Morning Gents and Gals
Best answer a few questions whilst I still have time.
My question: Can you shed some light on the "runflat" issue. Get lots of different views, where some dealers say it's ok to ditch them while others state it will void your MP. Care to shed some light on the subject or provide some insight.
Originally it was accepted and spread by dealers that Runflats could not be plugged or replaced by non run flat tyres.
Recently though many dealers have been given grief and it is currently accepted that you can plug run flats and you may also change your runflats to non run flat as long as they are BMW Approved tyres. I believe there is a star on the tyre which indicates it being a BMW tyre.
As long as you have this then all is well. I still do not understand why you need to have BMW tyres for a Motorplan though...
Whats the general profit margin on spares, and if thats too difficualt, Whats your markup on oil...
This may sound like a dumbed down answer and not too descriptive but I believe that their is not a huge amount of profit in spares. The issue with spares is that they are all produced in Germany and not locally and we get nailed with duties etc. The markup on oil is hardly anything. This is true as coming from the industry I know the dealers dont charge much for oil.
As to the exact markups I cannot say. As nobody will tell me. :banghead:
Here is a fair one, what is the average time spent doing a standard service on a car, and is every car diagnosed each time it comes in for a service using the proper machines. Reason why I ask is that I believe a dealer service center, the guys that have had the training on your specific car is just a rush through shop, and very little, if any inspection is done on a vehicle when it comes in for a service.... views on this ?
The average time per vehicle depending on model is about 2 hours. Every car is diagnosed (How else do we charge you for things you didnt know were broken?) However it must be said that although our technicians use the same machines and software as say Zeemax our technicians do not have access to half the tech that they have. I assume this is to keep the quality of work higher or just to restrict future problems that the techs may cause.
The vehicle goes through a level 2 inspection at most services. With MINI it is all services and not sure with BMW. This is a 80 point check including compression tests, brake tests as well as wheel alignment.
I do feel that sometimes these checks and requirements can hinder the technicians in solving the immediate problems the customer has with the vehicle.
What percentage of the initial price of a new car is for the motorplan?
I know with MINI that the Motorplan is not part of the initial price. However on BMW's side I am not sure. Just remember that your cars work on Conditional Servicing whereby the car constantly evaluates your driving and adjusts the service requirements to that. With BMW and MINI it is not about how many cars we sell but more about how many warranty's ie Motorplans we activate. If anything your local dealer gets a kickback when he sells a new car because he activated a Motorplan.
What percentage of the price of parts is used to fund motorplan replacement of parts?
This I do not know. I have made an attempt to find out but I would assume that parts play a huge role in funding the Motorplan. Also remember that BMW is not just a service department. We have insurance, home finance etc etc and by buying a car you are made aware and in many cases you use these services which pay for others.
We make a profit on the car, the finance, the insurance, the deposit (kickback from our banks) and even if you register with another bank we still get a kickback. We make money from parts, asset finances, our premises and so much more.
Does installing aftermarket ECU remapping software void the MP?
Only if it is detected at a service. Many aftermarket mappers sell maps that can be switched off for services. Part of the 80 point check is to look at how many times the ECU has been flashed. Often our systems because head office has dumbed them down so much dont find anything even on cars that have been flashed. Most people would use a plug and play map. In fact one of our sales people used to have one for his demo car.
How am I doing?
Too vague or would you like more info? Who else has a question?
Mike
