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BMW is not supportive of the Enthusiast Community

Specific discussion about the E89 2009 Z4 (sDrive35is, sDrive35i, sDrive30i, sDrive23i)
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Fishy Dave
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BMW is not supportive of the Enthusiast Community

Post by Fishy Dave » Wed Jul 12, 2017 12:20 pm

I do know where the OP is coming from, my guess is that is partly that they can't release certain information but probably they are not geared up for it. When I started my 'running in oil' enquiry, it involved weeks of work for BMW, involving BMW Genius in the UK, M GmbH and BMW Classic in Germany. They were great, but it sounded like a lot of work and I suspect it helped that they knew I was Z4 representative from BMWCC.
Maybe a new department is needed within BMW to support the enthusiast, an archivist of sorts, but it would come at a cost. Is it worth trying to contact your club representative for your model to see if they can find out for you or maybe put you in touch with someone else? :)
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ferry
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BMW is not supportive of the Enthusiast Community

Post by ferry » Wed Jul 12, 2017 12:44 pm

BMW will have the information but why would they share it?

Imagine the value of such data when it comes to determining product strategy, car specifications, options, colours etc and how much competitors would value that information.

The best databases of this information for virtually any brand, outside of the manufacturer, is through the owner's club, forums of if one individual takes it upon themselves to try and collate the data by monitoring auctions, classifieds and such like.

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PerryGunn
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BMW is not supportive of the Enthusiast Community

Post by PerryGunn » Wed Jul 12, 2017 2:59 pm

ferry wrote: Wed Jul 12, 2017 12:44 pmThe best databases of this information for virtually any brand, outside of the manufacturer, is through the owner's club, forums of if one individual takes it upon themselves to try and collate the data by monitoring auctions, classifieds and such like.
Precisely - and it's bloody difficult even for limited production vehicles

Have a look at Alpina Archive and see the sort of information that can be gathered and shared by enthusiasts
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BMW is not supportive of the Enthusiast Community

Post by Valor1 » Tue Jul 18, 2017 11:03 pm

Update: It looks like there is a huge distinction between BMW N.A. and BMW in Munich. Dealing with BMW North America was :headbang:

The lady said she knew exactly where I was coming from but it was there "policy" not to release this information. Clearly they don't realize that really dyed in the wool car people are can be obsessive and we like this sort of stuff. E.g., Man cave's with automobile memorabilia and knowing all sorts of esoteric stuff about car's history and production. (I guess they've never watched an episode of Petrolicious.)

So much for American style customer service! :thumbsdown:

ON THE OTHER HAND I did indeed get an email from BMW Munich this morning and they were the opposite of BMW NA. They actually gave me useful data! I asked for one more point of clarification and once that is (hopefully) provided I will post a full update.

So far....score one for BMW Munchen! :thumbsup:

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BMW is not supportive of the Enthusiast Community

Post by Smartbear » Tue Jul 18, 2017 11:06 pm

Valor1 wrote: Tue Jul 18, 2017 11:03 pm Update: It looks like there is a huge distinction between BMW N.A. and BMW in Munich. Dealing with BMW North America was :headbang:

The lady said she knew exactly where I was coming from but it was there "policy" not to release this information. Clearly they don't realize that really dyed in the wool car people are can be obsessive and we like this sort of stuff. E.g., Man cave's with automobile memorabilia and knowing all sorts of esoteric stuff about car's history and production. (I guess they've never watched an episode of Petrolicious.)

So much for American style customer service! :thumbsdown:

ON THE OTHER HAND I did indeed get an email from BMW Munich this morning and they were the opposite of BMW NA. They actually gave me useful data! I asked for one more point of clarification and once that is (hopefully) provided I will post a full update.

So far....score one for BMW Munchen! :thumbsup:
Glad to hear you're getting somewhere with your request.
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BMW is not supportive of the Enthusiast Community

Post by BeardyJon » Sun Sep 10, 2017 1:49 pm

Bing wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2017 11:46 am
Ewazix wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2017 8:41 am I can understand why an enthusiast is interested in the production and spec data but can see why BMW generally have a policy on not releasing it. Whilst it seems picky to refuse this one-off request, info about customer preferences is commercial gold in the era of 'big data' and companies pay fortunes to acquire and study it. Also it may not be as simple as you suggest to extract the data depending on how the database is set up.
This, and only this, is the answer to this thread. It's not a Lamborghini, or even an AMG, it's a mass produced car that competes with the SLK, the TT, and every other two seater roadster out there.
This is where the thread should end, tbh.

OP seems to be desperately trying to find out that his car is only 1 of a handful so he can brag that its a special edition like the rest of his collection. Sorry to say, that as lovely as the E89 Zed is, its not a limited, collectors edition, no matter what spec you have or how many other people have the same spec. It's a mass-produced roadster. A good one, but not a special one.
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BMW is not supportive of the Enthusiast Community

Post by mcbutler » Sun Sep 10, 2017 2:28 pm

GBZ4 wrote: Fri Jul 07, 2017 2:58 am Mines special, its white with a black roof and wheels. BMW aren't aware and nor will they be, that doesn't make them disloyal to me as a customer. :fuelfire:
Looks great, did you paint the roof or wrap it?
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BMW is not supportive of the Enthusiast Community

Post by GBZ4 » Sun Sep 10, 2017 2:39 pm

mcbutler wrote: Sun Sep 10, 2017 2:28 pm
GBZ4 wrote: Fri Jul 07, 2017 2:58 am Mines special, its white with a black roof and wheels. BMW aren't aware and nor will they be, that doesn't make them disloyal to me as a customer. :fuelfire:
Looks great, did you paint the roof or wrap it?
Thanks, I agree. I had it painted along with the wheels and mirror caps.
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BMW is not supportive of the Enthusiast Community

Post by Maniac » Sun Sep 10, 2017 4:17 pm

Oh dear god I thought I'd seen the last of this thread...

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BMW is not supportive of the Enthusiast Community

Post by ferry » Tue Sep 12, 2017 8:05 pm

It's allliiiiiiive!

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BMW is not supportive of the Enthusiast Community

Post by enzed4 » Tue Sep 12, 2017 8:52 pm

Aaargh - Kill it with Fire...

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