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M3 ED off to a rough start!

5K views 40 replies 23 participants last post by  FlyingLow78 
#1 ·
I can't even get out of Raleigh-Durham because my plane hasn't yet arrived from Dulles. As it now stands, I will miss my flight to Munich. We are supposed to take delivery Thanksgiving morning. :-(
 
#4 ·
I just checked the flight status for the flights from RDU to MUC and here are a couple suggestions for you in terms of routings that may help you out. Your plane is stuck in New York right now so that is the issue.

The best routing i can find is to take Air Canada at 3:55 to toronto and then catch the AC flight to MUC that would get you into Munich at 10 am tomorrow morning. Those flights are wide open. This should be doable by the agent. You just may need to be a little persistant.

The second best option is that you will end up on the 9:55pm flight to Frankfurt and then connect to MUC getting in at 2:15 pm tomorrow afternoon. Not the best option, but its there.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I just checked the flight status for the flights from RDU to MUC and here are a couple suggestions for you in terms of routings that may help you out. Your plane is stuck in New York right now so that is the issue.

The best routing i can find is to take Air Canada at 3:55 to Toronto and then catch the AC flight to MUC that would get you into Munich at 10 am tomorrow morning. Those flights are wide open. This should be doable by the agent. You just may need to be a little persistent.
**** Updates!

Although I didn't have a chance to check this thread again, I did message my brother who works for United, and he recommended I do exactly the above. Great minds think alike? I got on the flight to Toronto and direct to Munich from there, so I only missed about 3 hours of my vacation.

The Sixt driver was right on time, helped us with our bags, and got us to the Welt quickly. It was first class all the way...from the tour, to the food at the lounge, to Rudy's vehicle familiarization. I can see why so many people do this several times. :)

Four hour compliance!



A quick video of our presentation.

http://youtu.be/Yhm1iftFI68

I got my snow tires mounted by the facility affiliated with the EDwintertires.com website. It only took them ten minutes and they used a torque wrench on the lugs. :thumbup:

Ready to hit the Austrian Alps tomorrow for a little snowboarding!
 
#7 ·
Bummer! Let us know how things work out. Too bad your moniker turned out to be prophetic.***55357;***56862;
 
#8 ·
Bummer. I hope things work out for you. I'm confident the folks at the Welt will work out a Friday delivery if you can get there. It's crazy how delays at a few key hubs affect the entire air traffic system.
 
#10 ·
I think this just emphasizes the point that doing your delivery at the Welt on the day of arrival via plane in Europe is a bit of a risky proposition. I personally did not do it the first time, and will not do it next year and would not advise it. It's too rushed and too much stress.
 
#11 ·
I fly Internationally for work **a lot** so I should know better, but after 3 consecutive ED's where I was delayed enough to miss the delivery date I now expect the unexpected, and arrive the day before (or longer if the car is coupled with a business trip in Europe).

It doesn't help the OP in this situation, but it sounds like there are enough options to allow a re-plan.
 
#14 ·
Great! Glad it worked out for you.Enjoy your trip.
 
#21 ·
Now that makes for a Thanksgiving blessing! Congratulations on your new M3, FlyingLow78. :thumbup:
 
#22 ·
The weather continues to frustrate us here. We drove all the way to the Nurburgring but it was closed due to incredibly thick fog. No worries, though, lots of restaurants to try and we're off to Amsterdam tomorrow.

We also had a bit of a scare with the nav system. As we departed for the 'ring the screen was asking for a nav activation code, then it automatically rebooted. When it came back, it was stuck on the screen asking for the code. The USB stick from the Welt wasn't flashing either. I pulled the stick out while the engine was running and put it back in. After a few seconds the nav activation screen again appeared. I waited a few more seconds and it automatically transitioned to the map again. Whew...it's working fine now.

I've got over 1000 miles on the car and will be looking to get the 1200-mile service Tuesday in Bitburg if the dealer can accommodate. FUN car! I get about 22 MPG when my average speed is 86 MPH. Lots of time at 110 MPH and I've taken it once to 150+.
 
#24 ·
Pity about the Ring being closed :( But otherwise, you have an incredibly beautiful car and are enjoying it in Europe :thumbup:
 
#26 ·
Trip wrap-up!

The car did great, and aside from the minor nav hiccup it performed flawlessly. I wish the same could be said for me, but I whacked a curb with one of the (thankfully insured) snow tires in Amsterdam and chipped a big chunk of paint from the lip. Annette with edsnowtires.com was very relaxed about it and a real pleasure to work with.

Day 2 of the trip found us heading south into Austria to the Stubaier Gletscher for some snowboarding at one of the few parks with snow. The temps were slightly above freezing the whole way and the speed limits seemed extremely low compared to Germany. The roads are exceptionally good in both countries. The car was able to swallow all three snowboards and snow gear with one rear set lowered. After hitting the windy and sometimes icy slopes, we returned to the car. As we were getting out of our gear by the car, a snowplow truck was leaving the lot and slammed on his brakes right in front of us, leaving a pair of skid marks on the asphalt. The driver threw it in reverse and drove up next to the car, then started asking us all lots of excited questions in German. We only understood bits and pieces, but basically he was just really interested in the car.



While in Germany we passed the 1200-mile mark, so I got the car serviced at the beautifully designed Autohaus Schaal in Bitburg to the tune of about $360. The dealer didn't have the drain bolt I needed for the oil pan, nor could they order it because it had only been introduced in November, so it wasn't in the system. They substituted a standard steel drain bolt and I'm sure it will be fine for the trip home. After resetting the service reminder it was like a beast had been unleashed! There's sooo much power!

We spent a lot of time at 110-130 MPH going up to Amsterdam and back to Munich and the car felt great. It's such a smooth, quiet ride...a significant departure from my long gone E92 M3. At high speed I averaged about 21 MPG per tank and through the slower Netherlands I got around 25 MPG. I averaged 314 miles per tank and 13 gallons to fill up, so around 23 MPG overall.

I had no trouble finding LOGINOUT at the Munich airport and I was on my way about 15 minutes after the paperwork started. My car even has a buddy for the ride to Bremmerhaven.





 
#30 ·
Almost forgot...

We went to see Neuschwanstein, but it was absolutely sacked in by fog. We took the tour anyways, but we missed out on some beautiful views.



Some other random thoughts...

1. I regret not taking more photos and video of the vehicle delivery. It was a very special experience and I think it will be a long time before I get to do it again.

2. Although it's not highly rated on Google Maps, Zum Aumeister on Sondermeierstraße in Munich has *fantastic* food and drink and I highly recommend it. I had the best pot roast ever there...it was basically a perfectly cooked, incredibly tender steak on a bed of green beans with brown gravy and roasted potatoes. Absolutely exceptional!

3. The memory stick with the nav maps has 23 GB of data on it and it doesn't appear to require an activation code.

4. The place handling the ED winter tires uses a torque wrench to check the lug tightness, but they're not actually torquing the lugs...they're already over-torqued with an impact gun. I'll be re-torquing my wheels when I get the car back. The place doing the work is called Reifen Buchler and it's across from the BMW dealer in Ismaning. There's a DIY/full service auto car wash across the street as well.

5. The cruise control buttons on the steering wheel are no longer intuitive. Numerous times during the trip I shut off the cruise instead of setting it. The volume controls are also on the wrong side.

6. There are lots of really nice people drinking at the Hofbrauhaus and Augustiner am Dom near Marienplatz. I think the latter was a little better overall, but only because it was more low-key. When you walk into the Augustiner, the tables straight ahead are for drinking and those to the right are for dinner. For drinking tables, just find any open seat and join the people already there. Everyone was really nice and we chatted (loudly) with some people from Munich, Istanbul, Berlin, and Brazil.

7. If you'd like the lowdown on which gentlemen's club to avoid, please send me a PM.

8. I sped at least a bit pretty much everywhere (although not as badly in the Netherlands and Austria) and I expect some tickets in a few weeks. Since I go to Europe a couple times a year I'll have to pay.
 
#31 ·
9. I removed my warning triangle and brackets, first aid kit, cargo net, and owners manuals before I left the car. The triangle brackets were held in with standard Phillips screws, not T25 torx as others have experienced.

10. It appears LogInOut is leaving the multi-language notice on the seats of cars destined for America that indicates we'd like to keep our plates. There was a stack of them on the desk inside LogInOut.
 
#33 ·
Love the Color might be my next car!!! With a red interior. Enjoy Europe!!
 
#34 ·
Even though I'll be heading over there in two months, I am really jealous of your car. It looks gorgeous, especially after you washed it.
 
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