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View Full Version : A positive post

Greg S.
08-25-2003, 09:03 PM
The clutch safety switch went out on my '99 540i/6 and BMW roadside picked it up and towed it to Allison BMW in Mountain View Ca. My service advisor Alex Diamond was fast and knowledgable.The only problem I had was that there wasn't a single part #61-31-8-363-710 in the whole country. It took three weeks to get one shipped and installed. Erik did let me drive a loaner for the three weeks so the wait wasn't that bad.
Greg S.
Terry Kennedy
08-25-2003, 10:08 PM
The clutch safety switch went out on my '99 540i/6 and BMW roadside picked it up and towed it to Allison BMW in Mountain View Ca. My service advisor Alex Diamond was fast and knowledgable.The only problem I had was that there wasn't a single part #61-31-8-363-710 in the whole country. It took three weeks to get one shipped and installed. Erik did let me drive a loaner for the three weeks so the wait wasn't that bad. It sounds like a number of dealers (I've seen similar reports of "weeks to get a part") aren't familiar with the VOR (Vehicle Off Road) expedited shipping options. That should get any part needed to fix a defect that makes a car non-driveable in 3 business days or less, even if the part is in short supply and needs to come from Germany. The definition of "non-driveable" is somewhat subjective, but it is up to the dealer to request VOR expediting. I don't know what would happen if a dealer ordered a cosmetic part and marked it VOR, but for stuff that genuinely makes the car non-driveable there shouldn't be an issue.

There is a surcharge ("uplift") in the price the dealer pays BMW for a VOR part, so for an out-of-warranty car (where the dealer won't be reimbursed by BMW for parts and labor) they might not want to take advantage of the VOR program unless you specifically ask for it.
bluer1
09-02-2003, 10:40 AM
The clutch safety switch went out on my '99 540i/6 and BMW roadside picked it up and towed it to Allison BMW in Mountain View Ca. My service advisor Alex Diamond was fast and knowledgable.The only problem I had was that there wasn't a single part #61-31-8-363-710 in the whole country. It took three weeks to get one shipped and installed. Erik did let me drive a loaner for the three weeks so the wait wasn't that bad.
Greg S.

They should have pulled a switch out of a loaner/demo and had you back on the road in under an hour.
:tsk: