Was in the dealers today and noticed new posters for winter tyres & summer storage service. BMWs rolling out a winter wheel & tyre service across all (participating) dealers.
They'll store your summer wheels, supply new alloys with winter tyres, swap them over for you while you wait then revert them in the new year, when they'll store your winter wheels for you.
That's not too bad, 4 x alloy wheels, 4 x decent quality winter tyres. The 5 series example was £980 inc. everything. Some packages were cheaper, lowest priced one on the list was £650 inc everything for a 3 series ES.
Figured i'd pass it on in case it helps anyone.
|
most likely a response to all the disapointed customers last winter. rwd/powerful engines/auto gear boxes do not make a happy driver in times of snow, i think people are walking away from bmw/merc after last winter because of this.
so such a scheme might be some mitigation
|
...i think people are walking away from bmw/merc after last winter because of this...
Pal of mine sold his Jag XF because of its performance on snow last winter.
The last straw was when a BMW driver was able to give him a tow.
He's buying a Hyundai Sante Fe, would have liked a Landcruiser, but couldn't justify/afford the extra £8K.
The Hyundai is around £21K for a diesel auto with plenty of toys.
I think he reckons it will go up the side of a snowy mountain 'because it's a 4X4'.
Not on the supplied tyres it won't, but I suppose it will offer a lot more traction than the Jag.
|
Would it not be cheaper to just buy a set of steel wheels and put some snow tyres on them youself? That way you only have to fork out once! Or do BMW drivers have more money than sense?
From what i saw in Germany, all they do is store the winter tyres in the garage next to the car whilst the others are in use...
|
>> Would it not be cheaper to just buy a set of steel wheels and put
>> some snow tyres on them youself? That way you only have to fork out once!
>> Or do BMW drivers have more money than sense?
I (none too seriously) looked into getting steel wheels and winter tyres for my 330d and was told that it had to have minimum 17" wheels due to the brake disc sizes and that BMW only make alloys to fit it.
Having said that, I found my manual 330d on SE spec 225x17 runflats was actually OK in the snow, certainly as good as its Audi A4 (FWD) predecessor.
The ES 3 Series models will be cheaper as they have 16" wheels (having smaller discs being 4 cylinder) and non run-flats fitted.
|
The prices originally quoted seem quite reasonable assuming these are genuine wheels and quality tyres, i wonder if the price includes changing them over on an annual basis too.
|
>> I (none too seriously) looked into getting steel wheels and winter tyres for my 330d
>> and was told that it had to have minimum 17" wheels due to the brake
>> disc sizes and that BMW only make alloys to fit it.
BMW do have 17" steels. I was looking at obtaining a set of steels and tyres for my car but I found it difficult to find 16" steels, let alone 17". The only companies who take it seriously seem to be American, and of course N.Europe.
www.bavauto.com/shop.asp
(Click on wheels and tyres, then winter wheel and tyre packages)
Last edited by: corax on Sun 15 Aug 10 at 09:06
|
Steel wheels don't save you very much.
When I bought my winter wheels and tyres as a set the difference was 10€ per wheel. The steel wheels have a coating of paint thinner than a thin thing and no amount of wheel wax stops them rusting through with the road salt.
|
I think this is a good idea - I was terrified of being stuck in my Merc and my arm still twinges from falling over while pushing another one that got stuck in January.
|
The steel wheels have a coating of paint thinner than a thin thing
>> and no amount of wheel wax stops them rusting through with the road salt.
Thats the beauty of steel wheels in winter. I couldn't give a stuff about them corroding. Save the alloys for summer.
|
...and no amount of wheel wax stops them rusting through with the road salt...
I don't recall the steel wheels on various Cortinas we had ever rusting.
|
do you have to pay poll tax on them in the summer months?
are they cocooned and treated to ambient temperature changes during the spring
does lisa water them to keep their sidewalls supple during the lean autumnal months prior to the fall?
|
Lol well up until now they used a 40 ft container for storage, not sure if this new scheme with the BMW logos on everything changes anything or if all dealers now get a 40ft container.
Now that i think about it, there's a power cable running to the container from overhead. Could just be for lighting rather than HVAC though.
|
my council need planning for these containers
then you need to pay business rates on them
then the water rates bill comes for run off
beware that hidden bill is on its way.............
|
Still remember driving down to Swindon in the snow about six years ago.
Saw 6 cars go off or in the ditch/hedge.
No Mercs, no Jaguars, no Transits, . . . . ALL SIX were BMWs.
Something to do with those who drive them perhaps?
|
I would love to have driven my 5 series touring in the snow but could not get any traction to get it up the drive!
It was comical to be sat there, in 2nd gear, all feet of the pedals with the rear wheels digging a nice pair of holes in the gravel whilst my wife laughed at me from the warm house.
Bought some AutoSocks, but these arrived after the weather had cleared.
This does sould like a very good idea though, and thanks to the OP for pointing this out. It is something I will seriously consider.
|
>> It was comical to be sat there, in 2nd gear, all feet of the pedals
>> with the rear wheels digging a nice pair of holes in the gravel whilst my
>> wife laughed at me from the warm house.
What was wrong with first gear?
|
>>What was wrong with first gear?
>>
I would guess nowt. First is for airheads :-(
|
...What was wrong with first gear?...
Don't think that 5 series was going anywhere in any gear.
The snow gave me the chance - at walking pace - to play with the various ABS and traction control systems on the CC3.
The car clonked and juddered, a few dashboard lights flashed, and the engine revs took on a life of their own, so I assumed it was all working. :)
|
BMW should sell FWD cars instead ;-)
|
Most BMW drivers can stop and go but anything in between like driving with sensitivity is beyond their experience and expertise...
:-)
Last edited by: madf on Mon 16 Aug 10 at 15:16
|
>> BMW should sell FWD cars instead ;-)
I had the pleasure of trying to move their FWD's in the factory compound at Oxford in the snow, those few (ironically lower specced) on narrower softer tyres were much better.
Rock hard summer only tyres especially runflats are of no use at all on any vehicle in the winter.
|
BMW 7-Series E38 - BMW To Offer Snow Wheel/Tyres & Storage Service - nick1975
