMW India at Garmisch. Lovely 3 days with him.

From my own experiences with BMW and some other European in particular German companies, things work well when they have a European head at the top. Service quality drops abysmally when we have a local head. This happened with their car division too but they could correct it.

The power of social media cannot be discounted, we may not have a direct contact with CEO or Board members but these guys can read such threads and know what's happening to their brand.

Telling customers that they are experts and than using Bicycle Equipment is nothing but arrogance. Yes, their electronic & other diagnostics is on sophisticated computers but mechanically, they are no better than an untrained road side workshops. Rather, their are some better people who can do things much better, just because of their experience.
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Old 4th November 2020, 20:37   #77
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

Here is another recent example of BMW bikes in India failing early.
This is TBHPian Bunny Punia's bike which he bought just a few days back. His bike got stuck in 4th gear and is just not changing gears now!
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Old 4th November 2020, 20:47   #78
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

Quote:
Originally Posted by himanshugoswami View Post
After I had shared this thread with my bmw dealer he sent me this response. Posting here without comment since I have no clue about the facts of the case
Thank you for that! Just sent that response to my colleagues and managers as a lesson in "How to not respond to an ongoing situation"

Please convey my sincere regards to the dealer. His ignorance is a great source of learning 🙏🏻
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Old 4th November 2020, 21:32   #79
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

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Originally Posted by amoghchaphalkar View Post
Thank you for that! Just sent that response to my colleagues and managers as a lesson in "How to not respond to an ongoing situation"

Please convey my sincere regards to the dealer. His ignorance is a great source of learning 🙏🏻
It gets even better. I sent him the link of the G310GS thread pointing out the latest post where Bunny Punia suffers a gearbox failure on a brand new bike.

His response:

"All the forums are full of similar or much worse issues for almost all the brands but those are one of the rare occurrences. That way we shall not buy any vehicle"



I'm still going ahead with my purchase since i love the bike. But if I face any issues, I will make them face hell in courts (I happen to be a lawyer). I am documenting everything....
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Old 5th November 2020, 02:16   #80
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

This is exactly why I have trust issues with all Euro manufacturers regardless of segments and lucrative pricing. You have these Asian manufacturers out there trying to keep your service visits on schedule and reducing service costs to woo customers but the Euro manufacturers be it on 2 wheels or 4 have turned aftersale services into an industry in itself to make more money than they made selling the vehicle in the first place.

Seeing Bunny's GS310 gearbox failure issue on a new bike and then watching Abhinav Bhatt's CB350 first service video post reading this thread all back to back today really made the stark differences stand out.

Honda sent a senior representative to test their entry level "big bike"'s clutch play, brake lever and chain adjustments with proper gauges and tools feeding data into their laptops all the while standing next to their own technicians(mechanics) for something that costs half the 310GS is mind-boggling. And here we have someone paying 10 to 15 times as much on a flagship bike having to deal with an incompetent dealer with wrong tools for the job.
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Old 5th November 2020, 08:23   #81
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

Quote:
Originally Posted by himanshugoswami View Post
It gets even better. I sent him the link of the G310GS thread pointing out the latest post where Bunny Punia suffers a gearbox failure on a brand new bike.

His response:

"All the forums are full of similar or much worse issues for almost all the brands but those are one of the rare occurrences. That way we shall not buy any vehicle"


I had heard positive things about Krishna motors, Chandigarh. But I guess a bad apple makes his way everywhere. Here's a perfectly acceptable response to Bunny's bike issue if I were this guy:

"It is unfortunate that our customer faced an issue that is very serious in nature. I am appalled myself and empathise with the customer for facing this on a brand new bike having done less than 250kms. Personally, I would be equally furious if I were him. However, given that this has happened, we fully acknowledge this issue and will go above and beyond our duties to ensure that our customer gets the best of treatment and his motorcycle is put back on the road.

I would also like to assure you that this event appears to be a one off but, I will go a step further and carry out a detailed check on your bike before delivery. This will further strengthen your confidence on the motorcycle. However, I would also add that should you face any issues, please call me on my cell xxxxx 24x7 and I will be of service to you.

We do not believe that our relationship ends after I handover the keys to you but it is a start of a strong bond that we wish to cherish and offer you an outstanding experience. Please be assured that we are here to help and we will!"

Do let him know that the world has moved past typewriters and internet is the new medium. Perhaps he can get off his pushcart and smell freshly brewed coffee.

Quote:
I'm still going ahead with my purchase since i love the bike. But if I face any issues, I will make them face hell in courts (I happen to be a lawyer). I am documenting everything....
Good going. There should be no reason for you to worry. Cheers

Last edited by moralfibre : 5th November 2020 at 08:24.
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Old 5th November 2020, 09:36   #82
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

Looking at these issues and the other thread with service center issues with Triumph, guess most people who are not willing to take the risk and want peace of mind during ownership of a superbike will stick to Japanese. I badly hope Honda with its Big Wing and Silver Wing ramp up selling of SBKs and 300-500cc bikes and provide a decent to good customer experience during sales and servicing, then it might force other brands to atleast improve their service quality.
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Old 5th November 2020, 09:48   #83
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

Quote:
However, there is a problem here. You could ride the bike 2000km away but still be vulnerable. The early examples of the GS' have had terrible safety issues. The first one is very well documented on the forum:
Owning a 310R, I can very well correlate with your frustration and experience. They definitely do treat us like doormats after we ride out the bikes. Within a year of purchasing my bike, which was also first one in life, the quality and reliability was zilch. In exactly 12 months I had to replace alternator, headlamp, battery and a few electronics as well.

What is the response from BMW Motorrad? - As expected radio silence. Then some random guy will call and say you rode the bike in unfavorable conditions, as if I took my bike to Antarctica at -30 degrees. The care is poor and also the reasoning has been absurd and illogical.

Last edited by moralfibre : 5th November 2020 at 10:02.
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Old 5th November 2020, 10:07   #84
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

Hey moralfibre,

Have been following up on this thread since beginning. I hope things turn around for you & your bike positively soon. Do keep us posted.

Quote:
Originally Posted by moralfibre View Post
"It is unfortunate ... Please be assured that we are here to help and we will!"
I would faint with surprise if I hear such words from any dealer in India. Perhaps, apart from taking mechanical / bike wrenching lessons, they can also take some cues on handling customer queries from their own customers

On a side note, these guys need to understand that upsetting even a single customer can create a ripple effect (more chances of so, if such things come to light on platform such a T-bhp) and steer away potential buyers.

I for one, would have waited for some more time before booking my 310 GS (considering your + Bunny's issue). Only way I would continue with my purchase decision would be the way dealers handle the issues. Let's hope there is some saving grace in that and things get well soon for all of us.

Last edited by moralfibre : 5th November 2020 at 10:08. Reason: Small typo
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Old 5th November 2020, 11:43   #85
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

Quote:
I would also like to assure you that this event appears to be a one off but, I will go a step further and carry out a detailed check on your bike before delivery. This will further strengthen your confidence on the motorcycle. However, I would also add that should you face any issues, please call me on my cell xxxxx 24x7 and I will be of service to you.
It is NOT a one off case. I have had similar issue, captured here at another thread. Many riders abroad have reported this issue as well.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...esponsive.html (Major battery issue with the BMW G 310 R and GS! BMW Motorrad India is unresponsive) (Major battery issue with the BMW G 310 R and GS! BMW Motorrad India is unresponsive)
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BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service-untitled1.jpg  

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Old 5th November 2020, 16:06   #86
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

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Originally Posted by Jaggu View Post
You saw the replies from moral right? Now if I were you, I would be very wary of dealing with such a dealership. Ensure each and every promise that they make is now recorded in email.
Being a automotive dealer the guy doesn’t understand basic difference between a ‘Comprehensive Insurance’ and ‘Third Party Insurance’ and he went on to say that under a Third Party Insurance own damage was processed by a surveyor

Expecting such dealers to understand the working and complexity of BMW’s side-laced wheels would be foolish to say the least. God help the people who service their complex machines at such dealerships
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Old 6th November 2020, 15:59   #87
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

Update 06Nov'20:

The front rim has been swapped out for a brand new replacement. I had to shell out Rs. 9,177/- for the wheel. Rest was covered by BMW.

I haven't had a chance to ride the bike. I'll do that on Sunday. The old rim did seem a total bum.

The rear spokes were simply tightened. Please accept my apologies, we found only Six loose and not Eight like I had stated earlier. The workshop has asked me to use the bike for sometime and check if any of them come loose.

There are brand new "No photography or videography" posters at the workshop and I respected that signboard.

Thanks for all the support guys! You have been my strength through this entire saga.

Cheers.

Last edited by moralfibre : 6th November 2020 at 16:14.
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Old 6th November 2020, 16:31   #88
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

So now, what happens if the rear spokes get loose or break in the future rides?
Do you need to keep checking? Has Bmw Motorrad advised anything in this regard?
Surely, you can post a picture of the new front rim when out of the workshop.
Has Bmw Motorrad given anything in writing, in regards to the front rim swap and rear rim spoke adjustment?
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Old 6th November 2020, 16:41   #89
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

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Originally Posted by Happysmiles View Post
So now, what happens if the rear spokes get loose or break in the future rides?
Interesting question! I had asked them and their take was "they'll let me know". Now I don't necessarily know what that means. Their communications are haphazard as you must have seen before.

Quote:
Do you need to keep checking? Has Bmw Motorrad advised anything in this regard?
In interest of my own safety, I will have to be utterly careful in this regard. Because they need to use a special tool to set the spokes accurately. But, what they use are conventional alternates. A genuine spoke setting tool kit looks like this. I didn't see it being used for setting them on my bike. Additionally, I saw loctite being used on the grub screw and the inner set screw which is against the norm.

BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service-spoked_wheels.png


Quote:
Surely, you can post a picture of the new front rim when out of the workshop.
Has Bmw Motorrad given anything in writing, in regards to the front rim swap and rear rim spoke adjustment?
Nothing in writing. They simply asked me to get the bike over and the dealership will inspect it. I don't know what they have inspected because they simply tightened them and returned the bike.

I'll post a picture of the new front wheel shortly.

EDIT: I just wanted to post an official manual from the BMW USA that recommends replacement of wheels when spokes come loose:


BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service-spoke_wheels1.png

My case is that they come loose every few 1000km

Last edited by moralfibre : 6th November 2020 at 16:44.
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Old 6th November 2020, 17:38   #90
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Re: BMW Motorrad India's incompetence & horrible after-sales service

Quote:
Originally Posted by moralfibre View Post
I don't know what they have inspected because they simply tightened them and returned the bike.
You don't seem happy and satisfied by the looks of it which I can totally imagine. You sound more like going to a cycle shop to figure out on spokes rather than BMW lol.

Do you have warranty on the front rim separately? Or stays the same as that of the bike?

Anyhow, if this is the solution at the moment, let us move on with it and observe during our rides. Fingers crossed.

Cheers,
Amey
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