Getting Your BMW Back to the United States
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[edit] Drop Off for Re-Delivery at Your BMW Dealer
[edit] Car Wash
If you have been doing a fair amount of driving, you may want to stop by a local car wash to get all the bugs and dirt off your car since it will be sitting on a ship for 6-8 weeks.
[edit] Munich
According to some bimmerfest members, there is a Shell station at the following address in Munch that has worked well for them in the past!
Münchner Ring 17 85716 Unterschleißheim.
From Harms/MADA you would take Schleißheimer Str (B471) a short distance west to a major intersection. Then north on Ingolstädter Landstraße (B13) about 3-4km and it is on your left. They have a drive through, self serve, and vacuums.
(Thanks to Kanuck from bimmerfest.com for the information and general directions!)
The self-serve bays at the Shell station offer a choice of five programs, including a cold water wash, a hot wash with shampoo, as well as a wash with filtered water. The amount of Euros you put into the machine - either 50 cents, 1 Euro or 2 Euros - varies the amount of time given for your chosen program. Deposit the money and select the program. A display on the machine tells you how much time you have left.
It should be noted that because of some strict "laws" regarding working on Sunday in Germany, that you will likely not be able to wash your car that day, drive-thru OR self-serve. If you plan on dropping your car off at Harms on a Sunday you may want to consider washing it another day if you want it clean for the ride home.
Two new additions, as of June 1, 2008:
1. From RunonMD1: "Went to a car wash recommended by Harms, about a half mile away. They did a nice job...it's called APZ (Auto-Pflege-Zentrum) at Schleissheimer Strasse 89, 85748 Garching. The phone is 089/32 18 6611."
2. John Lance reports: "There's a brand-new one being built right opposite our Winter Tires depot in Ismaning!"
[edit] Frankfurt
Right before you turn into the Frankfurt Harms Drop-off, there is an Aral gas station and car wash. Prices range from €8,- to €12,-. In winter, you'll need to press the circled blue button to open the car wash up. Park the car inside, walk back to the control panel, and insert the ticket you received at the counter to start the wash. Does a really good job, including the front wheels.
[edit] Paris/CDG
As you head towards CDG airport, follow signs for Terminal 3. Then, follow signs for TT Transit, which is where you will be dropping off your car. As you continue following the signs, just after one of the roundabouts you will see a banner of an Elephant. This is the car wash. It is brushless, and uses high pressure water and soap.
[edit] Drop Off Details
When you are done driving your car around Europe, BMW offers 15 different drop-off locations in 7 different countries including Austria, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and England. You will be dropping your car off with the designated shipping company, E.H. Harms, for transport to the United States. All costs involved with the transport including customs clearance and duty and marine insurance is included in the purchase price of all BMWs sold under the European Delivery Program.
- All drop off locations require 4 days advance notice to schedule a drop off appointment either by phone or email. Drop off locations are open Monday to Friday only. All locations are closed on Sundays, German holidays and scheduled holidays.
- If you call ahead, you may be able to expedite your drop-off or drop your car off on a Saturday or Sunday. You will have to complete the paperwork in advance, and leave the car and one key by prior arrangement. Be sure to arrange this ahead of time.
All cars are shipping from Antwerp, Belgium or Bremerhaven, Germany. The entire re-delivery process to your BMW dealer typically takes 6-8 weeks which can be an exhausting wait!
- Be sure to remove all personal objects and belongings from the car including the first aid kit and hazard warning sign, as these items cannot be legally imported with the car. Ask in Munich which items you should take with you, since recently (May 07) they said only take the first-aid kit and warning triangle. The other items will be returned/replaced on delivery.
- Take your front European plate with you as it may disappear during shipping to the US. While both plates should be on your car or in the trunk when you take redelivery, some unscrupulous dealers may remove the plates and not return them to you. Note that if you drop your car in Switzerland or have it driven back to Germany from Italy, you must leave both plates on the car. In other countries, you must leave only the rear plate on the car. Note that the license plate is sometimes held on with a couple of phillips head screws but they they have a plastic foam button glued on the screw. Take a phillips from your tool kit. Hit the screwdriver that is placed on the screw with the heal of you hand. You can engage the screwdriver and you are off and running. Sometimes the white button is rubberized and merely snaps onto the screw head, so in that case you can remove them by prying them off from the side. Then you can re-use them later. Update (November 2007): It seems like most front plates are secured with 3M double stick tape now, so this shouldn't be a problem.
[edit] Drop Off Locations
[edit] Germany
[edit] Hamburg
E.H. Harms GmbH & Co. Kattwykweg 7 21107 Hamburg Phone: 040-75 27 97-157 Email: ithiess@mail.ehharms.de Hours: 9:00AM to 3:30PM
[edit] Bremerhaven
E.H. Harms GmbH & Co. Car Shipping Franziusstrasse 70A 27580 Bremerhaven Phone: 49-471-48295-671/676 Email: RPlettenberg@mail.ehharms.de Alternate Email: KBogatzki@mail.ehharms.de Hours: 8:30AM to 4:00PM
[edit] Frankfurt
E.H. Harms GmbH & Co. An den Sportplatzen 8-10 64546 Walldorf (Möhrfelden) Phone: 06105-45 861/62 Email: ANelke@mail.ehharms.de Email: SJahnke@mail.ehharms.de Hours: 8:30AM to 4:00PM
A taxi from Harms to the local bahnhof on Farmstraße is €5, and from there it's €2,20 to the airport on the 5514 bus (this bus departs every 30-60 minutes). The 5514 terminates at FRA Terminal 1.
Google Map, from Harms to the local bahnhof: Click here
[edit] Munich
New Drop-off Info:
Sven T. Grabowski Tel.: +49 89 30 760 19-24 Fax: +49 89 30 760 19-29
Vikase GmbH
Robert Bosch Str. 11 D-85748 Garching Hochbrück
E-Mail: transfer@vikase.com
E-Mail: transport@vikase.com
E-Mail: verwaltung@vikase.com
E-Mail: drop-off@vikase.com
Hours: Monday thru Friday 8am to 4pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm
This agency will be close on this dates:
01.01.2009 Neujahr/New Year’s Day
06.01.2009 Heilige Drei Könige
10.04.2009 Karfreitag/Easter Friday
13.04.2009 Ostermontag/Easter Monday
01.05.2009 Maifeiertag/Mayday
21.05.2009 Christi Himmelfahrt
01.06.2009 Pfingstmontag/Pfingstmonday
11.06.2009 Fronleichnam
15.08.2009 Mariä Himmelfahrt
03.10.2009 Tag der Deutschen Einheit/Day Of German Unity
24.12.2009 Heiligabend/Christmas Eve
25.12.2009 Weihnachtstag/First Christmas Day
26.12.2009 Weihnachtstag/Second Christmas Day
31.12.2009 Silvester/New Year’s Eve
Google Map: Click here
[Sadly, Thomas Heumann passed away on September 21, 2008. The Harms/MADA office still functions as described below, but there may be changes in the level and quality of service. We shall update this as people report recent experiences.]
Munich, for obvious reasons, is the most often used drop-off location. The office is located in an industrial park area. At the end of Robert-Bosch-Str, you will see a ramp on the left side of the road (far end of the building) marked by a small Harms sign. Take the ramp up, and turn left at the end of the ramp (back toward the street) to find No. 11. You will see parking spaces marked Virkase and probably some BMWs in some of those spaces. Go inside to find Sven Grabowski (he may have seen you parking in the lot and come out to meet you). Present Sven a copy of the Purchase Order, and he will print out some forms for your signature, inspect the car for damage, and jot down the mileage.
Festers have been able to arrange after hours, weekend, or holiday drop-offs at this location. Typically, you would meet Thomas during regular office hours, pre-sign the paperwork, leave him one key, and advise him of when to expect your car. Then, when you're ready to turn the car in, bring it back to the lot, lock it, and you're on your way.
If you wish to take public transit from here, walk back out Robert-Bosch Str. and the bus stops will be at the intersection with Schleissheimer Strasse. To go to the airport, wait for the bus on the near side (do not cross the road) for the 219A or 292, both buses will take you to the S-1 line. Check the schedule posted at the stop to see which bus comes next. You'll be at Unterschleissheim or Oberschleissheim station of the S-1 train (depending on which bus you took). The airport stop is the Flughafen Munchen station, which is the last stop of the S-1 line, just make sure you are on the right car as the train splits a few stops before the airport. Before you board the train notice the destination label in the front of the car. Should take 45 minutes to 1:30 hours to the airport, depending on the connection times. If you get the Partner-Tageskarte ticket (Outer district/Aussenraum) , up to 5 people can go on this ticket for 9 Euros (2007 price). Caution: sometimes bus drivers may not have the Partner-Tageskarte, so if you plan on doing this, pre-purchase the ticket at a train station and validate it at the bus stop or when you get on the bus
If you prefer, Thomas will call a cab for you. Cab fare will be approximately 50 euros.
[edit] Sindelfingen
E.H. Harms GmbH & Co. Am Hirnach 6 71065 Sindelfingen Phone: 07031-86 61 61-0 Email: MBahler@mail.ehharms.de Alternate Email: LPetkovic@mail.ehharms.de Hours: 9:00AM to 4:00PM
[edit] Austria
Use of autobahns in Austria requires payment of a road tax through purchase of a vignette, which are available near border crossings. Austria requires a security vest for each driver, which can be purchased where vignettes are sold.
[edit] Vienna
Auto Service Wien GmbH Seitenhafenstrasse 15/Zollfreie Zone 1020 Vienna Phone: 43-1-72 66 11 561 Email: Office@autoservice-wien.at Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:00AM to 4:00PM Friday 9:00AM to 2:30PM
The Nav system will send you to the right of the correct building (true as of June 2008); when you are about 1000 feet from the end of your journey you want to go thru the gateway with the guard and gate, not to the right. The dropoff location is 1.5km from the nearest bus-stop so you'll need to take a taxi. If you are going to the airport take a taxi to the railway station at Wien Mitte (about 15-20 Euro), where you can take the City Airport train for 9 Euro to the airport. The S7 line from the station also runs to the airport from that station. If you are returning to Vienna after dropping off your car ask the taxi to take you to the nearest U-Bahn station which is the subway system(about 15 Euro) and then buy a 1.70 Euro ticket to get to your destination.
[edit] Switzerland
Use of autobahns in Switzerland requires payment of an annual road tax through purchase of a vignette
[edit] Geneva
Ritschard SA
Aerogare fret
Case postale 1061
1211 Geneve 5 Aeroport
Phone: 0041-22-79 87 700
Email: Stauble@ritschard.ch
Hours: 8:00AM to 12:00PM and 1:30PM to 5:30PM
This drop-off location is hard to find on the map. The easiest way to find it is to follow the signs at the Geneva airport that says "Fret". When you've reached the parking lot, Ritschard is in location 1 (shown in a large number at the top of the building). Go inside and look on the building directory to find their office as the building is shared with several businesses. Here is the Google maps link to the approximate location:
[edit] Zurich
AG Gondrand Reisen Industriestrasse 10 8152 Glattbrugg Phone: 41-44-828-68-30 Fax: 41-44-828-68-10 Email: c.tintori@gondrand.ch Hours: 8:30AM to 11:30AM and 1:30PM to 4:00PM
[edit] France
[edit] Paris
TT Car Transit Airport Roissy / CDG (in front of terminal 3)
B.P. 30008
95 716 Roissy CDG 2
Phone: +33-1-48 62 37 53
Email: info@ttroissy.com
Hours: 8:00AM to 5:00PM
Google map here
Be sure to call and make an appointment at least 4 days prior to drop off. They will give you instructions on where to go, what to bring, and to wash your car beforehand. They said there are two car washes nearby, but those were not visible on the direct route into the airport from Paris. They handle Europe by Car (Peugeot), several other makes of cars and also rental drop-off, so just park where they tell you and go into their trailer office. TT Car Transit has vans that will shuttle you to the airport terminal. If you're going back to Paris, ask for directions to the RER train station which is within walking distance (see map in link).
[edit] Nice
TT CAR TRANSIT 61 Route de Grenoble 06 200 NICE Phone: 04.92.29.13.83 Toll free number from inside the airport : 0 800 803 583 Email: info@ttnice.com Hours: 8:00AM to 5:00PM
[edit] Netherlands
[edit] Amsterdam
USA - United Stevedoring Amsterdam Ruijgoordweg 80 Westport 7859 1047 BM Amsterdam Phone: 0031-20-497 31 32 Email: usa.desk@usamsterdam.com Hours: 7:30AM to 4:00PM The USA office for drop-offs has moved to a new building on Ruijgoordweg. To get there, head North on Ruijgoordweg from Westpoortweg. Past the Latexweg intersection, you will see signboards with business names on them. Look for the board with USA's name on it and turn into the parking lot for that building on the right. Park in the lot then walk around to the back of the building following signs for the Trucker's Reception. When you get to the reception, find an open window and get in line. There is no first come, first served system. This facility is used by cargo trucks to drop off shipping containers so the truck drivers will simply walk up and proceed with their business regardless if there are other people waiting around. If you need a taxi, ask the representative helping you to call one the moment you start the paperwork as it takes a while for taxis to get there. Make sure you get a copy of each document that you sign including the Condition Report. For people using the European Nav disk, please be aware that the Nav system will tell you that you have arrived at your destination when you reach the Kopraweg and Westpoortweg intersection. Keep driving to the next street which is Ruijgoordweg.
See it using Google Maps: Click here
[edit] Spain
[edit] Madrid
Auto Turistica Iberica Calle Ingeniero Torres Quevedo, 6 28022 Madrid Phone: 0034-91-32 9 .2 9.11 Email: info@autoturistica.com Hours: 9:00AM to 1:00PM and 3:00PM to 5:00PM
[edit] England
[edit] London
Heathpark Services UK Ltd. Renaissance Hotel Heathrow Room G022 Bath Road Hounslow, Middlesex TX6 2AQ Phone: 0044-208-99 09 050 Email: Sparson5@aol.com Hours: 9:00AM to 4:00PM
[edit] Italy
By arrangement, BMW will hire a driver to return your car from a location in Italy to Munich for drop-off.
New: Beginning Feb 1, 2008 there will be a charge to drop-off cars in Italy. The charges, as of Feb 2008, are:
Rome 725 euros
Milan 520 euros
Florence 520 euros
Venice 490 euros
Verona 490 euros
Genoa 460 euros
Bologna 490 euros
Naples 735 euros
Need a minimum of 3 valid days of vehicle registration and insurance. Also need to make a reservation a minimum of 5 days prior to drop-off. There is now a form that has to be filled out for Italian drop-off.
If you don't want to return all the way to Munich, and prefer that your car not be driven by others, or want to save the driver fee, many 'festers have chosen to drop-off in Nice, France.
[edit] Waiting, Tracking and Taking Re-Delivery
The toughest part about doing European Delivery has got to be the 6-8 week period from when you drop off your car at one of the drop-off locations until it arrives at your dealer to pick up. Luckily, there are a great number of sites that you can use to keep track of where your car is and what progress it is making on its way to your dealer.
East coast deliveries are handled by Wallenius Wilhelmsen and can be tracked by logging on to http://schedule.2wglobal.com/AppTracking/cargoTrack.do , choosing the Auto Cargo option and finally entering your VIN (make sure all letters are in CAPS) in the Cargo ID box. Click on the Voyage ID for the port arrival/departure schedule. Ports already departed are listed in red.
West coast deliveries are handled by N Y K line and can be tracked at http://www2.nykline.com/home/index.html
Once you know your ship's name, you can attempt to track it using SailWX.com You may not see reports until the ship is in open ocean. Not all ships participate in this voluntary reporting, but it does not hurt to try.
For a much more detailed list of links including port schedules and web cams visit http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96824
[edit] Performance Center Delivery
It is now possible to take redelivery of your ED vehicle at the Performance Center in Greenville, SC. Your car is sent there from the VPC, and you get to drive BMW's 3-series on the track, in a variety of exercises, before receiving your car. Also, for expedited redelivery, you can request a "No Overview" option, as you already know your car from your time in Europe and at the Welt! For more details see this forum, or BMW's official page.
[edit] Obtaining Your BMW CCA Member Reward Rebate
BMW of North America offers members of the BMW Car Club of America (BMW CCA) a rebate on the purchase of a new or CPO vehicle after one year of continuous membership. The amount ranges from $500 to $1500 depending on the model. Eligibility and details are available on the BMWCCA website.
Cars purchased through the BMW NA European Delivery program are eligible for this program but procedures for this program for such cars are slightly different and are summarized below. As of the date of vehicle delivery, you must have been a member of the Club for over one year (i.e. 366 days) in order to be eligible.
European Delivery-Specific Program Info: 1. The delivery date is the date you pick up your car in Munich. This means that you must have been a BMW CCA member for one year prior to that date.
2. You may not receive an odometer statement with your ED car. You are not required to submit one to obtain the rebate.
3. You have 60 days from redelivery of the car in the U.S. to submit the rebate request form.
4. Keep a copy of the materials you send, and consider sending them in a way that proves the date on which they were sent. That way, if BMW does not receive your materials in a timely fashion, you can prove you sent them on time.
After 45 days, if you have not received your check, you should inquire with the BMW CCA office in Spartanburg to ensure they have received and processed your paperwork. Esquiring earlier will do little good as the Club office will not be able to tell you anything until BMW NA has entered it into its system.
N.B. The rules are subject to change at anytime and other rules my apply.
