Our PCD Experience !!

My wife and rcecently completed our PCD Experience in early October. It was Fantastic to say the least! We had been planning on doing the PCD for over a year. We originally wanted a June Delivery in Spartanburg but we had to cancel our 2012 335i order, and switch to an October Delivery of a 2013 335i. We had turned our leased 2009 335i into the Dealer BMW of San Diego in late March . We ended up having only one car in our family for about 7 months. This required some logistics, but in the end it worked out well. 6 Months of no car payments, gas or car insurance Our CA was awesome. Pat Springer from BMW of San Diego handled all the details from his end, and kept us informed every step of the way. Our PCD time finally arrived for us on October 7th when we boarded Southwest from San Diego to Spartanburg/Greenville Airport. One change over in Houston. We arrived Sunday night after 7 PM in South Carolina , and we were taken to the Greenvill Marriott in a 2013 650 Silver Grand Coupe with Coral Red Interior. Beautiful Car !.

The Greenville Marriott

Very nice Rooms and the service was excellent. We had two breakfast there as well as two dinners. We came in a day early as our PCD was for Tuesday October 9th. Our meals were all top notch. Jonathan suggested we check out downtown Greenville , and we did that on Monday. Very quaint and picturesque downtown Main Street. Lots of cool Shops and places to Dine and obtain a CAB ( Cold Adult Beverage ) We had dinner that night compliments of BMW at the Greenville Marriott. Very good , and excellent Service. There were at least 5-6 other couples also having a wonderful dinner compliments of BMW too that night.

The PCD Experience

We were picked up the next morning along with many other felloiw PCDers , and taken to Spartanburg. What a thrill ! Everyone on the mini-bus could not wait to arrive at our destination.
We first met in a room with all the Driving Instructors ,Donny did the main presentation. We then went out to the First Section with our Instructor Adam. He is from Greenville , and is a tremendous driver , very skilled in the Driving Sport of Drifting.

The Slalom

We were all put in BMW's as close to our Model as possible. My wife and I were in new 335i which we loved . The Slalom was so much fun. We had many laps as fast as we could safely drive the track. Adam would encourage us on the walkie talkies in each BMW. ZOOM ZOOM.

Skid Pad.

The Skid Pad was a kick in the pants. We have never spun out in cars, so that was a unique experience. When Adam says Floor it, and you start spinning, that was like an E ticket Ride at Disneyland ,for you people of a certain age will know what I am talking about. My wife did great too. Amazing how the BMW handles in a Skid.

ABS Braking.

The BMW performs flawlessly in the ABS Testing. That was a lot fun, Just Slamming on the Brakes as hard as you can , and then steering at the same time. We both performed that task well.

Hot Lap

We took a Hot Lap with Donny. Oh My !!!!!! Wish we could have had a few more of those . Thanks Donny !!!!!! That was a Thrill !!!!

Factory Tour

This was one of the major Highlights of the PCD Experience. We spent over an hour watching the making of a BMW X3. Simply amazing watching from start to finish. The assmblers on the various stations, as well as the Robotics was soooo Coooooooool .

X5 OFF ROAD.

We had never driven an X5 , and we came away quite impressed. My wife grew up driving Jeeps, so she gave me some pointers. It was a blast, to put it Mildly.

We finished up with a wonderful lunch in the Cafeteria. Food was excellent, you could get anything you wanted . We had fun just discussing the AM activities, and knowing that soon we would be getting our new 2013 335i.

The Delivery.

We were able to meet Jonathan, however, he was not able to do our Delivery. Jonathan, it was great to meet you. Thank you for all your help leading up to , and during our PCD Day ! You give so much of your time , and it reflects a tremendous service you give to BMW owners all over the Country. Our Delivery person was Sam. He did an Awesome Job ! This is our Third 3 Series in 6 years, and after his presentation , we really felt we know our new 3 Series. Our new 335i was in a special Showroom just for Us. It was so shiny it glowed. The Melbourne Red Paint glistened , and the contrasing Black Leather Interior suited our Bimmer well. Sam Explained everything we needed to know. We were not rushed, and took as much time as needed. It went by like a Blurr. Thanks Sam, great Job.

The Museum

We toured the Museum and Gift Shop , and bought some shirts and other BWM goodies. Great time.

Homeward Bound.

We live on the West Coast, so we left around 3:30 PM for our First City which was Atlanta that Night. Atlanta is around 2 and half hours from Greenville. We spent the next 10 days on the Road. My wife and I had never Driven Cross Country, so check another item off the Bucket List. Originally, we were going to switch drivers each day. Guess what ? I ended up driving the whole 3,200 miles back to San Diego. We drove through 11 states. South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona and of course ending up back in San Diego, California. We extended our stay in a few cities. New Orleans, Santa Fe and Albuquerque New Mexico and Scotsdale Arizona. It was an experience of a Lifetime. Thank you everyone at the PCD , especially the staff at the Marriott, Jonathan, Sam, Adam and Donny at the PCD. You all made our trip so memorable. It was a fantastic time. If possible, and you can schdule the time. As Nike Says. "Just Do It" !

Thanks for the great post . It was great meeting you both and glad you enjoyed the experience. The one way cross country trip is the way to do it and something I have on my bucket list as well.

Enjoy your new BMW!

Originally Posted by I-Won-Today

Thanks for the great post . It was great meeting you both and glad you enjoyed the experience. The one way cross country trip is the way to do it and something I have on my bucket list as well.

Enjoy your new BMW!

You should do it for Sure Jonathan !!! Say hi to everyone at the PCD My wife and I talk about our PCD Experience , and it is such a great Memory. One suggestion, we wish there were more items in the PCD Gift Shop that just said BMW Performance Center. It seems like that vast majority of T-Shirts, Polo's , Caps , Sweaters etc. all have the M Logo. We understand that you also host the M Schools there, but the vast majority of Bimmer Folks picking up new Cars are not M Owners. We wish that more of the gift items related directly to the Performance Delivery Experience , as opposed to the M Driving Schools. What do you think Jonathan ? Keep the M Items, but please expand the Inventory.

Originally Posted by SD330i

You should do it for Sure Jonathan !!! Say hi to everyone at the PCD My wife and I talk about our PCD Experience , and it is such a great Memory. One suggestion, we wish there were more items in the PCD Gift Shop that just said BMW Performance Center. It seems like that vast majority of T-Shirts, Polo's , Caps , Sweaters etc. all have the M Logo. We understand that you also host the M Schools there, but the vast majority of Bimmer Folks picking up new Cars are not M Owners. We wish that more of the gift items related directly to the Performance Delivery Experience , as opposed to the M Driving Schools. What do you think Jonathan ? Keep the M Items, but please expand the Inventory.

Thanks for the recommendation about the gift shop. I'll pass it along to the powers that be

Interesting. Does each person need a temporary plate from their state before taking delivery? How does that work?

iJonathan is the dependable source but if your dealership is doing what they should, your plate should be sent to the performance center and they will attach it while you watch. At least for the front they don't drill without you saying OK. I had to hand carry my plate, only back, and they attached it. If your dealer doesn't get this done, they can attach a temporary SC plate so you can drive home.

Originally Posted by trinipirate

Interesting. Does each person need a temporary plate from their state before taking delivery? How does that work?

JimD1 pretty much nailed it on the head. Most dealers have the capability of issuing you a temp tag. There are a few states that don't have that ability. If you purchase a vehicle from a dealer in one of those states, then they will have to submit a request for us to issue a temp tag for them.

The only catch is that we cannot issue a SC temp tag to a SC resident. In that situation, the customer and dealer will have to figure an alternate solution.

Originally Posted by trinipirate

Interesting. Does each person need a temporary plate from their state before taking delivery? How does that work?

We came from California, and Our Dealer just gave us the temporary Plate Information that we just taped to the Front Wind Shield. Our new Cali Plate will be installed shortly. It was not available when we did our PCD Experience. We had no problems driving cross country without front or rear License Plates Although, going through Oklahoma City on 40, the Highway Patrol checked out our Bimmer very closely , before going after a speeder , and giving him a ticket. Have a great Time at PCD It was a Blast for my Wife and I A trip of a lifetime. Jonathan , and everyone at PCD are fantastic !!!

Sounds like a great experience. I did cross country from LA to Atlanta in 2007. The great American road trip is a wonderfully fun time.

Originally Posted by JustinTJ

Sounds like a great experience. I did cross country from LA to Atlanta in 2007. The great American road trip is a wonderfully fun time.

Thanks, It was a Once in a LIfetime Experience. Next time Euro Delivery like you just did Enjoy your new Bimmer Too