ED in March - Winter Driving Questions

[bpa]

I'm picking up a 325i (Steel gray with sand leather, PP, step, CWP, HK) in mid-March. Planning to drive from Munich south through Austria into Northern Italy and then back north into Switzerland, dropping the car in Zurich.

Has anyone done a winter pick-up? How were the driving conditions? Does Switzerland require snow tires? Any input/suggestions appreciated.

[ClothSeats?]

I picked up my 325i in November, and drove from Munich, south through Austria and Northern Italy, then over to Paris through Aosta and Geneva. It snowed at night while we were in Schwangau, and there were a few little flurries through Austria, but none of it stuck on the road- it just improved the scenery.:) As long as you're staying on the main roads, you'll probably be fine.

When we picked up our car at the delivery center, and we asked about snow, the guy there said that in the worst case, there are plenty of places that will install chains for you if you need them, but he also said that we almost certainly wouldn't need them. (And he was right)

I can't speak specifically for Switzerland, though, since we just nipped through Geneva... :dunno:

[kneebiters]

You will probably have to take the St. Gotthard tunnel through the Alps, rather than one of the passes over. I understand that many of the passes, even the low ones, are closed or very iffy in March.

[seivwrig]

I did ED in Mid-March and there was no snow. You have to watch out for ice but outside of that just watch the weather reports for Austria and Switzerland.

[AlisaKay]

I did an ED in late March of '99 and had to drive through a helluva snowstorm in the Alps. I think the weather in March can easily go either way. The car did just fine -- we had the all-season tires and I'm sure that helped. I just got back from another ED, this time a 330Ci with the SP, so I was more concerned about snow with the performance tires. Thankfully, we did not encounter any snow.

[03BMW330]

http://weather.pauljames.de/munich.html
March 2002 was a mild and largely dry month, with several very mild and sunny days during early to mid-month. The only substantial rainfall fell during a prolonged wet spell between 19th and 22nd, during which more than a normal month's rain total fell. No significant falls of snow were seen at all in Munich during January, February and March 2002 - a very rare occurrence