PCD Report: 11/22 (ED re-delivery)

[AustinLonghorn]

Ok, first of all, a big "Thank You!" to Jonathan, Donnie, Jim and the rest of the PC staff. Had a blast yesterday, and so did my Mom (despite her initial reservations with attending a 2 hour "performance driving" course :) ). And thanks for making the ED+PCD thing a reality.

I'll cut to the chase here first:

Full listing of pictures and movies:
http://falcon.cscweb.net/full-spart/

My M5 "Hot Lap" with Donnie behind the wheel (this movie's the "outside the car" view):
http://falcon.cscweb.net/full-spart/slides/CIMG0311.html

The M5 "Hot Lap", as viewed from INSIDE the car:
http://falcon.cscweb.net/full-spart/slides/MOV00069.html

My Mom during her "M5 Hot Lap":
http://falcon.cscweb.net/full-spart/slides/CIMG0315%20-%20Mom%20M5%20hot%20lap.html

How Donnie "leaves the driveway" at his house :)
http://falcon.cscweb.net/full-spart/slides/CIMG0317.html

ABS + cornering exercise:
http://falcon.cscweb.net/full-spart/slides/MOV00022.html

ABS + cornering with my Mom in the left seat:
http://falcon.cscweb.net/full-spart/slides/MOV00026.html

Road course / slalom:
http://falcon.cscweb.net/full-spart/slides/MOV00043.html

My Mom on the skid pad with Jim:
http://falcon.cscweb.net/full-spart/slides/MOV00046.html

The X5 "Theme Park Log Ride":
http://falcon.cscweb.net/full-spart/slides/MOV00052.html

Donnie rocking the X5s back and forth:
http://falcon.cscweb.net/full-spart/slides/MOV00054.html

Whole thing was a hoot. Enjoyed the heck out of the slalom / cornering / braking, etc. road course that Jim had us doing (if only that red 335i sedan would have just gotten out of the way ... :) ). Getting to drive actual cars on a track is a great compliment to the lousy driving "simulator" at the Welt :)

Delivery was smooth - Jonathan demonstrated how to attach the front plate bracket later should I decide to do so, and provided the proper screws, etc (thanks for giving me the option on the front plate!). Jonathan also went off and located maps of SC / NC, and gave us directions on getting to US 276 to visit the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way back to I-40.

Just sold my 2000 Grand Cherokee to my parents - Jonathan let us park it up in front of the Performance Center so we could say my Mom took "Performance Center Delivery" of the Jeep :)

The drive up to Waynesville on 276 was pretty exciting - real curvy, twisty road that looks like it would be a real blast in the summer (roads were wet, heavy fog and 31-32 degrees outside, so we kept speeds low... the WJ isn't quite as nimble as the Bimmer, either). The clouds opened up right as we got to the Parkway / 276 intersection - made for nice pictures, as Jonathan described.

Salt spreaders were already out on I-40 east of Knoxville, so both cars got nailed with giant chunks of salt (sounded and looked like white rocks coming out of this spreader, across all three lanes?!?)... doesn't look like any damage on either car, other than a little nick on my right headlight. Lots of rain after we got on the interstate, too. Undercarriage touchless car wash today for both vehicles to get the dang salt residue off (argh!!!).

Happy to have the car back! Hopefully my folks decide to buy an E60 to replace their '94 Volvo 850 one of these days, so my Dad will get a chance to do the ED+PCD thing (currently deployed, otherwise he'd have jumped all over the trip to Spartanburg yesterday!).

Thanks again Jonathan, Donnie and Jim - hopefully will make it back to visit y'all soon. And also thanks for setting up the M5 hot lap (didn't realize it was going to turn into a "hot lap" for 16 people, heh :) ).

Once again, pics and movies here:
http://falcon.cscweb.net/full-spart/

Original European Delivery thread is here:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=247419

[status38]

Great videos, thanks for sharing! The M5 hotlap looks like a ton of fun.

I really hope I can get a PCD re-delivery! With the April closing, I am not so sure it will happen unfortunately.

[SJAPoc]

That was a blast... Thank you for posting these as well. Your ED Videos were also fun! Well done :D

[I-Won-Today]

Glad you had a great time :thumbup:

Nice pictures and videos, especially inside with Donnie on the hot lap!

I figured the Blue Ridge Parkway would probably be closed up there. I'm glad the weather cleared up a bit at the top for some pictures. To bad the weather was so nasty that day, route 276 is really fun when it is clear and dry!

Enjoy the new BMW! Hopefully we can get your parents here next! I think your Mom really enjoyed the day!

Take care and keep in touch!

[status38]

I dunno, from the video that nasty weather looks like it may make the Hot Lap and the skidpad more fun! :p

[IrvRobinson]

Thanks for taking us all on both of your trips,great reports and videos.btw,did your plates arrive in time ?

[dbknightx]

Great writeup and pics!

By the way, the ED vehicle you pointed out in your pics belongs to my friend, Raj, whom I did ED with in December. We are scheduled to pick up our cars at the PCD on Feb 5th. You didn't happen to see a white E93 in the same vicinity, did you?

-Dave

[AustinLonghorn]

We almost made it back to Austin yesterday - after we got back to Huntsville, my Mom switched over to the red Cherokee (left the Grand Cherokee in Alabama), and followed to Shreveport (stayed the night), then on to Austin. About 140 miles out of Austin in Corsicana, TX, my Mom lost control of the Cherokee over some railroad tracks on W TX-31 (going maybe 20mph???), and got nailed by a Ford F-250 heading the other way, then spun into a semi rig that was just taking off from the traffic light ahead.

We were REALLY lucky the jacked up F-250 hit the Jeep where it did. Really damn lucky. She's OK - CT scan, X-rays, etc. - just some residual chest pain, headaches, etc. from the airbag deployment in the Cherokee (according to the hospital). Cherokee is a total loss due to the low resale value (it actually still drives, if you can believe it... just leaking a little fuel and a chipped rear alloy wheel). Left it at the tow yard - apparently if you want to "donate" the vehicle, you just leave it at the tow yard for 72 days and they own it, in lieu of storage / towing fees? All that's left is the brand-new radio I just installed days ago, the license plate, and a frying pan that flew out the back so hard it warped the dang thing.

Drove the rest of the way home in the Bimmer - I think we finally rolled out of Corsicana about 7-8pm. Irv: the cargo mat came in handy, our luggage was chucked 30-40 feet out of the Jeep into a muddy / grassy area next to the road (then transferred said wet, mud-covered luggage into the Bimmer).

Bit of a long day, I'll tell you that. On the lighter side, we joked that my Mom got to do the skid pad again in "real life" with another RWD, in-line six cylinder vehicle...

http://www.lstar.net/wreck/thumbs/DSC00007.JPG (http://www.lstar.net/wreck/slides/DSC00007.html) http://www.lstar.net/wreck/thumbs/DSC00026.JPG (http://www.lstar.net/wreck/slides/DSC00026.html) http://www.lstar.net/wreck/thumbs/DSC00030.JPG (http://www.lstar.net/wreck/slides/DSC00030.html) http://www.lstar.net/wreck/thumbs/DSC00032.JPG (http://www.lstar.net/wreck/slides/DSC00032.html) http://www.lstar.net/wreck/thumbs/DSC00035.JPG (http://www.lstar.net/wreck/slides/DSC00035.html) http://www.lstar.net/wreck/thumbs/DSC00038.JPG (http://www.lstar.net/wreck/slides/DSC00038.html) http://www.lstar.net/wreck/thumbs/DSC00042.JPG (http://www.lstar.net/wreck/slides/DSC00042.html)

[AustinLonghorn]

By the way, the ED vehicle you pointed out in your pics belongs to my friend, Raj, whom I did ED with in December. We are scheduled to pick up our cars at the PCD on Feb 5th. You didn't happen to see a white E93 in the same vicinity, did you?

Figured the blue coupe was somebody on Bimmerfest - didn't see any other cars with Munich plates in the vicinity, or I'd have snapped pics... a big storage lot, though, so I wouldn't worry :) Y'all are going to have loads of fun at the PC.

[NewBMWownr]

Wow! I hope everyone is feeling OK after that accident. I did ED + PCD and picked up my e90 335xi the day after you. I had visions of something bad happening on our trip back to Chicago but fortunately it was uneventful, even with the 18" Summer tires and a fair amount of snow. Congratulations on the new ride and good luck with selling the parents on the e60.

My thanks also to Donnie and Johnathan for treating us like royalty and making the PCD experience a true treat. I second the point about the opportunity of getting behind the wheel of a car and putting it on the track versus a the driving simulator at Welt. I personally would take the delivery experience at the PCD over ED; the guys do a fantastic job and really show how passionate they are about BMWs and about making the experience the best it can be.

Also thanks to Irv Robinson...I'm sure the look of horror I had when Donnie told us that my car had been used by the maintenance techs for some training the day before and that only a few parts were left over was priceless. He said something about Irv saying that using my car for maintenance training was fine by me. ha ha.

[IrvRobinson]

We almost made it back to Austin yesterday - after we got back to Huntsville, my Mom switched over to the red Cherokee (left the Grand Cherokee in Alabama), and followed to Shreveport (stayed the night), then on to Austin. About 140 miles out of Austin in Corsicana, TX, my Mom lost control of the Cherokee over some railroad tracks on W TX-31 (going maybe 20mph???), and got nailed by a Ford F-250 heading the other way, then spun into a semi rig that was just taking off from the traffic light ahead.

We were REALLY lucky the jacked up F-250 hit the Jeep where it did. Really damn lucky. She's OK - CT scan, X-rays, etc. - just some residual chest pain, headaches, etc. from the airbag deployment in the Cherokee (according to the hospital). Cherokee is a total loss due to the low resale value (it actually still drives, if you can believe it... just leaking a little fuel and a chipped rear alloy wheel). Left it at the tow yard - apparently if you want to "donate" the vehicle, you just leave it at the tow yard for 72 days and they own it, in lieu of storage / towing fees? All that's left is the brand-new radio I just installed days ago, the license plate, and a frying pan that flew out the back so hard it warped the dang thing.

Drove the rest of the way home in the Bimmer - I think we finally rolled out of Corsicana about 7-8pm. Irv: the cargo mat came in handy, our luggage was chucked 30-40 feet out of the Jeep into a muddy / grassy area next to the road (then transferred said wet, mud-covered luggage into the Bimmer).

Bit of a long day, I'll tell you that. On the lighter side, we joked that my Mom got to do the skid pad again in "real life" with another RWD, in-line six cylinder vehicle...

http://www.lstar.net/wreck/thumbs/DSC00007.JPG (http://www.lstar.net/wreck/slides/DSC00007.html) http://www.lstar.net/wreck/thumbs/DSC00026.JPG (http://www.lstar.net/wreck/slides/DSC00026.html) http://www.lstar.net/wreck/thumbs/DSC00030.JPG (http://www.lstar.net/wreck/slides/DSC00030.html) http://www.lstar.net/wreck/thumbs/DSC00032.JPG (http://www.lstar.net/wreck/slides/DSC00032.html) http://www.lstar.net/wreck/thumbs/DSC00035.JPG (http://www.lstar.net/wreck/slides/DSC00035.html) http://www.lstar.net/wreck/thumbs/DSC00038.JPG (http://www.lstar.net/wreck/slides/DSC00038.html) http://www.lstar.net/wreck/thumbs/DSC00042.JPG (http://www.lstar.net/wreck/slides/DSC00042.html)

YIKES, I'm glad she is okay,it probably helped that she had PC training before this happened......what a photo album you have put together.Be careful out there and we'll talk soon......

[IrvRobinson]

Wow! I hope everyone is feeling OK after that accident. I did ED + PCD and picked up my e90 335xi the day after you. I had visions of something bad happening on our trip back to Chicago but fortunately it was uneventful, even with the 18" Summer tires and a fair amount of snow. Congratulations on the new ride and good luck with selling the parents on the e60.

My thanks also to Donnie and Johnathan for treating us like royalty and making the PCD experience a true treat. I second the point about the opportunity of getting behind the wheel of a car and putting it on the track versus a the driving simulator at Welt. I personally would take the delivery experience at the PCD over ED; the guys do a fantastic job and really show how passionate they are about BMWs and about making the experience the best it can be.

Also thanks to Irv Robinson...I'm sure the look of horror I had when Donnie told us that my car had been used by the maintenance techs for some training the day before and that only a few parts were left over was priceless. He said something about Irv saying that using my car for maintenance training was fine by me. ha ha.

Can't wait to hear about your trip there and back.I knew you would have a great time there,I think it's a much better delivery experience there because it keeps on giving.The Welt is an amazing presentation,and the roads and sights in Europe are awesome.

No other auto manufacturer offers this kind of double whammy experience.

[AustinLonghorn]

Wow! I hope everyone is feeling OK after that accident. I did ED + PCD and picked up my e90 335xi the day after you. I had visions of something bad happening on our trip back to Chicago but fortunately it was uneventful, even with the 18" Summer tires and a fair amount of snow. Congratulations on the new ride and good luck with selling the parents on the e60.

Yeah, tell me about it. I'm probably going back to Corsicana tomorrow with a truck and a tow dolly to tow the Cherokee back to Austin - will probably have to get the local cops to accompany us to the tow company, since they (the wrecker company) were difficult to deal with the first time around. REALLY difficult.

Sounded like the roads were going to be real slick the day after we did the PCD pickup (lots of 2 hour school delays in Knoxville the day after us, according to the radio). How was y'all's trip back on the twisty parts of I-40? (we drove it at night, lots of trucks, and rain, ugh). Probably nice being "local" to your selling dealership (Motor Werks), though, huh?

My thanks also to Donnie and Johnathan for treating us like royalty and making the PCD experience a true treat. I second the point about the opportunity of getting behind the wheel of a car and putting it on the track versus a the driving simulator at Welt. I personally would take the delivery experience at the PCD over ED; the guys do a fantastic job and really show how passionate they are about BMWs and about making the experience the best it can be.

I kinda liked 'em both - a completely different kind of experience with each (and getting to see Würzburg again was fantastic). Certainly a plus for folks on the fence about buying a Bimmer versus another make.

Also thanks to Irv Robinson...I'm sure the look of horror I had when Donnie told us that my car had been used by the maintenance techs for some training the day before and that only a few parts were left over was priceless. He said something about Irv saying that using my car for maintenance training was fine by me. ha ha.

Ha! Seems like part of the standard PCD routine, then :) Donnie pulled a variation of that joke on someone in our group :) Good stuff.

[I-Won-Today]

:yikes:

Sorry to hear and see what happened to your Mom. I'm glad she is OK.

Tell her to remember that when she is pulling reverse turns on the street to always turn the wheel to the open road.