New Winter Tires Rental Program

Thanks for starting up this program.. It would have been useful for me earlier this year.

Question: What happens if it's snowing the day the customer takes delivery? A lot can happen in the "short" drive from die Welt to Garching before the snow tires get mounted...

Originally Posted by AK

Thanks for starting up this program.. It would have been useful for me earlier this year.

Question: What happens if it's snowing the day the customer takes delivery? A lot can happen in the "short" drive from die Welt to Garching before the snow tires get mounted...

Not much I can do about that really, you would have to drive carefully and slowly to Garching. If conditions really were so bad that it makes driving impossible, you would have to obtain snow chains outisde BMW Welt.

Thank you for this service. I may move my ED date up now.

Originally Posted by AK

Thanks for starting up this program.. It would have been useful for me earlier this year.

Question: What happens if it's snowing the day the customer takes delivery? A lot can happen in the "short" drive from die Welt to Garching before the snow tires get mounted...

Flatbed it?

Originally Posted by AK

Thanks for starting up this program.. It would have been useful for me earlier this year.

Question: What happens if it's snowing the day the customer takes delivery? A lot can happen in the "short" drive from die Welt to Garching before the snow tires get mounted...

You could always take a taxi to pick up the mounted tires and bring them back to the Welt and put them on yourself if the Welt employees are not allowed to do it for you. (We had to have our floormats added at the Freimann ED center and they had to take the car to another location to have them installed apparently for union reasons.)

Originally Posted by john lance

Not much I can do about that really, you would have to drive carefully and slowly to Garching. If conditions really were so bad that it makes driving impossible, you would have to obtain snow chains outisde BMW Welt.

Would chains on summer tires be legal should you have an accident?
We're waiting for an ED date for the wife's 335i, no way is she going to
drive in the snow. So if weather is poor it would be on with chains (or flatbed)
and drive to the nearest drop off point.
Me, I'd rent tires and drive the bad boy.

Originally Posted by Calvette

Would chains on summer tires be legal should you have an accident?
We're waiting for an ED date for the wife's 335i, no way is she going to
drive in the snow. So if weather is poor it would be on with chains (or flatbed)
and drive to the nearest drop off point.
Me, I'd rent tires and drive the bad boy.

Yes, it is perfectly legal to drive on Summer tires that have snow chains fitted. It's very uncommon though that they are needed in Munich city itself, the roads are salted and kept clear 95% of the (day) time. You would be very unlucky indeed if your ED coincided with one of the rare occasion that driving from BMW-Welt to Garching, even with Summer tires, requires chains.

Originally Posted by john lance

Yes, it is perfectly legal to drive on Summer tires that have snow chains fitted. It's very uncommon though that they are needed in Munich city itself, the roads are salted and kept clear 95% of the (day) time. You would be very unlucky indeed if your ED coincided with one of the rare occasion that driving from BMW-Welt to Garching, even with Summer tires, requires chains.

Well, this is what it looked like the day I picked my car up:




Murphy's Law states that if it can go wrong, it WILL!!

What kind of tire chains work with a 255/35ZR-18 wheel and tire?

Originally Posted by AK

What kind of tire chains work with a 255/35ZR-18 wheel and tire?

I have put that question to the ADAC in Germany and will post their response as soon as I receive it.

Originally Posted by AK

Well, this is what it looked like the day I picked my car up:
Murphy's Law states that if it can go wrong, it WILL!!

And did you use snow-chains for that?

Originally Posted by john lance

And did you use snow-chains for that?

No. I decided to abort the mission rather than risk smashing up my new toy. At the time, BMWNA announced their own snow tire rental program but when I got to the reception desk at Freimann, they told me it was canceled. The delivery center had Harms pick up the car directly.

Originally Posted by AK

No. I decided to abort the mission rather than risk smashing up my new toy. At the time, BMWNA announced their own snow tire rental program but when I got to the reception desk at Freimann, they told me it was canceled. The delivery center had Harms pick up the car directly.

Short term, chains but rental tires would be the better way to go long term.

According to the owner's manual, you can't fit chains on ZSP equipped cars with performance tires. Seems like the worst case solution would be to have Harms pick the car up another day. I just wish they weren't called "Harms".

Two questions:

1) Around what time of the year does it generally start snowing in Germany (munich and surroindings)?

2) How do these rental program prices compare to the BMW prices of the same program last year?

Originally Posted by bmwloverinsocal

1) Around what time of the year does it generally start snowing in Germany (munich and surroindings)?

Have you tried searching for the numerous discussions already on this topic?

Originally Posted by bmwloverinsocal

Two questions:

1) Around what time of the year does it generally start snowing in Germany (munich and surroindings)?

2) How do these rental program prices compare to the BMW prices of the same program last year?

It's difficult to say when the first snow falls in the Munich area, there's no definitive answer. Whether there's snow in October, November or December is anybody's guess. January, February and March usually do have quite Wintry conditions, although not too many of the kind of heavy falls of snow that were seen in March, 2006 (see the photos of that at http://www.wetteronline.de/feature/2006/03/05_ws.htm). A lot of heavy, wet snow is also often dumped in April.

Of course, as you drive South into the alpine regions of Southern Bavaria and into Austria, the likelyhood of snow between October and April increases many-fold. Winter tires are not, however, only for snowy conditions! They greatly assist driving more safely in wintry conditions that could just be sub-zero (Centigrade) but without actual snow falling.

Last year's BMW prices can be seen at http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...t=winter+tires. The pricing structure is different this time around but for the most part are probably around half of those rates!

Hello, I am picking up a 2008 X3, December 4th and going down all the way to Rome to drop off Dec 12. How will the factory fitted tires and 4 wheel traction work for Dec weather ?. I live in FL and have no yearly experience on snow driving.

Thanks for the advice.

Originally Posted by XFOS

Hello, I am picking up a 2008 X3, December 4th and going down all the way to Rome to drop off Dec 12. How will the factory fitted tires and 4 wheel traction work for Dec weather ?. I live in FL and have no yearly experience on snow driving.

Thanks for the advice.

I pick up my Cabrio on 17th of December, I seriously considering renting the winter tires for my trip to Holland but maybe when we get closer I will see if the weather demands it...

Originally Posted by XFOS

Hello, I am picking up a 2008 X3, December 4th and going down all the way to Rome to drop off Dec 12. How will the factory fitted tires and 4 wheel traction work for Dec weather ?. I live in FL and have no yearly experience on snow driving.

Thanks for the advice.

Winter tires would still be the optimum choice for typical December temperatures and the chance of wintery weather (remember, they're called winter tires now and are beneficial in cold climates with or without snow). Obviously, the Rome drop off would be an issue unless the drop off driver can do the wheel/tire exchange for you.

That said, as long as your plans are flexible you should be fine. If, upon pick up, old man winter is giving Munich and southern Germany a good dusting, park the car and explore Munich for a day or two until the weather lets up.

Regarding the legalities, it is illegal now to drive a non M&S rated tire during winter weather conditions. In addition to it being illegal, your insurance may deny coverage in the event an accident occurred and you were driving on summer tires.

Originally Posted by XFOS

Hello, I am picking up a 2008 X3, December 4th and going down all the way to Rome to drop off Dec 12. How will the factory fitted tires and 4 wheel traction work for Dec weather ?. I live in FL and have no yearly experience on snow driving.

Thanks for the advice.

One-way winter tire & wheel rentals are not usually possible but, as I understand it, cars dropped off in Rome are driven back to Harms in Garching - in which case it would be ok provided that the delivery driver calls in at the tire depot (also in Garching and just one street before Harms) to return them and have your original wheels and tires re-mounted. The rental period would of course run till the date the tires are returned!

I would imagine Harms will charge an extra fee for this.

I've submitted the request for end of December. Planning to drive to Austria and Czech Republic.

Originally Posted by DXK

I've submitted the request for end of December. Planning to drive to Austria and Czech Republic.

Request not as yet received! - e-mail to me please at edwintertires@hotmail.com

Originally Posted by john lance

Request not as yet received! - e-mail to me please at edwintertires@hotmail.com

I used the website, but it's only been a few minutes, maybe you will receive it later.
I'll email you tomorrow as well.
Thanks

Request received, thank you. An e-mail follow-up to a submitted request is always appreciated as sometimes the form does not arrive as it should! Thank You.